Would you turn back to Luke chapter
9? Notice what the Lord says in
verse 44. He says, let these sayings sink
down into your ears. Now that alone tells us of the
importance of this saying. I don't read anything like this
anywhere else in the Bible where the Lord said, let these sayings,
these words that I'm giving sink down into your ears. Now in verse 43, it says they
were all amazed at the mighty power of God. And this is a reference to what
they had just witnessed. They witnessed the Lord Jesus
cast out a demon. Verse 42, and as he was yet a
coming, the devil threw him down and tear him. And Jesus rebuked
the unclean spirit and healed the child and delivered him again
to his father. And they were all amazed at the
mighty power of God. They saw the power of God at
work in this miracle of our Lord. And then. Verse 43 or verse 44,
the savior said to them, let these sayings sink down into
your ears. And what is the saying? He says
that let's sink down into your ears. The son of man, that one who
is nobody less than the mighty power of God, the son of man
shall be delivered. into the hands of men. Now, let these sayings sink down
into your ears. Let them find root in your heart. May this become a part of you.
The son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. Now, one of the titles Our Lord
was most fond of was the son of man. What a name for our Redeemer. How often does he refer to himself
as the son of man? Let me read a verse of scripture
to you from John chapter 12, verse 34. The people answered
him. We've heard out of the law that
Christ abided forever. And how sayest the son of man
must be lifted up or crucified? And then they asked this question,
who is this son of man? What a question. I wish somebody
would come up and ask me that question. Who is this son of
man? Well, the son of man is the only
begotten. and well beloved son of God,
the second person of the blessed Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ,
the great God, our savior is the son of man. What a name. Turn with me to Proverbs eight.
This is a passage of scripture regarding his pre incarnate existence
before he became flesh in Proverbs chapter eight. He says in verse 22, the Lord
possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works
of old. This is a reference is what took
place before the creation, before his works of old. I was set up
from everlasting, from the beginning or ever the earth was. When there
were no depths, I was brought forth. When there were no fountains
abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before
the hills was I brought forth. While as yet he had not made
the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the world, when he prepared the heavens, I was there. when he set a compass upon the
face of the depth, when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened
the fountains of the deep, when he gave to the sea his decree
that the water should not pass his commandment, when he appointed
the foundations of the earth, then I was by him as one brought
up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always
before him, rejoicing in the habitable part of the earth,
And my delights were with the sons of men. Even then, the son
of man says his delights were with the sons of men. And the Lord Jesus Christ, the
son of God, so identified with men that he calls himself who
He is, the Son of Man. The Word became flesh and dwelt
among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth, the Son of Man. In John 1.51, He said to Nathanael
hereafter, shall you see heaven open? and the angels of God ascending
and descending on the son of man, Emmanuel, God with us. Isn't that a precious title of
our Lord? God with us, Emmanuel, the son of man, not God against
us, not God above us, but God with us, the son of man. I want
to read some scriptures regarding the son of man. I'll just read
these. The Lord said that you may know that the Son of Man
hath power upon the earth to forgive sins. Do you know whether
or not you and I are forgiven is completely in His hands. It's up to Him as to whether
or not your sins will be forgiven or my sins will be forgiven.
It's up to Him. He said, the Son of Man is Lord.
I love that. The Son of Man is Lord, even
of the Sabbath. He's the Lord. He that soweth good seed is the
Son of Man. You see, the Son of Man is active
in the preaching of the gospel. We have the different kinds of
hearers. We have the good ground hearers, the stony ground hearers,
the thorn choked hearers, the wayside hearers, but it's the
son of man who sows the seed. He is active in the preaching
of the gospel. You know, he's here right now,
blessing the word according to his will, speaking, hardening,
whatever he does, he does it. He's the son of man. The son
of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Isn't that a precious verse?
