Jan 14:23

5.07.2014 Marian

 

The Son of Man

 

Today I would like to speak about a certain subject that really angers the devil, which is why he has put so many enemies in our path, continues to do so, and will continue to do so. It is a subject that is very rarely discussed in Christianity precisely because the devil does not like it. He has launched an attack from his side, to keep believers as far away from this subject as possible. I wonder why? When we begin to address this subject, we are confronted with reality, and then we have no way out. If we still have the desire to tell ourselves the truth, then we are forced to face the reality of who we are before God. This is because something took place on this earth long ago, a work that was accomplished, and it is this work that we will now be considering.

Perhaps we will read 1 John, chapter 4, first, to see what the apostle has to say about this subject. We will want to look particularly in this one direction, to see as much of it as we possibly can, for we are not able to fully comprehend Jesus Christ in a single sermon. Even if we were to deliver a million sermons, as we look at Jesus, we would still have more to say about Him. If we want to gain a deeper understanding, we sometimes need to focus on one specific subject in order to examine that particular aspect, which is of great importance to us. Today, it is precisely this one particular aspect that we want to focus on.

 

And here, in 1 John 4:1–10 ( King James Version), we read:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

 

Take note of what we also mentioned recently about mutual love in the Church – that there is a lack of mutual love in the Church, yet people are at peace. Something must have happened for people to be at peace when there is a lack of love. A deception must have taken place for believers to stop loving one another, and to come to the conclusion that they do not need to love one another in order to be saved. If we see that Jesus Christ came in the flesh and God the Father, who sent Him, speaks of Him, saying that He is the One in whom He – the Father – is well-pleased, and that we are to listen to Him and follow His Son (we shall speak later of the Father’s wonderful desires and the fulfilment of those desires), then it is for this very reason that He came in the flesh: that we might love one another. Jesus was in a body like ours and demonstrated God’s love poured out in the very body in which we also live and therefore through the coming of Jesus in the flesh, it has become both possible and our duty to love one another.

For if He had not come in such flesh, we would not have such an obligation, because we would not have been able to fulfil it. Therefore, there is this fight and struggle. For if we remove the coming of Jesus in the flesh and His victory over Satan, then we also remove the obligation  to love one another. We might choose not to love one another and still say that we are saved because we believe. But what kind of faith is that which is not active, which has no practical expression? It remains only faith and nothing more. It remains mere speech, without action.

But if we see Jesus walking on the earth in the flesh and do not allow ourselves to be deceived, so that He does not slip away from our hearts, then we realize that we cannot remain without love. That is why the spirit of the antichrist opposes this, because it knows that love is liberation. God is love, and yet we have all lost God’s glory; therefore, we have all lost love. Love came back to us in Christ, and through Christ God spoke to us in a loving way and called us to love, to the glory of which Jesus said: “I leave my glory with you, so that you may walk in this glory”. It is only when a man sees no need to follow Jesus that a philosophical Christian life begins. People start philosophizing about the subject, without any responsibility to put it into practice. But God will not stop just because people have removed something from His Word. He will bring His purpose to completion.

 

The second passage we shall read is from 2 John, verses 7-11 (KJV):

“For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”

 

This is a disease, it can be passed on to others. What is expected of someone who believes that Jesus Christ came in the flesh? We shall read about it. The Word of God speaks clearly of it and we ourselves know it as well. Jesus says, "Give Me your life." Give Him your whole life. This is our responsibility. For whoever gives his life to Him will gain life. But whoever keeps his life for himself will lose it. If you know that you are unable to love, unable to forgive, and unable to live according to the will of God, yet there is One who fulfilled all of this perfectly while walking on the earth, then what does your faith say? If you want to continue living on your own, your faith is telling you that you can manage by yourself. That is a poor kind of faith indeed. What kind of faith is it, when Jesus Himself said that apart from Him we are unable to do anything? What kind of faith is that? It is a deception, indeed, it is unbelief. It is the rejection of the Son of God, who came in the flesh to this earth, and an attempt to bypass His coming, an attempt to do by one's own will what only the Son of God can accomplish in you and in me. And this is where the destruction, and the attempt to destroy those who still believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh to this earth, begins.

Look, many deceivers have gone out into the world. Who sent them? What are they bringing into the Church? What do you think? They preach the Word of God, but in a different way, adding their own comments and their own interpretations of the Word. The Word of God says that whoever does not love does not know God. Likewise, whoever practices sin is of the devil. If a person understands that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, then our human position toward the trials and experiences we face has changed completely. What is our position now? It is the position of One who has overcome, and it is with Him that we desire to be. This is our position, and we must hold firmly to it with all our heart. Someone has overcome here, on the very ground where we were defeated. Jesus has overcome! Therefore, Jesus becomes the center of all our Christian living, because we face an enemy whom we have never been able to overcome, nor ever will overcome, by ourselves. And as we heard earlier in the testimonies, when you begin to call upon Jesus, you receive victory, because He came in the flesh and overcame in the very experiences that you face. He is able to give you His victory in that very day and in that very trial, and it is through the victory of Jesus that you pass through it. Without that victory, none of us would be able to endure. Therefore, because He came in the flesh, He is able to give us victory. Does not the Word of God say so? But if He had not come in the flesh, how could He give us His victory? How could He give us a victory that had never been won in our experience? He was "tempted in all points like as we are," yet He never sinned, and therefore He is able to give victory. This is why His coming in the flesh is so important. He came in the flesh so that we would have One on whom we can rely as we journey toward eternity with the Father. That is why the devil fights so fiercely against this truth, for here is his defeat.

 

1 Corinthians 15:45-58 (KJV):

"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

Make note of this: who is the Second Adam? He is the life-giving Spirit. It is He who gives us life for God. The first Adam brought death and the loss of glory. The Second Adam went through death and restored glory. And pay attention to these words: here we find the Father's good pleasure, who wants us today to be conformed to the image of His Son. This is why we are Christians: to be conformed to the image of the Son of God. The Father has chosen to work all things together for the good of those who love Him, so that we may become like His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the purpose of the Father's work. Therefore, more and more of Jesus must be seen in us. Yet the Father does not stop with our earthly experience. He leads us on to an even greater glory. He is bringing us toward the glory of being like Jesus as He is now. On earth, we are being made like the One who walked on the earth. But when Jesus comes, we shall become like Him as He is now. John writes beautifully about this in his first epistle. This is the Father's good pleasure, and it is against this purpose that the enemy fights, obscuring the truth by using various means and arguments that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, and trying to make people view it differently.

 

We read in 1 John 3:2-3 (KJV):

"Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is."

 

And for you and for me, this is a wonderful truth. As we abide in Christ today, the Father is able to make us more like Jesus, the One who walked in the flesh. One day we shall be like that same Jesus who is now in the glory of the Father. Many people have no understanding of what a treasure this is, what a glory it is, and how deeply the Father desires it. Many miss this desire of the Father because they do not accept the teaching that Jesus came in the flesh. What the Father desires is far from their hearts. They do not love the Father, they do not rejoice and they do not thank the Father for His desires, which He fulfills in His Son, both for the present and for eternity.

