1 Peter 3:18-19 NKJV For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, (19) by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,
There were physical giants in the earth at one time. Now, since the Resurrection of our Lord, there are spiritual giants in the earth.
Those that killed Him, thought they had gotten rid of Him but what they did not realize is that at His Resurrection a new race of Jesus men were released into the earth. The empty tomb gave birth to millions of Jesus men.
A new life, a new love and new life-changing power had now been released into the earth.
- Satan had been conquered.
- The claims of justice had been met.
- Humanity had been redeemed.
- God, can now, on legal grounds, give eternal life to man.
- Jesus had become the Savior, had dealt with man’s sin, had settled it and saved man.
- Man at last was ransomed and his debt had been paid.
Jesus had an assignment He had to fulfill.
Jesus has an encounter with Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus:
John 20:11-18 NKJV But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. (12) And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. (13) Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” (14) Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. (15) Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” (16) Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). (17) Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ” (18) Mary came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
John 20:24-29 NKJV Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. (25) The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” (26) And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” (27) Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” (28) And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (29) Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Adam’s sin reached all the way into Heaven.
Exodus 25:40 NKJV And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.
Heaven was affected by Adam’s sin.
Hebrews 9:11-28 NLT So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. (12) With His own blood–not the blood of goats and calves–He entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. (13) Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. (14) Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered Himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. (15) That is why He is the One who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant. (16) Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. (17) The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect. (18) That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. (19) For after Moses had read each of God’s commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool. (20) Then he said, “This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you.” (21) And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. (22) In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. (23) That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals. (24) For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. (25) And He did not enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. (26) If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, He has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by His own death as a sacrifice. (27) And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, (28) so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him.
Now as man’s Mediator, He stands between lost men and God. But as an Intercessor, He ever lives to make intercession for saved men.
- He prays for them.
- He cares for them.
- He is not only their High Priest, their Mediator, Savior, and Intercessor, He is also their Heavenly Attorney, Our Advocate.
1 John 2:1 NKJV My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
What Has Jesus Been Up To Since the Resurrection?
When Jesus was resurrected from the dead, it was not the end of His ministry. It actually was a beginning of a new phase of ministry for Him.
Some think that once Jesus ascended into Heaven, that He simply sat down and is waiting for the Father to lean over and say that it is time for the end of all things. That simply is not the case.
You may remember when you graduated from high school or college, there was a commencement. We all thought that meant the end but we all found out that it was only the beginning. We may have had a break for a couple of months, but most of us began a new phase of our lives in college or on a job.
In this part of our study, we are going to look at the different ministries that Jesus has been doing:
- Jesus, Our Mediator
- Jesus, Our Advocate
- Jesus, Our Heavenly Intercessor
- Jesus, Our Great High Priest
Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
When Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, He went and sat down on the right hand of the throne of God.
I believe that there are literally three thrones in Heaven. In the center is God’s throne. On the right hand of God’s throne is another throne where Jesus was seated and on the left is another throne; the throne of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s throne is empty because He is not in Heaven but here in the earth.
Jesus is in Heaven right now.
Understand this: Easter was a commencement; Easter was a beginning for Jesus.
Jesus came to earth to represent God to us. He came to earth to tell us all about God.
Now He has gone to Heaven to represent us before God.
1 Timothy 2:5 GNB For there is one God, and there is one who brings God and human beings together, the man Christ Jesus,
John 14:8-11 NKJV Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” (9) Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (10) Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. (11) Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
Jesus is God made flesh. Everything that Jesus had and did was the Father’s.
Why did God have to come Himself? Because you could not save yourself. You and I could not even help God do it.
Jesus had to do that Himself.
Hebrews 1:3 NKJV who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
It also says that Jesus is the express image of His person.
The Greek word translated “express image” is “khar•ak•tar” χαρακτήρ
charaktḗr; gen. charaktḗros, masc. noun from charássō (n.f., see cháragma [G5480]), to carve. Occurs only in Heb_1:3 where it is translated “express image,” referring to Jesus Christ. Here He is described as the charaktḗr tḗs hupostáseōs autoú (tē̄́s [G3588], the [gen. fem.]; hupostáseōs [G5287], essence [gen.]; autoú [G846], he [gen. masc.]), “the exact image of His [God’s] essence” (a.t.). Whatever the divine essence is, Jesus is said to be its perfect expression. The writer of Hebrews thus sets forth a high Christology affirming the deity of Jesus Christ.
This represents the image of God that was Christ Himself. When Jesus was conceived and born, God Himself took His image and pressed it into the earth and when He pulled it back a baby was born who was His exact representation.
In His deity, He is the glory of God. In His humanity, He is the express image of God Himself.
He has to be unique and be God-man because He has to stand between God and man and pull two impossible entities together. It is impossible for man to come to God and it is impossible for God to come to man and so someone had to stand in between the two and pull them together. The only one that can do is Jesus Christ the God-man.
Job 9:1-3 NKJV Then Job answered and said: (2) “Truly I know it is so, But how can a man be righteous before God? (3) If one wished to contend with Him, He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
Job 9:32-33 NKJV “For He is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together. (33) Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both.
Job 9:33 AMP There is no umpire between us, who might lay his hand upon us both, [would that there were!] [I Tim. 2:5.]
Jesus Christ is the Mediator for all mankind. He is the only one that could and does bridge the gap between God and man.
Galatians 3:20 NKJV Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
Galatians 3:20 NLT Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when He gave His promise to Abraham.
Hebrews 8:6 NKJV But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator (Agent) of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
Hebrews 12:24 NKJV to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.