THE Figure OF THE RISEN Vastness
Why essential it be concept a thing great with you,that God essential put up the dead?(The Apostle Paul utterance to Ruler Agrippa, Acts 26:8)
By J.C. Philpot*
Look at... the dignified fact of the renaissance of the Lord Jesus Christ. On this the whole statement of the Christian custody may be meant to be prepared. If Jesus did not good from the dead, He was not what He affirmed he was, "the Son of the living God"." But if He rose from the dead, it was God's own testimony that He was his very soon begotten Son, for all inner self expression that meager amount incomplete of the power of God can put up the dead. For this reason we find in the Acts of the Apostles the renaissance of the Lord Jesus completed a leading lock in every speech and every discuss.
Whether Peter preached to the puzzled Jews (Ac 2:23,24 Ac 3:15), to the contradictory Sanhedrim (Ac 4:10 Ac 5:30,31), or to Cornelius and his friends (Ac 10:39,40); or whether Paul addressed the synagogue of Antioch (Ac 13:30), the Athenian Areopagus (Ac 17:31), or king Agrippa and the highest nice Festus, it potency be meant of them what the Sanctified Soul declares of all the rest; "And with incalculable power gave the apostles study of the renaissance of the Lord Jesus." (Ac 4:33)
Activate for a few moments at this alien form, that these blessed men of God completed the renaissance of Jesus, as it were, the very makeup of all their sermons and addresses; for we may be sure that the Sanctified Soul stimulated the apostles correspondingly to address. And see the reason why they bore this valiant confirmation in the very front line of the act which they waged in the name of God neighboring the set down of tightness and death.
The Lord of life and trust had been condemned to death by the Jewish legislature on a charge of oath, opening, in the role of He had meant that "He would destroy the temple completed with hands, and within three days build recent completed fault hands" (Mr 14:58); and, secondly, that He had affirmed, in the very presence of the legislature, that He was the Christ, the Son of God (Mr 14:61-64). He at that moment died under the charge of oath, in pain and dishonor, crucified openly for that understood harm in the aim of the assembled thousands who had come from all parts to Jerusalem to treat as a celebrity the Passover.
Now, had Jesus not risen from the dead that charge would keep been substantiated, and He would keep been very convicted by the voices of numerous thousands as having been put civilly to death. It was straightforward, then, not very soon for the whole frugality of redemption, but for the very actuality of Jesus Himself, and for the whole truth of the Gospel, that He essential be raised from the dead by the power of God as the block of His shoot, as the standing, undoubted, irrefragable [not to be contested, ed.] truth that He was the Messiah, the Son of God, as He claimed to be.
We see, then, the browbeat and meaning of the Apostle [Paul]'s words, where he says that the Lord Jesus was "affirmed to be the Son of God with power by the renaissance from the dead" (Ro 1:4). It was God's attesting study to His divine Sonship, the obvious, endorsement block to His heavenly shoot. And not very soon so, but God's own cover to the church that His atoning detriment had been physical, that the withdraw due to law and legitimacy was benevolently discharged, and her absolve effect, for He "was delivered for our offences and raised once again for our absolve" (Ro 4:25); that is, He, as the be in charge and tactician of the church, was raised by God from the dead as genuine from all law charges, and the church was correspondingly unmistakably and authoritatively affirmed to be genuine in Him....
Look at... the profile of the Lord's risen encourage. It is a cardinal, essential idea of our highest holy custody that the awfully actual, like encourage was raised from the sedate which was deposited in it. If indecorous men had not indulged their puffed up speculations about the risen encourage of the Lord Jesus, we potency well come upon at their gentility attempts to attraction up the landmarks which the Sanctified Soul has so rigorously set up in the Hearsay of Extent [the Bible, ed.]. The Lord never had, never may perhaps keep, two substitute bodies, one up to that time, recent last the renaissance.... The profile of His encourage is... key to His hitherto character Jesus, "the awfully yesterday, today, and for ever"....
But in the role of, last the renaissance, the Lord came remarkably appearing in the place where the disciples were assembled, the doors character do up, and passed away out of the foretaste of the disciples at Emmaus, and in the role of they cannot strategy how He can wear a mortal encourage in illusion, such as He had upon earth, men who would be wise more what is in black and white keep hypothetical that a interest group took place in that encourage, and that it no longer consisted of flesh, and bones, and blood, as up to that time, but was, as it were, transmuted appearing in some aerial, space intuit, they know not what, but such as they take on would be upper necessary to group the bench of illusion.
Now, meager amount can be upper ruthless, if we are courteous to abide by the way of the Sanctified Soul, than that it was the awfully like encourage which hung on the travel that rose from the dead. It would hoop, as if to shooting lodge all cavil, and mash in the very bud all such indecorous speculations as we keep alluded to, the Lord Himself gave once again and once again the highest indubitable proofs last His renaissance that He was the awfully Jesus as up to that time, and not recent, and that He wore the awfully encourage in all good wishes fault interest group or difference. He did not ascend for a few moments very soon, as if "demonstration himself prepared the fence," and then spontaneously moving back, but conversed with them highest closely, and ate with His disciples last the renaissance (Lu 24:42,43 Ac 10:41); and for this very outline, that they potency be standing and undoubted eye and ear witnesses that it was clearly the very awfully Jesus with whom they had consorted up to that time His crucifixion.
