Let us commence our service by singing together hymn 167. The tune is Diademata, 77. Come all harmonious tongues, your noblest music bring. Tis Christ the everlasting God and Christ the man we sing. Tell how he took our flesh to take away our guilt. Sing the dear drops of sacred blood by hellish monster's spill. Hymn 167. Tune Diademata 77. ♪ Of all the world, yes God ♪ ♪ Your cradle drifted we ♪ ♪ Tis Christ the everlasting God ♪ ♪ And Christ the man we see ♪ Tell how He took a pledge to take away our guilt.

Sing the lyrics of sin and guilt, O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave Down to the straits of death Be thou his own, O man! Yet be thou close to him, I pray, And of his self preserve. O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, ♪ When the Redeemer sits ♪ ♪ I know His colors know ♪ ♪ The Father makes His angels mine ♪ ♪ And smiles upon His Son ♪ It's all for each side. With the feet of Christ. Helpless, His saints have made their side.

Let us read together from the Holy Word of God in the Gospel according to Luke and chapter 24. Luke's Gospel, chapter 24 and we'll commence reading at verse 13. And behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus. which was from Jerusalem, about three score furlongs, and they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass that while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.

But their eyes were holden, that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another as ye walk and are sad? And one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering, said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? and they said unto him concerning Jesus of Nazareth which was a prophet mighty indeed and word before God and all the people and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and have crucified him but we trusted that had been he which should have redeemed Israel and beside all this today is the third day since these things were done. Yea and certain women also of our company made us astonished which were early at the sepulchre and when they found not his body they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels which said that he was alive and certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre and found it even so as the women had said but him they saw not. Then he said unto them, O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

And they drew nigh unto the village whither they went, and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and break, and gave to them. and their eyes were opened and they knew him and he vanished out of their sight.

And they said one to another, did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us by the way, while he opened to us the scriptures? And they rose up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the 11 gathered together and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared unto 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.

And they were terrified and affrighted. and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, why are you 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 believed not for joy and wonder, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broad fish, and of an honeycomb, and he took it, and did eat before them. And he said unto them, That these are the words which I spoke 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 said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning Jerusalem and you are witnesses of these things and behold I send the promise of my father upon you but tarry ye 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 that he was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God.

Amen. May the Lord bless that portion of his own precious word and grant to us a spirit of real prayer. Gracious and most merciful Lord God, We do desire to bow before thy glorious majesty. We come, Lord, as poor sinners. And as one said concerning thee when thou was here upon earth, this man receive his sinners and eateth with them. So we come, Lord, in hope, in that precious mercy that flows through Jesus Christ our Lord. and it's mercy for sinners. And sinners can say, and none but they, how precious is the Saviour.

So, Lord, we come to confess our sins and our sinfulness and pray to be washed and to be cleansed from all unrighteousness. And we pray that Thou wouldst grant us Thy Spirit daily to teach us and to lead us and to guide us and to direct us. And we pray that thy word may be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, that we may be guided in the right way. We read in thy word and he led them forth by the right way unto a city of habitation.

Be with us, Lord, in this service. and be with us as we gather round the table of the Lord and grant that we may be given that spirit of worship, that we remember the Lord Jesus Christ and remember his sufferings, his sorrows, his grief, and his death, and remember the glory of his resurrection. Lord, we pray for remembrance thou said in thy word thou shalt remember all the way that the lord thy god hath led thee to humble thee to prove thee and lord we pray that thou would remember us here today little company gathered together in thy holy name lord we we pray for truly thankful hearts thankful for the table of the lord thankful what it represents the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ, of God manifest in the flesh.

Thankful for that glorious gospel. We thank thee for that wonderful mystery of God manifest in the flesh. We thank thee for the holy life he lived and the holy law he fulfilled and the bringing in of everlasting righteousness for thy people. Thankful for Calvary, where the lamb was slain, where sin was put away, where divine justice was satisfied, where God and sinners are reconciled. Thankful that he laid down his life for us and offered that sacred, holy sacrifice and died for our sins and rose again for our justification. and has now bodily ascended into heaven, fill our hearts with gratitude as we now bow before thy glorious majesty. For such an high priest have we, who's passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Tis he instead of me is seen when I approach to God.

