1110. Church Involvement

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.

The school was founded in 1927.

The evangelist Dr. Bob Jones Senior's intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything, so he established daily chapel services today. That tradition continues with fervent preaching from the University chapel platform today on The Daily Platform were continuing a study series about the role of the church called Christ's body, the church, today's message will be preached by Dr. Nathan Crockett, director of ministry training at Bob Jones University please turn to Daniel seven Daniel seven and as you turn I want to remind you of the theme of the book of Daniel, that God is sovereign over all nations and all world empires and remind you that the structure of the book. As such, the first half of it focuses on true historical narratives. You probably remember hearing many of those stories. The three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace Daniel in the lion's den is a child we've turned to a section in Daniel seven that begins the last half of the book 6 chapters of prophetic visions before we dive in that context on ask you this question how important is a name. How important is a name my wife and I have three children.

Shepherd is for Liliana's 2 1/2 and Kristin just turned one and being young children.

They have favorite little names and pet names for each other and it's common to overhear a conversation like this where Liliana will say to Shepherd him faster than you are pops separate of sign-on faster than you chicken nuggets so Sam faster than you do, please and help them faster than you ice cream sandwich. He likes using food items as his name and she does makes up random words and her favorite word that she makes up at least the past few months has been this word pop-ups. We don't know what it means she doesn't know what it means, but since I love you so much pop ups near Abigail, we have been very thrilled that Abigail's grandmother has moved to the Greenville area and she is a godly godly lady and we are so excited that our kids get to know their great-grandmother really been exciting time for us and one of the things is been interesting is to watch how Liliana responds to her great-grandmother because of our three kids. She takes the longest to warm up to new people and so we just kind of been watching this and she's kind of been a little bit shy here at first and couple weeks ago Liliana was over at the Minix. I went over there to pick her up and I was gonna put her jacket on her and great grandma said I could do that for you and so Liliana walked over there kind of sheepishly in great grandma helped put the jacket on. Erin Lillian just kind of walked back to me and grab my leg and I said the lien great-grandmother just helped you with your jacket. What do you say kind of paused a long time, looked up like she was thinking about this and looked over and said thank you pop-ups and then she looked over at Shepherd and said I just call great grandma pop-ups so I guess that was a really good thing that she was welcoming her with a term of endearment.

I don't know if you have a favorite name that your nickname that you call other people, or maybe even a favorite name for yourself. What if we asked what was Jesus's favorite name or title for himself. He looked through the Gospels, the answer would be very very clear.

It is this title, the Son of Man faxed 31 times.

Matthew uses Christ uses that title in Matthew and Mark.

It's 15 times in Luke 25 times and John 12 times. I like to preach to you this morning on this topic that Dr. Pettit has asked me to preach to you about and that is Jesus Christ the son of man from Daniel chapter 7.

Our text will be verses 13 and 14 I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the ancient of days and they brought him near before him. We read earlier in the chapter about God the father, the ancient of days and there was given him given to the Son of Man Dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations and languages should serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away in his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. Now what does this title Son of Man mean, you might just at the outset. Think well probably son of God is referring to Christ deities so Son of Man must refer to his humanity and you might him was picture these two against each other well in his talking about Son of Man is thinking about humanity when he talks about son of God is thinking about deity. In fact, some liberal theologians of tried to push that they try to argue against the deity of Christ and SASE like every time he refers to himself is calling himself the Son of Man. He keeps trying to tell people. These human if you had that picture in your mind, even as you read the Gospels in over 80 different times. Christ calls himself Son of Man if all that's referring to his humanity. You would actually be completely wrong. Son of Man mean something far, far more than merely humanity. Let me give you some evidence of that. As you look at these verses on the screen.

Just ask yourself is this merely referring to humanity. Mark 1326 and then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory in Luke 22 hereafter shall the Son of Man sit on the right hand of the power of God. Does that sound like merely humanity about Matthew 24. Immediately after the tribulation of those days of the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And it talks about him sending his angels is a something far more than mere humanity. Maybe Mark 1461 and 62 is the clearest on trial.

We read this of Christ, but he held his peace, and answered nothing.

