Much more. It is God's Word after
all. Did you hear me? I said it is
God's Word after all, so there's much more than meets the eye
in every line and every phrase. Look at verses 17 through 19. Jesus going up to Jerusalem took
the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be betrayed
unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn
him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock and
to scourge, and to crucify him, and the third day he shall rise
again." Now this is much, much more than the Lord merely informing
them what is about to happen to him. This is the sum and the
substance of this whole book, what the Lord just said, how
that Christ must suffer. This is the gospel of our salvation. This is the whole counsel of
God. It says Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, more than just
the man. Call His name Jesus, for He shall
save His people from their sin. And yet, call His name Immanuel,
which being interpreted is God with us. This is God come to
earth, and it says He's headed toward Jerusalem. There's another
place that says He set His face like a plant toward Jerusalem. It's going up. going up to Jerusalem. Now this is not just geographically
speaking. Although Jerusalem was set on
a hill, a city on a hill. And they did ascend. Whoever
went to Jerusalem to worship, ascended. What a good picture
that is. But this is to tell us how the
Lord who started so low in a manger in Bethlehem, is ascending. He's ascending. He's going to
start in a manger, and he's going to end up in the heaven of heavens.
He starts in a stable, in a manger, in little old Bethlehem, and
he's going to end up at the right hand of God. But he's got to
go by way of the cross. It says in verse, well look at
Mark chapter 10. Mark chapter 10, and you might
want to turn to Luke 18 as well, because this is recorded three
times. Mark 10 and Luke 18 because each
one gives a little more of this account. Mark chapter 10 verse
32. They were in the way going up
to Jerusalem. They were in the way. It says
that Jesus going up to Jerusalem took his disciples apart and
They were in the way going up to Jerusalem. Apparently, this
way they were in was the only way to get to Jerusalem from
where they were. Now that's good, isn't it? It's
the same with us. There's one way. Christ is the
way. The way into New Jerusalem, His
church, is by Him. The way into His kingdom is only
one way. That's through Christ and Him
crucified. The way to heaven. The way to God. There's only
one way. One way. And they were in it.
And He is in. He's in. And for our Lord to
ascend to His Father's throne, He must go to Jerusalem. He must
go to the cross, which was outside the camp of Jerusalem. And be
lifted up. And it's the same with us, people.
Same with us. The way up is the way of the
cross. The way to God is by Christ and
Him crucified. The way of life is death. Death, the sin. Now, I want you
to notice with me, his whole life was him going to Jerusalem. Look at Luke chapter 2. Luke
chapter 2, beginning with verse 21. His whole life, he was going
to Jerusalem. And what he did, principally
did in and outside of Jerusalem. That's the city of David. It's
a picture. Jerusalem is a picture of his
church. In fact, his church is called
New Jerusalem. New Jerusalem. All right? His
whole life he was going to Jerusalem. Chapter 2, verse 21, when he
was born, eight days later, when eight days were accomplished
for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus. which
was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
And when the days of her purification, Mary, according to the law of
Moses, were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem to present
him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of
the Lord, every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy
to the Lord. And they brought him to Jerusalem
to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the
law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons that were
going up for his circumcision, as well as they often went to
keep the Passover. They had to go to Jerusalem.
That was the place where the Passover was kept. So they went
to Jerusalem to have him circumcised according to the law. Our Lord
came as a man to fulfill Every jot and tittle of the law, though
he's eight days old, he has his parents bring him to Jerusalem. All right. Look at verse 40. The child grew wax strong in
spirit, filled with wisdom. The grace of God was upon him.
Now, when he was 12 years old, they went up to Jerusalem again
after the custom of the feast. This is the Passover. Now I remind
you, it says that every man must have a lamb, doesn't it? Keep
the Passover. You would go to Jerusalem, and
every man must have a lamb, a lamb according to a house, alright?
But if you were too poor, if you couldn't afford a lamb, you
would have two pigeons or two turtledoves. Well, Joseph and
Mary were very poor, so they brought two turtledoves. No,
they had a lamb. Little did they know, they had.
A lamb. He was with them all along. And
you know what? So do we. All along. He's the lamb slain
before the foundation of the world. Before you knew you had
to have a lamb, you had a lamb. That blood was shed for the remission
of your sins. Long before you knew it. So they
went up to Jerusalem. And they supposed him, and you
know the story. I won't read it all. They supposed
him to be in their company. Where was he found? Verse 46,
they found him in the temple. That's where you're going to
find him. If you're looking for the Lord Jesus Christ, you know
where you're going to find him? Every time. In his temple. Where's his temple? There's no
temple in heaven. There's no temple on earth. They're
not going to build another temple. What's his temple? Paul said,
you're the king of God. You're the people of God. You're
the place of God. You're the dwelling place of
God. That's where you'll find the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
where He was from the beginning. That's where He will be unto
the end. And so they found Him in the
temple. And He was sitting in the midst
of doctors, hearing them, asking them questions. They were astounded,
amazed at Him. His mother asked Him, verse 49,
How is it? Well, they asked Him, saying,
Son, why have you dealt with us? And I'll have you know that he
never called Mary his mother. Never. He never said mother. He said woman. Woman. She's supposedly his mother.
