Let's open our Bibles this morning
to John the 12th chapter. The Gospel of John, chapter 12. We'll begin reading at verse
31. John chapter 12, verse 31. The Lord Jesus is speaking. He
says, now is the judgment of this world. And now shall the
prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up
from the earth, will draw all men unto me. And John explains,
by the Spirit of God's inspiration, this he said signifying what
death he should die. The people, that is the Jews
and the Jewish proselytes who were standing by at the time,
the people answered him. We have heard out of the law,
that is we've heard from the Old Testament scriptures, that
Christ, the Messiah, we've heard that when the Messiah comes,
when the Christ comes, that Christ abideth forever. We've heard
out of the Old Testament scriptures that when the Messiah comes,
he abides forever. Now, you tell us you're the Messiah. Your disciples tell us you're
the Messiah. You tell us that you are the
Christ, the Redeemer of Israel. You tell us that you are the
Messiah. How is it then? How sayest thou the Son of Man? The Son of Man must be lifted
up. Who is this Son of Man? Who is
this Son of Man? I take that question for my subject
this morning. In Holy Scripture, our Lord Jesus
is called the Son of Mary only one time. Only one time. In Mark chapter 6 verse 3. the
folks who despised him, who mocked him, who derided him, who could
not endure his doctrine, who despised everything he taught.
They said, is not this the carpenter's son, the son of Mary? And you pay attention to him.
The fact that he is called the son of Mary only by those who
despised him, ought to tell us much with regard to that system
of religious heresy that constantly directs men and women to worship
Mary and call Mary the mother of God and refers to our Savior
almost exclusively as the son of Mary. I speak, of course,
of papacy. It is blasphemy from its beginning,
idolatrous in its practice, and the constant inference of Roman
doctrine is that our Lord Jesus is just Mary's son, something
somewhat inferior to Mary herself. But we rejoice to know that he
is indeed the son of Mary. He is the woman seed. He is that
one who was born of the Virgin, conceived in the Virgin's womb
by the overshadowing, omnipotent power and wisdom of God the Holy
Spirit, who prepared in the Virgin's womb a body for Him in which
He would accomplish redemption for us. Our Redeemer is called
the Son of David 16 times. He's called the Son of Mary just
once. He's called the son of David 16 times because he is
that one who comes from David's lineage and has a rightful claim
as the son of David as well as the son of God to the throne
of Israel. He is truly Israel's Messiah
from the line of David. Now that's important for this
reason. When the Jews crucified our Lord, before they crucified
him, during the years of his earthly ministry, for three and
a half years, they questioned his doctrine, they questioned
his character, they called into question his miracles, they attempted
to deny everything he did and everything he said. Do you know
what? The Jews never once questioned his pedigree. They never one
time questioned his lineage because they understood that the temple
records themselves would prove he is the son of David. The Lord
Jesus is 16 times called the son of David. Our blessed savior
is called the son of God 47 times. This one who is Mary's son is
God in human flesh. God manifests in the flesh. Were he not God, everything we
say about him, all our claimed worship of him, all of our professed
faith in him is utter vanity and idolatry. to suggest that
you are a disciple of Christ, a follower of Christ, a worshipper
of Christ, and deny that Jesus Christ is himself God the Son,
is to be utterly blaspheming Christ while pretending to worship
him. Either he is God in the flesh,
or he is a mocker of men's souls. If he's not God, he's no redeemer. If he's not God, he cannot satisfy
justice. If he's not God, he cannot bring
in righteousness. If he's not God, he cannot represent
a multitude of men and bring honor to God in saving their
souls. If he's not God, we have no savior. And to call him a moral example
is to declare that a man who is a liar is a moral example. Jesus Christ is the son of Mary. He's the son of David. Therefore,
he is the rightful king of Israel sitting upon the throne of David.
And he is God, the son, one with the father in the everlasting
trinity. Because he is God, the son, he
is God, our savior. But in the book of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ is called
the son of man, eighty eight times. He's more often called
the Son of Man than any of these other titles. This is the name
that he used in reference to himself more than any other.