Again the high priest asked him and set on the him art thou the Christ, are you the Messiah, the son of the Blessed and Jesus said I am, and ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Son of Man mean something far more than humanity.

And maybe you're asking.

Well, what does it mean was theologians and commentators study this with a realizes that when Christ uses this title. He is referring people back to Daniel 713 and 40 this famous messianic vision and prediction. So let's read those verses again what I want us to do this time. Just yesterday and hermeneutics class. I was telling students to interview the text to ask the interrogative's who is this about what's in here for why, when, where, how, let's do that with this passage.

Who are these verses about I saw in the night visions, and behold, here's the who, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven. He approaches the ancient of days and what is given to him. Verse 14 what there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom, and why is that, given to him. Why is that so important that he inherits his dominion and glory and a kingdom for this purpose, so that all people, nations and languages should serve him now if you're thinking this three might think how could all people who ever live, serve one Son of Man. How's that possible well the how is this his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away in his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

His dominion would be eternal. So the next few minutes. What I want to look at you with you at in this passage would be this the who, what, why, how the who we could call this the person of the Son of Man and you see this in verse 13. Who is the person the what would be the power.

This power that's given to him.

The why that will see is the purpose why did he is this person the Son of Man receive all this power in the how you could say this way the permanence, the permanence I heard one pastor speak on this text and he referred to the identity and the authority and the eater analogy of the Son of Man. So who is this verse about we already read this but let's read it again. That one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven. He is like the Son of Man. Other translations say like a Son of Man there something human about him, but he also comes with the clouds of heaven, and if you study this out in the Old Testament you will see that this phrase consistently refers to deity. He was the God man the Daniel seven predicts someone who's going to be fully God and fully man the other day shepherding Liliana to help me with the projects I wanted to take them to the store and give them a certain price limit. Let them buy something the very first or we are at Shepherd found a little toy you really like to brought it with me today. It's a dinosaur little bronchial source.

Liliana didn't find anything at that store.

She said the toys were girly enough so we were in the car there in the backseat were headed to another store were Liliana would ultimately buy some pink princess sunglasses and a little else of water's order as were girly enough, but well-run, are waving there in the backseat and they're both in their car seats and Shepherd is just playing with his dinosaur and is talking to his dinosaur niece thanking me for getting in the dinosaur and he leans over the Liliana is like, don't you like my new dinosaur and she looks at him and she says no is to scale. We and he says Lillian this is not it's not scary. These kind of dinosaurs eat leaves. I just told him that in the store they don't eat people. You don't have to be scared of it and she said well if it what we'll dinosaur a be so big it's tail would just smash our call and we would all die and he says don't worry Lillian. It's just pretend it's not going to go grow really big. It's not gonna smash your car. You're not going to die.

So now you like it and she says no is not pink. I only like dinosaurs of the pink, she says. In fact, it has brown on it and it looks a yucky at this point. Shepherd calls up to the front seat is like daddy my feelings are hurt right now because Lillian was in my dinosaur looks yucky and then he turns to her and he says Lillian you're being mean and that doesn't please God and she says I am pleasing God and he says no you're not.

It doesn't please God if his sister tells her brother that there dinosaur looks yucky. That doesn't please God, she says, liking him and he says no Lillian, I don't think you know very much about God, you probably don't even know where God lives. Where does God live and she said oh I forget he said well tell you, God was up in heaven and he came down to do lots of really good things and he went back up, down, then up as he went back he went up through the clouds and pass the sky and up into daddy what you call it, with all his big balls hanging in the sky, and unlike the solar system is like no no outer space God went up past outer space into heaven, and meanwhile the whole time is seen as the planet picked on the down and up choosing down up down up down, then up, down and up. He finally realized that he said Lillian are you even listening to me down, then up, down, then up, down, then up Lillian, you're not pleasing God. It doesn't please God if her sister doesn't listen her older brother talk about heaven down, as he says I am pleasing on pop-ups. Well my whole point with that is even Shepherd is a four-year-old recognize the someone's coming from heaven, there must be deity involved in this one would be like the Son of Man, but he comes in the clouds of heaven because he is the God man, fully God and fully man and what do we read about him like what will he will be given power there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom.

