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May 1932
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
By JOHN B. HOUSER* Marshall, Minn.
^ ll h e a s c e n s io n of Jesus was the final act of His work which He came to do here on earth. This work, the work o f redemption, began with His birth in Bethlehem and ended thirty-three years later when “ a cloud received him out of their sight.” We may well ask, “ Why did Jesus go back to heaven? Why was it necessary for Him to return to the Father’s throne?” We read in the Gospels that, in the forty days between His resurrection and ascension, He appeared several times to the disciples. Would it not have been bet ter if He had continued these appearances through the years? Would it not have greatly encouraged the church through the centuries to have had occasional visits from the Head of the church? But would this method of intermittent appearances have been best for the world, the church, or the individual Christian? We think not, for if it had, most assuredly the Lord would have continued it. His return to the Father provided far better things. It became the ground for assur ance concerning certain cardinal facts. T h e W o r k o f R e d e m p t io n W a s C o m p l e t e d The purpose of Christ’s coming into the world He Himself had often stated. He declared, “ I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10)., “ For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10 ). “ For the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to min ister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:45). In these, as well as in other passages, Jesus plainly reveals that He came into the world solely to take upon Himself the sin of mankind. Throughout His earthly life, He resolutely pursued the course that would lead Him to the cross. As He hung there, an object of ridicule and scorn to the mobs, but a Saviour for all who would accept Him, He cried: “ It is finished.” The work He had come to do was completed. The ascension attested this fact. T h e H ig h P r ie s t E n t e r e d w i t h i n t h e V e il The high priest of the old Levitical order, on the day of atonement, offered the sacrifice, took the blood, and approached the sacred veil, parted it, and stepped within, into the immediate presence of God; the veil closed behind him, and the priest disappeared from view. We, too, have a High Priest who came to the place of the altar, shedding His blood, bowing His head, and giving up the ghost. Thus the Victim, the vicarious Victim, was *Pastor, The Federated Church.
slain, and His blood was poured out beside the altar. But there came the day when He took His own blood to enter, not “ into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence o f God for us” (Heb. 9 :24 ). His disciples saw Him as He approached the veil; and even as He spread forth His hands in blessing, His body began to ascend, and higher and higher He went until “ a cloud re ceived him out of their sight.” He returned to heaven; He entered within the veil to become our High Priest. He is there day and night doing His priestly work at the Fa ther’s throne for us. His ascension makes this sure. T h e W a y W a s P r e p a r e d fo r t h e C o m in g o f t h e H o l y S p ir it But, we may ask, why did the Holy Spirit have to come? Would it not have been better for Jesus Himself to have remained with us? We think not. It was better for the Holy Spirit to come than for Jesus to stay, because the Holy Spirit was to do a work that only He Himself could do. Our Lord explained it thus, “ Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” These and other passages give us the promise of the coming o f the Spirit. But why was it better for the Spirit to come than for Jesus to stay ? What was the work the Spirit could do that Jesus could not do? I D ir s t o f a l l , the Spirit is instrumental in our salvation. What Christ has done for us, the Holy Spirit does in us. He convicts us of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8-11). He creates the new life (John 3 :5 ). He baptizes us into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12: 13). He seals us unto the day o f redemption (Eph. 4 :30 ). The Holy Spirit also dwells within us for our sancti fication— to make us a temple of God (1 Cor. 3 :16 ), to enable us to be victorious over sin (Rom. 6 ), and to live out the Christ-life in us (Gal. 2:20). A P l a c e is B e in g P r e p ar e d f o r U s In John 14:2, in answer to Peter’s question, “ Whither goest thou?” Jesus told the disciples that He was going back to the Father’s house to prepare a place for us. Does it not seem strange to us that heaven, with its mansions, its gates of pearl, and its walls of jasper, needs any prepara tion for our coming? Yet that is why Jesus said He was going back—to prepare a place for us. ( Continued on page 206)
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