The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1.14), but He did not cease to be man, in the flesh, when He ascended into Heaven. As He appeared to many in a glorified human body after His resurrection, this is also how He ascended into Heaven. And the angel declared that He would return in the same way:

“This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1.11 ESV)

He reigns in Heaven as the Son of Man:

“Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” (1 Peter 3.21–22 ESV)

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7.13–14 ESV)

and when He returns to judge the earth, it will be as the Son of Man:

“you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14.62 ESV)

Though it is not Scripture, I appreciate John Milton’s description of the Incarnation, and of glorified Manhood of Christ ascending to the throne of God. The following is from Book III of Paradise Lost, where the Father is addressing the Son. I have bolded the lines concerning the manhood of Christ in Heaven.

O thou in Heav’n and Earth the only peace
Found out for mankind under wrauth, O thou
My sole complacence! well thou know’st how dear,
To me are all my works, nor Man the least
Though last created, that for him I spare
Thee from my bosom and right hand, to save,
By loosing thee a while, the whole Race lost.
Thou therefore whom thou only canst redeem,
Thir Nature also to thy Nature joyn;
And be thy self Man among men on Earth,
Made flesh, when time shall be, of Virgin seed,
By wondrous birth: Be thou in Adams room
The Head of all mankind, though Adams Son.
As in him perish all men, so in thee
As from a second root shall be restor’d,
As many as are restor’d, without thee none.
His crime makes guiltie all his Sons, thy merit
Imputed shall absolve them who renounce
Thir own both righteous and unrighteous deeds,
And live in thee transplanted, and from thee
Receive new life. So Man, as is most just,
Shall satisfie for Man, be judg’d and die,
And dying rise, and rising with him raise
His Brethren, ransomd with his own dear life.
So Heav’nly love shall outdoo Hellish hate,
Giving to death, and dying to redeeme,
So dearly to redeem what Hellish hate
So easily destroy’d, and still destroyes
In those who, when they may, accept not grace.
Nor shalt thou by descending to assume
Mans Nature, less’n or degrade thine owne.
Because thou hast, though Thron’d in highest bliss
Equal to God, and equally enjoying
God-like fruition, quitted all to save
A World from utter loss, and hast been found
By Merit more then Birthright Son of God,
Found worthiest to be so by being Good,
Farr more then Great or High; because in thee
Love hath abounded more then Glory abounds,
Therefore thy Humiliation shall exalt
With thee thy Manhood also to this Throne;
Here shalt thou sit incarnate, here shalt Reign
Both God and Man, Son both of God and Man,
Anointed universal King, all Power
I give thee, reign for ever, and assume
Thy Merits; under thee as Head Supream
Thrones, Princedoms, Powers, Dominions I reduce:
All knees to thee shall bow, of them that bide
In Heaven, or Earth, or under Earth in Hell;
When thou attended gloriously from Heav’n
Shalt in the Sky appeer, and from thee send
The summoning Arch-Angels to proclaime
Thy dread Tribunal: forthwith from all Windes
The living, and forthwith the cited dead
Of all past Ages to the general Doom
Shall hast’n, such a peal shall rouse thir sleep.
Then all thy Saints assembl’d, thou shalt judge
Bad men and Angels, they arraignd shall sink
Beneath thy Sentence; Hell her numbers full,
Thenceforth shall be for ever shut. Mean while
The World shall burn, and from her ashes spring
New Heav’n and Earth, wherein the just shall dwell
And after all thir tribulations long
See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds,
With Joy and Love triumphing, and fair Truth.
Then thou thy regal Scepter shalt lay by,
For regal Scepter then no more shall need,
God shall be All in All. But all ye Gods,
Adore him, who to compass all this dies,
Adore the Son, and honour him as mee.

Introduction

The last time I was here was Easter morning, and we looked at the first 9 verses of Peter’s first letter, which focus on the Living Hope we have in Jesus Christ, our risen Lord.

Now, since I am a diehard proponent of exegetical preaching, I am going to simply continue where I left off, picking it up in chapter 1 at verse 10.

Please turn there in your Bibles: 1 Peter 1, starting at verse 10.

Exegetical Preaching

Before we read the passage together, I will explain what I mean by Exegetical Preaching, especially since the gist of our text bears directly upon it.