In fact, this name, Son of Man, is used almost exclusively with
reference to our Lord Jesus. In the Old Testament, it is occasionally
used with regard to men and prophets and so on. But in the New Testament,
it's used almost exclusively with reference to our Savior.
And yet none of his disciples ever called him the son of man
until after his resurrection and his exaltation. Stephen,
when he was being stoned as a martyr, he said, Behold, I see the heavens
opened and the son of man standing on the right hand of God. I see
the son of man standing on the right hand of God. And John in
the book of Revelation tells us twice that he saw the Lord
Jesus as the son of man. He said, I saw him in chapter
one as the son of man walking in the midst of the golden candlesticks,
the son of man walking in the midst of his churches, constantly
ever present with his churches. In Revelation 14, he sees him
coming, standing upon a cloud. with a crown on his head, a rainbow
around him. And this one that he sees, he
says, is like the Son of Man. Why did the Lord Jesus constantly
refer to Himself as the Son of Man? Why is this title used with
regard to Him? How can He be both the Son of
God and the Son of Man? Entirely, truly the Son of God,
Entirely, truly the Son of Man. How can both be true? How can
it be said that our Savior is God the Son and that He is the
Son of Man? If He is indeed the Son of Man,
as these Jews understood The word son of man, the title, this
phrase refers to the Messiah. If he's indeed the son of man,
how is it that he speaks of him being lifted up to die in the
room instead of his people? It confused these Jews and still
confuses men to this day. As it is used in the New Testament,
this term son of man Never refers to anyone except the God-man
our mediator the Lord Jesus Christ the term son of God always refers
to his person and Divinity as God the son the word the term
son of man Always refers to his person as the God-man our mediator
It always has connection with his work as our substitute and
our representative Now how's this term used? Why is our Lord
called the Son of Man? Let's look at three sources given
in this book and ask God the Spirit to be our teacher. First
we'll hear what Christ himself has to say about it. Then we'll
hear what his disciples have to say about it. And then we'll
hear what his enemies have to say about it. And then I'll try
to show you why he's called the Son of Man. First thing, who
is this Son of Man? Let's hear what the Son of Man
himself tells us. Of the 88 times this term Son
of Man is used in the New Testament, 84 times it's used by Christ
himself. Turn back to John chapter 5.
John chapter 5. Look at verse 25. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
The hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the
voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live. He said
the hour is coming and now is, referring to this present time,
this present gospel age, when the dead shall hear the voice
of the Son of God. What does it take to cause a
dead sinner to live? He's got to hear God speak to
him. He's got to have God speak life
to his soul. And our Savior says, this is
how God saves sinners. The dead hear the voice of the
Son of God, and those who hear live. Read on. For as the Father
hath life in himself, So he hath given to the Son to have life
in himself. That is, given to the Son, not
as God the Son, but rather as the God-man, our mediator, our
substitute, who is himself God the Son. He's given him to have
life in himself. He could not give it to him in
his divinity. Because Jesus Christ is himself
God the eternal son. He is life, has life in himself. But he gives it to him as the
representative of his people to have life for them. Read on. And hath given him authority
to execute judgment also. Now watch this. Because he is
the son of man. He is the Son of Man. God, the
triune God, gives to the Son, Jesus Christ, our Mediator. Life! to give to sinners and
gives him authority to exercise judgment as a man because he
is the Son of Man. In this one passage there, our
Savior is referred to as the Son of God, the Son, and the
Son of Man, showing us that there's no contradiction in referring
to that man seated in glory That man who came into this world
in our nature, who lived as our representative, brought in everlasting
righteousness as our representative, who died as our substitute, was
made sin for us, and now lives again in heaven, to say that
that man, all together when with us, all together like us, one
in our nature with us, is God the Eternal Son. is to say exactly
what's right. Well, how can you say that Jesus
is God and say that he's a man? I didn't. God did. And to deny
either is to deny him altogether. Look at John 6, 62. John 6, 62. Our Lord speaks again. What and if You shall see the
son of man ascend up. Are you reading it? Where he
was before. Let's read that again. What and
if you shall see the son of man ascend up where he was before? Many of his disciples heard his
doctrine, and they were offended, and they went back and walked
no more with it. And he gives them a reason to now. Oh, you've
been offended so far? You've been upset with election
and predestination and faith? You've been upset with me talking
about me coming down here as the bread of life and the water
of life? You've been upset with me declaring that I give life
to whom I will? What? And if you shall see the
son of man ascend up into heaven where he was before. Why, Burl, does he tell us here
that the son of man was in heaven before he came down here as the
son of man? Looks like it to me. Remember
in John 17, he asked the Father to restore unto him the glory
that I had with thee before the world was. The Lord Jesus then
declares that he existed in heaven as the Son of Man before he came
into the world in our nature. Now there are many heretics who
historically have taught the eternal existence of our Lord's
humanity. And that, of course, is untrue. Nowhere taught in scripture.
