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THE KING’S BUSINESS
But in this word “ exodus” there is even more than that. There is the thought of His death and His resur rection and His ascension, and His lordship •of all the spiritual Israel through death, through resurrection and into ascension glory. They were talking o f the “ exodus,” a little bit of heaven’s conversation! .That is what they talk about in the glory. That is what they sing about, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!” John says,, “ As I approached the throne, I saw a Lamb, as it had been slain, in the midst of the throne.” It is the slain Lamb on the throne, wearing the crown, and holding the sceptre, that makes heaven. Take the slain Lamb out of heaven, and you have dethroned the very God o f heaven. So this “ exodus” is a good theme for Christians now*. If you really love to talk about it, because you realize its deepest meaning, you have a bit Of the Millennium pushed forward, a section of heaven let down. To be with the Lord, and the glory of His death and resurrection and ascension, is really a foretaste of heaven. In the second place, there is the glory of His Position. There was Moses, the great Lawgiver, next to God in the estimation of the Jewish people. There was Elijah, the great est of the Prophets. Moses the Law giver and Elijah the Prophet have come from heaven to give their cre dentials to the Lord Jesus Christ. “Hear ye Him.” What Moses wrote stands as true; what Elijah spoke stands as true; but in Him there is all of Moses and all o f Elijah. I f you behold all of Him, you need not both er about Moses, and you need not trouble about Elijah. You have all the Law and Prophets centered in Him. Here is the glorv of His Posi tion, crowning Him King of man, King of Lawgivers, King of Prophets, King o f Kings, and Lord of Lords. In the third place, there is the glory
of His character. “ This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” God’s Ideal. You need not gather from this biography and that, and this painting and that, and put all perfect attributes together, to make your idéal. There has come down from heaven God’s ideal of character. “ This is my beloved. Son, and I am pleased with Him.” Do you want to know what pleases God? Look at Christ. But there comes a tinge of discouragement. If only perfection can please God, I am lost forever! I can never please Him. Wait a minute! If I am pleased with what pleases God, then He is pleased with me, and that is the philosophy of the plan of salvation. I am not even pleased with myself, and others can see faults ; but when we become pleased zuith the Lord lesus Christ the Father is pleased with us. He is looking forward, and we may join in the vision, to the time when, by a process of transfiguration, He shall not only be pleased with us because we are pleased with what pleases Him, but when He will look upon us and say, “ Those are My be loved children, in. whom I am well pleased.” “ Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet ap pear 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.” This unveiling comes to us- really in four aspects. The unveiling of the Mission and of the Position and of th*e Character may be seen as we study these verses in the light of the Pur pose of it, the Process of it, the.Effect of it, and the Issue of it. What was the Purpose o f the Transfiguration, of this Unveiling of Jesus Christ in His- glory, the glory of His Mission, His Position, and His Character ? “He was transfigured be fore them.” Those two little words, “before them” give the key to the purpose. He was not transfigured for
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