Think about who you are now according to the Father's will. And think about who you will become according to the Father's will if you remain in Christ, the One who came in the flesh to take our fallen life and bear it to the cross? In return, He gives us His own life, so that among sufferings and hardships we may continue our journey toward eternity with the Father.

Christianity is not our attempt to accomplish what the Jews were unable to accomplish but it is rather receiving what Jesus accomplished while walking in the flesh on saved man

earth. The devil was utterly defeated by Jesus. Jesus said, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me." (John 14:30, KJV). Throughout His entire earthly walk, Jesus did not allow the evil one to sow anything in Him. Nothing. Zero! And that zero is our salvation, because even one sin brings death, but in Jesus we have zero. Zero sin. There is not even a fraction after that zero; there is nothing beyond it. A complete, perfect zero. And it is that zero that gives us salvation, because that is what the Father is like. He can accept only what is zero, what is without sin. That is why Jesus came in the flesh, so that we could receive this. Not as an addition to our own "one," but as the removal of what is ours and in its place, we receive the perfect life of Jesus.

If a man truly understands who he is upon this earth, then he also understands how precious is what God has done sending His Son into the world. As Jesus said, "A body hast thou prepared me... Lo, I come to do thy will, O God." (Hebr. 10:5-7, KJV). Glory to God for this! You are saved when Jesus saves you. This is our salvation, and it is of the utmost importance for us.

 

In the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 13, we read:

"And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man..."

 

Therefore, the Son of Man comes from heaven. He is pure and holy. This is heaven at work on the earth. It is the influence of the Heavenly Father upon all that takes place. We are earthly, born in sin, but He is from heaven. The new humanity, the new Man, the Second Adam, is from heaven. Why is this so important for us? Because if we see that He is from heaven, then when we receive Jesus, we also receive God, for the fullness of the divinity dwells in Him. Therefore, we receive everything; we have full reconciliation with the Father through the Son, because the Father is fully involved in this work. This is not an idea that originated on earth. It is a thought from heaven, God's own thought, God's own work, God's own influence upon the salvation of every one of us. Therefore, from the very beginning, it is perfect, so that we may draw from that perfection and live by it.

 

In the Gospel of John 1:51 (KJV) , we read:

"And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

 

Let us consider why Jesus so often referred to Himself as the Son of Man. He was showing that, as the Son of Man, He had full fellowship with heaven. There is a continual relationship with heaven: to heaven and from heaven. As the Son of Man, He alone possessed a complete, pure, and perfect relationship with heaven. He is the Son of Man who, while walking on the earth, remained perfect and spotless. As we said last Saturday, the Spirit of God rests upon the Word that became flesh. In all of this we see the perfect and complete work of God on our behalf, so that we might be saved. We see God's work being carried out perfectly and fully in this matter, that salvation might be ours.

When we turn to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 16, verses 13-17 (KJV), we read:

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

Notice what Jesus says: “Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?” (Matthew 16:13-17, KJV). Peter receives a revelation from God and answers, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16,KJV). He is speaking to the Son of Man, yet he confesses Him to be the Son of God. Jesus tells him, “….for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17 KJV). In this we see both the Son of Man and the Son of God united in one person. We see that the Father is fully involved in everything that through Jesus Christ is being accomplished on earth. The Son of God walks on this earth in flesh just as we do, yet He is the Overcomer. The disciples could see Jesus with their natural eyes, but we in that physical Jesus see the Son of Almighty God, the One who comes from heaven. His origin is not earthly. His body was born into this world but He Himself comes from heaven, and this is the triumph and the victory that Someone from heaven comes and becomes like us in order to save us and deliver us.

There was no one on earth who could save us. Therefore, the Father sends His Son, His Word, through whom and for whom we were created. This is why Jesus so often refers to Himself as the Son of Man to make it clear that His body is here, from this earth. That is why Mary is the mother through whom He received that body.

 

John 6:62 (KJV).  Jesus says:

"What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?"

 

Jesus continually speaks of this: “ascending up where he was before,” that is, returning to the place from which He came, from heaven. He is the heavenly Man, with a heavenly character, heavenly submission to the Father, and heavenly love. Everything about Him is from heaven: pure, perfect, and untouched by earthly ways, earthly love, or earthly attempts to fulfill the will of God. Nothing corrupted has any place in the Son.

This gives us a firm foundation of the victory that is in Jesus, rather than merely hoping that things might work out. It gives us certainty. If the Father sends salvation to us from heaven, then we can be assured that since God loved us while we were yet living in our sins and sent His Son to us, He gives us the certainty of salvation in Jesus Christ.

This cannot be shaken. It cannot be, “I do not know whether I will succeed.” We can be certain that if I belong to Him, if I have surrendered my life to Him, and if He has room to work in me, then I am already a saved man. Because He has won the victory, I am already a saved man.

Had there been no victory of Jesus, as the Son of Man, on the earth, I could have no such assurance. That is why it is so important, and that is why Jesus emphasizes it so often. For this reason, we may also say that He was condemned and sentenced.

 

Luke 22:69 (KJV):

"Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God."

Who is it that will sit there? The Son of Man will sit at the right hand of God. Why does Jesus say that the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of God? When we read the Epistle to the Ephesians and we read that God has seated us in Christ at His right hand, we can understand why Jesus speaks of Himself as the Son of Man who will sit at the right hand of God. It is because we are human beings, and in the Son of Man we also have been seated there. This is what God purposed to do: everyone who gives his life to His Son, and to whom the Son gives His life, is seated by the Father at His right hand in the Son of Man, who lived perfectly on the earth.

See how God has established His order. There is a place for us only in the Son of Man, in Jesus Christ. The whole Bible speaks of this. Why is it so important, and why does it fill the Scriptures so completely? So that none of us may miss the goal, and so that none of us may rest on our laurels and stop growing. Think of yourself as being born a little child. You have everything: hands, feet, and a head. But suppose your head does not grow. Everything grows except your head. What would you look like? Not right at all. Or suppose your head grows, but your arms do not. What would you look like then? Again, not right. Why do you look the way you do today? Only because you grew proportionately. Every part of you grew evenly. Your growth is the result of every part growing in harmony. And that is the normal growth of a healthy person.

How, then, does our growth in Christ look after we have been born again? We are to grow with God's growth, no longer with a fleshly growth, but with a divine one. As we grow, Christ is being formed in us and becomes increasingly visible in our lives. Not just one part, not just a portion, as though the head or an arm were developing normally while the rest remained undeveloped. Rather, the whole person grows with the growth that comes from God, and we become more and more like Him. This is God's work. Those who belong to His Son, Jesus Christ, lack nothing, because God Himself takes care of them. Therefore, it was necessary that a beginning be established for us, and Christ is the beginning of this new humanity. He is the beginning of the Man who can stand in the holy place, where our Father is.