Oh, we do thank thee for our glorious mediator. We thank thee for the love of our Heavenly Father in sending his only begotten Son into the world to save sinners. We thank thee, most gracious Lord, for the Holy Spirit, for his divine power, for his heavenly unction. We pray that we may feel it here this afternoon as we gather round thy word, that we may feel his divine power in our hearts, giving us, O Lord, ears to hear and eyes to see and hearts to receive thy precious word.

Lord, do so bless us. We do humbly beseech thee. We pray, most gracious Lord, that thou would remember us. We think of those not able to be with us today. We pray that thy healing hand, thy restoring mercy may be granted. We pray, most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst hear prayer for the prodigals that have wandered away.

Grant that they may return, that we may see thy wonderful work in this, for there's nothing too hard for thee. Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst grant that we may trust in thy holy name. Deliver us from the spirit of unbelief and graciously grant us clear believing views of the wonderful glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, be with and bless and undertake for any that are in any particular trouble or trial or perplexity, sorrow, sadness, or bereavement, and help them to look to thee, and help them to cleave to thee, help them to cast all their cares upon thee, May they hear that glorious voice of the Saviour, come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest for your souls. O gracious God, we do pray that that may be so even today.

We pray that thou would remember our brethren, the deacons, and graciously bless them. Give them needed grace, wisdom, and help. Remember the little ones and the children as they come into the sanctuary and grant them thy blessing. O Lord, we do beseech thee. Remember each one of our younger friends and graciously guide them and direct them unto Jesus Christ. that they may become true believers and true followers of thee and of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Lord, do so bless our young friends and guide and direct them in all matters. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst hear prayer for parents and give wisdom and guidance and direction that they may bring up their children in accordance with thy holy word. Lord, we pray for the families as they gather together for divine worship, for the reading and prayer. Do bless them, we do humbly pray thee.

We pray most gracious Lord that thou would remember us in this wilderness journey, that thou would deliver us from temptation, For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. Thou art able to do abundantly more than we can even ask or think. We pray, most gracious Lord, yea, we plead before thee that precious promise. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. O most gracious God, guide us safely unto thy heavenly kingdom. Those of us, O Lord, that are now in the evening time of life's journey, we pray to be guided safely unto thy heavenly kingdom and at the appointed time that we may be given an abundant entrance into thy kingdom. Lord, our hope is in thee.

It's in that glorious person of our saviour, his precious redeeming love and blood that we've sung of this afternoon. We pray, O Lord, that Thou wouldst graciously be with us as we come to meditate in Thy Word and grant that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart may be acceptable in Thy sight, my Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. We ask these things with the forgiveness of all our sins.

For Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn number 688. The tune is Staying Cliff, 418. Ye that pass by, behold the man, the man of griefs condemned for you, the Lamb of God for sinners slain, weeping to Calvary, pursue. Hymn 688, tune Staincliffe, 418.

♪ And on a sunny day over a mountain high ♪ O come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ♪ Is really found, is really found ♪ ♪ Is really real and true, is really real and true ♪ ♪ Which Thou hath bought ♪ ♪ And Thou hast my fault ♪ ♪ Which ye have to do ♪ ♪ See for Thine own gain ♪ ♪ Bless the world and the hearts ♪ ♪ For heaven and earth ♪ ♪ Is full of your love ♪ Greatly feeling to need the Lord's gracious help, I would direct your attention to the chapter we read, Gospel According to Luke, chapter 24, reading verses 25 and 26 for our text. Gospel According to Luke, chapter 24, verses 25 and 26. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.

Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? It's a solemn and gentle rebuke unto these two disciples. I always feel that this is one of the most beautiful discourses that we have in of our Lord Jesus Christ and what a sermon that must have been to just those two disciples as they walked and were sad and on the road to Emmaus. and Jesus himself drew near and went with them. They were sad because they had witnessed the judgment and the crucifixion of their beloved Redeemer and as it's very clear they didn't understand the significance of it. Had they done so, they would not have been so sad if they had realized that what Jesus had done.