Our Lord's human body and human soul were conceived and formed
in the Virgin's womb by the power of God, the Holy Spirit. And
yet, from old, from everlasting, he stood before God as that which
is incorporated and represented in this term, son of man. He
stood before God as the mediator man in whom God Almighty accepted
us, by whose work God accepted us before ever the world was. Turn back to Psalm 139. Psalm
139. this marvelous psalm where David
sings God's praise, speaking of his omniscience, his omnipresence,
his omnipotence. And then he makes a statement
that cannot be applied to anyone strictly except the Lord Jesus,
and only of him in a mystical sense, that is, only of him in
a spiritual sense. Though His human body and soul
were created in time, Christ was the Son of Man, our Mediator,
the surety of the everlasting covenant from eternity. Look
at verse 15, Psalm 139. He says to the Father, My substance
was not hid from Thee when I was made in secret and curiously
wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Somehow, that just can't be said
concerning Alan Kidby. You didn't come from the lowest
parts of the earth. God wrought your existence in your mother's
womb. Our Lord is speaking metaphorically here, and he speaks of himself.
I was curiously wrought, wondrously wrought in the lowest parts of
the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect,
that is unmade, uncreated. And in thy book, I think I know
what book that is. There's a book called the Book
of Life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world.
A book containing the names of all gods elect. In thy book,
all my members were written. In the book of this one who is
the son of man. He says, all the names of my
people were written, all the members of my body were written,
which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of
them. All right, back here in John
chapter 3. John 3. Our Savior said to Nicodemus,
look at verse 13. No man hath ascended up to heaven,
but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is
in heaven. He says no man ascended up except
that man who came down and that man who's there, even the Son
of Man. so that he speaks of himself,
saying of himself as the son of man, I was in heaven, I came
down from heaven, you're standing here looking at me and talking
to me, and while you're standing here looking at me and talking
to me, I'm still the son of man in heaven. Our Lord Jesus is
that one who is God in human flesh, the son of man, who describes
himself as the Lord of the Sabbath. Remember, he said the Sabbath
man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for
man. And I'm the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for me. And I'm the Lord of the Sabbath.