You know, it is truly amazing that by seeing how fiercely this truth has been attacked, we can also see how little people rejoice in it, how little joy they take in it, and how seldom they build one another up with the victory of Christ.

 

In Acts chapter 7, verse 56 (KJV), we read the words spoken by Stephen:

“Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.”

 

Whom does Stephen see? He sees the Son of Man standing in glory at the right hand of God.

Thus, this Son of Man, living on earth in the flesh, is taken up into glory in a transformed body, yet He remains the Son of Man. And this is precisely hope for us. He was transformed, and we too shall be transformed. What He received, we also shall receive. He was first, and then we followed. He was the first to gain the victory, and then we followed. He was the first to be transformed, and later we shall be transformed at the resurrection, to be like Him.

Therefore, He goes before us in all things, yet we are to follow Him, so that we may receive everything that He has received for us from the Father, everything with which God has blessed us in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, it is important that a person should speak of Him as the Son of Man without any fear of diminishing His glory. There is no need for such fear, for it is precisely this that reveals the glory of His victory because on our ground, as the Son of Man, He won every battle against Satan, every single one of them. And because of this, the experience of victory has been opened to every one of us. That is why Jesus could say in every letter in the Book of Revelation, “to him that overcometh”, for He gives us victory in every matter.

Truly, if a person does not go deeper into this experience, if he does not immerse himself more deeply in the sonship of the Son of God, who walked the earth in the flesh as the Son of Man, in the same kind of body that we have, he will not move forward in his spiritual growth but will rather begin to fall back.

But if you continue on, following Him further and further, and experience how the Father is transforming you, you grow and mature. Then more and more of the beauty of  the Son of Man becomes visible in you.

Just as we were born in the flesh and bore the image of our earthly father, Adam, as a boy, or Eve as a girl, so now, when we are born of Jesus, we begin to bear His image. We become new people, born in a different way, not of sin, but of purity.

How do you think of yourself? How do you see yourself as a part of the Body of Jesus Christ? Do you perceive that you are holy and separated unto God? Do you perceive that you have been gained for God and are being transformed by God into the image of His Son? Are you trying to practice your own Christianity? Do you see the perfection of the Son of Man? Do you see your own attempts and build your satisfaction or discouragement upon them? Many fail because Jesus is not their life, for the devil has managed to deceive them, and they try to produce life from themselves, which is impossible.

When you see the victory of Jesus, you begin to rejoice and give thanks to God for such a victory, for such glory, for such majesty. As you surrender yourself to Him, you remain with Him as a person at peace, resting in Him, and the normal growth that comes from God continues. Heaven is the place toward which you look, because there sits the One who is the beginning of your new life, the Son of Man seated at the right hand of God. The Son of Man did not disappear. He did not simply vanish. He was not the Son of Man only while He was here on earth, and then that was the end of it. He remains the Son of Man, exalted and glorified. Therefore, we have the hope that we too shall be where He is. We have not ceased to be human beings; we are still human, but with a new life, new desires, and new aspirations. All things have become new, and they must remain so.

A man may go back to the old life and to the ways of the old Adam, but that is no life at all. It is a path of losing one’s way and wandering into the forests of lawlessness.

 

 

 

Revelation 1:13–18 (KJV):

"And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

 

Do you know what a joy it is when you begin to see the Son of Man and come to value the victory of the King of glory, the exalted Son of God, who walked in this very flesh and won the entire battle? You begin to admire Him, to love Him, and to rejoice in Him! This is what is missing in Christianity. It has been stolen from among believers - the continual admiration and worship of the Son of Man of whom we read in the Scriptures, that constant adoration. People are being deprived of this, deprived of the life of heaven that has come to us. Life came from heaven, no longer merely through father and mother, but through being born from above. What does this look like in our lives? Does it fill us with joy or does it not? This has been taken away from the Church. The Church today is often poor in experience. There is no victory and little power to overcome, because the spirit of antichrist has undermined the teaching. Very often people have no idea that the Son of Man exists. They have no idea of the perfect humanity of Jesus Christ. They do not realize how much this means for us, human beings, today, tomorrow, and every day of our lives. It is a new life, a new life with new experiences and with the fresh manifestation of the Son of God at work within us, human beings, still walking in this flesh, yet this body has now become a temple. Not a temple of sin, but a temple of God because of the body of Jesus. For we have been clothed with Him, and our bodies have been made fit to be the temple of God. Praise God! You know, it should always bring us joy that Jesus was here on earth, walked in this flesh, and won the victory. This should be our encouragement, our support, and our help to one another.

He was here, and He won the victory! And you will be victorious too. Just believe in Him and hold fast to Him. Call upon His name, the One who walked in the flesh. He does not refuse help. We must remember this, for it is our treasure. This is what caused heaven to be opened to me. Glory to God that heaven was opened in Jesus! For consider this: in Jesus, who came in the flesh, in the Son of God who took on flesh and became the Son of Man, we have our salvation, our life, our connection with the Father, our new and wonderful experience of tasting and seeing how good He is, the One who was here in the flesh.

 

John 3:14-15 (KJV):

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

 

In whom are we to believe? In the Son of Man. “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish.” By believing in the Son of Man, you will not perish, because you see the perfection of Jesus' humanity. You see that perfection, and not only you admire Him, but you also draw from it. Paul could say, in essence, “I already possess perfection, that is, Christ; therefore I press on toward greater maturity.” I already have perfection because I believe in Him. He is my perfection. If I were to die today, I would go to God. Yet as long as I remain a pilgrim on this earth, I continue to submit myself to His transforming work, so that I may become more and more like Jesus Christ in His humanity as it was revealed on the earth.

These are not merely dreams or philosophies; this is everyday, practical life. Christianity is revealed in the simplicity of daily living, whether we eat or drink. Someone might ask, “What is spiritual about eating and drinking?” We are to do it all for the glory of Jesus. We have spoken about this before. Notice that in the new humanity everything is perfect. There is not one part that is perfect and another that is imperfect. We eat and drink for ourselves, but we serve God when we preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. It must not be so. This new humanity must be present even in the smallest things, so that in the greater things His humanity may also be seen. From beginning to end, it is Christ. And that is evident.

One person walks by and sees a bag or some litter lying on the campgrounds, yet simply passes it by. Another stops, picks it up, and throws it away. One person has to be told exactly what to do: “Do this.” “All right, I’ll do it.” But if no one points it out, he will not do it. That is not the life of Jesus. The life of Jesus is open to action in every area and at every moment, so that the Father may be glorified in us. That is the life of Jesus. It is not the letter of the law that says, “I will do only what I am told.” Rather, you simply live, because Jesus lives in you. You live, and you know what the life of Jesus is because Jesus lives in you. His joy lives in you, His sorrow, His zeal, His perseverance, everything. If it is truly life, then it is Christ alone.