He has this incredible authority that were dominion and Aramaic refers to rule or authority that you would give a king or print the glory is the honor that rightfully accompanies that authority. The kingdom is the area over which he would rule in our day.

Perhaps you think of a monarchy and maybe you think of a king or queen and they have all this pomp and circumstance but they're very real, very little real power, maybe all that resides with Parliament.

That's not like Jesus.

Jesus is a true king with true authority and why is he given all this incredible authority while the text says so that all people, nations and languages should serve him again.

Daniel 2427 28 is this Aramaic section in your Hebrew Old Testament but the Aramaic word they are translated serve has the idea of the worshipful service that the Son of Man would receive universal worship and I asked this question before but how would that happen.

How could all people of all times worship one person well because his dominion is an everlasting dominion. There is a permanence to which shall not pass away in his kingdom is that which shall not be destroyed that this son of man would have an eternal rule and if we had time to read to the book of Daniel. If you're tracking with the context here what you're going to find is that this is completely different than every other Empire mention him to show you a chart here that shows for world empires and Daniel has these visions, and particularly in chapter 2 in chapter 7 we see Babylon and Medo Persian.

We see Greece and we see Rome and each of those empires and when you think about Babylon the magnificent head of gold had numerous temples at a majestic bridge spanning the Euphrates River had the famous hanging Gardens were one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, but Babylon with all of its beauty was destroyed Medo Persian Empire was united by Cyrus the great. After destroying Babylon. This Empire became the greatest power the world ever known. Up until that point. At one time, and extended from Egypt all the way up to Thrace all the way over to India but the Medo Persian Empire with all of its power, it was destroyed.

You know about Greece right as a young man, Alexander the great, famously conquered nearly all the Medo Persian Empire. In just 12 years and supposedly wept because there were no more worlds left to conquer.

He died at the age of 33 and his kingdom was divided just for general roles, but that Greek empire with all of its power in all its military prowess.

It was destroyed and you're very familiar. Of course, with Rome the largest empire. The classical antiquity. At its height under Trajan occupy nearly 2,000,000 mi.� and controlled 70 million people. That was 21% of the world population at that time who can deny the glory that was Rome, but the Roman Empire was destroyed and God promise that this Son of Man would have a kingdom that would never end and would never be destroyed, that he would rule eternally and almost certainly Christ followers his apostles the disciples who met around him and he heard him so many times call himself the Son of Man.

They must have been shocked when he was crucified. How could a murdered Messiah rule eternally. Remember when my kids were just born and very very little when I would tell them something would happen either negative. If they did something bad or positive. They did something good when I was fulfilling that promise. I would oftentimes say daddy always keeps his promises.

I find myself now saying this daddy tries to always keep his promises. Why because I found no matter how hard I try I am fine. I am fallen flawed but the reality is, God always keeps his promises and a promise to the Son of Man would rule eternally.

So what happens with the crucifixion.

Here's a dead Messiah will Peter talks about this after healing the lame man in acts chapter 3, I don't have time to read the whole passage but he talks to this Jewish audience. He says why are you so surprised that we healed this person is as we did this to the power of the murdered Messiah look at this you killed the Prince of life. Notice the irony there. Do you really think you can kill the author of life. You killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses. And he saying that's the power that we used the heel. This lame man. It was the power of the risen crucified Messiah and we just celebrated Easter resurrection Sunday and to fully understand the beauty of Easter we need to understand the brutality of Good Friday. Dr. Talbert just recently preached on this from Isaiah 53 and I have gone back and forth on whether I should read these next two paragraphs to you from Russell Moore's book tempted and tried because they talk about that brutality, but I think we need to notice the horror of the crucifixion to act adequately appreciate the beauty of the resurrection more rights. This part of the curse, Jesus would bear for us on Golgotha was the taunting and testing by God's enemies as he drowned in his own blood. The spectators yelled words quite similar to those of Satan in the desert. Let the Christ the King of Israel come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe. But he didn't jump down.

He didn't ascend to the skies. He just writhed there and after it all. The bloated corpse of Jesus hit the ground as he was pulled off the steak spattering warm blood and water on the faces of the crown that night.

The religious leaders probably read Deuteronomy 21 to their families warning them about the curse of God and those who were hanged on a tree.

