John chapter 20. As I was reading down through
this, what leaped out at me and was a blessing to my heart is
what the Lord says down in verse 17. Touch me not, for I'm not
yet ascended to my Father. My Father. But go to my brethren,
those who were brethren by his grace, but these who had lately
been one denied him. They all forsook him and fled,
but yet the Lord in tender mercy and love says, you go and tell
my brethren." He's not ashamed to call us brethren, is he? And you say to them, 8 of these
who are so fearful, so unbelieving, I send my Father, and He's your
Father. I send my God, and He's your
God as well. Well, that's the title of the
message found in verse 17. I send, the Lord says, I send. He ascended up on high where
He was before. to my Father, to my God. Because of this eternal union
that the Lord Jesus Christ has with His church, His brethren,
this eternal covenant relationship between the church and the Lord
Jesus Christ, all that is true of Him, all that is true of Him
is true of His people. We're one with Him. What is true of the head is true
of the body. Remember back in John chapter
17? Turn back over there. This union
and oneness with Christ. He said in verse 20, Neither
pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe
on me through their word, that they all may be one as thou,
Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in
us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me, and the
glory which thou gavest me I have given them, that they may be
one, even as we are one. I in them, thou in me, that they
may be made perfect. in one, that the world may know
that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved
me." God's people in Christ are one with Him, of which the Scripture
said, there's nothing that can separate us from the love of
God, which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we can say
all that belongs to Christ is freely, freely given unto us. He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? You see, what is true of him
is true of us. What is true of the bodies, true
of the head is true of the body. What he did, we did. as he represents us. By one man's
disobedience, Adam, the first man, many became sinners. So
by the obedience of another, the God-man mediator, shall many
be made righteous. By his obedience we are made
righteous. All that belongs to the Lord
Jesus Christ, therefore, has been freely given unto us. We've
been made heirs of God and joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ.
All that is Christ is ours in Him. Think of it. All that is
His is ours in Him. He's blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in the heavenlies in the Lord Jesus Christ. What a
blessed, sweet thought it is that this bankrupt, guilty sinner
stands before God complete and justified, nothing lacking in
Him. In Him, in Christ was all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily and we stand complete in Him. Everything He is and has is ours. Because of that union we have
with Him. We call that a vital, intimate
union. Turn to 1 Corinthians 3. 1 Corinthians
3 for just a minute. Look at verse 21. 1 Corinthians 3, verse 21.
Therefore, let no man glory in men, for all things are yours. Whether Paul or Apollos, Cephas
or the world, life or death or things present or things to come,
all are yours. All things are yours and you
are Christ's and Christ is God's. All things are ours freely by
his grace. We've been justified from all
things which we could not be justified from the law of Moses. Now last week When we consider
John chapter 20, we read about the women who came to the grave
of the Lord Jesus Christ to anoint his dead body. They wondered
among themselves how they were going to roll the stone away,
it says in Mark chapter 16. But when they came to the gravesite,
The stone was already rolled away by an angel of the Lord. And the angel was sitting upon
the stone that had covered the grave. And the women heard the
message. The angel proclaimed, Why do
you seek the living among the dead? He's not here, but he is
risen from the dead. What a glorious, glorious message. Mary Magdalene heard the words
of that angelic messenger, but she did not really hear the message. She heard the words, but she
didn't really hear the message. Mary, it says in verse 2, she
runneth and cometh to Simon Peter and to John and said, they've
taken away my Lord. She presumed, didn't she? They've
taken away my Lord." No, He's risen. Didn't you listen? Didn't
you hear? She didn't. She ran and she told
them that the body had been removed. It was empty. She ran before
she really had the message. She didn't hear. When Peter and
John came to the tomb, indeed they found exactly as Mary had
said, The body was gone. They found the grave clothes
neatly folded up. The napkin that was about his
head folded up in a separate place. They did not yet fully
understand, for it says in verse 9, For as yet they knew not the
scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. They didn't
really realize what they were seeing. Now evidently in verse 11, where
we start today, Mary stood without the sepulcher. It says in verse
9, the disciples, Peter and John, went away again unto their own
home. Evidently Mary, when they ran
back, she ran back and followed them. And when they went home,
she stayed. She stayed. And she's standing
at the grave, she's weeping, lamenting. And as she weeps and
laments, she stooped down and looks in one more time, and look
what she sees. She sees two angels, two angels
in white, sitting where the body of the Lord Jesus Christ had
been. One where His head was placed,
the other at where His feet was placed. Peter and John went home. Mary stays weeping because of all that had taken
place. But soon we're going to see here her weeping going to
turn into joy. You remember the scripture in
Matthew 5, our Lord said, Blessed are they that mourn, they shall
be comforted. She does mourn, she does weep,
but she's going to see the Lord in just a moment. Mary had this
special privilege to see, to be the first person to see the
risen, glorified Lord. Let me show you that back in
Luke chapter 16. It says here in Mark 16. I want Mark 16. Mark chapter
16, verse 9. When Jesus was risen early the
first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out
of whom He had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that
had been with Him as they mourned and wept. And they, when they
had heard that He was alive and had been seen of her, they believed
not. They were yet unbelieving. Look
at verse 12, back in John 20. She sees two angels sitting inside
this tomb. Mary takes another look and she
sees these two heavenly messengers. Someone suggested that it may
have been Gabriel and Michael. I don't know. Two of the named
angels. But I know this, the angels of
the Lord were always attending the ministry of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Angels were always about His
ministry. Let me just remind you of a few.
Angels were sent to declare His name unto Joseph and Mary. You remember? The angel was sent
to Joseph in a dream and saying, call His name Jesus, He shall
save His people from their sins. Angels attended His birth. You
remember they appeared to the shepherds? And they said, immediately
there was a heavenly host singing, glory unto God in the highest,
peace on earth, goodwill toward men. The angels attended his
birth. They declared his name. Angels
ministered to the Lord during his ministry when he was tempted
40 days of the devil, remember? In Matthew chapter 4, it says,
the devil then leaveth him after he endured all those temptations.
And the angels came and ministered unto him. Furthermore, in Luke
22, in the garden of Gethsemane, when the Lord began to endure
our sin in His own body, bear our sin in His own body. And
being in great agony, He sweat great drops of blood. And He
prayed, Father, not My will, Thy will be done. And then it
says, the angels of God came and strengthened Him. You see,
all about His ministry, we see the angels of the Lord ministering
unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn over to Acts chapter 20.
Acts chapter, excuse me, Acts chapter one. Acts chapter one. When the Lord Jesus Christ ascended
to glory, in Acts chapter one, verse nine, and when he had spoken
these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud
received him out of sight. And while they looked steadfastly
toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them
in white apparel. Maybe these same two angels.
which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?
This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall
so come in like manner, as you've seen him go into heaven." The
angels were all about attending his ministry, weren't they? Now
I've never seen an angel. But we know from reading the
Scripture in Hebrews chapter 1 that they are ministering spirit
sent forth to minister to them who shall be the heirs of salvation. I don't believe that believers
have a guardian angel. I believe they have guardian
mini-angels that minister unto them. We read in Acts chapter
12 when Peter was in prison and sleeping in chains, he was chained
up and in prison, that the angel of the Lord came in. Peter, get
up, we're getting out of here. An angel of the Lord came in,
broke Peter out of jail, and let him out of the prison. See,
angels minister unto God's people. We read in 1 Peter chapter 1,
when the gospel is preached, when the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ is preached, that the angels desire to Look into these
things. There are angels about us this
morning. Did you know that? Where the
gospel is preached, The angels desire to look into these mysteries
of the gospel, God's redeeming love. These two angels were sent
to minister to Mary in her time of need. The one angel was sitting
at where the Lord's head was, the other angel at his feet.
