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Enter the two words most dangerous into a Google search this week and a few of the top hits were these. The most dangerous ant in the world is the bulldog ant. Let me tell you it is extremely aggressive and shows little fear of human beings.
Stinging a number of times in quick succession and therefore injecting more venom with each bite. It holds on to its victim with long-toothed mandibles curls its body underneath and thrusts its long barbless sting Into the skin.
On a few occasions the sting has been enough to kill adults within 15 minutes. Also on the list on most dangerous were the most dangerous jobs in the world. Deadliest jobs in order. Fishers and related fishing workers.
Loggers. Aircraft pilots and roofers. The one though I found the most interesting was the most dangerous festivals in Peru. They have a Christmas fighting festival. It is true December 25th people to settle their disputes and grievances by challenging each other to fistfights.
On Christmas they dress up wearing costumes and to keep the proceedings from going out of control the referees use whips. Merry Christmas. In Greece they have something called a rocket war and it's celebrated of course on Easter.
Rival churches stage mock war firing as many as 60 ,000 small rockets at each other's bell towers. This takes place while services are being held in both churches. And lastly, but not leastly. They have baby jumping in Spain.
Small Spanish village and since the 17th century. The yearly ceremony is when they lay out the infants on mattresses and actors dress as devils leap over them. The ritual quote supposedly dispels the children's original sin.
Most dangerous. When I thought to myself, is there anything more dangerous than some of these things? What's the most dangerous thing. And. Really friends as you know, the most dangerous thing in all the world is thinking you can get to heaven by being good.
The most dangerous thing in the world is thinking you can get to heaven by simply dying. Salvation by death. The most dangerous thing in the world is thinking that you're a good enough person to get into God's heaven.
To think that you don't need the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive you of sins and to give you his righteousness. That's the most dangerous thing. And people die every single second. Three people every second as some have calculated and you can just start doing your math.
Three six nine twelve and the list goes on. Galatians 2 says you know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. By the works of the law, no one will be justified.
Paul said I do not nullify the grace of God for if righteousness were through the law then Christ died for no purpose. In other words If you could get to heaven by being good if you could get to heaven by being Fine.
If you could get to heaven by death, why would Jesus come and die? When he just tell you to die. Every person in this room and every person in the world is a lawbreaker. Matthew 5 Jesus said but I say to you everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.
Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council and whoever says you fool will be liable to the hell of fire. Jesus said on the sermon on the mount. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5 you have heard it said you shall love your enemy and hate your neighbor. But I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Friends the Bible is very clear.
We are all sinful and we need a Savior. Since the Bible says that God renders to each one according to his works. How are your works are they adequate enough to get you in to heaven? Romans chapter 2 verse 13 It's not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
Unless you are perfectly holy unless you are perfectly blameless unless you are perfectly unstained. You can't go to heaven. Unless you have a high priest who is I? Officiated a wedding last week and it says member of the clergy a mom rabbi Reverend pastor whatever it says and I love to write every single time the same thing and I write Minister of the gospel and gospel means good news and Sinful Christian and even people who are sinful who aren't Christians.
I have good news for you today the best news. That even though you're not holy even though you're not blameless even though you're stained with sin. You have a high priest who isn't turn your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 7 for some good news.
Jesus in this book is portrayed and preached as supreme as better as Ascended into heaven he is better than the prophets as good as the prophets were he is better because he's the son of God as Great as angels are.
Jesus is better because he has added humanity. He he's not just completely God. He's not just Perfectly God he's perfectly human as well. So he could be your representative. He could be your substitute.
He destroys death and the devil. Hebrews chapter 2. He he becomes this merciful high priest a faithful high priest. Think Moses is great. Hebrew says Jesus is better. Jesus is more faithful and The way you receive these benefits is simple chapter 4 by faith by resting by trusting.
And when you start comparing Jesus to the Old Testament system of Levitical priests. He's better than Aaron too. He's better than Levitical priests, too. And that's where we come to in Hebrews chapter 7 today.