I'm the one for whom it was made. And I am the one by whom it was
made or established. He is the son of man and the
son of God. who has power on earth to forgive
sins. In Luke chapter 5, you don't
need to turn there, you'll recall there were some men, four men
who had a friend who was sick of the palsy and he lays on his
bed, on his mat, And they're trying to find a way to get him
into the presence of the Savior because the Savior is teaching
in their community. And they said, if we can just
get him in the presence of the Savior, the Lord Jesus will make
him whole. And they couldn't make their
way in because the crowd was so thick. The four of them couldn't
make their way through the thick crowd. So they found a way to
get on top. of the roof of the building of
that porch where the master was standing teaching. And somehow
or another, the four of them managed to get their friend up
there and they ripped a hole in the roof big enough to let
a full-grown man down on a cot to let him down before the master. And when the Lord Jesus saw their
faith, these four fellows sitting up on the roof, holding the ropes. He looked at that man and said
before all the crowd, thy sins are forgiven thee. You reckon
he knew what he was doing? Rex, that enraged those Pharisees. Oh, that enraged those Pharisees
just like he intended for them to. And they said, who has right
to forgive sin except God? And the Lord Jesus, perceiving
their thoughts, he said, which is easier, for me to say your
sins are forgiven, or for me to say to this man whom you all
know is paralyzed, whom you all know lays on this mat all the
time, which is easier for me to say your sins are forgiven
you or rise, take up your bed and walk. But so that you will
know that the son of man has power as God to forgive sins
on the earth. He says to him, take up your
bed and walk. And off he goes, off he goes,
forgiven and completely healed. In Matthew 25, our Lord Jesus
says, the Son of Man shall come in his glory with all his holy
angels with him. Then shall he sit upon the throne
of his glory. The son of man, our savior then
tells us, is he who came to seek and save that which was lost.
He is that one who came not to be ministered unto, but to minister
and give his life a ransom for many. He is that one who lived
for us, died for us, arose and ascended on high for us, who
sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high, and now
makes intercession for us according to the will of God and rules
the universe on our behalf. All right, here's the second
thing. Who is the Son of Man? Let's hear his disciples, hear
what they have to say. Whenever the Lord Jesus' disciples
spoke of him or thought of him as the Son of Man, when they
heard him call himself the Son of Man, they never dreamed that
it was just a nice title that he wore, something that spoke
of him as a very moral, exemplary man. a great prophet among men,
or a miracle worker, or even a religious or social reformer.
To the disciples, this title, the Son of Man, implied authority,
exaltation, glory, power, dominion, and tenderness, and spoke all
ways of the Messiah. This is certainly how Peter understood
it. In Matthew 16, our Lord said, Who do men say that I, the Son
of Man, am? And they told them who men. Some
say you're Jeremiah. Some say you're Elijah. Some
say you're one of the prophets. Some say you're somebody raised
from the dead. And the Lord said, but whom do you say that I am?
And Peter says to the Son of Man, thou art the Christ, the
Son of the living God. When you refer to yourself as
the son of man, I know you're declaring yourself to be the
Christ, the son of the living God. This is exactly how he's
referred to in the book of Hebrews. As you read Hebrews chapters
1 and 2, the Lord God Almighty speaks of his mindfulness of
man and putting all things in subjection under a man. And it
tells us we see Jesus. who was crowned with glory and
honor. He made a little lower than the
angels. And now we see not yet all things put under the feet
of man, but we see Jesus and we see all things put under his
feet. All right, let's listen to his
enemies just briefly. Stephen the martyr. I've already
showed you spoke and said, I see the son of man standing at the
right hand of God. His disciples speak of him. The Messiah is the son of the
living God, our Redeemer. Who is this son of man? The Jews
here in our text in John chapter 12 understood that the Messiah
would be called the son of man. Where did they get that? Let
me give you. I'll read one to you and I'll quote the other
turn back to Daniel chapter 9 or chapter 7 Daniel 7 In Psalm 80 verse 17 the psalmist
says let thy hand Be upon the man of thy right hand upon the
son of man whom thou made a strong for thyself here in Daniel chapter
7 verse 13 a I saw in the night visions, and
behold, one like the Son of Man came. He came with the clouds
of heaven and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him
near before Him. And there was given Him dominion
and glory and a kingdom. And all people, nations, languages
should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom, that which
shall not be destroyed." Those Jews understood that when the
prophets spoke of the Messiah coming, they spoke of Him as
the Son of Man. And when they heard the Savior
speak of Himself, saying, the Son of Man must be lifted up. I, if I be lifted up from the
earth, will draw all men unto me by being crucified, by specifying
He's talking about His death. Then they said, how can you be
the ever-living Messiah and also be lifted up to die? They understood
His language perfectly, the Jews then. Our Lord's enemies confirm
that which is the testimony of Scripture, of all the prophets,
of our Lord Jesus himself, and of his disciples. Turn to Matthew
26. Matthew 26. When they crucified the Lord
of glory, they did so because he called himself the Son of
Man. Verse 63. Jesus held his peace and the
high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the
living God that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the
son of God, you claim to be the Messiah. That means you claim
to be the son of God. Are you telling us you are the
Christ? Are you telling us you are God
in the flesh? Jesus saith unto him, that's
what you said thou has said. Nevertheless, I say unto you,
listen now, hereafter shall you see the Son of Man sitting on
the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then
the high priest ripped his clothes off his back. He rent his clothes
saying, he has spoken blasphemy. What further need have we of
witnesses? Behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think
ye? He's guilty of death. Our Lord
asked the Jews in John 10, said, why are you killing me? For what
work do you stone me to death? He said, they said, not because
of something you've done, but because you, being a man, make
yourself God. Who is this son of man then?
