Jesus as the Son of Man — Manley Beasley

Jesus Christ as the Son of Man

I want to deal this morning, and I want you to listen carefully as I introduce this message, because if you do not get the introduction, you will certainly not get the conclusion. And I say this seriously, we as Baptists would fight you for the deity of Christ, and that's good.

Sometimes, somehow, someway, we have not dealt with the humanity of Christ adequately. In my opinion, that's my opinion, that we haven't dealt with it adequately. As a son of God, of course you do not have an example that you and I can follow.

If you look at Him as the Son of Man, you definitely have an example by which you and I can follow. And if He was not the Son of Man, as well as the Son of God, then you and I do not have a Savior. And so I want to deal with Jesus this morning as the Son of Man.

And I think in dealing with Him as the Son of Man, we will see that there's some foundational truth laid out for us that I believe will be of eternal value to us. I really, in my own heart, I really wish that I could have received this message.

As far as I know, I never even heard it. If I did hear it, I could not receive it back through the years, really. I really don't know exactly when the Lord let me put this together back through the years, but it wasn't the earlier part of my life.

And this morning, there will be some emphasis in this message, even though you may have heard me preach along this line, that I think there's some emphasis today that I want to deal with that I don't think you have heard.

Of course, I'm almost one of those people that believe there's nothing new under the sun except some phase of history you haven't read. And I think some president said that one time. But the fact is we know a lot of things we don't understand.

...about what we know before we can share it. What I want to do is really just take you to the passage. Jesus Christ as the Son of Man, His last words, just His last words, and began there and moved into His life.

And that's found in John 19. The preachers, when I was a little boy, I went to a Baptist church one Sunday and a Methodist church the next Sunday. When this came out, a Baptist church and a Methodist church, in those days you could pretty well depend on both of them for being right.

And they would say to me, I never will forget it. They'd say to me, you know, and preach in the pulpit, they'd say, Jesus Christ was all man. You know, I didn't understand it, but I could handle it. And then they'd turn around and say, He's all God.

And, of course, putting those together added a little confusion. Now, I don't know how many years has passed since I heard that, and I don't know that I can still explain it. But I don't know that I have to explain it.

I know that I need to accept it. And so there's no question in my mind that Jesus Christ was the Son of Man and He was the Son of God, as God. But I want us to look at Him as the Son of Man this morning because He leaves us a perfect example how to be what we're supposed to be and how to do what we're supposed to do.

And far as I can tell, this is the last word of the Son of a beautiful scene in all. In the 28th verse, this, now listen to this carefully. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished.

Might be fulfilled, said, I thirst. Now, that I thirst is even a fulfillment of the Scripture. But I want you to notice the fact that all Scripture now has been filled with vinegar and put it up on hyssop and put it to His mouth.

When Jesus, therefore, had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished. And He bowed His head and gave up the ghost. Christ leaves us an example of what I consider victory. You see, He came into this world as the Son of Man, lived in such a way about Him in this book.

It was written about Him in this book. As the Son of Man, He fulfilled it. Now, He did not fulfill this as the Son of God. He fulfilled this as the Son of Man. And that's very important. Listen to me carefully.

Christ's Victory and the Believer's Sanctification

It can be said of Him, written of Him, is to have victory. As a child of God, have victory. You do not have a testimony that you are saved by the grace of God. Now, I didn't say you weren't saved. Because I know a saved person can be defeated.

The Bible teaches it can. But, beloved, the world only knows that you're saved when they see you having victory. There's no reason to believe that you know what you're talking about when you say you're saved and you're defeated.

It's not having adversity. Our attendant is in class. He went to school with him in 15. He can't even think of his name. But I don't know. Some people are preaching the victory today, that when you have victory, you have no more problems.

But I don't find that in the Bible. I don't find it anywhere in the Bible. In fact, I do not find that you can be in the perfect will of God and be free from problems. In fact, if you get in the perfect will of God, you might get in a big bunch of them.

But, victory, it's said of you what's written of you in this book. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. It doesn't say work to get saved. But because you are saved by the grace of God, what's in you, work it out.

Learn how to fulfill the scripture. Learn how to obey the truth. Learn how to walk. You can have victory in every kind of life, every kind of circumstances, every kind of situation. You find yourself in, you have victory.