There are several times in the Gospels when the Lord Jesus Christ actually said to the disciples that the Son of Man must be taken by the hands of wicked men, be condemned to die and be crucified, but on the third day he will rise again. but they did not understand.

And you know that's like that with us. Unless the Lord opens our heart, opens our eyes, our ears, spiritually I mean, to understand the scriptures, that we don't understand. Unless the Lord gives us an understanding. The apostle Paul he says in the first chapter of the epistle to the Ephesians the eyes of your understanding being enlightened and you know friends we need the lord to do that for us to enlighten us so that we understand the scriptures to have some light on the word of god so that we understand what we're reading when the Ethiopian eunuch in acts chapter 8 was um journeying and he was reading in Isaiah chapter 53 and Philip drew near when he was led by the spirit and he heard him reading Isaiah chapter 53 and the eunuch invited him up into his chariot and he said understandest thou what thou readest And he said, how can I know? How can I know? Except some man teach me.

And you see my beloved friends, we need to be humbled sufficiently to receive the scriptures. We need the Holy Spirit to enlighten us that we might understand the scriptures. We need the Holy Spirit to teach us that we're sinners. We need to be convinced of our sin.

Jesus said, when he the spirit of truth is come, he will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. I think it was J.C. Philpott that said that fundamentally the preaching is on sin and salvation. We are sinners, we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Jesus is the Saviour and that is the fundamental truth.

You see, these men, or many believe it was actually a husband and wife, but we're not sure. as they walked together. They talked together of all those things which had happened. And it came to pass that while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. And their eyes were holden.

They didn't know it was the Lord Jesus Christ. There are a number of places in scripture when their eyes were holden. so that they couldn't see or believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. They didn't know who he was, not until he broke bread, just as we, God willing, hope to do this afternoon, to break the bread. And that's when, as he blessed the bread, their eyes were opened and they knew exactly who it was. And then they said, Did not our heart burn within us? Notice that. Some people, they don't notice that. He says, did not our heart, one heart. Doesn't say hearts. Did not our heart burn within us?

As he walked and talked with us by the way, as he opened to us the scriptures. What a mercy when you come to chapel you hear the word of the Lord expounded and you hear the word of the Lord read and your heart burns in love, in desire, seeking something.

How many have come to chapel here today, this afternoon, seeking for something, longing for something, praying for something? What a mercy! What a difference it makes to the preacher in the pulpit when there are those that are in the pew that are praying for something, that are looking for something. And then there's a coming together. Your heart burns as the word of God is open.

And he said unto them, what manner of communication is of these that you have one to another as you walk are sad. It's quite a long journey for walking from Jerusalem out to Emmaus. It's about eight furlongs long. And he said unto them what things? And they said unto him concerning Jesus of Nazareth which was a prophet mighty indeed word before God and all the people and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and have crucified him but we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel. Beside all this today is the third day since these things were done and certain women came also of our company made us astonished which were early at the sepulcher when they found not his body they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels which said that he was alive you see they couldn't grasp the things that they'd already been taught by the Lord Jesus Christ concerning the sufferings the crucifixion resurrection. Then he said unto them, O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.

Pointing to the Old Testament and it says here in verse 44 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 these Psalms concerning me. In other words, the whole of the Old Testament. Then opened he their understanding. You know, my beloved friends, that's what you and I need. Then opened he their understanding. that they might understand the scriptures.

Thus it is written and thus it behove Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into glory. The hymn writer says, doesn't he, through sufferings perfect now he reigns, Jesus through sufferings perfect. I used to look at that when I was a young man and what is perfect about sufferings, especially the terrible sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ when he was crucified on the cross of Calvary when he was in the garden of Gethsemane and he sweat as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground. It says, and he being in agony. Why was he in agony? Why was he in such distress? Well, the key is in Isaiah chapter 53.

He laid upon him That is, our Heavenly Father laid upon His Son, in the Garden of Gethsemane, He laid the sin of the Church on His Son. It's called the doctrine of imputation. He literally took the sin of the Church, He lifted it off the Church, that's the whole Church, and He laid it on Christ. He laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. That's why the Lord Jesus went to Calvary. The apostle said he took our sins and he nailed them to his cross. That's what Jesus did. He took our sins. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things? It was necessary. You might say, why did he have to suffer? Why did he have to bleed? Why did he have to die? Such a pure, holy, loving, kind man. Because we all have sinned. And the word of God declares, the soul that sinneth it shall die.