Thus, Jesus Himself says that the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. We must not let this truth escape us. Do you understand what has happened in Christianity? People no longer have someone to imitate. The Son of God seems too high. God seems too far above us. So we do not have to imitate that which we cannot imitate. But the Son of Man is on our level. There we have no excuse, because we have One to follow. Jesus was here on earth in the flesh. If we remove that, if we take away the One whom we are to follow, then we end up with the kind of Christianity we often see today. A person can do whatever he pleases and still call himself a Christian, because there is no pattern, no standard, no point of reference. But when we see Jesus, who so often speaks of Himself as the Son of Man, the Son of Man, it is as though He is saying to each one of us: because I am the Son of Man, you are responsible to follow Me and imitate Me. I am not calling you to live in heaven right now; I am calling you to live on earth as life is lived in heaven, so that the life of heaven may be in you. Then you begin to realize how wonderful and how exalted Christianity truly is. It is a treasure, a light shining in the darkness. These are the people who are the body of Jesus, because the Light, the Life, lives in them.

You know that Daniel had already seen the Son of Man. Even in the Old Testament, people were being introduced to the truth that the One would come who would walk the earth and then return to stand before the Father.

 

John 12:32 (KJV):

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

 

Jesus said: “when you lift up the Son of Man, when I am lifted up, I will draw all men to Myself.”

“This he said, signifying what death he should die.” (John 12:33, KJV).

 

By crucifixion. Therefore, it can be said that you and I, whether we wanted it or not, it made absolutely no difference; all of us were taken by Jesus to the cross. But only the one who accepts this will be freed from his sins. We were all treated equally. We deserved death. So it depends on whether I receive this, from the Father, in Christ or not. The Word of God puts it very simply: “as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.”(John 1:12, KJV). I am a child of God because I have received Jesus, so that He may live in me, so that He may decide what I will do, how I will do it, and in what manner. I surrender authority over myself to Him, that is, I accept His authority over me, because for my salvation He defeated my former ruler, the one who compelled me to do evil. I want Him to overcome evil in me as well, so that I may spend eternity with the Father, for I believe that there is a glorious eternity where all God's children will be, and where we shall behold the face of our Heavenly Father. I believe this, and therefore I want to reach that destination. I know that I will not get there in the way people have tried to reach it on their own, but I know that there is a way, and that way is Jesus Christ and therefore, it is through that way that I return to the Father. I accept His victory.

 

John 13:31 (KJV):

“Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.”

 

Here we see the events surrounding the Last Supper. When Jesus surrendered Himself, He said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in the Son of Man,” because the will of God was still being fulfilled. The Son of Man was submitting Himself to death on the cross. Let us consider how often we are capable of doing wrong things simply because we forget that Jesus, while living in the flesh, never did such things. He never committed anything of that kind and therefore, we who live in the flesh, as the Church of Jesus Christ, should have nothing to do with such things either.

We read many passages where Jesus speaks of Himself as the Son of Man, and that God is glorified in the Son of Man. In other places, we read that the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Him. We see God's work; we see His hand stretched out toward us to help us, to lift us out of the pits of evil to make us completely new people. This is beautiful! If we lose this by leaving these words behind, if we lose this element of faith, then we no longer recognize the loss when we are unable to live with one another in this way. Then we no longer see that something is missing in the Church.

We continue to feel that everything is fine even when there are such great deficiencies, when there is no following the example of the Son of Man. If we still feel comfortable despite this, it means that we have stopped believing what the Bible says about the Son of Man. Our faith is no longer founded upon these words. It may rest on selected portions of Scripture, but it is no longer fully grounded in the Word of God.

We cannot be satisfied when that for which He came is absent from among us. “Lord Jesus, I will not let You go until the glory of Your Name is revealed.” We remember how Jesus said, “Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” (Mark 2:28, KJV). Because He is the Son of Man, He is Lord of the Sabbath. He is the Ruler because He is pure. What had previously been spoken to Adam and Eve, that they should have dominion, in the Son of Man we see the fullness of purity, dominion, and action. You know, this is so wonderful!

 

When we read 1 Timothy 2:5 (KJV):

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”

we see that the mediator between God and mankind is the man Christ Jesus.

 

There would be no connection between us and God were it not for the Man Christ Jesus, in whom God dwells and with whom we are able to meet, in the pure humanity of Jesus. Glory be to God for this! This is precisely why the Spirit of God has come: to lead us today into the truth of who the Man Christ Jesus is to us. He is the fullness of God's coming to us in order to save us and rescue us. We encounter this truth in many places. If we were to devote ourselves to examining all of them, we would have to read a great many passages, yet we must keep asking ourselves if we believe it? Do we believe in the new life that came to earth? Do we believe in a new life, perfect, holy, and unstained by any sin? Do we want to live such a life? Jesus says that whoever desires it, let him come. Do we want to live in this way, or have we given up on the human life of Jesus? “We believe that, being God, He is holy and perfect. But what is that to us? We can only believe that He covers us.” But that is not enough! God did not send Jesus in the flesh merely to cover us. He sent Him so that the evil of our fleshly life might be removed, and that in its place His life in the flesh might be put within us.

When the apostles saw this and experienced it for themselves, they were deeply affected by what they had witnessed, when they were able to see in the Son of Man – the Son of God, when they were able to see God at work among us, people, here on earth, revealing the glory of a triumphant and victorious life as He walked this earth.

You know, it is impossible to believe this and not become captivated by Jesus, captivated by His life, His words, and His works. Some atheists are fascinated by the humanity of Jesus. They do not believe in His pre-existence, nor do they believe that He lives on, yet they are fascinated by the life He lived in the flesh on earth, and they say that there has never been another man like Him. And we believe in His coming, in His earlier eternal existence with the Father. We believe that He came, became flesh, and returned to eternity. We want to marvel at His earthly life, to see how He was victorious, how He accomplished it all, and how He can help you and me. This is our hope, our living and everlasting hope: Christ Jesus!

It is impossible to fight the enemy when you do not have this hope, when you live according to a human, sensual, and sinful hope that expects only that Jesus will feed you, clothe you, give you a job, a pleasant life, or various earthly things. Paul says that we are of all people the most miserable if we have hope in Jesus Christ only for this life, and do not have the hope that our life will no longer be our own, but His life in us; that we will be close to one another through the life of Jesus; that we will be one, because one life will fill each of us as members of the Body of Christ. One life. The life of the Son of God, the life of the Son of Man. Not merely a collection of people, each different from the other, each with his own character, his own attitude, his own ideas and opinions. Rather, all being one, all called to be conformed to the same image, and all filled with the same life, each one being a member of the one Church. Through it flows the direction from the Head, who is Christ, to me and to you. Do you see this? Does it fascinate you? Do you want this Christ to live in you? Or is the christ you have painted for yourself enough for you, the one you have imagined, already different from the christ imagined by someone else? And then everyone has his own christ.

There is only one true Christ. Is He living in you today? Is He living in me? That can be seen.