And when people see you having that victory in all the different facets and aspects of life, when they see you have victory, then they have a reason to believe that you're really genuinely saved by the grace of God.

Victory becomes a very significant part of the Christian life. If you don't think so, you think about all that's written in the Bible just to the Christian. The greater portion of the scripture, my dear friends, is not dealing with salvation, but dealing with sanctification and service.

And all of that pertains to victory. It's how much of the epistles from Paul is written to the Christian as to how they ought to live. So having victory is a very important factor. Being an overcomer is quite an important factor.

And I say that no man really has a testimony that they're saved by the grace of God unless they have victory. And what am I saying victory is? Victory is you living in such a way that when it comes to the end of your life, it can be said of you what is written of you.

What is written about you and me in this book? I won't mention all of them this morning. I may just mention a couple. One thing that's written of you and me in this book this morning is that we're saints.

Saved by the grace of God, you became a saint. You don't have to be sainted way down the third, fourth, five hundred years when everybody forgot how wicked you were. My dear friends, the moment you got saved by the grace of God, you became a saint.

That's a positional position. But it may be, my dear friends, that you're not. But the Bible says victory is having it said of you what's written of you. And it is written that you're a saint. And you and I need to adjust ourselves to God to where we walk in such a way with Him that folk will say, boy, there is a woman is a saint.

That girl, that boy is a saint. They have to, they can see it. And I got news for you. If you have to tell someone you're a saint, folk, you need to keep your mouth shut. I'm not talking about the fact you shouldn't witness.

You should witness. But I'm telling you one thing. If there's not a life, then back that witness up. You haven't got much. So the Bible does teach us that we need to have victory. And victory is having it said of us what's written of us.

And we're definitely saints. What's written of you. You see, you can come up here to this church house or your church, wherever you go, and act like a saint for three hours a week. What your wife calls you.

The real issue is what your children call you. The real issue, my dear friends, is what the people that work with you call you. What do they say about you? Victory is having it said of you what's written of you in this book.

The Priesthood of Believers and Effective Prayer

What's being said about us. I'm just going to mention these two just to give you an idea of where I'm headed. The Bible says that we're a priest. I believe that a person that was a priest had a collar on backwards.

And that is about the extent of my definition of a priest. But since then, I have that a priest is something very simple and yet something so profound. A priest is simply a go-between. A vehicle. A priest is someone, I love this definition, that knows how to reach out and get hold of man with all of his need.

And reach up and get hold of God with all of his supply. And bring the two together. The Bible says that you're a priest. What they say about you. It's a cliche. It's just certainly a byword. When we greet each other before we meet, pray for me.

I'd be like one man who came to me one time. You could stop that stuff pretty easily. Quit being a hypocrite about it. A man came to me one time and said, Brother Manley, I have a son-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Their home is all messed up. They've separated. Would you pray for them? And I said, what do you mean? He said, why don't you pray? They'll get back together. I said, I can't pray like that. Why? I said, because I wouldn't want to waste my time.

And he said, what do you mean? I said, I'll tell you what I will do. I will pray that regardless of the cost, whatever it takes to get glory out of that situation, and they get back together and still be full of the devil.

But if I pray that God will get glory and honor out of that situation, and they get right with God, very likely they're going to get back together. It's a byword. Almost pray for me. And we don't mean a thing about it, but I'm going to tell you something.

When you get facing death, and when you get facing there's no other way out, you start looking for people not who say, when they pass you'll pray for me, I'll pray for you. And you start looking for the few people in this world that knows how to reach up and get hold of God with one hand and your need with the other and bring the two together.

Are you known as a priest? Are you what's written of you in this book? Is it really genuinely said she's a priest? Really said he's a priest? He said, well, brother, I don't even know how to pray. God said you didn't have to know how.

He said the Spirit of God will do it if you'll let Him. We have no reason whatsoever for not being a priest. He said it to you what's written of you. When they got ready to interview someone about being a missionary, one of the first things they asked them was, do you get your prayers answered?

Yes, they say, show me. To the prayers, he said, he knew they wouldn't make it. Context that you have never prayed to, you have the answer for what you're praying, either in your hand or in your heart.