She's his earthly, the means of which he was brought into
the world. But he has no mother or father. He has no beginning
or end. And he said, he said unto them, how is it that you
sought me? Wish ye not that I must be about
my father's business." And he said, and one more, go to Matthew
21. Matthew 21. After he came to
Jerusalem with his disciples, Matthew 21, the first place he
went, they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, verse 1, and the first place
he went was the temple of God. He came to the temple, and they
came riding into Jerusalem on that coat, the foal of an ass,
to fulfill the scriptures, didn't they? Zechariah 9. And then he
came to his house, which was the temple, verse 12. He went into the temple and cast
out all them that sold and bought in the temple. overthrew the
tables of the money changers, seats of them that sold dove.
And he said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called
the house of prayer. He made it a den of thieves. So the Lord came to his house. The temple was his house. Malachi
said, The Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come to his temple. And it says he will be like a
refiner's fire and a puller's soap, and he will purge his temple,
his threshing floor. And he did just that. So, you
see, our Lord was on his way up to Jerusalem from the beginning,
from a child, from eight days old until the day he was crucified,
he was on his way to Jerusalem. And Luke 18, I told you to turn
there. Here's Luke's account. Look at
this. This is very good. Luke 18, verse
31. Luke 18, 31. Then he took unto
him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem,
and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the
Son of Man shall be accomplished. He must go to Jerusalem. He must
go there. Everything about him was written,
foreordained, predestined. And his life, his whole life
was an accomplishment. All things written of the Son
of Man shall be accomplished. His life was an accomplishment. Righteousness was established.
An everlasting righteousness brought in. His death was an
accomplishment. Justice was satisfied. Sins were
remitted. Sins were paid for. Sins were
put away. We had to read that in. That
was Luke's account that our Lord said, everything written of me
must be accomplished. Now I go back to Matthew 20. Matthew 20. So it says in verse
17, our Lord going up to Jerusalem. says he took the twelve disciples
apart in the way and sent unto them. He was speaking to them,
no one else. In other words, he chose these
twelve, took them aside, apart. He chose them out of a mass of
humanity to reveal unto them Christ in Him crucified. He kept telling them over and
over again, didn't he? You did not choose me, I chose
you. I have chosen you. And he took
his twelve disciples to reveal unto them himself and everything
concerning himself. All the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge, all the mysteries are hidden in Christ. Hidden
from the wise and prudent, but revealed unto us and our children. And he takes his people aside,
apart from the mass of humanity. He chooses his people, his elect,
to reveal unto them the gospel. It's hidden from most. It's hidden,
but revealed unto God's people. He said in Isaiah 43, You are
my witnesses whom I have chosen, that you might know and believe
me, and understand that I am thee. How blessed these men were. You know, most people don't know
who Christ really is. Most people do not know, nor
believe, nor understand who Jesus Christ is. They don't know why
he came. They don't know who he is. They
don't know where he is now. They don't know what he did when
he came here. God's people do, don't they? Christ is revealed
unto us and even our children in their heads, who Christ is,
that he is God. God manifests in the flesh. Glory. And not because we make Him that.
He was born that way. He has always been that way. King of kings and Lord of lords. Christ, the prophet, the priest,
the king. Why ain't He came? Why ain't
He came? Most people don't know and don't
care. But we know He came to live as
our covenant head. If you would say that to most
people, Get on with it. Say something else. Covenant
mercy is our hope of salvation. Our hope of heaven. Second Adam
from above. How many people sang that harp
the herald angels sing this so-called holiday season? Second Adam from
above, reinstate us in thy love. Adam's image now effaced. Set thine own image in its place. How many people understand that,
what they were singing? We do, don't we? Oh, how blessed
we are. Our covenant head, the second
Adam, who's of the heavens heavenly, come to take us to God. In Adam
all died, but in Christ, everybody in Christ is made alive. Why
he came? He came to be a sin offering.
Not a martyr, not an example, but a sin payment, a sin substitute,
a burnt offering. Our Lamb, behold the Lamb of
God, John said. That's why he came. He didn't
come to make an offer to man. He came to make an offering to
God. And God accepted it. And we're accepted in the blood.
No other way. Most people are trying to be
accepted or pleasing to God, but something they do, and they're
ignorant of God's righteousness. You're going about to establish
your own. What about you? That's God. We know why Christ
came. He came to die. He came to live. Not for all mankind, but for
His sheep. And we know where He is now.
We know where He is now, don't we? He's not in a tomb. He's on a throne. And He's not
outside our heart's door. He's seated on a throne, resting
in His work. Resting in His finished work. And so beware. expecting his
enemies to be made his footstool, till all his enemies are brought
to his feet. That's where he is now, reigning and ruling.