Hebrews chapter 7 verses 26 through 28 this great high priest that you Christian have by faith who represents you and Who is everything you aren't but everything you need to be everything that you must be and he's yours by faith.
It is true that you're saved by works. Don't let that pass your mind. But they need to be perfect works. They need to be entire works. They need to be personal perpetual works. You're saved by good works.
But since all of our works are tainted by sin by Adam sin and our own we need someone else's works. Don't we you're saved by works the works of Christ Jesus. To either stand before God and give an account for your works.
Or you stand before God with a mediator with an advocate with a with a lawyer with an intercessor. And he's the one that guarantees you heaven because of what he's done. For you and you receive that by faith.
Last week we were looking at verses 26 and following. It was a very simple outline five reasons to trust your high priest for your standing before God and. You can see those five things right there those five reasons in verse 26.
For it was indeed fitting Hebrews 7 26 that we should have such a high priest. One holy two innocent three unstained four separated from sinners and five exalted above the heavens. Everything you need in a high priest Jesus is he's fit for you.
He's not ill fit. He's not Unequipped he's not inadequate. He's perfectly fitted. How can a sinful person get into a thrice? Holy heaven? Well, they need this kind of priest perfectly fit for a sinner.
God's choice for a mediator. And of course earlier in chapter 7 it talked about that if it was up to us. We would pick the wrong mediator. You can kind of think it back to the college days and in high school days.
Maybe a little bit and of course even adults do the same thing. It's like why would that girl pick that guy for a boyfriend? It seems like she's picking the wrong guy. She's picking the rebel. Why would that guy pick that kind of girl to be the girlfriend?
He's picking someone who's wrong somebody who's edgy. We pick the wrong people very regularly and very often matter of fact if you think about a big picture Adam and Eve in the garden. Pick Satan to be prophet priest and King pick Satan to be the mediator left to ourselves.
Who do we pick to represent us? The answer is Satan. That's why we need God's choice because he's gonna pick the right one and he picks this great high priest. The Lord Jesus just quickly to review the first three because that's what we looked at last week.
The high priest that God picked for you that you can rest in and trust in that guarantees you heaven by faith. He Jesus is first holy. And remember there's a general word for holiness that you know and that means separate from sin.
Transcendent different. You have your regular plates. And then you have your holy plates and those holy plates the separate plates. The special plates are are are brought out for the Peruvian Festival during Christmas, right?
Well, this is the special word for holiness, but that's not the word used here although It's used of Jesus elsewhere. This particular word means that someone who who wants to fulfill the will of a superior somebody that always wants to please.
To do the right thing. To live right before God to be devout to be pious. So remember and I've said this over and over but it's so crucial if God's over there and I'm over here I need someone in-between.
Since I know I'm unholy since I know I'm sinful since I know I'm tainted. I need to be saved. But this mediator has to be holy and perfect too or else he or she would need a mediator. But this priest that Jesus picked the father picked rather for you Christ.
He lives perfectly before God. He's holy. Not only that secondly, he's innocent or blameless. He's harmless in terms of his his character there's nothing wicked or evil in him in other words. No evil on the inside.
Thirdly, he's unstained. Sin defiles sins like pitch sins like tar. It just keeps getting all over and you try to clean yourself and just everywhere. That's what sin is but not with the Lord Jesus. I think my ultimate pet peeve around the house is when I get superglue on my fingers.
Don't you hate that? I? hate it when I get superglue on my fingers because it is just not coming off until I just Scrape like ten layers of epidermis off my fingers. Hate that. I'd rather have broken things in the house than have that.
Just like get everything you touch and then you're you're getting things. It is just it multiplies. What does this have to do with anything? I have no idea. No, but with sin with pitch and tar and everything that sticks to us so easily and we're so contaminated.
There's nothing inside Jesus inherently nothing from the external. He's the perfect high priest. He's holy. He's blameless. He's unstained. You can even think back to the virgin conception and how the Spirit of God was making sure that this God, man was going to be not tainted by any sin.