A Testimony of Personal Evangelism

We cut out a lot of that foolish stuff. My wife and I had an experience. We've never gotten over it. It's very difficult to keep a dad and mother off of banging on their kids. I have four children, the youngest one is John.

He was born in Mississippi, raised a lot of time right here. They weren't country kids. He knows no meaning about money. He thinks his dad is rich. He was saved when he was 14 years old, and he really has been a most delightful person.

We learned how in the first grade, and we have enjoyed this forth. And he's been a very delightful experience. He has really been. When he got saved, and I say this without trying to build my own setup, I have never known a soul winner like him in my life.

Dozens of boys that are scattered all over America tonight, sent doctors and lawyers to Jesus personally, and stayed with them until they were separated geographically. Still walking. One day, a couple of years ago, for Christmas time, I walked in the kitchen.

Kitchen, their family. There's a doctor in Houston, Texas today. One of them is a preacher, finishing Crystal Bible Institute. He's a chaplain. This is A &M right now. They're calling a jet test holiday for the Marine Corps.

Universities. Training for specialization. Living for Jesus. Met him through the Lord. The one that's at A &M. One morning, about 2 .30, I guess John was 19 years of age. He's about 19. John's number.

John's sister for John's number. Between Martha and I, we have over 80 years of Christian history. What we've had held by the Lord. My brother did not want to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Beasley. He wanted to talk to John.

Bless me. At the same time. When he got a hold of John at the university, he said, John, today, my brother, that's a jet pilot, test pilot for the Marine Corps. Up the street from us on a bank. They have everything this world has to offer.

But they do not have Jesus. And John had led this boy to the Lord. He said, John, He said, today, my oldest brother was doing some maneuvers in this jet and got it over on its back. And he could not maneuver it anymore.

And there's only one way out. And that was to shoot himself out. And he was so close to the ground that he shot himself into the ground and killed himself. And he said, there was no other way out. And he said, today, my family doesn't know the Lord.

And I want you to pray. He said, this boy, last Christmas, I led him to the Lord. He died. He said, as far as I know, he's the only one saved. He said, would you pray? He said, brother, may I say something?

I'll tell you what something. He said, that boy would pass up almost 80 years of Christian history in a bedroom and go to a 19-year-old boy because he knew that boy, he might get ahold of God with one hand.

And give to me what we have to bring to you. Amen. Yes, sir, folks. Yes, sir. How are you known? What's being said of you?

It takes him to do that, folks. It doesn't take you knowing a lot because it's said of you what's written of you. Is it? That is the truth. It's written where saints, it's written where priests. How much more is it written of us?

So much more is it said of you. So he says, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. So, my dear friends, your position in Christ and the reality of your life becomes united in one. So it's written of you what is said of you, what is written of you.

That is victory. Yes. Amen. And until you and I have this victory, folks, the world does not know we are saved by the grace of God. I didn't say you were lost, but they do not know you're saved till they could see that victory.

Christ's Dependence on the Father's Will

But not that. Amen. Yes, sir, folks. The amazing thing about it is Jesus had the victory as the Son of Man. Because we're looking at Him as the Son of Man now, not as the Son of God. How did He do it?

He had to do it as the Son of Man. He had to do it as the Son of Man, so He did it. As the Son of Man did. The Son of Man said, I do nothing except what I see my Father do. He said, my Father judges, I judge it.

One objective in life. He said, my knee. Chase a rabbit here for just a moment, This thing of walking with God, my dear friends, is always individualistic, personally related to the person of Christ. Come up with a design by which, my friends, you can go through religious activity and totally disregard God and become a God yourself by your good works.

Now, I can make it very personal, but I'll give you a general idea. These folks that take the doctrine of healing and said, if you're sick, you're full of the devil. And my dear friends, therefore, everybody can be healed and they pray without any reservation whatsoever.

Without any reservation whatsoever, they pray in faith for everybody to be healed. Disregarding the first thing with Christ, and that is this, they have made a God out of a doctrine instead of paying the price of personally walking with Jesus Christ to discover what is His will about every given situation.

And He is not their Lord. They are. Talking about the will of God, and they're completely forsaking the person of Christ and His sovereignty as to what He wants in every given situation. Jesus never did that.