Therefore, we have a Mediator, the Man Christ Jesus. That is why His humanity is so important. It is described so plainly in the Bible, yet people today are blind to it. They do not see it, nor do they see the glory of victory in it.

 

Ephesians 3:8–12 (KJV):

“Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”

 

As we read in Timothy, and as we see here as well, Jesus is the Mediator, and through Him we have access to God, our Father. Here we see the wonderful plan the apostle speaks about. God's marvelous plan for you and for me. What will you do with it? Once you truly see it, no one will be able to stop the rivers of joy flowing within you, the joy and satisfaction found in Christ. But until you see it, you will read these words and then quickly forget them. The whole Bible speaks of this. Moses already spoke of Him: "God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. He will be one of your own people, and whoever does not listen to Him will be cut off from among the people." From among the brethren, from among flesh and blood and from heaven. What a marvelous plan of God. This is my hope as I journey through my days on earth and make my way toward eternity: Christ walking on this earth in the flesh. He is my hope for life's earthly journey. For in heaven, we no longer see Jesus walking in the flesh, but the One who sits in glory. He is my Center. Today, I want Him to make me like Himself, so that one day I may be forever as He is now.

Does this encourage you to hold on to Jesus and never let Him go?

Hebrews 9:11–15a (KJV):

“But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”

 

Blood flows in the flesh. Therefore, He came in the flesh so that His pure blood, as the Lamb of God, might be poured out, making Him the Mediator between God and you, between God and me. This is our blessing today: not with the blood of goats or other sacrifices, but with His own blood He stands before God's presence. And what does He say? What do you think the One who loved us to the uttermost says? Surely: "Father, here I am pleading for him (for her)." Through Him, through the Son of Man and Son of God standing there with His blood, we can ask the Father for forgiveness. And He cleanses us with His blood so that the Father may be glorified in you and in me. Jesus is the Mediator of a new covenant for you and for me, for a new humanity. Glory to God for this!

Keep looking at this and delight in it more and more, because this is the teaching that Jesus brought, the teaching He spoke of so often while walking on this earth, making His disciples familiar with it.

Let us look at a few of the things the Lord Jesus said about Himself as the Son of Man.

Matthew 8:20 ( KJV):

“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.”

Why would One so perfect and so pure have nowhere to lay His head? Why? Because He is not like other people who enjoy, prosperity, and other ‘such’ things. He is a different Son of Man. His delight is in what pleases God, and the things of this world do not affect the fact that He is always content, fulfilling the Father’s will. Whether He has these things of the world or not, His joy remains unchanged.

What, then, do you expect when the life of this Son of Man begins to fill you? What do you expect? How will you live from that moment on? What do you think? Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What will that look like? Life on earth will not be comfortable for us either. Why? Because although we live in this world, we do not belong to this world. We make use of the things of this world as though we were not dependent on them, because the life of Jesus is in us. But if the life of Jesus is not in us, then it is different. We desire and do not have. We ask and do not receive. Why? Because we want to spend it on ourselves. Therefore, that is no longer the life of Jesus. The Word of God is precise and shows that wherever the life of Jesus is present, every prayer is answered. Every single one. The Father always listens to His Son. But where there is only us and our own desires, our own longings, there is no answer. Unless, of course, we are to perish and there is no longer salvation for us, then let it be as you wish. This is how God gave certain things to those who rebelled, so that they would go their own way and perish.

And so we see that the Son of Man says that He has nowhere to lay His head.

 

 Luke 6:22 (KJV):

“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.”

 

Blessed are you when you are hated. Why is the Son of Man hated on the earth? Because He does not belong to the spirit of this world, to the spirit of darkness that rules over people on the earth, those who live according to the flesh, their senses, and their desires. Therefore He is hated. Those who live in sin always hate those who do not sin. They hate them because they do not live like everyone else. Their very lives are a condemnation to them, because their lives are so holy. And so they say: "You will not do as we do. You will not live as we live. Do you think you are better than us? Do you think you are superior because you do not do these things?". They try to oppose it and attack it, because their father, the devil, hates this new humanity, those who live by the life of Jesus. Just as the devil hated the life of Jesus while He was on the earth, for he had nothing of his own in Him. He tried Him, tempted Him, and employed every scheme against Him. In the same way, he will hate everyone who lives by the life of Jesus. He will seek to destroy that new life. He will make war against every new life on this earth. That is why, as a child of God, you must walk in the full armor of God, because from the moment you receive this new life, you enter into a great trial. Yet this life is sufficient. As we have read, greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. We already have victory over the devil. Because Jesus lives in us, it is no longer we who live, and so all the things with which the enemy comes to us are met by Jesus Himself. May it always be so, that he would encounter not us, but the life of Jesus, His work within us.

 

Matthew 9:6 (KJV):

"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 Son of Man has authority to forgive sins, He has the right to forgive sins on earth. Why? Because, as the Son of Man, He takes those sins upon Himself and carries them to the cross, so He is able to forgive everyone. He is the perfect and spotless Son of Man, and He has the authority to forgive.

And how are we able to forgive others? We also receive forgiveness from Him, it is a pure forgiveness. Later, Jesus says to His disciples, "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."(John 20:23, KJV) We experience this as well in Christ.

 

Matthew 12:40 (KJV):

"For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

 

The Son of Man will die and rise again. Look at His perfection. Having lived in the flesh, He was approved by God and found perfect in His sight. As we have said, in Him we have our justification. See, when this truth breaks through the fleshly nature of man, then a person begins to shine. He begins to see the victory, the glory, the power, and the majesty of Christ. Then Christianity becomes something altogether different. It becomes Christianity according to Christ Jesus, with a heavenly reality that was made flesh.

 

Matthew 17:9 (KJV):

"And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead."

 

They saw Him radiant with glory and splendor. His garments were white and shining. Perfect purity. And there on the mountain Jesus spoke with Elijah and Moses about His coming crucifixion. To this day, we all benefit from this.

 

Matthew 13:37 (KJV):

"He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man."

 

What is there in this Son of Man that makes every seed pure, holy, and perfect? He sows Himself, the pure and living Seed. We are born of incorruptible seed. He sows Himself, He sows His own life into us, that we might be pure, holy, and undefiled. Glory to God for Jesus! You know, Christianity is beautiful and glorious, it is filled with glory, praise, and heavenly joy because of this Son of Man who walked on the earth and then returned to the Father. The Son of Man, full of glory, delighting in Christianity, which belongs to eternity even while He was then walking on the earth.

You know that when we all sit together in heaven, we will all be like one another. When we laugh, we will laugh together. When we rejoice, we will all rejoice together. When we worship, we will all worship with one accord. No one will be distinguished from another, for we shall all be perfect. And what we experience on earth is but a foretaste of that which is to come.

In Christ, we too are to become more and more like one another. In Christ, the same things bring us joy, the same things bring us sorrow, we are open to the same things and closed to the same things because of the life of Jesus within us. We are becoming one. Glory to God that this is not a divided Christianity.

