Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. The only man who ever had a perfect
reputation laid it aside. That head which once held a glittering
crown of glory and majesty was stooped under the dews of humility
as he walked among men, with no beauty that any man should
envy him of, and had not even a place to lay his head. He came
into this world to demonstrate that no man can be delivered
by the power of the flesh. So he clothed himself in the
weakness and frailty of human flesh that he might demonstrate
that the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord. Now we are certain
that his humiliation was only temporary insofar as men consider
the passing of time. But the fact that He alone is
eternal has enabled Him to fulfill all righteousness, which that
law that He has designed and set in order had demanded of
His elect bride, who He had willingly submitted unto it. As a servant,
He bowed beneath the awful load of guilt which was heaped upon
Him, as the sins of all of His people were imputed to Him. The
law demanded the death of the sinner, and though He knew no
sin, yet He became sin for us, and humbled himself under its
curse. He bore that awful burden and even endured a fate worse
than death as he experienced his father turn his face away
from him lest he look upon sin. O wonder of all wonders, the
Son of the living God has died for sinners. He has been humiliated
in their behalf. He has become an outcast even
as the off-scouring of the earth. No man helped him. None stood
with him. All of those who pledged their
allegiance fled like dogs in the hour of his greatest trial.
Ah, but wait! This one who hung there in ignominy
and shame is no mere man. He is that lion of the tribe
of Judah. He is that one who comes from Edom with dyed garments
from Basra. This is he who is traveling in
the greatness of his strength, who has not only dyed his garments
red with his own blood, but has triumphed over all of his and
his people's enemies. He has made a show of them openly.
His mighty arm has brought salvation, and he has unleashed his fury
against all that would ever seek to condemn that precious bride
whose salvation he has undertook and accomplished. He is mighty
to save. But yet as his disciples took
his torn and lifeless body from that tree and prepared it for
burial in a dark tomb, there was no rejoicing among them.
Nor was there any in the courts of heaven as the angels looked
on in dumbfounded dismay that such a thing had occurred. How
could this happen? The one who stretched out the
heavens as a curtain now lies silent and cold in a dark and
cold tomb, and a stone is rolled over its opening, hiding him
from view. Three days and three nights, which must have seemed
an eternity to them, and was indeed the darkest of times for
those disciples who were certain that he was the Messiah who would
lead them out of Roman oppression. This one in whom all their confidence
was placed in their minds now is a victim rather than a victor. Little do they realize that he
who said he was the resurrection and the life would prove it for
all of creation to witness. On the third day as he broke
the surly bonds of death and arose a victor from the dark
domain manifesting his triumph over sin, death, and hell. Once again the disciples were
abuzz with anticipation as one by one the news came to them
that he is indeed risen from the grave. He appeared to them
and their hearts burned each time he spoke to them. And then
a very unexpected event occurred which left them wondering and
speechless. Surely they said the Lord will now at this time
restore the kingdom to Israel. But no, suddenly and without
warning he is taken from them into the heavens leaving them
completely overwhelmed. Oh, see there, the chariots of
God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels. The Lord
is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. Thou hast ascended
on high, thou hast led captivity captive. Thou hast received gifts
for men, yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might
dwell among them. Lift up your heads, O ye gates,
and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty.
He is the King of glory. Let the returning triumphant
king enter that fair city with the spoils of war. Hallelujah,
for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The head that once was crowned
with thorns is crowned with glory now. A royal diadem adorns the
mighty victor's brow. The highest place that heaven
affords belongs to him by right. The king of kings and lord of
lords and heaven's eternal light. Are you a worshiper of this risen
king? If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.