Fathers probably told their sons. Watch out that you don't ever wind up like him. Those Roman soldiers probably went home and wash the blood of Jesus from under their fingernails and played with the children in front of the fire before dozing off.

This was just one more insurrectionist. They pulled off across one of them and align dotting the roadside. That corpse of Jesus just lay there in the silences of that cave. By all appearances it had been tested and tried and found wanting. If you'd been there to pull open his bruised eyelids matted, together with model blood you would've looked in the blank holes if you lifted his arm, you would've felt no resistance, you would've heard only the thought is it hit the table when you let it go. You might've walked away from that morbid scene muttering to yourself.

The wages of sin is death, but sometime before dawn in the Sunday morning a spike torn hand twitched a blood encrusted eyelid opened the breath of God came blowing into that cave in a new creation flashed in the reality men and women God always keeps his promises and he took the murdered Messiah and he raised him up from the dead. In Revelation 14 tells us this about him and I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud one set likened to the Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown in his hand a sharp sickle. He's coming to rule and terrain. Do you know him your eternal salvation depends on your view of Christ, the Son of Man, if Jesus were not fully God and his death would be no more sufficient than if any other man had died we needed an infinite God to pay an infinite sacrifice.

If Jesus were not fully man, then he could not have been your substitute and my substitute in all of our fallen humanity you needed someone who was fully man to step in where you and I have failed. And Paul writes this about the Son of Man in Philippians to let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess of things in heaven and things in earth things under the earth that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father. If you pay much attention to the world around you, you recognize that late-night comedians mock this Son of Man that fickle politicians avoid this Son of Man that secular atheist hate this Son of Man and that in our day and some Middle East countries. The water runs red with the blood of decapitated Christians because ISIS terrorist despise this Son of Man, but there is coming a day there is coming a day when every foul mouth comedian will bow the knee. There is coming a day when every cowardly politician will bow the knee.

There's coming a day when every raging atheist will bow the knee and there's coming a day when every ISIS assassin will bow the knee and you will bow and I will bow before this Son of Man. This God may this eternal King is that thought scare you or is it cause for great rejoicing year and 1/2 ago.

I preach the most difficult sermon of my life and that was at my father's funeral pastor for almost 30 years and in the months following that my son Shepherd talk to us a lot about death and granddaddy dying here is not quite three at the time a few weeks after my dad's funeral I was rocking Shepherd to sleep at night. We were singing and I just finished singing give me Jesus you can have all this world. Give me Jesus and I sang that last verse in Shepherd try to sing with me and when I come to die. And when I come to die.

Give me Jesus you can have all this world. Give me Jesus and Shepherd looked up at me, not quite three years old and he said daddy I was talking to mommy about this and she told me that everybody dies. Is that true and I said yes Shepherd mommy's right unless the Lord comes back every body dies and he said, does that mean that mom is going to die and I said yes Shepherd you have a wonderful mommy we all love her very much, but unless the Lord comes back someday.

Mom is going to die said daddy does that mean you're gonna die and I said yes Shepherd unless the Lord comes back. Daddy's gonna die.

He said who's gonna take me swimming. Then, so I guess mommy left to do that many thought for a while and he said a Shepherd can Hyundai and I said yes Shepherd I love you very very much and I hope I never see this day, but unless the Lord comes back someday you can Hyundai and he said so everybody dies and I said yes everybody dies and then he looked up at me and maybe in a moment of brilliance or maybe having no clue what he was saying. He said, but daddy God can't die because then who would save us and I said Shepherd you're right we have an undying God. But then I told him about the Son of Man that God is still fully God became fully man for the very purpose of dying so that he could save us.

What are you going to do with the Son of Man. Let's pray father we approach your word and were overwhelmed by your grace and your love and your mercy that we condescend us and we thank you that you are God who always keeps your promises and that though we murdered your son, honey, you raised him from the dead and one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that this Son of Man is the Messiah and it will glorify you.

Father, help us respond appropriately to your word that we have examined this morning. We pray in Christ name, amen.

You been listening to a sermon preached at Bob Jones University by Dr. Nathan Crockett, which is part of the study series about the church, titled Christ's body, the church join us again next week as we continue this series here on The Daily Platform