He never did anything except what the Father initiated. Why is that so important? My friends, our fellowship is with a person, not a creed. Individualistic. Listen to me carefully now. He never initiated one involvement in His life.

He doesn't stand by the principles of walking with Him. Some people say, well, God started it, He'll finish it. He'll finish it, but it won't be in you unless you stay in line. He may start the race and you may get in the race, but if you do not run that race lawfully, you're disqualified.

So there's no idea where He started it, He'll finish it. No, not in you unless you keep things in order. This number one point, you see, His meat was to do the will of the Father, so He never did anything.

We need to settle that issue once and for all, and we need to continue to settle it. We need to know who has initiated our involvement. It's your strongest argument for victory in the hour of defeat. What you have to do is go back and remind Him and remind yourself and very likely remind the devil.

And usually when you get back there, a great deal of the battle is over. If the number one story wasn't in there, what kind of building would you have? Go out here and initiate a bunch of stuff in your life and then beg God to have mercy on it.

In the name of Abraham, told Abraham and Sarah that He was going to make them, in fact, He said, many nations. And they, my friends, could not wait on the will of God. So you know what they did? They initiated a little plan of their own.

Abraham begged God, never did accept Him as His only son. Never did. And my dear friends, the only way God could even bless that Ishmaelite was bless him to be the enemies people God had chosen. And by that we use them.

Oh, my friend, that work of the flesh is still bringing death. See this, our, a godly humanity, my dear friend, our humanity with a true and living God is the Islamic religion. And it all started from Abraham and Sarah initiating something on their own.

You don't have them, you have them at their best trying to do something for God. Something for God. They're trying to help God keep His promises. Initiates. Jesus Christ got victory as the Son of Man first and foremost because He never got involved in anything that Father didn't initiate.

It takes a lot of God to do that. When He initiates, and I'll tell you, it takes a lot more of God to wait on God until He initiates something. But when He's initiated something, when you hit the storm, all you have to do, and I don't say this lightly, all you have to do, it may be difficult, but you get back to say, God, You started this business.

And Lord, if You don't do Him it, then I'm sunk. And I'll guarantee you, you get back there and remind yourself and remind God and remind the devil that what you were involved in, God started it. And I'll tell you what, you'll find some strength and some victory and some courage and some direction like you have never had in your life.

Renunciation of Human Ability

He never initiated one involvement. He lived a life of submission to the next thing. And you pray that I'll be able to deal with this right. Jesus Christ lived a life of renunciation. Listen to me carefully.

He said all power had been given Him in heaven and in earth. And Jesus Christ could have snapped His finger and done anything that needed to be done. But you know what the Bible says He did? He said of mine own self I can do what?

Nothing. I mean, He had the power within Himself to do something. But He laid that power aside. And the Bible says He lived by another. And if I understand that verse right, it means that my dear friend, He was a living sacrifice.

He was alive but the Father was the one that did the work for Him. You've heard me say this many times and I'll say it just to lay the foundation for where I'm really wanting to get to. Jesus Christ really technically never performed a miracle.

Now you say Jesus turned the water into wine, raised Lazarus from the dead, fed 5 ,000. That's true. But my dear friends, if you checked up on it, you'd find that what happened was that He would say the Father did it to work those miracles through Him.

You say why is that important? I'll tell you why it's important. How would you like to go to the grocery store for a $10 item with $5 in your pocket? It'd be sort of a confusing mess, wouldn't it? And so many people are under stress because they don't understand this.

They're going to buy a $10 item with $5 in their pocket. How would you like to go to the store to buy a $10 item with $1 ,000 ,000 in your pocket? Comforting situation, it sure would. You see, when you go out, when man goes out, $10.

He's only got what he can afford to do, what he has the ability to do. If he has the ability to rely on the ability of the Father, then he has all God can do. That makes a lot of difference. That's sort of a comfortable place.

You say, Brother Manley, you do not separate the material from the spiritual. You'll never have. I don't think he does. Fragment the person. Amen? That's right. Now, are you with me? You're sure you're with me?

When he said he renounced his ability and relied on the ability of another, and if we're to walk, we're to renounce our ability and rely on the ability of another, let me tell you something. Down inside of you, I think what's Manee called the latent power of the soul.