You know what didn't matter? I don't think these two angels
argued over who was going to be sitting at the head or the
foot. They didn't argue because they
were serving the Lord. It didn't matter to them. Someone
gave this illustration, if the Lord God Almighty sent two angels,
one to rule a nation and the other to be a street sweeper,
it wouldn't matter to the angels because they're both serving
the Lord's purpose. I think that's a good lesson
for us. We're all serving the Lord. We're all members one of
another. We're all one in Christ Jesus. But the angel says to Mary, woman,
verse 13, why are you weeping? Why are you weeping? She saith, because they've taken
away my Lord, And I do not know where they have laid him." She's
still totally in the dark, isn't she? About the Lord's resurrection. Even though she heard the other
angels say, but it didn't register with her. He's not here. He's
risen. Why do you seek a living among
the dead? Woman, why are you heartbroken? What a commentary
on the frailty of our flesh and unbelief. Mary should have been
jumping for joy, but not understanding what was really taking place,
she continues to weep uncontrollably. Her answer was that they've taken
away my Lord. You see, His absence caused her
distress, didn't it? Mary did not know where the Lord
was. In reality, the Lord was right
behind her. Right next to her. You see, her
tears were needless, weren't they? Her anxiety. Boy, we get
so full of anxiety. when something's coming up and
then after it's over you think back to yourself, why was I so
anxious? Why was I so fearful? Her tears were needless. Her
anxiety was unnecessary. How often we have the exact same
thoughts as Mary did. We may be tempted to think when
we're under trial or stress or heartache, the Lord's forsaken
us. My friend, that's never true. Not of God's people. The promise
the Lord made to Joshua is still true today. He said, I'll never
leave you. I'll never forsake you. In Joshua
chapter 1 we read, and here's the promise to God's people.
There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the
days of thy life. As I was with Moses, so shall
I be with you. I will not fail thee nor forsake
thee. Be strong and be of good courage. The Lord said, I'll never, no
never, no never forsake you. And someone might say, well,
I don't feel his presence. He didn't ask you to feel his
presence. He said, believe my word. I'll
never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Believe
his promise. We don't trust feelings, do we? We better not. Feelings come
and feelings go, and feelings are deceiving. My warrant is
the Word of God, nothing else is worth believing, Martin Luther
said. Our Lord said in Matthew 20,
28, 20 rather, His last words to His disciples, let's turn
and read that, Matthew 28. Matthew 28, His last words to
His disciples were this, All power, verse 18, Matthew 28,
All power is given unto me in heaven and earth, Go ye therefore
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I've commanded you. And lo, behold, I am with
you always." Now, get a hold of that. Underscore that in your
mind. I am with you always. I am with you always. On the
job, at home, when we worship, when we preach, I am with you
always. Even unto the end of this world,
I am with you always. When your heart is empty, He
is near to fill it. When your heart is cold, He is
near to warm it. You remember those two men on
the road to Emmaus, when the Lord preached unto them the gospel,
and they said one to another, didn't our heart burn within
us when He opened us the Scriptures? When your soul is languishing,
He is near to revive us. We sing that song, Lord, revive
us again. When we are weak, He's our strength. He is near to strengthen us.
When we are fallen, How many times have you fallen? He's there
to lift us up. He's our Father. I think that
scripture over in, don't turn, let me see if I can find it.
It comes to mind over there in Psalm 103, where it talks about
the Lord pitieth his children. He knows that we are but dust.
And it says here, like as a father pitieth his children, so the
Lord pitieth them that fear him. As a father, he loves his own. He is there to strengthen us,
to revive us, to lift us up. Now, back to John 20, verse 14. And when she had thus said, I
know not where they laid him, she turned herself back. I don't
know if she heard something or saw something move behind her. It was the Lord that was right
there all the time. And she knew not it was the blessed
Redeemer. She knew not that the Lord was
standing right beside her. Mary saw the risen, blessed,
glorified Savior, but did not recognize who this man was. Did not recognize Him, it says
in the next verse, that she posed Him to be the gardener. When
the Lord drew near to those two men on the road to Emmaus, you
remember, the scripture said their eyes were holding, they
didn't know who it was. Maybe here the Lord has just
withheld her from knowing Him at this time. But here's the
thought, men by nature, do not know, do not understand, do not
believe the gospel. The natural eyes cannot receive
the things of God. The natural mind does not receive
the things of God. There must be a supernatural
revelation of Christ to our heart, then we see But until He says
and He commands the light to shine in our heart, our eyes
are holding. We're blind by sin, blind by
unbelief until the Lord commands the light to shine in our heart.