He came to seek and lost, lost. Have you ever been lost? When
you're lost, you can't find your way. If you can find your way,
you're not lost. I mean, you're lost. You have
to have somebody come after you. The Son of Man has come to seek
and to save that which was lost. The Son of Man came not to be
ministered to, but to minister and to give his life a ransom
for many. Not for all, but for many. I'm
glad it's a lot. At such a time as you think not,
the Son of Man cometh. As Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
that whosoever believeth on him should not perish. I love that
language, should not perish. See, if Christ died for me, I
should not perish. You know why? Because the Son
of Man put away my sin. For as the Father hath life in
himself, So has he given the son to have life in himself and
has given him authority to execute judgment for he is the son of
man. When the son of man shall come
in his glory with all the holy angels with him, don't you love
the majesty of that language? I love to think about this. When
the son of man shall come in all of his glory with all the
holy angels with him, Then shall he sit on the throne of his glory,
and before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall separate
them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
And then shall he say to them on his right hand, come, ye blessed
of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. He said to his enemies hereafter,
You shall see the son of man sitting on the right hand of
power and coming in the clouds of heaven. That's when they said,
what further need we have we can witness, let's put him to
death. The son of man goeth as it's written of him, but woe
to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed. It had been
good for that man to have never been born. Now here's, here's
one I like and I love and it's in Luke chapter nine. It's when,
when, Some people didn't receive the disciples and they didn't
want the Lord to come to their town. And they asked the Lord,
they said, you want us to call fire right down from heaven and
kill them the way Elijah did? And the Lord was much displeased
with him. And he said, you know what spirit, you know, not what
spirit you speak up for. The son of man came not to destroy
men's lives. He came to save them. We were
already destroyed. He didn't have to destroy us. We're already there. But He came
to save men's lives. Now, I believe these scriptures
give us some idea of the majesty, the excellency, the dignity,
the glory of the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the
Lord says, let these sayings sink down in your ears. Listen
real carefully to what is being said. The son of man shall be
delivered into the hands of men. And what's that mean? What has been by the hands of
men? There's a story about David. If you would turn to second Samuel
24 for just a moment, David, The man after God's own heart
knew something about the hands of men. You see, David had committed
a great sin. He had numbered the children
of Israel without the atonement money. And somebody says, why
is that such a big deal? It's a big deal. The only way
we can be viewed as truly Israelites is in the atonement. So he just
took a census to see how big they were and how powerful they
were without any reference to the atonement money. Everybody
was to give the exact same thing. And God said in his word, if
you ever take a census without an atonement, without everybody
giving the atonement money, I'm going to send a plague. God said
that David do that. But David lifted up in pride. He wanted to have this census
to see how big Israel was and how powerful they were. without
viewing them in the atonement. And so he's confronted. Second Samuel 24, beginning in
verse 10. And David's heart smote him after
he'd numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord,
I've sinned greatly in that I've done what presumption? to ever
think of someone apart from the blood, apart from the atonement. David's heart smote him. He saw
the great wickedness of this, to think of anything apart from
the atonement. And now I beseech thee, O Lord,
take away the iniquity of thy servant, for I've done very foolishly. How many times have you prayed
that prayer? Lord, just take that sin away. I've done very
foolishly. Oh, take it away. Cause it to
not be. For when David was up in the
morning, the word of the Lord, verse 11, came unto the prophet
Gad, David's seer, saying, Go and say unto David, Thus saith
the Lord, I offer thee three things. Choose thee one of them,
that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David and told
him and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto
thee in thy land? Or wilt thou flee three months
before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be
three days of pestilence in the land. Now advise and see what
answer I shall return to him that sent me. And David said
unto Gad, I'm in a great strait. Let us fall into the hand of
the Lord, for his mercies are great. And let me not fall into
the hand of man. The hands of man. David said,
I'd rather go through disease than fall into the hands of man. He understood something about
the hands of men. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ was
delivered into the hands of men. Luke says Pilate delivered him
to their will. Luke 24, 5, he delivered them
unto, that might be the wrong, it's Luke 23, I can't remember
what the verse is, but Pilate delivered them unto their will,
what they wanted. You know, when the Lord was crucified,
I realize he was delivered by the turban counsel for knowledge
of God, but people were acting uncoerced, doing exactly what
they wanted to do. He delivered Jesus to their will. You know, the Pharisees washed
their hands off. That's a good practice. Good
practice. Lynn tells me 40 times a day, wash your hands. And it
is a good, healthy practice. And the Pharisees washed their
hands off the same hands that were raised up against him. Matthew
26, 50 says they laid hands on Jesus. Matthew 26, 17 says they
struck him with the palms of their hands. when Pilate took
