The Session on God's Right Hand, Part 1

The point: Understand the crucial distinction between Christ's divine and mediatorial roles to avoid heretical thoughts and be able to answer those who challenge your faith.

Martin describes his struggle to find adequate illustrations for high mysteries, noting that some things can only be preached, not fully illustrated, to convey their profound nature.

And as I wrestled at my desk as to how I might illustrate some of these things, I found every conceivable illustration rebounding upon me as being either inadequate to truly illustrate or borderline blasphemous in trying to illustrate high mysteries that in some ways cannot be illustrated. They can only be preached. And I want to begin with this brief definition of a convenient term. And the term I want to define is that of the exaltation of Jesus Christ.

6:28 - 7:04 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon defines Christ's exaltation as His resurrection, ascension, and session. A crucial distinction is made between Christ's inherent divine glory and His acquired…

Martin recounts how A.A. Hodge lectured a group of women on theological themes in 1885, emphasizing the depth of theological instruction provided even to laypeople, to underscore the importance of the distinction between Christ's divine and mediatorial roles.

When the purpose for which it was given is accomplished, he can give it back again without in any way prejudicing his essential identity as God. And then, wonder of wonders, these words were written, as the outgrowth of a Bible study that was elicited by a group of women in 1885 down in Princeton. Apparently some of the wives got jealous that their husbands were learning theology and discussing theology and a group of women pleaded with A. A. Hodge that he would have some weeknight lectures on theological themes. And so for two years, A. A. Hodge lectured a group of women and this is what the ...

17:44 - 18:33 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have any love for Christ, break with a set of the wonder and long to be able to somehow to what His joy must have been when He was exalted.

Martin uses the analogy of the 'exquisite soul-ravishing thrill' of accomplishing a difficult task out of love for another person and receiving their commendation, to help the audience grasp Christ's joy in receiving the Father's reward for His obedience.

And He knew that He went down into the depths of the cross. The Father was committed to exalt Him and bring Him to the most high position. Let me ask you this morning do you know something of the exquisite soul-ravishing thrill of accomplishing a task out of love for another person and when they have recognized the accomplishment of that task motivated by love accomplished by conscious effort that exquisite ravishing thrill of having them say I'm well pleased. So then you know that the soul-ravishing delight of hearing of their pleasure is often in direct proportion to the difficulty of the ta...

35:33 - 37:02 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second meaning of the session for Christ is His official investiture with all the power and authority of messianic lordship. This is demonstrated through Peter's sermon in…

Martin illustrates Christ's comprehensive governance by describing His control over every atom in the deepest center of the planet to the farthest star, emphasizing the vastness of His messianic lordship.

Right now, as we sit in this place, Jesus is seated on the throne of the universe. There is not, think now, think with me, there's not a motion in an atom, in the deepest center of our planet. Now think of that for a minute. If we could burrow down into the very center of the earth and have instruments that would measure the exact center of the earth, and there we could isolate an atom, there is not a motion within that atom all the way to the twinkle of the star in the farthest yet undiscovered galaxy.

49:51 - 50:31 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are here thinking there's anything you can do that will fix you up to God, you are seeking to negate His posture; He's sitting, and no human effort makes Him stand.

Martin describes the bells on the high priest's robe, which would indicate if he died in the Holy of Holies, to emphasize that Old Covenant priests never sat, contrasting this with Christ's sitting as a sign of His completed work.

Every priest under the Old Covenant he stands. A priest never sat. If he was one of the ordinary priests who was offering up the daily sacrifices, he performed his functions. If it were the high priest, high priest, and there's some textual evidence that the word should be high priest. It's not strong evidence. But if it were the high priest, he didn't stand in the holiest place, in the holy of all. He went in with a robe that had bells around the fringe of it. If he did not go in cleansed as he ought to be and perform his services out of sight where no one could see him but God, whose glory w...

57:18 - 58:09 Read in full sermon