And He must do so. Turn over here to Matthew chapter
16. God who command the light to shine out of darkness has
shined in our heart to give us the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Matthew chapter
16, look at verse 13. When Jesus came into the coast
of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples saying, Whom do
men say that I the Son of Man am? They said some that thou
art John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the other
prophets. And he saith unto them, But whom
say ye that I am? Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And the Lord
said, your blessed man, Simon, son of Jonah, flesh and blood
have not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
He's hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed
himself unto his people. Now, back to John 20, look at
verse 15. Our Lord says to Mary, while
she yet does not know who this is, Woman, why are you weeping? Woman, whom do you seek? Now the Lord never asks a question
for information. He knows her heart. He knows
her thoughts afar off. She's supposing Him to be the
gardener. Says him, sir, if thou have borne him thence, tell me
where you've laid him, and I'll come and take him. Again, she
says, I want to know where my Lord is. Now the Lord's probing
and penetrating question, woman, why are you weeping? He knew
why. Woman, who are you seeking? He
knew why. Our blessed God never asked a
question for information. Adam, where are you? He knew. He knew all about Adam's sin. You see, He knows our heart.
He knows our frame. He knows our thoughts are far
off. We look on the outward countenance.
God looks on the heart. He knows our thoughts are far
off. Aren't you glad? "'Lord, you know all things,'
Peter said. "'Lord, you know that I love
you.'" Now Mary's not deterred from seeking the Lord, is she?
She's persistent. And here we see the boldness
of her faith. Tell me where he is! She's not a bit discouraged,
even though she's thinking this is the gardener. She's probably
thinking that gardener doesn't know much, but he might know
something. Tell me where he is! And I'll take him away. It reminds
me of that love story we read about in the Song of Solomon.
You remember, in chapter 3, the watchman that goeth about the
city found me, to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom
my soul loveth. I held him and would not let
him go. Those who truly seek the Lord
Jesus Christ, now listen to me, those who truly seek the Lord
Jesus Christ will find Him, though He be not far from any of us.
We read in Jeremiah 29, the Lord said, seek me and you'll find
me when you search for me with all your heart. Seek the Lord. Seek the Lord where He is revealed,
in His Word, among His people, in the Gospel. We read again
in Lamentation chapter 3, The Lord is good unto them that wait
for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is good that a man should
both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Seek salvation where it's found.
Seek mercy where it's found. Seek forgiveness where it's found,
in whom we have forgiveness, in Christ. according to the riches
of His grace, through His blood. Now, here's a happy reunion,
verse 16. The Lord Jesus Christ said to
her, Mary, Mary, she said, Master, she knows now, that's my Lord,
that's my Master. Open her eyes that quick. gave
her eyes to see Him. That's what happens in salvation.
He calls our name, He knows the sheep by name, and He calls them,
quickens them, gives them life, and they see who He is, in all
of His splendor, in all of Her, all of His glory. As soon as
the Lord called her name, Mary, she owned Him, bowed to him and
loved him. She says, Rabboni, which is great
Lord, great master, you are my God, you are my king. You see
the Lord knows his sheep by name and he calls them out. Turn back to John chapter 10.
