former treaties have I made, O Theopolis, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he, through the Holy Ghost, had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen, to whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many impalible priests, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things, pertaining to the kingdom of God. I mentioned one evening that my favorite hymn in your hymn book, Choice Hymns of the Faith, I believe that is, is Alfred Macy's lovely hymn. All lead me to the man who died, to all God's nature glorified, descending to the depths of groan for us, vanquish every first. Oh, lead me to the empty tomb. His death hath robbed of all its gloom. He's risen, the Lord of life and peace, holds us in his palmed embrace. Oh, lead me up to heaven's height. To see the Lord enthroned in light, the gazing on his glory there, I may reflect his image here. And it is because this evening we are continuing our studies in the first of Acts, and we are dealing tonight with that second verse until the day in which he was taken up. And I wanted to quote to you that third verse of the hymn, that gazing on his glory there, we might reflect his image here. And I pray that this may be the outcome of our reading and consideration of the word of God tonight. You will remember during the past evening, for surely it beholds us just to go through very briefly what we have considered. You will remember that we were considering a little of this our blessed Savior. We thought a little of the lowliness of his birth. And I'm certain that every one of us wondered as we thought of E, whose body prepared of the Father, and produced of the Spirit, and possessed of the Son, was the body of a man as he moved amongst us. And when one ponders the loneliness in its part, and one realizes that there he lay in the very manger of a saint. And I often allow my imagination to run away with me. I often think of that dark Galilean night and went my way and imagination to that stable, and remember that there's no candle, there's no light there, and yet that day is the very light of the world. I remember there's no doctor and no midwife there, and yet that day was the very great position. And remember that there's no tomb there, for there was no place in the inn. They have no room or time for him. And yet this day was the very bread of heaven. And I marvel at the lowliness of his birth. And then we were thinking not only of the lowliness of his birth, but we were utterly amazed at the loveliness of his life. We thought of this blessed Christ who moved amongst men. who could hear the exclamation of heaven, this is my beloved son, in whom I am wealthy. Oh, brethren, sisters, may I say this to you, and I am sure you would say it to me, that the more I open my Bible and the more I read of the Lord Jesus, the more I realize that he was a wonderful man. And I am utterly amazed at the loveliness of his life. But then I also acknowledge that I am but a man, I also acknowledge that the Bible tells me that there were many things that Jesus did and said, that there was no room to record all that was heaven and earth. There were so many things I don't know about him. But isn't it wonderful? There was not a craft he taught. There was not a set he taught. There was not an action he did. But God was the Father for it all. There was no room in the Bible to write it all. that all my intellect is so dull I can't understand it all, and my knowledge so cramped that I can't measure it all. Yet there's a Father in heaven that knows it all and sees it all. And he says, this is my beloved Son, in whom I find all my beloved. Oh, my young friend, you spend your life searching the Scripture and And you'll still find there's more to find out. And you'll still find that he's more wonderful than ever you thought about. But if we've been thinking a little of the loneliness of his part, and the loveliness of his death, did not we spend one occasion to consider the loneliness of his death. We thought of this one who went on to Calvary. While we may not have quoted the verses, I am sure we could have quoted the words of the sixty third of Isaiah. And I am certain none of us would have been in any doubt that it speaks of the Savior. I have trod the wine press alone. Oh, please don't come to me afterwards and say that, Mr. Preacher, this is the nineteenth of Revelation. I know it is. because he will tread the round perhaps of the wrath of God in a day the church had come and turn it aloud. He's turning it there because on Calvary's cross aloud he met the requirements of God with all our needs. You know, brethren, sisters, the more I think of the loneliness of Christ, the more my heart is moved. You see, there is a loneliness of place, isn't there? Some of us know something of the loneliness of things. I spend most of my time away from my wife and my children and my grandchildren. And I have never got used to being away from them. There are times when I find myself desperately lonely. And if occasionally you see me wander off on my own, you can