But down inside of me and you, life that no man has ever fathomed. My man, are you listening carefully? The world has not yet seen what a man, not God's best in him, but his best, that soul power, the world has not seen yet what that man can do.

Different emotions, physical, live out everything you experienced in that dream. Give you some indication of the power of your mind. Hindu doctor. And she said, my brother Manly, you talk about your answers to prayer.

She said, you want me to tell you mine? A severe blood pressure problem with their mind. She said, I can take you to people who with their religion can perform miracles right before your eyes. No. Who today?

We say there's God and Satan, folks. There's another person. And that's man. And man in that soul power has a capacity that know very little about. And one of the reasons God can't send a Holy Ghost revival in this world is because you and I sitting here with a head full of knowledge about God, but we do not know the difference between the soul and the spirit.

And a person can get up here and operate in the soul. Think he's operating in the spirit. And you accept what he's doing. When God is not in it and Satan is not revealing himself, all that's happening is that soul power is taken over.

People do not know the difference. And you can't tell the difference by what you hear, by what you see. You can tell the difference is that you have an anointing in you that you simply know the life of God is not in that person.

Because, folks, they can move you, convince you logically, move you emotionally, and stir you, and you can see every manifestation you would normally see at the hand of God, but life. And people substitute life for enthusiasm.

I know what I'm talking about. But I know creatures you have listened to laughed up and enjoyed and delighted in and shouted. Amen. Yes, sir. That's right. Amen. Amen. Yes. Living in sin. Yeah. And you heard him and enjoyed him and delighted him and walked out and said, Wow, great movement has left Calvary.

You know why? And comes to the end of himself. That's right. And he becomes not only to himself but his apology. And out of that comes the Pentecostal life of God. Amen. Bringing out of that person which is much deeper than enthusiasm.

If you think this is bad among preachers, it's five times worse among singers. Yeah. The black people don't hesitate to tell you they do soul music. Yeah. They know more about it than we do. Sexuality.

They're with them too. But you know what? That part didn't bother me. Now, it bothered me. I don't mean it didn't bother me. It did. The things of God. And when that man was operating while he was living in that sin, they said God was here.

About how deceived you are. Yeah. Yeah. Can you think about how deceived those poor people are? They do not know the difference between the life of God and the manifestation of the soul. Yeah. But better than that, I had people tell me, they said, boy, I said, that was a time when old Baker was really walking with God.

He said, God led me to give a thousand dollars. People did. One of the greatest prayer warriors I know lived in Denver, Colorado, was reared under Norman, reared under Reese Howell. God's not sending a mighty revival today is because the people of God could not handle it.

They do not know. Or it can sweep through here, a psychic power can sweep through here and set this thing in a raging, in a singing, in a shouting, in a hollering, in a hooping, or any other thing, my dear friends.

And when God comes through, folk, no doubt there's a singing and a shouting and a praising and a rejoicing. But the source is different. You see, Jesus had all that power given him in heaven and earth.

You know what he did? He came to lay it aside of his own. He said, I can do nothing except what I see the Father there. Amen. He has to break us. You have that heavenly treasure in this earthen vessel.

Lay that vessel at the cross and let God break it. He has to break it or that heavenly treasure can't get out. Remember Gideon? Last year, a year ago, last December, when I was wrestling with this thing and my kidney's going bad and I just had to, I just had to have something from God.

And I wrestled for six months about it. Six months, folk, before I could get the answer in my hand or in my heart. These fellows run in here and get in the presence of God for ten minutes and come out with worldwide changing experiences.

I don't know anything about stuff like that. But for six months, I sought God day and night. And one day, finally, finally God said, He said, Turn over there 2 Corinthians 4 for that heavenly treasure and this old earthen vessel.

He said, this old earthen vessel has got to be broken so that heavenly treasure can get out. And I happened to read Benson's word study and he referred me right directly, immediately to Gideon. And Gideon, the army had come to defeat him.

Gideon got his army down to 300 men. I'll tell you, there wasn't anyone going to get any glory out of that but God. Gideon said, Now, I want you to take a lamp, something like a lantern or a picture really, an earthen vessel and put that light down inside that earthen vessel.

And I want a hundred of you to get over here and I want a hundred of you to get over here and I want a hundred of you to get over here. And said, when the trump sounds, I want you to break that old earthen vessel.

