Good morning. Excuse me. If you would, open up to Luke
chapter 24. As you turn, Proverbs 27.1 says,
boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day
may bring forth. Last Sunday morning, I came in
and saw the bulletin announcing that Bob would be one of the
speakers for this morning in Gabe's absence. And of course,
as I prepared, that was heavily on my mind. Not only am I filling
in for Bob, I mean for Gabe, but Bob as well. And a story
came to my mind that concerned Charles Spurgeon. Mr. Spurgeon was to start a service
but he was detained for some reason. And his grandfather,
a gospel preacher as well, took it upon himself to start the
service before Mr. Spurgeon could arrive. During
the service, the younger gentleman arrived. And the elder, noticing
him there, turned the service over to him. And he did so by
saying, here comes my grandson. He can preach the gospel better
than I can. But you cannot preach a better
gospel, can you, Charles? I'm sorry. I miss Bob. But by God's grace, I will preach
the gospel he has declared here. You don't need to turn. But the first chapter of Job
tells us of the many troubling declarations that came to Job
in one day. The oxen were plowing, and the
asses feeding beside them, and the Sabians fell upon them and
took them away. Yea, they have slain the servants
with the edge of the sword. The fire of God is fallen from
heaven and hath burned up the sheep and the servants. The Chaldeans
fell upon the camels and have carried them away, yea, and slain
the servants with the edge of the sword. Thy sons and daughters
were eating and drinking. Behold, there came a great wind
from the wilderness and smote the four corners of the house,
and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead. And I only
am escaped alone to tell thee. Past few months, even looking
back a couple of years, it seems like every time I turn around,
I've encountered some word of unwelcome news. And particularly recently, it
seems as if that news is concerning men and women that have been
steady, steadfast pillars of the gospel. As I was writing
this message yesterday, I received word of another lady in Madisonville
that the Lord called home, Miss Betty Smith. Her funeral was
yesterday. A dear lady that was always supportive,
sat, listened, and always encouraged me as I preached for them. Several of God's choice servants
for their generations have recently been called home or are no longer
able to maintain their active position in the ministry. And
as I reflected on these men and ladies, some of which I barely
knew, some I only saw occasionally, once every five years or so,
but I thought of how much I loved them, how much I appreciated
them, How much congregations that I attended looked forward
to their visits. Why? What made them so special
to me? The gospel that they proclaimed
or supported of Christ and him crucified. One day, on a day that is called
today, we're gonna hear of another of God's servants called home. Will we despair of God's providence? Will we find out that our faith
is placed in God's messenger rather than in the Christ that
he proclaimed? When that day of trouble comes,
what help is there for us? Can we find comfort and rest
from this trouble? With that thought in mind, Luke
24, verse 32. Luke 24, 32. And they, the disciples that
our Lord met on the road to Emmaus, said one to another, did not
our heart burn within us while he talked with us by the way
and while he opened to us the scriptures? And they rose up
the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven
gathered together, and them that were with them, saying, The Lord
is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what
things were done in the way, and how he was known of them
in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus
himself stood in the midst of them, and said unto them, Peace
be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted,
and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them,
Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in
your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet,
that it is I myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit
hath not flesh and bones as you see me have. And when he had
thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while
they yet believed not for joy and wondered, he said unto them,
have you here any meat? And they gave him a piece of
broiled fish and of an honeycomb. And he took it and did eat before
them. And he said unto them, these
are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you,
that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law
of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning
me. Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the
scriptures. And he said unto them, Thus it is written, and
thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the
third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these
things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father unto you,
but tarry you in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued
with power from on high. And he led them out as far as
to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And
it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them
and carried up into heaven. Last Sunday, Gabe spoke from
1 Timothy 3.16. And without controversy, great
is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. The last phrase, received up
into glory, causes me great wonder the more the Lord teaches me.