rest assured of this, that I'm no longer in your lovely country, as lovely as it is. I'm back home again. And I'm thinking of the children and the grandchildren of a woman. There's a loneliness of place. And Jesus many a time knew the loneliness of place. Could there be a lonelier place than Calvary? Will you remember there's something deeper in loneliness than the loneliness of place? There is the loneliness of Satan. To be surrounded with thousands of people. To have them clamor that you might speak to them and bless them. Yet find yourself. so distinctly awake. Have you ever stopped to think that in thirty-three and a half years as Jesus walked in this scene, again and again he wanted to talk to someone about the purpose of his being here, again and again he tried. On one occasion as we sing, he had actually the time to understand having spoken to him of the reason of his hearing in this scene and hearing the disciple refusing for it, he had to say to the disciple, get him behind the scenes. There was only one occasion in thirty-three and a half years that Jesus could speak intelligently to anyone as to the reason he came into this scene. And on that occasion God had to lift the lips of eternity. someone's a prophet and a patriarch to speak on the months of transfiguration of the deceit that he should accomplish at Jerusalem. Oh, the loneliness of the cross. But if we have thought indeed of the loneliness of his birth, and the loveliness of his life, and the loneliness of his death, this evening Oh, bless God. We're going to talk of the loftiness of his exaltation. We're going to remember that they may have placed him in a tomb, but up on that tomb he arose, and blessed be God. He ascended into heaven. He ascended into glory. May I read the words of our text tonight until the day in which he was taken up. taken up. May I do what I said I would do each evening? I don't know that I have, but may I do what I said I would do every evening. May I tell you what I'm going to tell you? We're going to look just for a moment first at the expediency of his assent. You remember the words of Jesus himself, it is expedient that I should go. We're going to look at the expediency of his assent. Then we're going to look, if we may please, for a moment or two, at the ease of his assent. We're going to see some of the things that happen ere he was received up in the glory. But then we're going to look, not only at the expediency of his assent, and the eve of his ascent, but we're going to look together, if we may, at the eyewitnesses of his ascent. We're going to see who it was that saw him. Then you will well understand, if I suggest to you that we will also consider the extent of his ascent, where has he gone? How far have he gone? Oh, the extent of the ascent. of this blessed Savior of ours. We know something of the depth to which he went, but how high have he gone back? How high? First of all, then, could we look together for a moment or two at the expediency of his ascension? In the glorious words of the Savior himself, in the sixteenth chapter of John, and in verse seven, it is expedient that I should go away, For if I go not away, the comforter will not come. May I repeat that? It is expedient that I should go away, for if I go not away, the comforter will not come. What is so glad of this? Many a time I expect we have wondered why it was, having written from the dead, that Jesus Christ did not stay, did not stay right here in this scene at that moment. And when we do, we come all of us to the same conclusion, don't we? And this is the conclusion we're bound to come to, that there is a sense in which we're glad he didn't stay. Last evening, our good friend Mr McClay showed you some of the flaws I've been hearing today of some of you other folks that are going, I believe, this year, or as it may be next year. Have you ever thought to think what would have happened if Jesus had stayed in Jerusalem? Every boat, every train, by every means, thousands upon thousands of people would be rushing to Jerusalem to see him. And if you and I would suddenly say we're going to see him, you talk about it too for dinner. Why, we'd never get near him, would we? We'd never be able to see him. Let it be God he has ascended into glory. It was expedient that he should go, for he has gone there to send to us one who can make his peasants real in our lives, not from distance away, where we can visit him occasionally, but make his peasants out by moment by moment, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year. Blessed be his name to the end of the journey, when in glory we shall see him face to face. Oh, brethren, sisters, let thank God that Jesus ascended into heaven. And he, because he has ascended, because he has been glorified, he has sent to us his holy spirit. Oh, blessed be his name for this great gift. Now I will be talking a little about the work of the Spirit before we finish, but could I just say this here and now, and I think it's most important, I must say it, you've had it said to you a hundred times, I must say it