We have been born of one Father. This is a united Christianity, being conformed to the same one image, the image of the Son of Man, the Son of God. Glory to God!

 

Matthew 16:27 (KJV):

"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."

 

See how highly exalted the Son of Man is that He is coming in the glory of His Father and with His angels. The angels are His as well. How greatly exalted He is! How highly humanity has been exalted in Christ! How the Father has exalted the Son of Man, His Son, the Son of God. Glory to God! This is how He will come from heaven, the Son of Man in the glory of His Father. What do you think that will be like? It will be glorious. The Lord wants us to experience this, so that, as the children of God, we may know that God is already giving us a foretaste here on earth of what He intends to do and how He intends to do it. The Lord Jesus says that when He comes, it will be like lightning flashing across the sky from one end to the other. The light will shine upon the whole earth when He returns. Glory, light, power, and majesty.

Whatever most beautiful or most wonderful thing we could ever say belongs to the Son of God. Is that not so? The Father has so glorified His Son. He said that whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, and whoever honors the Son honors the Father. Glory, majesty, beauty, excellence, and victory. Victory on the earth! Victory, brother and sister. The victory of Jesus! You have victory over every sin and over every obstacle, and you have received that victory in full from the Son of God and the Son of Man, so that you may walk upon the earth in victory to the glory of God. We were born in the flesh, and that enabled us to live on the earth. But now we have been born of the Spirit, and that enables us to live on the earth as in heaven, to live a different kind of life. Glory to God that through this we are becoming sons and daughters of God in Christ Jesus. We have a Father in heaven who says, "Sons and daughters, do not defile yourselves, but purify yourselves, for I desire to dwell among you." So that the Father may walk among us here together with the Son. Glory and glory, nothing but glory! Splendor!

 

Jesus speaks of this again in Matthew 25:13 (KJV):

"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."

 

You do not know the day or the hour when the Son of Man will come. And in verse 31 we read:

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory."

Jesus says that the Son of Man will come to judge mankind according to His humanity and according to the old humanity. According to His humanity are those who have been filled with His life and have done what is pleasing to Him. To them Jesus says, "Enter into My joy."

But according to the old humanity are those who have not done what is pleasing to Him. To them He will say, "Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."

The Son of Man is returning to the earth, the very One who walked on the earth before. He is returning in glory to judge the living and the dead.

 

Luke 17:24-30 (KJV):

“For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”

 

The perfect humanity will be revealed in glory. He who never sinned will come to take those who, through Him, also live in purity from sin. And if we should sin, Jesus intercedes for us, so that, having been cleansed, we may go on, but never, ever live as the world lives. The spirit of this world desires and strives to make the children of God accept a way of life foreign to God, a life in which He finds no delight.

 

Matthew 24:30–31 (KJV) a passage relating to His coming:

 

“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

 

The light that shines from east to west, revealing the coming of the Son of Man, comes for those who are His, for those who live according to the new humanity, who have found delight in drawing upon the life of Jesus every day, so as no longer to live from themselves, but to live through Him. And as we often say and remind one another, this life cannot be divided into more important and less important parts, as though, “here” I absolutely need Jesus, but “there” I do not need Him. No. We need Jesus in everything, in all things, from the moment we rise until we lie down to sleep. Whatever we do, we are to do it through Him who lives in us, and in His name. And it must be Him.

Jesus also says that the Son of Man will suffer (as we have already mentioned). He will suffer greatly, and we should not be surprised that we, too, go through sufferings because of this new humanity. Let us not be surprised that people may at least dislike us, and perhaps even hate us because of this new humanity. It certainly will not pass us by, for Jesus says that If this happened to Him, it will happen to all of us as well (“If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you”. John 15:20, KJV)Therefore, if this happens to me, it is only evidence that I am a new man. If it does not happen to me, it shows that I am not a new man, but that I am still living in the old humanity. It must happen to me, and it must happen to you, because Jesus said so. The New Man said that everyone who abides in Him will also have such experiences. Because of this new humanity, people will not like us. They will not like you because you are righteous, because you do not take sides, but always speak what is in accordance with the will of God. You are filled with a new life, and you cannot live any other way. It is Jesus, as your life, who speaks through you and works through you. He is unchanging. This is not a matter of philosophy, but of truth. Jesus is the Truth, and because of the truth people will not like you. Among men, it is considered necessary to take someone's side. Among men, coalitions and cliques are always formed. “We stand together, but against them. Here we will tolerate thieves and schemers, yet over there we will point out every little sin. Among ourselves we will cover everything as though we did not see it. After all, we are friends, companions. But in others we will expose everything.” It is not so with Jesus. You cannot live that way, because there is nothing of that in the life of Jesus. There are no favoritism, no schemes, no judgments based on whether someone is closer to you or farther from you according to the flesh. Jesus does not judge in that manner. The life of Jesus speaks the truth and is the truth.

 

Therefore Jesus says that if you love anyone more than Him, you cannot be His disciple („If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26,KJV) You cannot truly come to know the life of Jesus because you will reject Him and you will try to live by your own strength. When you live through Jesus, you will often be condemned for it, attacked, and pressured to change. People will question the life within you, saying that such a life cannot be genuine Christianity. Yet Jesus came to fulfill the will of the Father, and we know this to be true. We also remember when Jesus went with Joseph and Mary to the feast and remained behind in Jerusalem while they had already set out for home. When they found Him, words were spoken to Him: “Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing." (Luke 2:48, KJV)Jesus replied: " How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" (Luke 2:49, KJV)Therefore, whenever we seek, let us seek Jesus in the things of the Father. There we shall always find Him. He is always the same, yesterday, today, and forever.

 

Matthew 19:28-30 (KJV):

"And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

"And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first."

 

Who are we to follow? The Son of Man. He is the perfect, heavenly Man whom we are to follow. He is our daily example. We desire to see His words and His responses manifested in us. Is it not so, brothers and sisters?

Or do we perhaps prefer to see ourselves just as we are? We like ourselves. We like having things our own way. We like showing others that we have our own opinion on this matter and on that one. But do we already have Jesus' opinion on these matters? Does He say, “Let each of you speak according to his own opinion”? Is that so? No! Rather, let us speak as the Word of God speaks. "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14, KJV) And it is that glory which we desire to behold every day. Day by day, we long to see His glory manifested in us. Every day.

You know how it is when a person does something foolish. How grieved one becomes, how one dislikes oneself, even cannot bear oneself because of such things, and longs to be free from them. Then one looks to Jesus and places hope in Him, that one will no longer do such things as the old man does, with his old ambitions, old habits, and old attitudes. Absolutely not. I want to do it as You do, Lord Jesus. I want to see it taking place in me, to see that I am no longer according to the old Adam; no longer cunning, crafty, and scheming, no longer relying on my own ability to manage this matter or that, but that I am true and straightforward, just as You are, Lord. I press straight toward the goal, and I know through whom I am going there, whom I shall meet there, and for whom You will return, "(…) depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
(Matthew 7:23, KJV). Come to Me, all of you who do My will and serve Me -such is Jesus.