Whoever he is, he's God. over all, blessed forever. He's God in human flesh with
power to give life to whom he will. He's God who rules the
universe as our Lord, the King. And let me very quickly just
state for you 10 reasons why he's called the Son of Man. Why
do the scriptures refer to him as the Son of Man? Number one,
he's the original man. Turn to Colossians chapter 1. You remember back in Genesis
1, the Lord God held a conference
with himself, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And he said, let
us make man in our image and after our likeness. But God's spirit God's spirit doesn't have an
image. God's spirit. Let us make man in our image
and after our likeness. Who can that man be? You got
your Bibles open in Colossians 1 verse 15. That one in whom
we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, who is he? He is the
image of the invisible God. How did God make man in the beginning?
Somebody who, you know, you remember the caveman and the Neanderthal
man and all those various stages of man that you're supposed to
have evolved from? You know, you have pictures of
cavemen trying to figure out how to light a fire. Cavemen, just something slightly below
an ape. Oh, well, you surely believe
that, don't you? Yeah, like I believe cows fly.
No, I don't believe such stupidity as that. No, no. Man, that man in the garden,
oh, what a man he was. What a man he was. God brought
Eve to Adam, and he said, would you look at that? Wow. What a pair. What a pair. Do you know where all the animals
on the earth got their name? The scripture says God brought
them to Adam one by one. He said, I'll call that a lion.
I'll call that a pig. I'll call that an elephant. I'll
call that a giraffe. I'll call that a fish. I'll call
that a worm. I'll call that thing a gnat.
He named them. You surely don't believe that,
do you? One man couldn't have done that. No, you couldn't have.
And I couldn't have. But that man who's created perfect
and upright in the perfection of manhood could and did. Adam
was created in the image of God, the Lord God looks upon Him who
is the Son of Man, who was to come in the fullness of time
as a man to redeem fallen men, and He says, let's make man just
like that man. And God made Adam upright. morally upright and physically
upright. Made him in the image of that
man so that Adam was made after the likeness, the first Adam,
made after the likeness of the last Adam, the Lord from heaven.
He's made in his moral image and made in his physical image.