again, that when we speak of the Holy Spirit, as we have seen in the birth of the Lord Jesus, produced by the Spirit, we are talking of a person, not of an influence, but a person. Never let us forget this, for if you do, you'll ever be in trouble. You do not receive a person in bits and pieces, do you? You receive a person in his entirety. I think it's important for us to remember that. I will be emphasizing that maybe on another occasion. But here is the expediency of the return of the Lord, at least the ascension of the Lord. But then let's look for a moment at the eve of his ascension. The twenty-fourth chapter of Luke comes to its close with words like these. And he left about as far as the better of it. And he lifted up his hands and his blessing. And while, as he was in the process of blessing them, he received up in the glory all the eve of his ascension to glory. But there he leads the mountain far as Bethlehem, and he lifts up his hands, and he blesses them. Have you ever done what I have done? Have you ever wondered why ever he led them as far as Bethlehem? I can think of a legion of places he could have led them to. Oh, tell me, why did not this blessed Christ lead them as far as Bethlehem? The chanting angels have told of his birth. Why didn't he lead them as far as Mount Cable? For we've been thinking already, as we have thought indeed of his transfiguration, that it was there at Mount Cable that celestial beings hovered in homage before him. Why was it he didn't lead them as far as Calvin, for had not the ribboned lots and the open graves, proclaim to all that this was gone over all, blessed forever? Why didn't he lead them to the temple court? That you're kind of glorious shone forth in all its wonder in this place. No, it was not to Bethlehem or to Calvary or to Mount Tabor. It was not to the temple court that he led them. But he led them out as far as the desert. Oh, is that wonderful? Makes you feel you want to just praise God. For my youngest friend knows this. that Bethany was the place of his deepest sorrow. But hallelujah, it will be the place of his greatest joy. Place of his deepest sorrow? It is only twice recorded in the Gospels that Jesus went. Only twice recorded that so great was the sorrow that came upon him that the tears rang down his face. once he wept over one man, once he wept over a city, his man. Once he wept over a dead man, once he wept over living men. But on the both occasions that in the Gospel it's recorded that Jesus wept, he was in Bethany. He wept in Bethany over the grave of Lazarus. Wept at Bethany as in the distance he saw the walled cities of Jerusalem and cried, Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jehu, stone of the body. There is one other occasion in Holy Writ where we're told that Jesus went. I'd like to add my pencil to the Hebrew sand with strong, quiet ears. And there is little doubt that he's speaking of Gethsemane. Tell him, where was Gethsemane? It wasn't at Jerusalem. It was hard to better. From the scene of his greatest sorrow, the scene of his greatest sorrow, the Bible came to Bethany. they lead them out to the scene of his greatest sorrow. That one day will be the scene of his greatest joy. For hallelujah, as we saw this morning, he's coming back again, having taught his own to be with him. After that time, when indeed there will be the judgment seat of Christ, the marriage supper of the Lamb, and the presentation of the Father, hallelujah, he's coming back again. And he's coming in his feet shall and upon the Mount of Olives. The mountain shall split up under. Jerusalem in that day shall be a joy. Let me keep God back to the Mount of Olives, back to the place of his power. He has come to show his sovereignty. He leads them out to a place of sorrow. They're going to know sorrow, aren't they? They're saying goodbye to him. But he leads them to the place that will tell his greatest joy. Out of his sorrow comes our succor and our joy. And he leaves from the far of September. And he lifts up his hands all like that, don't you? I like that. Do you know there are so many lonely hymns on me that how many times this may be our father unto you that a cottage through heavy to death and the horrors and tears and anguish, and nobody thinks he can. Standing somewhere in the shadows, you'll find him. He's the only one who cares and understands. Standing somewhere in the shadows, you will find him. And you know him by the nail prints in his hat. They led them out as far as to deathly, and they lifted up his hand. Wonderful hand. Wounded for me. Wonderful feet nailed to the tree. Wonderful eyes, lovely with his wonderful heart, broken bones. They laid them, and they lifted up his hands. And I wonder what those disciples thought. When they looked at that, the only thing that man ever made, that will be in glory, as they looked at those scars in his eyes. No wonder he could bless them. No wonder. A repressing screams, Now blow won't tell me. To us who dwell below, thy God's decree, an omen has been made for all the guilty race. Redemption, Christ is paid, all wondrous grace, lifting up his hands that he blessed. I pray, won't he not doing what men have done right in the age? Brother, sister, won't he not doing what the patriarch has done in the years that were long past? You remember there came a time, there came a time when the aged father of Jacob, Rather, the age Jacob. Well, they came as I was the age father of Jacob, who was going to bless Jacob's son. Do you remember what happened? And oh, I dare suggest this to you, that just as in that day hands were lifted to bless so the hands of jesus are lifted to bless to bless you and to bless you he ever wishes to do that he lifted up his hands and he blessed them all here was the very eve of his ascension and we praise god this very day do we not that just as he blessed people where he went to glory so the word of god comes in all in all its thrilled to our heart that as he went, so he's coming. He went in blessing, and hallelujah, he's coming back again in blessing. But if we have thought a little of the expediency of his ascension, and we have thought a little of the eve of his ascension, I wonder if we could say just a little about the eyewitnesses of his ascension. He ascended into glory. And in the eleventh verse of the first chapter of Acts, if we go down that chapter we read these words, which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This saying, Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. You will notice, of course, in verse ten that we are told that there were found there two men. in light of power. I think this is rather important, you know. You see, I learned long ago, and I'm sure you did, I learned long ago that God does what he asks us to do. Could I repeat that? God does what he asks us to do. For instance, You remember in the Old Testament God gave the great statement and law concerning evidence. He told us that we must never accept the word of one man, the testimony of one man. It is in the mouth of two or three witnesses that every word shall be established. Now God does not tell us that we must not accept the word of one man, but only the word of two, unless he himself gives two witnesses to every divine truth that's essential for our salvation. And never you forget that. If you forget that, you can run into a terrible trouble. baptism of the dead, and the awakened one of a pure verse, and they built what they call a doctrine upon it. But it is in the mouth of two offering witnesses. Have you noticed how completely God has done this? He wants you and I to accept that Jesus Christ is his Son, so he gives two witnesses at the baptism of Christ. The Spirit came as a dove, and he himself uttered great cry, my beloved son. So we have the two-fold witness as to the loyalty of Christ. We have the two-fold witness, indeed, as to the redemption in Christ. On the land of transfiguration, as we've thought already, there appear two Moses and Elias, and they speak of the deceit that he should accomplish at Jerusalem. There is the two-fold witness after his resurrection. You remember yesterday we were thinking how the angel said, He's not here, He's risen, and there were two of them. One sat at the foot and the other at the head, where Jesus had laid. And so we have the twofold witness as to His royalty, the twofold witness as to His redemption, the twofold witness as to His resurrection. But here, bless God, the twofold witness as to His return. And there stood two men in white power which said, This same Jesus shall go coming like that. Oh, we have not followed cunningly devised tables. Hear what God requires of us. He himself has done and has given us the twofold witness. Now, I don't know who these two men were of you. Oh, I could allow my imagination to run away with me. By the way, they weren't angels, were they? I mean, it says so, doesn't it? I mean, I don't know about your Bible, but my Bible says this, that there stood two men stood by in white apparel, two men. And I assure you, the word men there is men. It's men. I don't think they were angels. I once heard a dear brother, and I would put it that way, because if I didn't, you'd come to me afterwards and ask me for chapter at first. See, what I can't give it. I'm repeating what someone else said. But I once heard someone say that these two men were the two men that appeared with the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elias. And those of you who tasted death, the dead in Christ shall rise first, and Elias, who was caught under the chariot, the dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remain, under the coming of the Lord, shall be caught up, not chased dead. No, I don't know if that's right. I only know this. my heart is glad, glad that there were two messengers that came from God, and they dared to say to the men of Galilee, why Sanjeev gazing up, don't you realize there's something to do? Don't you realize indeed that this Jesus is coming down today? There's no need for thine heart to be broken. There's no need indeed for you to be cast down. This Jesus shall come again in like