The sheep know his name, the sheep know his name, and the
good shepherd, he knows their name. In John chapter 10, to
him the porter is opened, verse 3, and the sheep hear his voice,
and he calleth his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. Look over in John chapter 10,
verse 25, the Lord says to them, I told you and you believe not
the works I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me,
but you believe not because you're not of my sheep. As I said unto
you, my sheep hear my voice, I know them, and I give unto
them eternal life, and they shall never perish. The shepherd knows
the sheep, and when the sheep are called by the shepherd, they
know his name, and they follow him, and they're in love with
the Lord Jesus Christ. We read this promise in Scripture,
the foundation of God standeth sure, having a seal, the Lord
knoweth them that are his. I think of this scripture. Turn
back to John 13, 13. She called him Master and Lord. Look at this in John 13, 13.
You remember this? John 13, 13. The Lord said, You
call me Master and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. You remember what Thomas confessed?
Turn over to John chapter 20. John chapter 20. At first Thomas
did not believe like the rest of the disciples. He said, I
will not believe until I put my hand in the print of the nails
and put my finger, put my hand into his side and put my finger
in the print of his nails. And then in verse 26 of John
20, After eight days again his disciples
were within, and Thomas with them. Then came the Lord Jesus,
the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said unto him,
Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach
hither thy finger, behold my hand. Reach hither thy hand,
and thrust it into my side. Be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said
unto him, My Lord and my God. You see that? He's my Lord and
he's my God. We confess Him, the blind man,
saying to Him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. Turn to Matthew
chapter 8. He is Lord to the glory of God
the Father. That's what we confess, is it
not? He's our Lord. When we have eyes to see Him,
how do we see Him? We see Him as Lord, don't we?
And we confess that He is Lord. Look at Matthew chapter 8. Verse
1, When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes
followed him. Behold, there came a leper, and
worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make
me clean. And the Lord put forth his hand,
and touched him, saying, I will be thou clean. And immediately
his leprosy was cleansed. He is the Lord, isn't he? God
had made that same Jesus, Peter preached at Pentecost, whom you
crucified. God had made him both Lord and Christ. Now turn to
John chapter 20, verse 17. She confessed her faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ, you are my Lord, you're my King, my God,
my Savior. Verse 17, the Lord said to her,
touch me not, for I'm not yet ascended to my Father, but you
go to my brethren, go to my family, go to my sheep, and say unto
them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, unto my God
and your God." Now what a message. What a message. Mary was determined
to lay hold of the Lord Jesus Christ. I found him whom my soul
loveth and I will not let him go. And the Lord said, now just
wait a minute. I've got something for you to
do. I've got a message for you to deliver. Don't touch me. The
Lord was not afraid of being defiled, but rather he had something
for her to do. A message to be delivered. What
was that message? Go tell my brethren. Now I want
you to hold your place there and find Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews
chapter 2. You go declare my name unto my
brethren. Hebrews chapter 2, look at verse
11. Hebrews 2 verse 11, for both he that sanctifyeth and they
who are sanctified, they're all one. We're one in Christ. He
is our sanctification. For the which cause he's not
ashamed to call us his family. He's not ashamed to call us brethren. saying I will declare thy name
unto my brethren in the midst of the church while I sing praise
unto thee and again I'll put my trust in him and again behold
I and the children which God hath given me. Aren't you glad
he's not ashamed to own us? And by his grace, we're not ashamed
to own him. We can say with the Apostle Paul,
I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of
God and the salvation to everyone that believe it, to the Jew and
to the Gentile, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed
in Christ Jesus. What a glorious message the Lord
gives unto Mary to declare unto the brethren and unto us this
day. I send to my father and your
father I send to my God and your God. God Almighty is the God
of all men everywhere. He is the Almighty, Absolute,
Sovereign God of all men everywhere. But He's not the Father of all
men. He's only Father. to his covenant children. You
see, I send to my Father and your Father. All that is Christ
is ours in Him. Our life is hid with Christ in
God. His Father, His Father, as the
God-man mediator, the Son of God, the Son of Man, His Father
is our Father. Think of it. All that's His is
ours. His Father is our Father. We
read in 1 John, Behold what manner of love. The Father hath bestowed
upon us that we should be called sons of God. He's not the Father
of all men everywhere but except Him. The Lord said to those Pharisees,
You are of your father the devil. But He is the Father to His covenant
children. His God is our God. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessing in the heavenly, according as He has chosen us in Him before
the foundation of the world. He is our God and He is our Father,
as He is to the God-man mediator. Now think about this. All that
is Christ is ours, freely. His Father is our Father. His
God is our God. Now get a hold of this. His obedience
is our obedience. His obedience is perfect obedience. His obedience is our obedience. We read in Romans 5, 19, I quoted
it a while ago. By one man's disobedience many
were made sinners, so by the obedience of another shall many
be made righteous. You see, His obedience is our
righteousness. Blessed is the man whom the Lord
imputes righteousness without works. His faithfulness is our
faithfulness. Now doesn't that encourage you? His faithfulness is our faithfulness. Let's see if we can find that
one more time. Read it one more time. Galatians
chapter 2. Galatians chapter 2. His faithfulness is our faithfulness. His obedience is our righteousness. His faithfulness is our justification
before God. Galatians 2 verse 16, Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by
the faith of Jesus Christ. You see, it's His faithfulness,
not mine. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ, faith the gift
of God, that we might be justified, justified by the faith of Christ. Oh, you mean it's His faithfulness.