water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I'm innocent
of the blood of this just person. Did that water wash away the
stain and the sin of his hand? No, sir. No, sir. Peter said on the day of Pentecost,
him being delivered by the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of
God, you have taken and with wicked hands, with wicked hands
have crucified and slain. The son of man, the Lord of glory,
the son of God, the altogether lovely one, the perfect savior,
the friend of sinners was delivered into the hands of men. Many hands were raised to wound
him. None did interpose to save. But
the stroke that pierced most deeply was the stroke that justice
gave. The greatest spectacle of evil
that could ever be was when Christ was delivered into the hands
of men. And this is what is such as, if you want to know what you're
really like right now, I'm not talking about the way you used
to be. I'm talking about right now. If God removed his hand
from you and let you to yourself and let you do what you wanted
to do, you and I would be murderers of the Son of Man. Do you believe
that? It's the truth. You and I, if
God took away the restraints and just let our hands do what
they wanted to do, we would be those hands raised against him. The greatest act of wickedness
that ever took place was when God delivered his darling son
into the hands of men. And turn with me for a moment
to Luke chapter 24. This is the angel speaking after
the resurrection. And they say in verse 6, He's
not here, but He's risen. Remember how He's spoken to you
when He was yet in Galilee saying, The Son of Man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and the third
day rise again. Now, did you notice that? The
Son of Man must. It was absolutely necessary. that the son of man be delivered
into the hands of sinful men. Now, why was it necessary? Why was it necessary? Well, God purposed it. And it must
be. Him being delivered by the determinant
counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and with
wicked hands have crucified and slain. Everything that happened,
happened according to God's foreknowledge and God's purpose. And when the
soldiers lifted up their hand to drive the nails, they were
strengthened by God to do it. God had determined that they
would do it. It was all according to His purpose. Everything they
did, they did whatever His hand and counsel determined before
to be done. That's why it had to be done.
Now, they did what they wanted to do. They were completely responsible. They couldn't say, This is not
fair for you to judge me for this because you determined for
me to do this and therefore I shouldn't be held responsible. They couldn't
say anything like that because they did exactly what they wanted
to do. You see, God is absolutely sovereign
and men are completely responsible. Both of those are true. And they
must do this and they can't say, you can't punish me because you
determined it. No, they did what they wanted
to do. But it had to be done because God purposed it. You
see, The first words of our Lord publicly was, I must be about
my father's business. Don't you love to think of him
saying that they didn't know what he's talking about, but
he said, I must be about my father's business. You know, the scripture
says in John four, he must needs go through Samaria. Now there's
only one reason why he must need to do anything. He must do the
Father's will. You see, one of his elect was
in Samaria, and he was going after that woman. As Moses lifted
up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be
lifted up. It was God's purpose. He must
be crucified because he was guilty. That's why it had to happen.
My sin became his sin so that he became guilty of it. So he
must be lifted up. He must be crucified. He's the
lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He said, other
sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring
and they shall hear my voice and there shall be one shepherd.
He must be delivered into the hands of men, and he must rise
from the dead. You know, I was reading Acts
chapter 2 this week, and this statement just thrilled me. Peter said, death, it was not
possible that death could hold him. Don't you love to think
about that? There he is dead, but it was
not possible for him to stay dead. He had the power to raise
himself from the dead. Now that is almighty power. Yes,
God raised him from the dead, his father. Yes, the Holy Spirit
raised him from the dead. But he said, I have power to
lay it down and I have power to take it up again. Speaking
of his own resurrection, this commandment have I received of
my father. Now through this greatest sin
ever committed, we have the great act of salvation. Yes, he was delivered into the
hands of men, of sinful men. But who was it that delivered
him? It was not the chief priest that
sent the mob. The mob come out after him and
he says, whom seek ye? And he and they say, Jesus of
Nazareth. He says, I am. And what they
do, they fell backwards by all my I mean, power just pushed
him back the power of his voice. And he's letting them know at
this time, I'm no victim. I'm in control of this. It wasn't
pilot. Who delivered him up when he
said, don't you know that I have power to crucify you and I have
power to release you, speakest thou not to me? And the Lord
said, you'd have no power at all over me, except it were given
thee from above. Who delivered him? The Lord said, no man takes my
life from me. I have power to lay it down. I have power to
take it again. I've already quoted the scripture, him being delivered
by the determinant counsel and for knowledge of God. You know, God's got a determinant
counsel. And he's got foreknowledge. Listen, foreknowledge does not
mean he knows what's going to happen beforehand, although he
does. He knows what you're going to think in the next five seconds
or the next one second. He does. He's in control of all
that. But it isn't just because he
can foresee or foreknow. It's because he determined. Somebody
says, I don't believe that. Well, he determined that too.
He's in control of it. He's in absolute, utter, and
complete control. Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. You have taken, and with
wicked hands have crucified and slain. Turn with me to Romans
chapter 8. Verse 32. He that spared not his own son. That's one of four times we read
that. If God spared not the angels
that sinned. He spared not the old world talking
about before the flood. He spared not the old world bringing
in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. If God spared not
the natural branches, speaking of the Jews. In this verse of scripture, he
that spared not his own son, but delivered him up, and that
word has to do with had him, he delivered him up to the wicked
hands that were going to crucify him and slay him. He delivered
him up to his own law and justice to punish him. He delivered him
up He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for
us all. Who's the all? Well, what it's
the same people that are referred to in verse 31. What should we
say to these things? If God be for us. Who can be against us? Verse 28. And we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover,
whom he did predestinate, whom he also called, whom he called,
whom he also justified, whom he justified, whom he also glorified.
What shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not his own son. but delivered him up for us all,
how shall he not with him also freely? Freely. You know what that means? Freely. It means there's nothing
you have to do to pay for this. There's nothing you have to do
to deserve this. There's nothing you have to do to merit this.
It is absolutely free. He freely. What could possibly
prevent Him? If Christ has died, if He delivered
Him up, He already gave that which is greatest. What could
possibly prevent Him from freely giving us all things. Now let these sayings sink down
into your ears. The son of man shall be delivered
into the hands of men. And who is it that delivered
him? Well, his father did. Listen to this scripture. Galatians
2.20, Paul said, I'm crucified with Christ, yet not I, But Christ
living in me in the life that I now live in the flesh, I live
by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself. Now that word gave himself is
the same word translated delivered. He delivered himself for me. He, he went to the cross with my
name on his heart. with the names of all of his
elect. There wasn't anything generic
about it. You know, when he said, Father, forgive me, they know
not what they do. That wasn't a generic prayer.
Everybody he prayed for, the Father forgave. Like the high
priest of old, he went with the names of his elect graven on
his breast. And he had my name. and he knew me, and he delivered
himself for me. Romans 4.25 says he was delivered,
and it was God who delivered him, and he delivered himself,
but Romans 4.25 says he was delivered for our offenses. And I think
what a name for sin. It's an offense. It's an offense
to God. He was delivered. for our offenses. My sin became his sin. He bore
the stench and the offense of my sin in his own body on the
tree. He was delivered. God delivered
him for our offenses. And he was raised again for our
justification. You see, when he was raised from
the dead, everybody he delivered himself for was justified. And let these sayings sink down
into your ears. The son of man shall be delivered
into the hands of men. Now look back in our text in
Luke chapter nine, verse 45, but they, the disciples, They
understood not this saying. And it was hid from them. And
they perceived it not. And they feared to ask him of
that saying. Now what I got to thinking about,
they didn't know what he was talking about. But you know what? They would. The Lord was going to teach them
exactly what he was talking about. The Son of Man shall be delivered
into the hands of men. And because He was delivered,
He can deliver you. Now let me repeat that. Turn
to Daniel 6. Because He was delivered, He
can deliver you. In closing, I'm going to read
a rather lengthy passage of scripture. Daniel chapter six. It pleased
Darius to set over the kingdom and 120 princes, which should
be over the whole kingdom and over these three presidents of
whom Daniel was first, that the president, that the princes might
give a counsel to them and the king should have no damage. Then
this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes because
an excellent spirit was in him and the king thought to set him
over the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes
sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom.