He's not watching, he's working. He's not a bystander, he's the
first cause of all time. In the volume of the book, he
said, it is written of me. So he was going up to Jerusalem,
and he started at the lowest of the low, The lowest parts
of the earth, David called it, the womb. That's as low as you
can get. And he ascended to the highest
of the high, to the right hand of the majesty on high. Yes,
he's going up as high as a man can get. And as he is, so are we. Look
at what he said in verse 18. Behold, we go up to Jerusalem. We go up. You know what Christ
did? He did for us. You know what
Christ did we did? When Christ fulfilled that long,
we fulfilled that long. When Christ was crucified, we
were crucified with Him. When Christ arose, we arose with
Him. When Christ was seated, we were
seated in the heavens with Him. You say, I don't understand.
You don't have to. It's up. Just rest there. As He is, so are we. Accepted, holy, unblamable, and
unreproved, justified, loved by the Father. Accepted. And
it's as good as done. It is done. Because Christ did
it. And it says, Behold, we go up. We're going to go up. We have
gone up. We have passed from death unto
life. And you have he quickened who were dead. Dead and trespassed
and sinned. We go from death unto life, life
more abundant. We go from darkness unto his
marvelous light, the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God. We go from the dunghill to sit among princes. We go from
lonely bar like Mephibosheth to sit at the king's table. We go up. We go up. It says they shall, verse 19,
our Lord told them everything that would happen to them. And
do you know that everything that will happen to us has been preordained
to? Everything. Every single thing
has been predestined. And all we can really say when
we pray is, thy will be done. Thy will be done. And it will
be. It shall be. It shall be. It was known unto
God all His works from the beginning, and He hath predestinated everything
concerning us. Thank God. I am so glad that
that's the way it is, aren't you? Everything's working together
according to His purpose. As Brother Scott said, if you
knew what God knew, you wouldn't change a thing. You'd be so glad
He ordered everything exactly like He did. And someday we're
going to look back at everything He has done. Everything we thought
was evil, we're going to see very clearly, it was the best
thing that could happen to us. Spurgeon said, we fear the thing
that is the best thing that could possibly happen to us. He said,
we fear the thing that's going to be our entrance into glory,
life more abundant, joy unspeakable and full of glory. We dread it. Dread it? Oh, we of little faith. He said, behold, we go up. We
go up. He set his face like a flint.
Oh Lord, set my face like a flint. He said, we go up. And he said,
this is what they're going to do to me. And as Paul said, none
of these things move me, neither can't I my life, dear, that I
might finish my call. May God give us that understanding. This is what they're going to
do to me. Who did it to Him? You with wicked hands, Peter
said, have taken and crucified the Lord of glory, but you did
what God determined before to be done. It's the same with us. They couldn't touch the Lord
Jesus Christ. They couldn't touch Him until
it was His time. And it's the same with us. Alright,
here's what He said they're going to do to me. They shall. Behold,
we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be betrayed
unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn
him to death, and they shall deliver him to the Gentiles to
mock. They shall mock him, they shall
scourge him, they shall crucify him, but the third day he shall
rise again." They will deliver him, but it
was God who delivered him up for us all. God's people. They
shall mock him, but God said, every knee is going to bow, and
every tongue is going to confess. They shall scourge him, and they
did. And bless God by his stripes,
we are healed. The scourging that we deserved,
he got. But now, he said, there's some
that are going to be scourged with many stripes. If he hadn't
been scourged in Christ, you're going to be scourged. They scourged him, all right.
But he took no scourging. And they shall crucify him. They
shall. And Paul said this, Behold, I
am crucified with Christ, and the world to me, and I to the
world. Nevertheless, I am. The life I now live, I live by
the faith of the Son of God. Do you understand? Crucify. And our Lord said, if it were
lawful, they'd crucify you. They'll hate you for the truth's
sake. But it says, He shall rise again. Did He? Oh, yes, He did. Shall we? Oh, yes, we shall. Oh yes we shall. And he shall
come again. They said this same Jesus whom
you have seen go into heaven shall come in like manner as
you've seen him go. He shall come and every eye shall
see him. And they shall weep and they
shall wail, but not us. Not God's people. We'll laugh
with a holy laughter. We're going to shout. Here comes
the bridegroom. And He shall come again, and
we shall go up. Then we shall go up. We've gone
from death unto life. We've gone from darkness unto
light. We've gone from a loaded bar,
no bread, to the king's table, sitting among princes. But it gets better than this.
We're going to go up higher than this. Much higher. Someday, when
the Lord comes, we shall meet Him in the air. We're going up,
alright. The new Jerusalem. The Church
of the Living God. And though in these last days
and perilous times so many scoff, they're still scoffing, they're
still mocking. And if He were here today, saying
what He did then, they'd try to kill Him again. Ask us religion. Religion does
that very thing. But we believe and are sure And
the only reason we do is by the grace of God, because the Holy
Spirit of God has revealed Him unto us, given us an understanding
that we might know Him that is true, and we're in Him that is
true. This is life eternal. And we believe and are sure that
He is the Christ that was and is to come. And behold, I show
you a mystery. We go up to Jerusalem. Maybe today. We can tell. There's a time when
you think not. Maybe Wednesday night, the start
of the new year. Maybe. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and everything concerning me
shall be fulfilled, and everything concerning you shall be fulfilled.
And everything I said, every promise, every word of promise,
Every ray of hope I've given you is yea and amen to the glory
of God by Jesus Christ. Amen.