It is written in Matthew 20:28 that Jesus came as the Son of Man to serve. Will you allow Him to serve you? Then you will have a victorious life. If you do not allow Him to serve you, you have no part with Him; you do not have a victorious life. Will you let Jesus serve you? Or do you wish to go on by yourself, without His ministry to you? What sense is there in that, when the very evidence of our own lives shows that this self-reliance brings only trouble and you do not see the splendor of the King of glory -Son of Man seated upon His throne, the Ruler and rightful Owner of our lives ?

You know, because this is so important, both to God and to us, it has been recorded so many times in Scripture. Therefore, let us continue reading about it.

 

In the Gospel of John 8:28 (KJV) we read:

"Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things."

 

When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know. The Father confirmed that He was well pleased with Him by raising Him from the dead, thereby showing that He had accomplished everything the Father desired Him to do. Had He failed in even one thing, He would not have risen from the dead. Here we see perfection.

 

John 5:27 (KJV):

"And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man."

 

The Son of Man will judge because, while living on this earth, He fulfilled everything that was in accordance with the Father's will and offers this freely to all who wish to be saved. Freely. Do you remember what He said? That the Spirit would come and glorify Him. But He would also convict the world of sin. Of what sin? Because they believed not in the Son of God, in the Son of Man. They did not believe in Jesus Christ. This is the sin of not allowing Jesus to enter and rule one's life. It is the sin of rejecting likeness to Jesus. It is the sin of not wanting to be like Him. This is the sin of which the Holy Spirit speaks and brings conviction: that people do not want to be conformed to Jesus, but would rather live their own lives. This is the sin, this is a sin that gives rise to all the others. For when we do not receive Him, we are left to follow our own ways and do many foolish things. For only in Jesus is there new life, a victorious life. Therefore, it is a sin no to accept Jesus by faith in order to be saved. Attempting to achieve this holy goal in one's own way.

We read that Jesus said His own did not receive Him. We also read that the world rejected Jesus, the One who went about doing only good and proclaiming the truth of the Kingdom of God. Many people benefited from His healing power, and yet they still rejected Him as Lord. For people would like to receive something from Him for themselves, but they do not want to give themselves to Him. God will reject all those who rejected His Son as their Life.

In the fifth chapter of First John, we read that God has determined that whoever has the Son has life, and whoever does not have the Son does not have life. God will take to Himself only those in whom He finds His Son. This is what He has established, and this is the truth. Therefore, we should submit to it without delay and hold fast to it every day.

 

In Luke 22:52 and 63-65 (KJV), we see the captains of the temple and the men who held Jesus in custody.

"Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves?"

"And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? And many other things blasphemously spake they against him."

 

Thus, we see how the captains of the temple and their men treated the Son of Man. These men beat Him, mocked Him, and ridiculed His humanity. Why are you ashamed of Christ? Because it brings ridicule and mockery. In the same way, Satan’s temple guards today mock and ridicule Christianity. Yet Jesus said that if these things happened to Him, they would happen to us as well. So these guards mocked, ridiculed, and struck our Lord in the face. They were striking the Perfect Man. Did anything evil come out of Him during that time? No. He remained pure; He remained perfect. The only One worthy of all glory was despised and disregarded.

 

"And many other things blasphemously spake they against him." (Luke 22:65, KJV)

 

This is how those who claimed to be guardians of the temple, keeping order within it, treated the Son of Man, who was perfect and pure.

 

Luke 23:11 (KJV):

"And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate."

 

Pilate had previously sent Jesus to Herod:

"And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod."
(Luke 23:7, KJV)

 

Thus, this earthly king and his soldiers also humiliated and mocked the Son of Man. One after another, people mock this perfect humanity while living in their own lawlessness. How many vile jokes have been made about the Son of Man, Jesus Christ? How much mockery, how much ridicule! It is only through Jesus that one can stand on God's side. Only through Jesus. Otherwise, you stand with those who mock, ridicule, despise, and strike at Jesus. Thus, this earthly king and his soldiers also hated true humanity. Why do the rulers of this world persecute Christianity? Why do they imprison and kill Christians? Because they cannot bear true humanity.

 

Luke 23:24-25 (KJV):

"And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will."

 

Thus, Pilate also failed to benefit from what he saw with his own eyes and from the words of Jesus that he heard, after which he asked Him, “What is truth” (John 18:38, KJV).

 

Look at how people reject the true Life. They reject the One who never sinned. See how this happened then, and how it still happens today. They do not need His life; they do not find that life appealing. They have their own life, whether they are pleased with it or not, but it is their own. They do not want the life of Jesus.

 

Luke 23:35 (KJV):

"And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God."

 

The leaders. Who were these leaders? They were the high priests, priests, those who were supposed to ensure that it was clearly seen how God's people ought to live. And what did they do with the true Life? They mocked it and derided it. So look at how the world views the life of Jesus. What do we expect from the world? That it will praise Christians? Perhaps for a while they like the fact  you are honest, when it suits them, but once it no longer suits them, they hate you for your honesty, for your uprightness, and for your righteousness.

 

Luke 23:36-37 (KJV):

"And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself."

 

Thus, the soldiers also mock Jesus and ridicule Him. Look at how Jesus is surrounded on every side by mockery. The true and holy life of the Son of Man is surrounded by scorn, ridicule, derision, and contempt. What, then, do we as Christians expect? What do we expect when His life comes to dwell in us?

Why are we surprised that the world is the way it is? Why do we want to hide this Life so as not to expose ourselves to mockery and ridicule? The Lord said that if this happened to Him, it will happen to us as well. Jesus did not seek this out. He did not go around saying, “Mock Me, ridicule Me, for I enjoy it.” No. Yet this is what happens. The devil seeks to mock the life of the Son of Man on earth.

 

We read further in Luke 23:39-43 (KJV):

"And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us."

We know that earlier both of these men had been railing against Him, but later a change took place.

 

Luke 23:40-43 (KJV):

"But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."

 

Look at what he now sees. He sees a perfect Life. Before him is a Man hanging on a cross, yet he recognizes the perfection and magnificence of that Life. And this man experiences that he will go on with Jesus. This is revelation; this is glory.

 

Luke 23:42-43 (KJV):

"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."

 

How beautiful it is when we see Jesus as He truly is. Then we see in Him our life, our victory, our worth, our treasure! Glory to God for such Christianity! Glory to God for people who see Jesus, the Son of Man, and rejoice in Him, knowing that through Him they can live godly lives on earth. In them there is no room for apathy, mediocrity, or wasting time.

Some, not understanding why Christ came to earth, think to themselves, "Perhaps He came so that we might sing to Him, or play music for Him. So let us add some punk music, or some other kind of music, and sing and play. Then we will bring more people to Him."

But if the life of Jesus does not draw a person, what else could possibly help that person to be saved on earth?