But God, to show forth the riches of his love and his mercy and of his grace, he sent his son to redeem and deliver his people from their sins. So he took our sins away from us. He lifted them off the church. Those sins that would have damned our soul forever, they were laid upon Jesus, the Son of God. And he nailed them to his cross. He suffered and bled and died. We can't really begin to enter into the depths of those sufferings of Christ. know he was pure, he was holy, he was righteous, he did no sin and our sins were all laid upon him. This was eternally decreed by God.

You know probably the most clear and beautiful chapter on the sufferings of Christ is in Isaiah chapter 53. And when we, this is what the Ethiopian eunuch was reading when Philip the evangelist came to him. Understand what they'll read us? And it says here, and of course it's a beautifully prophetic of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not.

And then he says, surely he hath borne our grief. Now, when we understand it's Jesus Christ standing in the room place instead of his people, these words take on a completely different meaning. surely hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.

He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with this stripes we are healed. When we come this afternoon around the table of the Lord, to remember the cost of our salvation. May these words resound in our hearts. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.

The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed. Now it says All we, like sheep, have gone astray. That speaks of man's fallen condition. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed.

He was afflicted. he opened not his mouth he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is done so he openeth not his mouth he was taken from prison from judgment and who shall declare his generation was cut off that means he was he died he was cut off out of the land of the living the transgression of my people was he stricken this is this is beautifully setting before us the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ when he suffered it was as a substitute for his people he himself did no sin it says here in isaiah 53 yet it pleased the lord to bruise him He hath put him to grief. Now this is what Christ means when he said to these two disciples, ought not Christ to have suffered these things? He was saying that these things are needful, necessary, essential unto salvation. If Jesus had not lived and suffered and bled and died and rose again for his people, none of us would have any hope.

The way to God is open, I am the way, the truth and the life, and this is how he opened the way to God. Get it, please the Lord, that's our heavenly Father. Get it, please the Lord, to bruise him. He hath put him to grief, when thou shalt make his soul. This speaks, my beloved friends, of the true humanity of Jesus the Son of God.

He had a body, a human body and soul. That is what human nature is. It consists of a body and a soul. It's our soul that animates our body. And Jesus had a real true human nature. And his offering on the cross of Calvary, part of it was his holy human soul. when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. I shall never forget reading one of the godly Puritans, Thomas Brooks, and he was speaking of the soul of Christ. And he said this, if Jesus Christ never had a holy human soul, then our soul has never been saved. It's because he had a body and soul, he had a full human nature, It's in that human nature when he offered his body and soul as a sin atoning sacrifice unto his holy father, when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.

And then it speaks here of resurrection. He shall see his seed. His seed is the whole election of grace that the father has given to him. And it was their sins that were laid upon him. The reason that we're called strict and particular Baptist, the word particular refers to particular redemption. It is for a people that were chosen by the father. They were given to Christ before the foundation of the world.

And the Lord Jesus agreed in that holy covenant of grace to come to this world as a man, and to live a life that was holy and pure and righteous on the behalf of his people. And then to offer that holy, pure and spotless sacrifice. You see, divine justice demanded a perfect sacrifice. What John Bunyan calls the acceptable sacrifice. And that is what Jesus Christ offered. The acceptable sacrifice.

Oh fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. You know my mind it just goes to psalm 22 and in psalm 22 the whole of that psalm is what we call a messianic psalm. It speaks of the sufferings of Christ and you can't understand that psalm unless you realize it actually speaks And the person of Christ is speaking in that psalm. In actual fact, the first verse are the exact words that Jesus Christ spoke on the cross. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me? From the words of my roaring. That's Christ there, speaking unto his heavenly Father.

It goes on in verse 6, but I am a worm and no man. This is Jesus, a reproach of men and despised of the people. Just like we've read in Isaiah 53, he was despised and rejected of men, the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. It says here, verse 7 and 8 of Psalm 22, all they that see me laugh me to scorn.