manner. Oh, I bless God for this. But those who were the eyewitnesses of ascension were those indeed who in this scene had walked with him, these men of gallows. Here were some of his disciples. He was some who, for fear of the Jews, had bolted and barred the door of a room. And yet they had seen the Christ as each turn the midst and said, Peace be unto you. They had come to realize that it was true all that he had said. Now they had seen him ascend into heaven. The wonder and all. But they had touched their lives, as it should touch your life and my life today, brethren, and sisters. Then, of course, there's the extent of his ascension. As I come to a close, may I say this to you, that if you were to ask me how high Christ has ascended, all I can do is quote the Scripture to you and leave it at that. All I can say is the words of Hebrews seven and twenty-six. He is made higher than the heavens. If you ask me how high, how far he has gone, then I can quote to you the words of Ephesians one and twenty-one, and I can dare say to you that God set him far above principalities and powers. Oh, he has ascended into heaven. Because he has ascended into heaven, we can praise God that guidance available for us. Available for us. We were reminded yet in the day where we lost a little of the high priesthood of the Christ. We were reminded of the wonderful fact that Jesus Christ is a high priest, and that the power through our hearts was sharing with us something of the truth of God in this matter. And may I call for a close by just passing one or two simple observations about the high priesthood of Christ, The Bible tells me that he is a high priest, he who's seven, after the order of Melchizedek, a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Now, Melchizedek wasn't a Jew. Remember that. But Melchizedek had neither beginning of days or end of days. And is it wonderful to know that Jesus Christ has ascended into heaven and is a high priest after the order of Mount Sinai? He's always there. And if that's all the Bible said of the high priesthood of Christ, I would chant hallelujah. But he's not only a high priest after the order of Mount Sinai. You young people listening now. Are you listening? But this is the most important thing I've heard tonight. He is not only a high priest after the order of Mount Sinai. that he's a high priestess and a patron of Heron. You see, Melchizedek had never been born in a concentration camp. Melchizedek had never known what it meant to be smacked at and kicked and sworn at and beaten. Melchizedek never knew what it meant with tears running down his face to sink to the ground and make his groan hard to have him. But Heron did... Aaron had been born in a concentration camp in Egypt. Aaron had known the whip of the taskmaster across his back. Aaron had had his hopes built to high heaven and dashed to the earth as his brother started out to be indeed a missionary and turned out to be a murderer. Aaron again and again and again and again had seen the pain and suffering that comes from men and And I have a high priest in heaven. And hallelujah, he's there forever. A high priest forever. Praise God. He's not only after the order of Mount Pippinette, but he's after the pattern of heaven. And I have a high priest who comes in touch with the figuring of our infirmity, because he wants at all points created, such as we, yet without him. He knows what it means to be smacked at, and did not the smittle of men that led him away to Calvary run down his face. He knows what it means to be laughed at and jeered. He says to others, ha ha, let him stray themselves as they be hight, the chosen of God. He knows what it means to be buffeted, if they not blindfold him and smite him. He knows what it means to pass through all the pain and suffering of this thing. Sister, mother, he's in heaven. He knows it all. And he's my high priest. And he's ascended the glory. There's not a hand that comes to my heart. There's not a problem that comes to my life. There's not a cross where I have to tread. I have a Savior and glory that has been there before. There I will say in my love, Oh, oh, lead me up to heaven's heights to see the Lord in throne in light. Gazing on his glory there, I may reflect his image here. Could we pray? God and Father were utterly amazed that the loneliness of his birth, that the loveliness of his life, that the loneliness of his death, that we rejoiced together tonight in the loveliness of his exaltation. Praise me that God hath given him a name which is above everything. We thank him that in glory is dead. There's time to hide this. Oh, we bless that he's fallen hide. He said that he's our advocate. He said, Oh, but we bless him that he's our hide, right? We ask him that thou would ever grant what we might understand. That is available for us. We bless him today. not just walking of street in this world where only a few can draw me again. But he has encoded with the right hand of God, and he will pray the world. God grant that we might avail ourselves of him. We ask it in his name. Amen.