CHRIST AS THE SON OF MAN

Luke 19:10

Morning Meditation 12/4/14

"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE SON OF MAN WITH MAN TO SAVE HIM

Jesus declares the purpose for which He came in this verse of Scripture. He came to save the lost. He did not come to set up a new world order though He will do that at His return. He did not come to begin a church that would direct activities that would change the social conditions of this world. Poor people need help, there is no question about that. But as long as we remain sinners, they will steal from the poor and take the help given for the poor for themselves.

We need to get a grip on why Jesus came. If we do that we will discover why we are here. Jesus said in this little episode "For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which is lost." It is a fact that the greatest work that we can do in this world is to win souls to Christ. When a soul is saved, he is saved forever. He received a new origin. He is taken out of the family of Satan and put into the family of God. Oh my Christian brother's and Sister's, we are no longer of this world. We are a part of a family that is in a minority. Our job is to go to the majority and give them a message that will change their lives to become a part of that minority.

That does not sound like a good deal on the surface but if you will take the Bible and read it, you will discover that it is one of the greatest opportunities that one will ever have. We are now no longer marching to the cadence of this world. We no longer give our support to issues that contradict what our Lord says is evil. We no longer look for a good time at the same places that the world does. This tightens the jaw of the unsaved. They are not just satisfied doing these things and let us do our thing. They are infuriated that we will not go along with them. Our abstinence exposes their ungodliness. Sometimes we do not have to say a word. Just saying no to the event that they have planned and a brief explanation of why we can't do it is enough to crimp their style. What a Christian doesn't do, gives him as much trouble as what he does do.

Jesus said in the sermon on the mount recorded in Matthew 5:11-12, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Jesus is saying to His disciples that persecution for righteousness put them in a class with the prophets of the past. That is a privilege.

AS THE SON OF MAN HE IS SEEN IN HIS SUFFERINGS

Jesus tells His disciples plainly that He would suffer persecution for the things that He did: Matthew 17:12-13, "But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist."

Jesus carefully describes the sufferings that He would have to face. Matthew 20:18-19, "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again." However, the disciples did not understand this. It was only after His resurrection that they began to understand the sufferings of which He spoke.

NEXT WE SEE THE SON OF MAN IN HIS POVERTY

Matthew 8:20, "And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head."

It is hard to imagine that the Creator of the world would have to live in such poverty in the process of making reconciliation for man's sins. With the millions of poor people in the world, this should make a tremendous impression on them. It should open the door for them to receive Christ as Lord and Saviour. There have been many interviews on T.V. of those who are what is called "street people." These people beg for something to eat, or rummage through the garbage for a small bit of food. These people have lost all hope. The fact is the Saviour of all mankind is standing with outstretched arms to welcome them home just like the Father did to his prodigal son.

This should tug at our heart strings when we think of Him coming from the ivory palaces into a world of woe, to do for us what we could not do for ourselves, i.e., live a perfect life. Then as the perfect sacrifice go to the cross to die for our sins. It did not take wealth to save us, it took the Son of Man, God incarnate in the flesh, going to the cross and dying to pay the penalty of sin that He might give us life freely. There has never been a greater more willing sacrifice than Jesus made for us on the cross.

THEN WE SEE THE SON OF MAN IN HIS AUTHORITY

Matthew 9:6 says, "But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house."

The words "that ye man know" means, "to perceive with the eyes." The apostles had witnessed His power with their own eyes. It is a perfect tense verb which refers to completed action, in the past, that completed action having present results. They had witnessed with their eyes the authority that He had over Satan, demons, disease, and death. The word for "power" is "exousia" and speaks of "authority power." This is also the kind of authority that one can use at will.

Jesus had the other kind of power also but this is the power that gives orders and those orders are followed.

When Jesus gave the great commission, he used this word for power. He said in Matthew 28:18-20, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power (exousia) is given unto me in heaven and in earth. GO YE THEREFORE, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Jesus had the authority, but He wanted no shadow of a doubt left after He was gone. The one with authority gave the Church the authority to evangelize the world, and baptize, and teach the converts.

Para Church organizations have no Scriptural right to operate. I'm not saying that they are not doing some good. I believe that many of the organizations were begun with a noble purpose. I will go so far as to say that some of them have won many souls to Christ. But there is just one problem. It is the problem of authority. Who has the authority to send missionaries out, authority to teach the new converts, and to minister baptism and the Lord's supper? They certainly have not received their authority to do this from the Lord. "Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."

When you join a church we are subject one to another. Ephesians 5:21 says to the Church at Ephesus, "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." The Church is where body life is to be worked out. One who is not willing to be subject to a new testament Church for his actions, I would question his salvation.

THEN WE SEE THE SON OF MAN AS OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST

One of the greatest comforts that we have is that we have a High Priest to represent us in the holiest. There is not an hour of the day when He is not representing us. He constantly takes us before the Father when we are accused by Satan. In this respect, He is called our Advocate: 1 John 2:1, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:" The Advocate is our lawyer. How can an Advocate take our case when all of us know that we are guilty. He argues our case on the grounds that the penalty of our sins have been paid for by the blood of Jesus. This is an argument that Satan has no answer for. We are saved and safe because the blood of Jesus is more that adequate to answer Satan's accusation.. Hebrews 12:6-14, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:"

THEN FINALLY WE SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING TO GET HIS OWN

People down here can lie about whose child it is. But with Christ no lying will be admissibly. This is a judgment where the guilty are exposed as guilty and the innocent are cleared from guilt. This is a good judgment especially for someone who has been declared innocent and the evidence all points in that direction. How about a replay of the scene of your life. It will be unbelievable. It will show every denial so that no one will be able to deny his accusers.

The Lord promised to return for His own: John 14:1-3 says, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

Acts 1:11, "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 ye have seen him go into heaven." Jesus is coming again, and this next coming is for His saints. We will be with Him when He comes. How do we get to where He is without a rapture, so that He gets to where we are for the gathering of the Saints. 2 Thessalonians 2:1, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him," The rapture here is a great ground of appeal.

Paul calls it a blessed hope: 2 THESSALONIANS 2:2-5, "THAT YE BE NOT SOON SHAKEN IN MIND, OR BE TROUBLED, NEITHER BY SPIRIT, NOR BY WORD, NOR BY LETTER AS FROM US, AS THAT THE DAY OF CHRIST IS AT HAND. LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU BY ANY MEANS: FOR THAT DAY SHALL NOT COME, EXCEPT THERE COME A FALLING AWAY FIRST, AND THAT MAN OF SIN BE REVEALED, THE SON OF PERDITION; WHO OPPOSETH AND EXALTETH HIMSELF ABOVE ALL THAT IS CALLED GOD, OR THAT IS WORSHIPPED; SO THAT HE AS GOD SITTETH IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD, SHEWING HIMSELF THAT HE IS GOD. REMEMBER YE NOT, THAT, WHEN I WAS YET WITH YOU, I TOLD YOU THESE THINGS?" WE SHOULD BE ANXIOUSLY AWAITING HIS RETURN JUST AS THE EARLY CHURCH DID. JESUS IS THE SON OF MAN TO BECOME THE ONE ON OUR SIDE TO DIE FOR US ON THE CROSS AND BECOME THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD JUST AS HE SAID. 2 Thessalonians 2:2-5, " That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?"

Then he warned against imposters who would come and resemble Christ and it wouldn't be hard to recognize him. One of the things about this man is a great economy and that is what He is going to offer the world. He will be successful for a while but our Lord tells us it will only be for a short time.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White