Where, what, how, Can we find comfort when it seems
like all we're done is bombarded with unwelcome news in this world? The simple answer is the title
to my message this morning, The Man in Glory. As we approach
this subject, I pray the Lord will show us why I am filled
with wonder and why we should all be filled with wonder that
there is a man in glory. How did the man enter into glory? And what is he doing in glory
right now? I was taught all my life, as
I suspect many of you were, that Jesus of Nazareth came into the
world, lived a perfect life, died on a cross, rose from the
grave, and ascended back into heaven. There's nothing surprising
about the statement that he was received into glory. So why is
it now that I'm older, I'm filled with wonder as I consider it? We know there are many men in
glory. Abraham, Elijah, Lazarus, and our Lord. Why then am I amazed? Shouldn't that list, that there's
more than one man, make us all the more amazed? There are men, men that are not
unlike you and me, in the presence of God. We should be filled with
wonder. What does God require to be in
his presence? You must be like him. You must
have a nature like unto his own. What is his nature? God is holy. What is holy? The best definition
I've ever heard was from Todd Nybert. He said, holy is other. God is other than what I am. What am I? Sin. God is holy. What am I? Death. God is holy. Are we holy? No. Isaiah 53 6 says, all we like
sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his
own way. God is holy and God is unchanging. Malachi 3.6 says, for I am the
Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed. Can any of us say that we don't
change? I certainly can't. Jacob could
have easily been talking to me when he said to Reuben that you're
unstable as water. That's me. God is true. What do the scriptures say of
man? Psalm 58, 3. The wicked are estranged from
the womb. They go astray as soon as they
be born, speaking lies. That makes us all wicked. Not
a one of us in here has ever not spoken a lie. God is life. Man is dead in trespasses
and sins. Hold your place here and turn
over to Romans chapter eight. God is holy, he is unchanging,
he is true, he is life, and God is love. Romans 8 verse 6 says,
for to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually
minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity
against God, enmity, hate, the opposite of love. The carnal
mind is enmity against God. For it is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in
the flesh cannot please God. Time prevents us from looking
at all the attributes of God. But I think you can see from
these few examples, we're nothing alike. We are polar opposites. There is a vast chasm between
man and God. How then can we do anything but
sit in amazement that there's a man in glory? For just a few moments this morning,
I want us to ignore all other men that are in glory. I want
us to focus on one man, our Lord Jesus Christ. And this morning,
let us do as Pilate said. Behold the man. Back in our text, Luke 24, 51. Notice how our Lord was received
into glory. Luke 24, 51. The last part of our text says he
was parted from them and carried up into heaven. There was another
man carried up into heaven, and let's turn and look at that in
2 Kings. Hold your place here in Luke. 2 Kings 2. Elijah and Elisha are walking
together here. Second Kings 2 verse 11. And it came to pass as they still
went on and talked. I love that. They both knew Elijah
was going to be departed from them, and yet they carried on. They're just conversing with
one another. Walking together. That's just blessed me and joy
thinking of that And it came to pass that as as
they still went on and talked that behold there appeared a
chariot of fire and horses of fire and Parted them both asunder
and Elijah went up by whirlwind into heaven Elijah was taken
into heaven into glory and but he was sent for by chariot to
be carried there. The Lord our Savior, by his own
power, was formed in the womb of a virgin. By his own power,
he walked the earth in the flesh, fulfilling the law. By his own
power, he gave up the ghost upon the cross. By his own power,
he took up his life again and walked out of the tomb. and by
his own power, no help was given to him, he ascended back into
glory. What other words could Paul use
but great is the mystery of godliness. But Obi, Jesus Christ is God. What's so special about him being
received up into glory? He is God and He is man. He is a man of God's choosing,
a man born without sin, a man in whom God delights, but just
as fully a man as any of us sitting here. Turn with me to Luke chapter
2. Luke 2 verse 52, and Jesus increased in wisdom
and stature and in favor with God and man. Talk about a mystery. Jesus,
God the Son, increased in favor with God. Over in Luke 8, 23, talking about
Christ, we read, but as they sailed, he fell asleep. Jesus,
God the Son, slept. Yet Psalm 121 says, behold, he
that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Am I presenting
scriptures to prove that Jesus is simply a man and not God?