Exegetical Preaching, also known as Expository Preaching, is working through Scripture line upon line, going through a book of the Bible sequentially from beginning to end.

• Exegesis – (the Greek word ἐξήγησις) means to explain or interpret, literally to “lead out” the author’s meaning from his writing. Its opposite is Eisegesis, which means to read my own preferred meaning into the text.

• Exposition (expose-ition) – means to expose the author’s meaning, to lay it open before the hearers.

Exegetical preaching has sadly diminished in recent decades, which has a lot to do with the weakened state of the church at large. We should be particularly thankful to have a pastor who has always been committed to exegetical preaching.

In contrast, the all too common practice today is for a preacher to cherry-pick verses from anywhere in the Bible that suits his purpose, and then marshall them to support whatever point he wants to make. Any lazy and ignorant person can do this. Many have and many do. But this is not faithfully feeding the Lord’s sheep. It is not exegesis – it is not leading God’s meaning out of the text; rather is is eisegesis – reading my meaning into the text.

We may not take the easy road, or the lazy way, if we want to really grow in our faith. We must read and study God’s Word sequentially, systematically, and contextually.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name

O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.
When we consider the moon and stars, and all the works of your hands,
the beauty in all creation that testifies of your power, wisdom, and goodness,
we are awed and compelled to ask:

What is Man that you are mindful of him, or the son of Man that you take thought of him?

And yet you do take thought of us.

Once we had not obtained mercy, but now we have obtained mercy.
Once we were not a people, but now we are Your people,
Your adopted children, whom You have loved with an everlasting love.

We are graven on Your hands, and are the apple of Your eye. You have set your love upon us in Jesus Christ, who tasted death for us that we might become your children and now come to you as Father.

O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Our Father, as your beloved children, we come to you and pray that Your Holy will be accomplished in all things.

• We pray for our nation’s leaders, that you would grant them to govern with wisdom and restraint, according to your principles, in order that we may lead peaceful and quiet lives, godly and dignified in every way.

• We pray your gospel would triumph and conquer all opposition; that it would continue to bear fruit and increase throughout the world, that all peoples would acknowledge and submit to your Lordship, that all the nations of the earth would honor and worship Jesus Christ the Kings of Kings and Lord of Lords.

• We pray that you would be glorified in Your Church, that your work of grace will continue in us, that we would become more and more conformed to the image of our dear Savior, Jesus Christ. We pray that we will become one in heart and purpose, that we would grow up into maturity, a Bride adorned with grace, worthy of her Lord.

And so we ask that You would fill us with the knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that we may walk worthy of You, fully pleasing You, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of You.

Please strengthen us with all power, according to Your glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the You, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Give us this day our daily bread,

Lord, help us not to be anxious for our daily needs: food, clothing, shelter, work. You care for the birds of the air, and the grass of the field.
How much more will You our Heavenly Father care perfectly for Your own beloved children. You know that we have need of all these things.

So we ask that you will help us Lord to seek first Your Kingdom, and Your righteousness, knowing that you will provide all of these other things for us.

and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

When we sin, grant us the aid of Your Spirit, that we would not think lightly of any sin, but own it for what is: an offense against You, for which our dear Lord Jesus suffered the agony of death on the cross.

Help us to confess our sins, and to forsake them, knowing that as we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Please assist us in being ever mindful of how great a debt you paid for us, through the suffering of our Lord Jesus, so that we will be always ready and eager to freely forgive whatever offense another may commit against us, however great or small.

Lord we pray that would not allow any root of bitterness to spring up in us, causing trouble, and defiling many. Grant us always to forgive as we have been forgiven.

And lead us not into temptation,

Lord, you have birthed us into a Living Hope. You have given us Your Spirit. In Jesus Christ, old things have passed away, and all things have become new. But we still live in this fallen body, and our flesh wages war against the Spirit. We confess that apart from You, we can do nothing. There is no good thing that dwells in our flesh.

Therefore we pray that You would help us to put to death the deeds of our fallen nature, by the power of Your Spirit. Help us to reckon ourselves dead indeed to sin, but alive to You. Thank you for Christ in us, the hope of glory.

but deliver us from evil.

As we hold fast to You, deliver us from trouble and those who would harm us.
As we cling to Your Name which is a strong tower, protect us from calamity and keep us in the Safety of your embrace.

For yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory. Amen.