Because if you're going to come to save people from their sins, you'd better not be a sinner. And now we move to new information fourthly. Why should you be praising God that you have such a high priest knowing that even this week Christian you fell short in many areas.
I know I did that Jesus is separated from sinners. He's separated from sinners. This is such good news when we think about who Jesus is because. You might think based on what you did last week Christian is God still okay with you.
Is God. God still love you. Does God still like you? I? Don't think many of us live perfectly holy lives left last week perfectly innocent lives last week perfectly unstained lives last week. I'm sure we fell.
But we're to be reminded today, I'm to remind you of the good news. You're standing before God. Christian is based on your high priest value and his work not yours. And this Jesus is separated from sinners.
Now here's the big picture. There's two ways to look at it. He's separate morally that is he's pure. That's true. Or he's separated spatially. He's up in heaven. The next part of the verse says he's exalted.
So that's either morally or spatially but both are actually true. Jesus is morally separated from sinners, and he's spatially now separated from sinners. He's exalted and there's no chance of contamination in heaven.
True or false Jesus Went to a monastery to be separate from sinners. False Jesus was perfectly human and yet he was what a friend of sinners. He hung out with sinners so when we look at this word. He's separated from sinners.
It does not mean he's he's off in a monastery, and he's far away, so he's not contaminated by anyone. But he's with the people, but he's still not contaminated. I like you to take your Bible and turn to mark excuse me Matthew 9.
And I want you just to see a quick illustration of Jesus how he ministers on earth. Yet, he's not defiled. He's the one instead of touching the leper and him becoming leprous and unclean ritually. He touches the leper in the leper like it's healed.
This is so different than the Levitical priest. Remember the writers trying to say Jesus is greater than the Levitical priest. Well Levitical priest. They couldn't touch a dead body. They'd be out of service for a while.
Jesus could touch a dead body and say arise. Levitical priest couldn't touch a leprous person because they'd be out of commission for a while till they were originally clean. Jesus can touch this leprous person.
He can have a woman who's been bleeding for 12 years touch him and not be defiled. Every other priest would be defiled. This is the kind of priest you want you don't want that old priest. You want a sinful priest.
I saw I went to a basketball game on Friday. And I got I was sitting in the section of it was Caroline Ferris game. And I was sitting in the opposite section the bad team section of parents and everything and boy were they bad.
They were yelling and screaming and saying things. This is the high school girls basketball game and finally the ref had to come over and say to some lady You know what that's enough. That's inappropriate.
Stop or you're out of the game. I thought I like this ref and then there was a guy. He was all he had all black on so he had a little white thing right here, and he was part of it. And he was yelling and finally at the end of the second first half He got up and said you refs are so awful.
I protest this is disgusting and he walked out. As he walked by me I do have to admit I looked over to Gracie, and then I said under my breath loud enough for him to hear man of the cloth. If your high priest is gonna do that I Mean I could laugh about him, but there's plenty of times.
I've done wrong things, too. Just not in front of Scott and Cindy. I guess. You don't want that Episcopalian priest you don't want the Levitical priest. You don't want any priest unless they're perfectly holy blameless unstained and separated from sinners.
That's why it's so vain to say well. I've got this religious leader, and it's not Jesus, but he helps me be spiritual. He better help you be holy and blameless and unstained. And when Jesus is around sinners he rubs off on them.
They don't rub off on him Luke. No excuse me Matthew 9 10 and As Jesus reclined at table in the house behold. What great language to draw your attention right into this situation? Many tax collectors and Sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.
That behold he wants you to kind of have your mind's eye just take a look at this and just imagine what's happening. A reporter from From Reuters is here examining this thing and Jesus is reclining. What's he doing sleeping at the table?
No, you reclined at a meal that was a celebration. You'd extend your feet out and lean on your left elbow and eat with your right hand. This means there's a big feast. Luke says that a big reception was given by Levi.
This is an evangelism. This has not come to my house. I want to sell you Tupperware. This has come to my house. I want you to hear about Jesus and there's tons of tax collectors tons of sinners. And you know what those Pharisees are doing birds of a feather.