See what happened? When they sounded that trumpet, that old vessel, they broke that vessel and the light broke out. And that bunch of devils thought they were gone. And they fled for their lives. It took days for Joshua and Gideon to catch all of them.

I mean, friend, it moved them out. Like God has to break that vessel. We have to be brought to know that we can't. He can. And he must. Or it won't get done. Jesus lived a life of submission. He lived a life of renunciation.

I want you to know something. It's not our weakness that's our problem this morning in this congregation. It's our strength. It's our strength. Have strength, folks. You have to learn to have this, lose that strength by getting to the cross by simple submission or God has to take you there.

He's got to break it. Amen. Just think about this. You know this. Everything that was impossible for you to do that you got to God with, it did. It happened. But when you think you can do it, you mess it up.

That's what I'm talking about. Listen. Jesus Christ lived one more thing about his life as a son of man. He lived a life of obedience. What I mean by that is this. Now hold on, buckle your seatbelt down if you haven't heard me deal with this because it's going to Jesus Christ lived in such obedience to the Father that by his very action now by his action if God did not work a miracle Jesus Christ would have been sunk.

Now you say, well, Brother Manley, he could have never been sunk. You are looking at him now as the son of God not the son of man. He had to have the capacity to be sunk or he would not have been the son of man.

That's right. And listen to me again. I'm going to state it again. He lived in such a way my friend in obedience to the Father that if the Father had not supernaturally worked he would have been sunk.

Faith as Obedience Before Circumstances Change

You say, what do you mean? In John 6, isn't it? Where he fed the 5 ,000? How did he act? Let's see how he acted. He came up there there was 5 ,000 men and there was women and children we don't know how much they numbered.

How did Jesus act at this place? How did he act? If he had done it like humanistically he would have said, now God, if you give us about 10 tons of fish and about 10 tons of bread then we'll sit down and have dinner.

Is that what he did? In fact, he turned to Philip and he said, Philip, how are you going to handle this crowd? And by the way, friend, you may not realize it but every day the Lord is putting you in circumstances to see and let you see how you are going to act.

Just like he did Philip. You know how Philip acted? An atheist could have done just as well. How did Philip act? He reckoned with his ability. He said, I've only got about $40. Anybody can do that with their ability.

But you know what happened? Here's what Jesus said. Now watch this. They found a lad with two loaves, two fish and several loaves of bread. They brought that to Jesus. What's the next thing he said? When he took it, what's the next thing he did?

He said, Seat them. They found the two fish and five loaves. He said, Seat them. Out there now. Now that's putting God on the spot. Now that's putting people to missing it. And neither was he operating in his own ability.

That's the next place they're missing it. God had put him on the spot to see if he would obey without sight, smell, taste, feel or hear. That's faith. Faith is obedience and obedience is faith. Not before, not after, but before you have something.

In other words, Jesus Christ, if he was obedient to what the Father was doing, he had to act like he had it when he didn't have it in order for him to have it. Because between him and God he did have it.

That's not a leap into the dark, folk. That's a leap into the light. He said, Seat them. He didn't always say seat them there, brother. I've got news for you. He said, he took those fish and loaves and he bowed his head and thanked the Father for it as if he had enough for everybody.

And then, after he thanked the Father and began to break it, it multiplied. Y 'all heard me say this for years and you thought I was crazy. But I said, faith is acting like it's so when it's not so in order for it to be so because with God it is so.

That's exactly how Jesus was acting. And if God the Father had not come through and worked a miracle he would have been saying I believe it but it's important to God that you and I learn how to trust him.

If you don't think it is you check the life of Jesus. He taught the Bible. He gave an example of what he taught by his life. And he constantly allowed providence to shut his disciples up to circumstances to teach them to trust him or walk by sight.

And he hasn't quit that method of teaching today. I'm wondering if I'm going to tell you the truth. Why don't you look at Lazarus' tomb, the 11th chapter of John. He sent a message to Jesus and said, Lazarus, sit.

I mean, he got in a faith position real quick. He said, this is not unto death. All his disciples said, well, Lord, he's dead. And it looks like Jesus just had to step down and say, yes, I know. I know he's dead.