That's what I'm saying. Oh, it's His obedience. That's
what I'm saying. We're not justified by the works
of law, for by the works of law shall no flesh be justified.
His Father is our Father. His God is our God. His obedience
is our righteousness. His faithfulness is our justification. His death is the putting away
of our sin. We're crucified together with
Christ Jesus, aren't we? His death is our death. He appeared
once in the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice
of Himself. He died that He might be the
just God and Savior. His death is our death, crucified
with Christ. His reward, the reward of the
Lord Jesus Christ, is mine. You see, I'm one with Him. He's
my God. He's my Father. His reward is
ours. We're heirs of God and joint
heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. His glory is ours. His glory is ours. How secure
are the sheep of Christ? As secure as the Son of God is
sitting on the throne of God. Who's going to kick Him off?
You see, we're seated in the heavenlies in the Lord Jesus
Christ. You see what I'm saying? That's what the Lord is saying.
You go tell my brethren that I send to my God, and He's your
God. You go tell my brethren I send
to my Father, and He's your Father. All that the Lord Jesus Christ
is and has is ours by His grace. His glory is our glory. The Forerunner
has entered in for us, and seated in the heavenlies for us. He
ever lived to intercede for us. We are one with Him, and He is
one with the Father. I in them, and thou in me, that
they may be made perfect in one." You see that? Is He your God? Is He your Father? Is He your
salvation? Neither is there salvation in
any other. For there is no other name under
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Verse 18, And
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples. Now she has a
message. Before she ran without a message.
Now she has the Master's message. And she faithfully told the disciples
that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things
unto her." Now what a blessing sent from
God to hear the truth of God. But yet, these men, just like
us, it says in Mark 16, they believe not. It says in Luke
24, not only the message that Mary had delivered, but the message
that the other women had delivered. It says there in Luke 24, the
words seem to be as idle tales, they believe not. And then our
Lord said to those two men on the road, to Emmaus, O fool,
slow of heart, to believe all that the prophets have spoken,
ought not Christ to have suffered any of these things and entered
into His glory? They heard the message sent from
God and yet their heart was full of unbelief. Now, you know what? Aren't you glad that the Lord
Jesus Christ died for all your sins, even your unbelief? Let us lay aside the thing that
so easily beset us. Aren't you glad and thankful
He died for all of your sin, even your own unbelief? We read
in 2 Timothy, if we believe not, we say with the manna of the
scripture, Lord I believe, help thou my own belief. But the apostle
said, if we believe not, he abideth faithful. He cannot deny Himself. He died even for our own unbelief. The Lord said, I sinned to my
Father. His bodily ascension to the throne
of glory is the valid declaration that all that He said was true,
all that He did was perfect, all that He accomplished was
accepted of the Father and we're accepted in the Beloved. He led
captivity captive and he gave gifts unto man, it says in Ephesians
chapter 4.