He's reclining with them he's eating with them. We think about eating as you know, let's just have a meal. This is this is fellowship. This is camaraderie. You're eating a meal. There could be no closer Gathering outside of a marriage bed essentially than this and These people were the worst of the worst.
They were tax collectors. They were Jewish people who are milking the Jewish people from money to give to Rome and not only that there were people that didn't Even care about Mosaic law and we use that word sinner.
I like to even think about it. You can almost kind of have just a disdain to the word sinner when you pronounce it just to give the gross effect. They're not just sinners. They're sinners. They don't do anything, right?
These Pharisees these separated ones these holy holy people see Jesus eating having this close. Intimacy, this is a scandal. He's with outcasts and rejects and misfits and you know what? They're thinking I'm sure they're thinking he's really like them.
And I'm sure he's they're thinking they're gonna rub off on him verse 11 when the Pharisees saw this. They said to his disciples. They didn't say it to Jesus. They said it to his disciples. Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?
Guilt by association. They're grumbling. They've had enough. Of course, they're jealous. Of course, they're hypocritical, but they can't take it anymore. And don't you love the Lord Jesus here look at verse 12, but when he heard it The disciples don't answer.
Jesus answered. He said those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means. I desire mercy and not sacrifice for I came not to call the righteous but sinners.
If you were a rabbi back in those days and you had disciples. One of the things you would tell the people is you would say go and learn. I had my discipleship group this morning and I said, okay for this week.
I want you to read this. I want you to memorize these verses and I want you to Read this chapter and do this and do that and here's what they had to do go and learn. Now Jesus is saying to the big-shot leaders you go and learn because you don't know.
He's embarrassing them. Thomas Brooks said for Jesus to refuse to associate with sinners. Would have been as foolish as for a doctor not to associate with the sick. Go and learn what this means. It's amazing.
Luke 5 describes it this way. It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Jesus was a friend of sinners.
He was around sinners. He he was separated in the sense that he's not going to be defiled, but he was with them. I Love that about Jesus. He did not refuse to have dealings with people who were sinful.
Do you remember this story? The Son of Man has come eating and drinking and you say behold a gluttonous man a drunkard a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.
Now one of the Pharisees was requesting him to dine with him and he entered the Pharisees house and reclined at table and behold, there was a woman in the city who was a Sinner and When she learned that he was reclining at the table in the Pharisees house.
She brought an alabaster vial of perfume and standing behind him at his feet weeping she began to wet his feet with her tears and kept wiping them with the hair of her head and Kissing his feet and anointing them with perfume.
Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself if this man were a prophet he would know who and what sort of person this woman is who was touching him that she is a sinner. And Jesus answered and said to him Simon.
I have something to say to you. Say it teacher a certain moneylender had two debtors one owed five hundred denarii and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay he graciously forgave them both which one of them therefore will love him more.
Simon answered and said I suppose the one who for he forgave more. You have judged correctly and turning toward the woman. He said to Simon. Do you see this woman? I've entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
You gave me no kiss, but she Since the time I came in has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you her sins, which are many have been forgiven for she loved much.
But he who has forgiven little loves little he said to her your sins have been forgiven and those who are reclining At the table with him began to say to themselves Who is this man who even forgives sins.
And Jesus said to the woman in Luke 7 your faith has saved you go in peace. Could there be anything more? Heartwarming to the Christian that Jesus is a friend of sinners. And even if you're not a Christian today Jesus loves sinners.
He he justifies ungodly people. It's the publican. It's the sinner who draws near to Jesus while the Pharisees and the scribes and the religious people condemn Jesus. You need a high priest who's holy blameless unstained and separated from sinners that he's not tainted by them.
But not so separate. He lives in a monastery back to Hebrews chapter 7, please number 5 Exalted above the heavens. He's the perfect intercessor because he's exalted above the heavens and you have access to his throne.
You have access to his mercy. You have access to this great high priest who Hebrews 4 says has passed through the heavens. He's passed through them and now he's above the heavens. Do you see it Hebrews? 7 verse 26.