They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying he trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him. Let him deliver him, seeing he delighteth in him. You see, Christ, when he was on Calvary's tree, they walked past, they said he saved others himself, he cannot save. They laughed at him, they mocked him.

And then we hear Christ speaking to his father, but thou art he that took me out of the womb. Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb, thou art my God from my mother's belly. Be not far from me. This is Christ in prayer, for trouble is near, for there's none to help.

You see, it goes on, verse 14, I am poured out like water. and all my bones are out of joint, my heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels. And then it says in verse 16, the dogs have compassed me, the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me, they pierce my hands and my feet. See, it's speaking of our Lord Jesus being crucified. I may tell all my bones, they look and stare upon me, They part my garments among them and cast lots upon my vesture and it's recorded in the New Testament that's exactly what they did. He says here, verse 20, deliver my soul from the sword, my darling from the power of the dog.

You see, the sufferings of Christ, we can never fully enter into and understand Sometimes the Lord may give us a particular experience. I've often told you of the time not far from here, just near the village of Wodhurst, when feeling so deeply my sinfulness, as I was about my work, I was actually driving a truck. And I felt so convicted of sin, I felt so distressed because of my sin. And the Lord, he spoke those words with such heavenly power into my heart. He was wounded for our transgressions. What a view I had by faith of Jesus crucified for me.

It was very personal. I had to stop the truck I was driving. I wept. and I wept and I wept. Why? Because Jesus was crucified for me. I wept because it was my sins that crucified him. It was a very personal thing. And yet my heart was full of love to think that Jesus suffered and bled and died for my sins.

You see, my beloved friends, oh fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? He suffered these things. These disciples have witnessed it. And then what a sermon that must have been.

In verse 27, he says, and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures things concerning himself. So he opened their eyes to see the scriptures. And as he opened their eyes and he preached to them the wonderful scriptures of the Old Testament, Moses, the prophets, the Psalms, the heart burned within them.

It's such a sweet thing, you know, friends. Have you ever been in a service when the minister's been preaching? and your heart has burned within you and you felt such a love to the Lord, you felt such a love to his word, you felt such a love to the Lord's servant, you felt such a love to the truth of God and to salvation by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Your heart burns in holy love. Did not our heart burn within us? while he talked to us by the way, while he opened to us the scriptures.

They just walked on that long journey from Jerusalem. And it says, and they rose up the same hour. This would have been in the night. And returned to Jerusalem and found the 11 gathered together and them that were with them saying, the Lord is risen indeed. And that appeared unto Simon. And they told what things were done in the way. and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. Made known, revealed.

You know, real religion is something that is revealed. The natural man, you know, I often read it to you, but that passage in Corinthians, 1 Corinthians and chapter 2, It speaks to us so clearly of the divine work of the Spirit. Now we have received, he says. Verse 11. In fact we'll go the one before, verse 10.

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God, What man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things? Also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches. comparing spiritual things with spiritual. That's comparing the word of God with the word of God.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually deserved. And it's when the Holy Spirit gives us that spiritual discernment so that when we read the Word of God and when we hear the Word of God preached, our eyes are opened, our heart is opened, we're drawn to the truth, the wonderful truth of salvation in and through the precious blood and righteousness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Then he said unto them, O fools and slow of heart to believe, all that the prophets have spoken ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory. You see, when he rose from the dead, as the apostle puts it in the Corinthians, he swallowed up death in victory. He destroyed death and him that had the power of death, death that is the devil. And he brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, through Jesus Christ.

And then we read, we've read it this afternoon, it led them out far as unto Bethany and he lifted up his hands and blessed them and it came to pass while he blessed them he was parted from them was carried up into heaven and they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. They saw the Lord Jesus Christ bodily ascend into heaven. We read it this morning in the Philippians Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, of things in earth, of things under the earth.

He's highly exalted. We need to be clear on the doctrine here, friends. The divine nature of the Son of God could never be exalted any more than it ever was. It's the holy human nature that the Son of God assumed in the womb of the Virgin Mary. That is what was exalted. Exalted far above all principality and power and every name that is named. May the Lord add his blessings.