They were jealous of him. They wanted his power, but they
could find none occasion nor fault for as much as he was faithful.
Neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said
these men, we shall not find any occasion against this Daniel,
except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. But wouldn't you love for that
to be said of you? They won't find any occasion against us
except for what we believe regarding our God. Verse six, then these
presidents and princes assembled together to the king and said
thus unto the king, King Darius live forever. Now they start
this. manipulation. They knew he was
vain and they knew they could manipulate him. So they said,
all the presidents of the kingdom, the governors and the princes,
the counselors, the captains have consulted together to establish
a royal statute and make a firm decree that whosoever shall ask
a petition of any God or man for 30 days, save of thee, O
king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now King established
the decree and signed the writing that it be not changed according
to the law of the Medes and Persians, which alters not. That's very
important. God's law is never altered. This law could not be altered.
Now old Darius was just vain enough to think that sounds like
a good rule. I'll put my signature upon it. Wherefore King Darius
signed the writing in the decree. Now, when Daniel knew that the
writing was signed, he went into his house and his windows being
open in his chamber toward Jerusalem. You know, there isn't anything
in the Bible about praying for Jerusalem where you have to keep
the windows open. I suppose he could have closed the windows.
He could have. And he would have been compromising
the gospel. So he kept the windows open. He could have thought,
you know, I can't mess up my testimony here. I mean, I have
such influence here for good. And if I do this, I'll be put
to death. Would that be a wise thing to
do? All the things that could have came through his mind about
this, but no, he kept the windows open and he prayed toward Jerusalem,
which represents praying toward Christ, looking to him. Remember,
the Lord told the children of Israel, When you're in a far
off land, delivered over there for your sins, you pray toward
this holy place and I'll hear you. And that's what he was doing. Verse 10. Now, when Daniel knew that the
writing was signed, he went into his house, his windows being
open in the chamber toward Jerusalem. He kneeled upon his knees three
times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did
a four time. Then these men assembled and
found Daniel praying and making supplication for his God. Then
they came near and spake before the king concerning the king's
decree. Hast thou not signed a decree that every man that
shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save
of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king
answered and said, The thing is true. According to the law
of the Medes and Persians, which alters not, anybody tries that,
they'll be cast into the lion's den. Then answered they, and
said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the
captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree
that thou sign, but maketh his petition three times a day. Then
the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with
himself, and he set his heart on Daniel to deliver him, and
he labored to the going down of the sun to deliver him. Then
these men assembled unto the king and said unto the king,
Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is that
no decree nor statute which the king established may be changed. Then the king commanded, and
they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto
Daniel, By God, whom thou service continually, he will deliver
thee And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the
den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet
of his lord's, that the purpose might not be changed concerning
Daniel. Then the king went to his palace
and passed the night fasting. Neither were instruments of music
brought before him, and asleep went from him. Then the king
arose very early in the morning and went in haste into the den
of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable
voice unto Daniel. And the king and spake and said
to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God is thy God,
whom thou service continually able to deliver thee from the
lions. Then said Daniel unto the king,
O king, live forever. My God has sent his angel and
shut the lion's mouths that they have not hurt me. For as much
as before him, innocence he was found in me. And also before
thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Now, before I go on reading,
well, that won't work for me because innocence is not found
in me. If Christ died for you, it is. If Christ died for you,
you have no sin. And there's no reason for judgment.
You're protected from the lions. Then said the king, then was
the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they
should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken
out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because
he believed in his God. And the king commanded, and they
brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into
the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives. And
the lions had the mastery of them, and break all their bones
in pieces, wherever they came at the bottom of the den. Then
King Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages that dwell
in all the earth, Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree that
in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble in fear before the
God of Daniel, for he is the living God and steadfast forever. And his kingdom, that which shall
not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be seen even unto the end.
He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders
in heaven and in earth. who delivered Daniel from the
power of the lions. So this Daniel prospered in the
reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus, the Persian. And here's
my point. Because he was delivered by his
father. He is able to deliver you. Call on his name. Let's pray.