And exalted above the heavens. He's finished his work. He lives the perfect life. He dies on the cross. He's raised from the dead and then he is Ascended into heaven. I was thinking today. I thought last week.
Do we talk much about the Ascension? How often do we talk about the Ascension? Michael Horton said we treat the Ascension as little more than a dazzling Exclamation point for the resurrection rather than as a new event in its own, right?
In fact, the resurrection is important. Yes, but so too is the Ascension. Where he's raised to great heights. The point simply Jesus is at the highest position possible at the highest place of honor. Imaginable.
He was in heaven before the incarnation and now he's back after fulfilling the father's good pleasure. The word exalted is simple. It means high it means elevated it means lofty it means exalted one. It means king of kings and Lord of Lords.
You think what kind of priest am I gonna get. You get the king of kings and the Lord of Lords? Ephesians describes it this way. That he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.
Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named. Not only in this age. But the one to come and he put all things under Jesus's feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.
Which is his body the fullness of him who fills all in all. He's been raised from the dead and as mentioned said Christianity is an event. Filled religion. There are events there's dust. There's dirt.
There's land. Things happen in history. The resurrection happened and so too did the Ascension. Listen to the Nicene Creed for us and for our salvation. He came down from heaven. He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary.
He was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried the third day. He rose again according to the scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end. You all know that I've tried to teach you especially the men that I'm training to teach that if you don't have the resurrection.
You don't have the gospel right first Corinthians chapter 15 if Jesus is still in the grave. That means a he died for his own sins, he can't be the Messiah be he he's not Truly God and doesn't have enough righteousness and doesn't have enough power to raise himself.
And all kinds of other things could happen, but he's been raised from the dead. So you can't forget the resurrection. Paul preached the resurrection so much Jesus and the resurrection. The people in Acts thought they were talking about Jesus.
Paul was talking about Jesus male the resurrection. The word in Greek is female and They thought Jesus was the male God and resurrection was the female God because Paul always talked about Jesus and the resurrection.
My friend years ago was in the radio studio with me and I said well Can you tell our listeners the gospel please and he went through sin death burial and that was it. So I'm in my Radio studio, you know that $20 ,000 studio.
We've got over there. Like this old desk, you know people look at it and go that's the radio studio. Yes, and I'm seated here looking out the window. He's seated here looking out that window. And I just went like this.
And he goes and he was raised from the dead. So if you ever hear a preacher preach and they're forgetting the resurrection. I know we don't do a lot of hand raising the stuff of this church. This one's acceptable.
Okay. But you know the resurrection just part of it because 40 days later what does he do. He ascends into heaven and he's coming back. I think maybe we should start talking about his obedience his death his burial his resurrection and his soon return.
And if you're not a believer, you don't want him to come back because he's coming back with justice. But if you're a Christian you want him to come back because he's coming back for you. It's a Christian.
Turn to Acts chapter 1. Let's see this ascension. It's so. It's so glorious literally Jesus being raised up into heaven. Can you imagine? We could look at the Luke account and maybe we will let's look at the ascension of Christ Acts chapter 1.
Now just think about this for just a little bit if you're thinking about the Eastern ancient world and royal Ceremonies and think about the pageantry and the procession of the new king ascending the throne and and the parade and the marching and the attendance and the royal court and people giving him gifts and He's appointing governors over the realm.
This is the imagery of the ascension the new king ascending to his throne 40 days after his resurrection. It says in Acts 1 6. So when they had come together, they asked him Lord. Will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
He said to them it is not for you to know the times or seasons that the father has fixed by his own authority. And Jesus does that regularly the father is in charge. He has his own time plan. But you verse 8 will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.
By the way, if you'd like an outline of the book of Acts that verse is the outline. Because there's what that's what happens in the rest of the book of Acts. Now, here we go. Here's the ascension think Eastern monarch motif.
And when he had said these things as they were looking on he was lifted up and a cloud a Shekinah cloud the glory cloud of the Old Testament the glory cloud that surrounds Jesus on Mount Transfiguration took him out of their sight and if you just think you know what?