 

Matthew 26:24 (KJV):

"The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born."

 

Who is Jesus speaking about here? About Judas. Woe to the man who betrays the Son of Man. Having seen the life of Jesus, Judas betrays Him. Later he feels remorse, but by then it is too late. How highly we ought to value the life of Jesus! Let us guard this treasure, let us guard this treasure. The treasure of Christians is the life of Jesus in us. This is our treasure, the life of Jesus in our earthen vessels. Not merely being present at the gatherings, but the life of Jesus in us. This is our treasure, and it is this treasure that brings us to the gatherings, where we come because of Jesus. The same love draws us together to honor Him, worship Him, and give Him glory. We are being built into a house because He fills us with Himself. In one Spirit we stand before the Father and worship Him in the spirit of sonship.

 

 

Mark 8:38 (KJV):

"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

 

Whoever is ashamed of the Son of Man before the old man, the new Man will be ashamed of him before the Father and the angels. Let us not be ashamed of the life of Jesus. Instead, let us be ashamed of our sins.

We see this, and may God help us not to be ashamed of this beautiful life, where we can be close to one another, where we can love one another, help one another, support one another, learn together, and rejoice in one another even here and now on earth. Let us not be ashamed of the beauty of Jesus. Rather, let us glory in the beauty of Jesus. Let us glory in our mutual love, that we are able to love one another with His love. Let us glory in this. Let us glory in Jesus among us and in us. Let us praise Him for what He does, but let it be true. Let it not be merely a matter of words, but let it be true that we live because of Jesus, that it is He who fills us with what He Himself is. That is why things are as they are. The Apostle Paul said, “By the grace of God I am what I am,” and, “yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10, KJV).

Here is the question I have already asked perhaps twice before: Do we believe in Jesus Christ as our new Life? Do we believe that He only walked the earth? Do we believe that He is our Life today? The just shall live by faith. (Galatians 3:11, KJV). The Apostle Paul expressed it this way in Galatians 2:20 (KJV):

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

 

That is what he believed, that is what he wrote, and that was the truth. Jesus lived within Paul. Glory to God that this is the reality and this is what we need every day.

Luke 18:8 (KJV):

"I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"

 

Once, while reading this verse, I was so deeply touched by the Lord that I wrote in my Bible:

 “Lord, find it in me. Find in me faith in the Son of Man, that I may live by faith in You. And when You return as the Son of Man in the glory of the Father, I am living by You here on earth, and You may take me to Yourself. I am Your possession.”

He is coming for His own. Trust Him, for there is no man good enough to accomplish this on his own, but everyone who places his hope in Him will experience within himself the preciousness of Jesus.

Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of the time that we have through Him today.

 

John 9:35-38 (KJV):

"Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him."

 

Before Him every knee shall bow, in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. And this man immediately worshiped the Son of Man. He humbled himself, submitted himself, honored Him, and glorified Him.

Look and see whether we have so many hymns in our hymnbooks about Jesus coming in the flesh that we do not know which ones to choose. Consider whether we have such an abundance of hymns on this subject. It is such a fascinating theme, yet sadly we have so few hymns about it. Why, if it is so precious? Why? Perhaps it convicts us, perhaps it confronts us with responsibility, and people prefer to sing more exalted hymns that do not place them under such responsibility. Or perhaps the Son of Man has already been forgotten?

 

Luke 9:23-27 (KJV):

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.”.

 

Following Him is the foundation. Truly, as we follow Him together, we will always find a common language, always a common joy, always a common need, and always a common way of solving that need. We will continually experience that we are one, that we are guided by the same thought. More and more, we will experience the beauty of God's work in us. This is beautiful. This is what makes Christianity beautiful. It has not become just another overly spiritualized religion. It has become the normal life of a human being on earth, a daily new life for the glory of the One who gave it to us.

 

Luke 21:36 (KJV):

“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man”.

The Lord warns us and says, "You will go through trials, but pray and continue steadfastly in prayer." Jesus once said to His disciples, "Why are you sleeping? Pray; do not lose this time." This prayer life of Jesus also fills us. More and more, we experience His interceding within us. Paul wrote that "...the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." (Romans 8:26, KJV).

 

2 Corinthians 5:14-19 (KJV):

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation”.

 

We therefore see that through what has taken place in Christ, we have all become brothers and sisters. If we were to look at natural birth, then according to the gospel preached by the apostle Paul, we learn that "according to my gospel," Christ is of the seed of David. If we were to know Him only as being of the seed of David, and it remained at that, it would be too little. We must come to know that Jesus is equally a Brother to us all, giving Himself to us. And we too are to be brothers to one another, giving ourselves to one another in Christ. This is God's intention, God's plan. We read about this in the second chapter of Hebrews, if you would like to look at it later. In Christ, we have been destined for this.

So, for me and for you, the Father has ordained that we be filled with one life, for one glory, and that this be visible in each of us. We are to rejoice in it and be strengthened by it. We need Jesus so that we may not be artificial or unnatural, for on our own we are always artificial and unnatural, always strangely withdrawn or strangely talkative, always some sort of oddities. But in Christ there is such true normality. Open, natural, holy, content, grateful, sorrowful when there is something that can truly grieve a person, yet always genuine, always genuine. Always, to the very end. Such is the life of Jesus, it is genuine.

Therefore, may God fill us with this and help us put into practice what we read in the Bible. We could still read many passages where it is written that the Son of Man came to save us and deliver us from the things into which we have fallen. There are many passages that speak of the Son of Man, of the magnificence of the Son of Man.

 

Revelation 14:14 (KJV):

“And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.”

 

And this is also what we read in Thessalonians and Corinthians: at the sound of the trumpet, Jesus will descend. The Son of Man says of Himself that only the Father knows that hour. And here we see the Son of Man waiting for the command. Then the command is given: the time has come to reap the earth. And the Son of Man comes to accomplish it, to carry out the Father's will, and to take us to Himself.

Let us abide in Him. Let us not lose sight of Him in our daily lives, for then we will lose Life itself. Let us remember Him. This is what Jesus Christ wanted to show us, that we might have this insight into Him, that we might see Him in this way, and rejoice that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through Him all things were made, and for Him all things were made. And that Word came to become flesh. We could read Philippians and all the teachings of the apostles showing how He emptied Himself of what He was. We could read in John 17 how He asked the Father: "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."(John 17:5, KJV). We understand that He would not have asked for something that He still possessed at that moment. That would have made no sense.

Thus, we see Him as the Son of Man, perfectly accomplishing the will of God and then returning to the glory which He had before the foundation of the world, as the One who is "...upholding all things by the word of his power..." (Hebrews 1:3, KJV)

Today, we wanted to draw attention to His humanity, to the victory that we have in His humanity, which was what we needed most in order to have the hope of salvation and of being close to one another in Christ. Glory to God for the Son of Man! Glory to Jesus for coming to us in the flesh to save us! And also for the fact that He will come again, in a glorified body, to take us to Himself for eternity. Amen.