The Man Upstairs

“The Man Upstairs”

TEXT

1 Tim. 2:5-8 (KJV) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; [6] Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. [7] Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. [8] I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

Introduction:

A. The Phrase that I have chosen to be the title of my message is often a phrase used by people to try to describe a God that they don’t really know how to describe, so they call Him “The Man Upstairs”.

1. They’ll often say, “I talked to the man upstairs”, which generally means they’ve got issues.

2. Or they’ll say, “I thank the man upstairs”, which really says that they don’t know Him, nor do they have a relationship with Him, but “Thanks Anyways.”

B. But I’d like to borrow that phrase from them for the title of this Message, “The Man Upstairs”.

C. As in descript as that is, it nonetheless, has some theological merit in understanding the ministry of Christ in the present tense.

D. “Do You Know The Man Upstairs?”

E. “Only One”

1. One God.

2. One Mediator

3. Between God & Men.

B. “The Man Christ Jesus”

1. Not accidentally wrote.

2. Not to be irreverent or disrespectful.

3. This statement points to the theological properties that are invested in the incarnate manifestation of God in Christ, that God was made flesh and dwelt among us…

C. Three things we must understand about God:

I. He Came To Relate To Us.

A. Relate- the root word for relationship.

1. When God came in the form of Jesus Christ, He restored the breach in the relationship between God and man.

2. If there is going to be a relationship, there has be relativity, and if there is going to be relativity, somebody has to be able to relate to us.

3. And since we were too human to relate to God, God became man so that He might relate to us again.

4. One Jewish believer said, it all started in Israel with a simple relationship with Jesus. Rome got hold of it and it became political. Europe got hold of it and it became ceremonial. America got hold of it and it became big business. Oh, to bring it back to Israel and become simple again.

B. He relates to us as our “Kinsman Redeemer”.

1. Two words Kins - Man

2. Kin- are you related to me

a. He’s a related man. He’s related to me.

b. In the Old Testament, in order to redeem property, you had to be kin to the one needing redemption.

c. Before God could redeem us from the curse of the law, He had to be kin to us.

d. It is for this purpose that He came, that He might relate to us as kinsman redeemer.

e. We’re related. We’re connected in a way that boggles the mind of the enemy.

f. There are lots of things that couldn’t happen to me, and didn’t happen to me because I’m kin to the Lord. And God will defend His children.

g. Exodus 4:22 (KJV) And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

C. God came in human form that He might establish kinship with us for the purpose of relating to us so that he might restore our relationship with God, which we lost through sin.

II. He died to redeem us.

A. His coming didn’t redeem us. He had to die.

B. The Sacrificial lamb.

C. Redemption is a financial term, which means that Christ paid the wages that Satan had me locked up on, that freed me.

D. “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things…”

1. Because He died to redeem me, you have a terrible time convincing me that I’m worthless.

2. My Net Worth can not be calculated by my possession.

E. Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So.

F. I’m redeemed; past tense…it is finished.

III. He lives to represent us.

A. Hebrews 7:25 … he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

B. He continues to occupy the office of High Priest so He can intercede on my behalf and represent me in the portals of Glory.

C. I’ve got a Man on the inside of the Board Room of Heaven that represents me.

D. He is in Heaven that which my Congressman is supposed to be in Congress.

1. He represents my interests and my affairs.

2. Many times, hell would have destroyed me, but I had a man on the inside pleading my case.