It was like a cloud. What are there different kind of clouds out there? You know when you're a kid you you study clouds like what are some of the clouds? A what? Oh Yeah, I I knew it's like some kind of nimbus, but I didn't want to.
I was thinking it was a nimrod cloud. That was a different person in the Bible different kinds of clouds and Jesus kinds of goes up on a cloud. You know, there's like some little transporter underneath them and he's on this billowy cloud.
That's flannel graph theology. This is bright. This is shining. This is transcendent a fulgent glory of the Shekinah glory. The pillar of fire kind of glory the transfiguration kind of glory he's taken up on a cloud.
They see him visibly. He's lifted up think of Elijah going up to heaven except Elijah was sinful. They're just going up in the chariot. This is this is going up on the throne. To the throne and while they were gazing into heaven and you would do by the way your mouth would be open.
And as he went behold two men stood by them in white robes and said This is wild Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? Well, just think about it. Oh. You know here comes this glory cloud.
There goes Jesus and you're just like watching somebody says why are you doing that? Why are you looking? Man of the cloth. We with our eyes Need to be informed with special revelation how to interpret things.
Because left to left to ourselves we don't interpret things rightly. That's why you can't read providence and you can't read signs in the future. You can look backwards and say I see how God orchestrated all this but we're bad future readers.
We're bad future snoopers. How do you read signs and and different things going on in the calendar and everything else? We need special revelation. Here's a special revelation. Jesus is going up to heaven on the Shekinah glory cloud.
How do I interpret it? I mean, he's he's just gonna leave me and I'm just stuck here. This Jesus Who was taken up from you into heaven? Will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. That's supposed to be encouraging for you Christian.
That's supposed to be wonderful for these people bodily visibly with the glory cloud. Doesn't that make you think you know what? I've got a great high priest and he's way up in heaven as ascended but that priest is coming back.
Longing for the day when the Lord will return. The Ascension should should motivate you to think Jesus is coming back. I can't wait come Lord Jesus. And that's something if you're a thinking person not a Christian you would never want.
You want to sin as much as you can? But no, in fact even as I'm thinking now of first Corinthians. How does first Corinthians and if anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Oh Lord come.
We'd love to have you come back. I think of Titus Chapter 2 what does Titus say about longing for that great day of the return of Christ? It says verse 13 waiting for our blessed hope we're hoping for that.
Not the stock market not the value of our house. Our blessed hope the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. That's what we're waiting for. Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession.
Who are zealous for good works? I? Love what Paul said to Titus declare these things. Exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you now as you know I love confessions and creeds for the Reformation.
Let me give you a confession of creed from the Apostles not the apostolic creed. But first Timothy chapter 3 turn there, please first Timothy chapter 3. What do pastors need to know. What do congregations need to know?
Here's a creed. Here's a poem. Here's a song. Here's a hymn. Found in first Timothy chapter 3 and it's simple, but it ends in the way. That you'd expect it to end. So the writer Paul says in first Timothy 316 great indeed, that's an understatement.
We confess. Here's our confession. What's the church's confession? It's the mystery of godliness and. Then he lists these six things about Jesus. He referring to Jesus was manifested in the flesh. He was eternal.
He existed before time began and he manifest in the flesh. He he he was incarnate by the Spirit of God. He was vindicated by the Spirit. What's that mean. The Spirit of God raised him from the dead vindicating his work?
Mission accomplished. I raise you from the dead. He's seen by angels. And by the way, when you look at this in your Bible, can you see all the white space around these words? Showing you that it's a poem showing you that it's a confession showing you that it could be like a hymn.
Different kind of genre than the rest of the epistle. Manifest in the flesh vindicated by the Spirit seen by angels. Proclaimed among the nations. Believed on in the world. And what's the last one using the same language of Acts chapter 1?
Taken up on a little tiny cloud. Taken up in glory. Same verb from Luke 24. Same verb from Acts chapter 1. He's taken up in glory. The ascension of Jesus. The exaltation of Jesus in brightness in splendor in radiance with majesty.