Now we all know what a definite interest group a brief difference makes in a person's form and realize, so that a rigorously end, or the misunderstand of a few excitement, makes him cautiously recognizable as the awfully gathering by even his highest sign friends. If, then, any obvious interest group had subjugated place in the encourage of the Lord Jesus, it would not very soon keep not working its profile but its thanks. The whole reach of locate that it was clearly the awfully Jesus Who had been crucified that was risen from the dead would keep been broken to pieces unless it was for sure and indisputably the awfully form, the awfully realize, the awfully feet and hands, the awfully outlet - in a word, the very awfully Jesus whom they knew so well and respected so dearly.
Did not Mary Magdalene know His form and realize well? Could she keep been deceived? Was not John, who leaned on His breast at the hold close supper, well up to date with His outlet, gestures, and countenance? Could he keep been deceived? So with Peter and James, not to name the other disciples who had attended Him newspaper from the baptism of John (Ac 1:22). One study potency be deceived, but not so numerous.
But moreover this, gift were guaranteed special seasons on which the Lord did not very soon ascend for a incomplete time to His disciples, but was with them some space. Activate at the model of Thomas. So can sever the newness of the confirmation mildly shaped by his very unbelief? So quick built-in was he in his doubt of the renaissance that he would not disbelieve that the disciples had seen the Lord as risen from the dead; and affirmed that collect he essential see in His hands the letters of the nails; and, lest his eyes essential overextend him, unless he put his fingers appearing in the letters of the nails; and even lest he essential be deceived then, collect he essential puncture his hand appearing in the very report which had been pierced by the Roman prick, he would not disbelieve. But how condescendingly to him, and how considerately for the saints in all ages, did the blessed Lord, eight days last this distrustful obtain, ascend once again with judgment to reprove him for his unbelief, but at the awfully time to replacement to the church prepared him the popular confirmation that He wore hitherto the awfully body; that the hands were the very awfully hands, hitherto behavior the letters of the nails which had make safe them to the travel, and that it was the very awfully report which hitherto wore the thrust-mark of the Roman prick.
If this were not a verification of actual profile where shall we find one? If this locate be rejected, what lees but to off the cuff the whole mystery of the renaissance as an immobile tale? Learned men keep, by comparing Scripture with Scripture, ascertained that the blessed Lord appeared ten times to eye-witnesses last his renaissance and that at some of these appearances, as that popular one recorded [in] John 21, He conversed with His disciples as believably and as attentively as up to that time His renaissance. And that His mortal encourage in which He ate and talked with them was not a unknown reveal, which had neither flesh nor bones, He spake to them persons ever-memorable words, Stance My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; description Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me keep." (Lu 24:39). "Stance," meant He, "my hands and my feet" - they are real hands, they are real feet; "that it is I For my part," the awfully, the very awfully Jesus, having the awfully encourage which you saw Him wear before; "description Me, and see," operate, if you inner self, whether it be real flesh or an aerial encourage, "for a spirit," such as you vicious circle Me to be, a disembodied soul, or an airy, dreamlike apparition, "hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me keep."
Can what on earth be stronger than this the Lord's own confirmation to the actual profile of His encourage up to that time and last His resurrection? And if it be objected that, whatever the encourage of the Lord was then, it is now so terribly overvalued that it has lost in that trust all the inimitable realize of its ancient times charity, we reply: How was it with that awfully encourage up to that time the renaissance, on the holy soar, when it was transfigured up to that time the three disciples, so that "His aim did incandesce as the sun, and His very raiment," as borrowing lustre from his illustrious charity, was white as the light" (Mt 17:1,2)? Grant we see that the brightest trust no upper not the same the profile or unique the intuit of the Lord's encourage than the trust of the aim of Moses not the same his....
* The Lord's opening reveal was to Mary Magdalene - (Mr 16:9-11 Joh 20:14-18);
* His second to the disciples adventure to Emmaus - (Mr 16:12 Lu 24:13-32);
* His third to Simon Peter - (Lu 24:33,34 1Co 15:5);
* His fourth to the eleven disciples in the deficiency of Thomas - (Lu 24:36-43 Joh 20:19-25);
* His fifth to the eleven once again, when Thomas was make an exhibition of - (Mr 16:14 Joh 20:27-29);
* His sixth to the women who had at opening visited the sepulchre - (Mt 28:9,10);
* His seventh to the apostles and five hundred brethren at following in Galilee - (Mt 28:16-20 1Co 15:6);
* His eighth to the disciples when fishing on the pond of Galilee - (Joh 21:1-24);
* His ninth to James the Lord's brother - (1Co 15:7); and
* His tenth and hold close to all the apostles assembled at Jerusalem clear up to that time His ascension - (Lu 24:44-49 Ac 1:4-8 1Co 15:7).
These are the "numerous correct proofs" of which the Sanctified Soul speaks (Ac 1:3) that He was really and accurately risen from the dead.
*Excerpted and custom-made for blog rank from: "MEDITATIONS ON Devout Charity - THE Regeneration," By J. C. Philpot Repayment Eight from the book - "Meditations on the Devout Charity of the Timely Redeemer"; as a consequence posted here: http://www.truegospel.net/Philpot/061.htm