He's made in his authoritative image. The Lord God said, let's
make man in our image and after our likeness and let's give him
dominion. dominion over all creation. Let's give him rule over the
fowls of the air and the fish of the sea and the beast of the
field and the creeping things that creep upon the earth so
that man rules everything. And what Adam gave up in the
garden was everything. But that which Adam lost Christ
the man has restored. Jesus Christ is that one who
is the mediatorial man. Adam was made in Christ's image
as a mediator, a representative covenant man, so that all men
were represented in Adam. And when Adam sinned, we all
sinned in him. And when Adam died, we all died
in him. Well, I don't like that. Too
bad. That's the way it is. That's
the way it is. And I like it. How was it that
the angels fell? One by one, each choosing his
own destruction. And they are left in chains of
darkness under the day of judgment with no hope. But man, man has
fallen by the doing and dying of one man. Maybe there's hope. that we might live by the doing
and dying of another man. And indeed we do, by the doing
and dying of Jesus Christ, the Son of Man. Our Lord Jesus, secondly,
is the representative man. He's called the Son of Man because
He is that representative man by whose obedience many shall
live. Turn to Romans chapter 5 for
just a second. Romans 5, verse 12. Wherefore, as by one man, sin
entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon
all men, for that all have sinned. Look at verse 17. Therefore,
since that's how we got in the mess we're in, as by the offense
of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation. Even so,
by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men
under justification of life. Now, clearly, all men are not
justified. But this is speaking about two
representative men. All who were in Adam were condemned
by Adam's disobedience. And all who are in Christ are
made justified by Christ's obedience. Read on, verse 19. For as by
one man's disobedience, many, quite literally, there's a definite
article, the many, the many who were in that one man were made
sinners. So by the obedience of one, by
the obedience of Christ, shall many, quite literally again,
the many, the many represented by this one man shall be made
righteous. All right, come back to Isaiah
30, chapter 32. Here's the third thing. Our savior
is called the son of man because he's the prophesied man. He's
the man of whom the prophet spoke. The psalmist said, then speakest
thou in a vision to thy holy one and saidst, I have laid help
upon one that is mighty. I've exalted one chosen out of
the people. The one who must be our savior
must be one like us. Isaiah 32, verse two. A man shall
be as a hiding place from the wind. And a cover from the tempest. As rivers of water in a dry place. As a shadow of a great rock in
a weary land. Christ, the man, the man shall
be a refuge for sinners. Turn to Zechariah 13. Zechariah
chapter 13. We can look at many passages. Listen to this. Zechariah 13,
verse seven. Are you there? The Lord God speaks,
Zechariah 13, verse seven. Awake, O sword against my shepherd. Now, what's this? Against the
man that is my fellow. Jehovah says awake, O sword,
against not the man who shall be, the man who is my fellow,
the man who is my equal, saith Jehovah, the Lord of hosts. Smite
the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered. And when the sheep
are scattered by the smiting of the shepherd, I will turn
mine hand upon the little ones. I'll gather my elect. Fourth,
the Lord Jesus is called the Son of Man because he's the ideal
man. What should man be? What should a man be? Social workers and sociologists
and educators and philosophers and psychologists and psychiatrists
And legal minds have been trying to give us an idea of what man
ought to be throughout the history of humanity. And all of them
make a mess of it. All of them make a mess of it.
All of them. All of them. Religion tries to
give an idea of what man ought to be. And religion makes a mess
of it. What should man be? Behold Jesus
of Nazareth, the Christ of God, and learn what man should be.
He's the ideal man. A man of perfect righteousness. A man whose life is entirely
devoted from the first breath to the last, to the will of God,
The glory of God and the people of God. A man who has dominion over everything
around him. I had a pastor friend call me
early yesterday, had a little difficulty or know how to deal
with it. He was kind of ruffled, upset. And I said, don't let it bother
you. Don't let it bother you. Too
big for that. You're too big for that. No. Don't let what men say or do
disturb you. Don't let it even alter your
plans for the day. You're too big for that. You
belong to God. Oh, how should man live in dominion
over everything around him? Brother Don, I can't do any of
that. Me either. But I can strive for
it, and soon, Bobby, I'm going to do it. Live in utter righteousness,
only for God's glory, with everything under my feet. Christ is that
one who is the ideal man, and fifthly, he's the justice-satisfying
man. No man could satisfy the justice
of God. No man could atone for sin, but
Christ has, because this man is himself God. Look at Philippians
chapter 2. When you go home, you'll find