This is the kind of Jesus that if you preach. Men and women will follow this kind of Jesus. No wonder you go to churches that are mainline and liberal and there are no mature women and no mature men there.
Because they're following some kind of fable. This is the Jesus that went up in the glory cloud and it's coming back and you're thinking you know what if I could pick a priest. Well, I picked that kind of priest.
Well, God picked him for you. He's yours by faith. SOS Johnson says. Why this means what this means is our covenant head has finished the work. He's ascended to the right hand of the Father and has taken his seat there and being our covenant head and being the God-man.
And being specifically the last Adam who represents all of the redeemed. It means that the redeemed are with him as their representative at the right hand of the throne of God. In other words Every Redeemer every redeemed person has a representative at the right hand of the throne of God.
And then Lewis said isn't that great? Heidelberg Catechism question 49. What benefit do we receive from Christ ascension into heaven? I mean you ever asked that question. Oh. What benefit does it bring me if Jesus died for my sins.
Good question, but we always ask that what benefit do we receive from Christ ascension into heaven. The answers are so great. Because they're right from the Bible. First he's our advocate in the presence of his father in heaven.
That's Hebrews 7. Second that we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that he's the head. He will take us his members up to him if he's the head and we're the body and the heads in heaven. Guess where the body's going?
Thirdly that he sends us his spirit as an earnest as a as a wedding engagement ring rather by whose power we seek those things. Which are above where Christ sits at the right hand of God and things not on earth.
This is so great. And I often wonder if somebody walks in and they're not from Churches and they just hear some guy up here doing what I do. I'm sure they think it's crazy. Either I'm sure they think I'm crazy and if you're listening to me I'm sure they think you're crazy to listen to a crazy person like me, but you get that phone call.
You got cancer you get that phone call. You need a new heart you get that phone call. Grandma's died you get that phone call and everybody's gonna get that phone call. The hope that we have has to be outside of us.
It can't be my own intellect my own financial package my own portfolio the own. I can't be any of that. We're gonna stand before God one day and it's coming. I've had the opportunity to jump out of an airplane before and when you see the earth.
Weigh thousands of feet down below you you're just floating. Hi. Nice. You see the lakes. Oh, there's Lakewind Sigmund or whatever we have, you know there and all of a sudden you get closer. It is incoming.
And I had this cheap old army Parachute and they told me listen. Don't look at the ground because you'll scrunch all up and then you'll you'll smash into the ground and break your leg. So so look straight ahead look at the horizon and when you hit the ground.
Then go to your ankles go to your calves go to your the side of your quads go to your glutes and then roll. Well, I obviously made it. But I'm telling you I couldn't help but look it's incoming. But you know what for the Christian?
Okay, it's incoming. Because I stand in the one who's holy and so do you Christian. I stand in the one who's blameless and so do you Christian. I stand in the one no matter what we did even this last week.
I stand in the one who's unstained. I stand in the one who gives righteousness to sinners. He's not stained by sinners. He's separate from sinners and I stand in the one who stood there on that Mount of Olives and went up in glory.
And it was coming back and we want to hear a sermon about how to get through stress this week. I'll take the ascended Jesus on the glory cloud any day, won't you? Let's pray. Thank you father for your Savior that you gave us.
Holy blameless unstained separated and exalted. Pray that you'd give us a good reminder about the Ascension. We love Christ law-keeping. We love Christ's sacrificial death. We love his Resurrection bodily.
But father give us a taste give us an appetite for loving the Ascension. Because he's where he needs to be and he's coming back and we eagerly await for that very thing. Father we're having bittersweet moments though, because we have friends who need to be saved and They're gonna have the judge come back for them.
So would you be gracious to them as you've been gracious to us? You love to save sinners, it's easy for you to save sinners. Your spirit affectionately calls sinners in his own sovereign way. Would you let us be a part of that as we give the gospel to our friends that they might receive forgiveness like we have Before it's too late.
Could there be anything more dangerous than trying to live a life without this great ascended high priest. I Pray this in Jesus name.