Indeed not, but our Lord was made in the likeness of sinful
men. He knew our infirmities, not
as one that was told them. I can enter in and I can be sympathetic
to someone that is sick, but when I become sick like them,
I can truly empathize with them. He entered into our infirmities,
not as one those told him, but he experienced what we are. Hebrews
4.15, speaking of our Lord Jesus Christ says, for we have not
an high priest which cannot be touched with the filling of our
infirmities, but was in all points tempted, like as we are, yet
without sin. Our Lord, of His own will, because
of His love for His Father, because of His love for His people, made
Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men. In that likeness, as
a man made under the law of God, He accomplished what no other
man could. He perfectly kept in word, thought,
and deed, the law of God, so that when the law examined him
in his own merits, it had to declare, I find no cause of death
in him. Why is it so important that Christ
came in the flesh, made under the law, and kept the law? Because
I can't. Simple as that. In and of myself,
I have nothing but filthy rags at the very best to present before
my God. Can life, God is life, can he
receive anything acceptable from a man like me, full of death
and corruption? Of course not. But Christ, our
life, presented to God that which he demanded as a man for men. In our stead, he increased in
wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. God was pleased
with his son as he walked in the world. And being pleased
with our Lord, if we are in him, God is pleased with us. Since
God is pleased with His Son, since He lived perfectly, since
no cause of death was found in Him, why did He humble Himself
and become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross?
To accomplish that for which He came into this world, the
salvation of sinners. His walk in the flesh pleased
the Father. My walk does not. He fulfilled the law. I break
the law. In order that I might be presented
faultless, my sin must be paid for, and I have nothing wherewith
to make payment. Christ my all took my burden
as his own. Under the just condemnation of
God, he shed his blood upon Calvary's tree to make payment for my sin,
for the sin of those he came to redeem. He gave his life to
provide payment for mine." Back in Luke 24, 51, and it came to pass, while he
blessed them, he was parted from them and carried up into heaven. How did our Lord enter into heaven
by his own merits. He provided all that God demanded.
He is one with God. Having the same nature as God,
he is able to dwell in God's presence. He entered heaven by
his own power. He needed no man or angel to
help him. He tread the winepress alone. and he entered heaven as the
triumphant victor who redeemed his elect. Colossians 2.13-15
says, And you, being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision
of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven
you all trespasses, 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. And having spoiled principalities
and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over
them in it." As our Lord is in heaven. He entered in of his own power,
of his own merit, and he entered in triumphantly. And as he is
there now, what's he doing? And it came to pass, while he
blessed them, he began to bless them, and the earth let go its
pull upon him. And as he ascended, he blessed
them. As he was taken out of their
sight, he blessed them. He continued to bless them as
he ascended. Now in glory, we read in Romans
8, 34, it is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. The word bless in Luke 24 and
the word intercession in Romans 8 both have to do with prayer. As he blessed them, so he blesses
us. There is no doubt sorrows, toils,
tribulations, and heartaches will attend us while we labor
in this world. They're going to come. Come what may, though, those
for whom Christ suffered, died, and rose do not sorrow as those
who have no hope. Sin is our nature, and it is
sin which causes us sadness and heartache. But we have a mighty
Savior, which is one with the Father. who came in the likeness
of his elect children to provide that which we cannot obtain,
acceptance with God. He has made us accepted by the
sacrifice of himself, and to as many as he died for, he will
make himself known unto him. He'll call him to himself through
the preaching of the gospel. At the start of the message,
I referenced Job, And it occurred to me that in all that was announced,
it was life. Just life. Day-to-day life was
going on in Job's experience. Sheep were being cared for, the
cattle were being cared for, the camels, families were gathering
together. And suddenly, tragedy struck. This is given for our learning. It will happen when it does. May the Lord give us grace to
remember that our great high priest, our Lord Jesus Christ,
the man, was received up into glory. And because he was received
in glory, all those for whom he died will be received with
him. Amen. You're dismissed.