out that this is the man who's the exalted man. God's given
him Power and dominion and a name a name that's above every name
that at the name of this man Jesus Every knee should bow of
things in heaven things in the earth and things under there
and every tongue confess That Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory
of God the Father The head that once was crowned with thorns
is crowned with glory now a royal diadem adorns our mighty victors
brow This man, he's called the Son of Man because he's the God-man. He's the God-man. He's the man who is God. The
God-man. We write it out, God-man. It'd
be better to write it out, God-man. He is the man, God, the God man,
really and truly God and really and truly man. This man is called
the son of man because he's the saving man. The son of man is
come to seek and save that which is lost. Four times our Lord
Jesus said of himself that he's the coming man. He said four
times the son of man cometh, he's coming to finish all that
which he has yet to finish in God's creation. He's coming to
save his own, coming now in his providence, in the works of his
grace, by the power of his Spirit, to save his own. Brother Rupert,
no, it wasn't Rupert, someone else, said to me yesterday, said,
maybe the Lord will use this loss of Brother Scott Save those
two boys of his still lost, maybe, maybe, maybe. But Jesus Christ
is that one who comes to save his own from their sins. This
saving man comes to save sinners. Shep and I were talking about
the people our Lord raised from the dead last night, late, just
before we went to bed, she was asking me about The Lord raised
her from the dead. On one occasion, He raised Jairus'
daughter. She was dead, but she didn't
look like it. She still had the redness in
her cheeks. She still looked as though she
was just laying there asleep. And the Lord said, He raised
her from the dead. And some of you, like that, dead
in sin, but you look better than others. And you may think because
you look a little better, you're not like others. Oh, no. Dead. Dead. Then there was the widow
of Nain's son. She's taking a boy out to bury
him. He hadn't been dead very long. And she's mourning as she
goes because she's got to put him in the tomb. She's got to
put him in the ground. Because before long, she knows
she can't stand to be around him. Some of you are kind of
like that. Maybe not quite so bad as others,
not quite so good as others, and you think you're different.
No, you're dead. You're dead. Just dead. And then there are some like
Lazarus. The Lord Jesus brings his sisters
to the tomb, and They don't even want the stone rolled away from
the tomb. They don't want to be near him. Oh, they love him,
but they don't want to be near him. They love him, but they
want nothing to do with him because he stinks. He's rotten. And they know they can't stand
his presence. Mother Donna, that describes
me. He too. But Christ gives life to dead
sinners. He's come to seek and to save
that which was lost. And when he's finished, when
he comes again at last, he comes to bring his own to glory and
to judge the world. Here's a 10th reason he's called
the Son of Man. He's the sympathizing man. He can have compassion on the
ignorant and them that are out of the way, for he himself also
is compassed with infirmity. Tempted in all points like as
we are, yet without sin, he's touched with the feeling of our
infirmities. Do you know There's only one man in the universe who really does understand you. Only one. How often have you looked at
something someone has done with disgust, contempt, I have a niece who's been sitting
in prison for the last year awaiting trial. Tried to kill her mother
and dad last year. Tried to set the house on fire.
And you know, nobody in my family, including me, can understand
that. I don't understand that. Do you know nobody has any sympathy
for her? She's mean as hell. That's just
fact. Like her uncle. Nobody has any
sympathy for her. The honest way I am, nobody understands
why I do things I do, including me. Me too. But there's one man
who understands. He remembers that we're just
dust. He knows our frame. And this man is willing to save
any man. willing to be saved by the Son
of Man. This man is able to save to the
uttermost any man who comes to God by Him. Joseph Hart wrote some great,
great hymns. We sing very few of them these
days. Here's one. Let me give it to you and I'll
send you home. A man there is, a real man, with wounds still
gaping wide, from which rich streams of blood once ran in
hands and feet side. Tis no wild fancy of our brains,
no similitude we speak. The same dear man in heaven now
reigns that suffered for our sake. This wondrous man of whom
I tell is the almighty God. He bought our souls from death
and hell, the price, his own heart's blood. That human heart
he still retains, though thrown on highest bliss, and feels each
tempted member's pains, and for our afflictions, his. Come then,
repenting sinner, come. Approach with humble faith. Oh,
what thou wilt, the total sum, is cancelled by his death. His
blood can cleanse the blackest soul and wash our guilt and sin
away. He will present us sound and
whole in that tremendous day. because His name is the Son of
Man, our Savior. Amen.