TD Jakes - Man Upstairs (09/16/2018)
On Resurrection Sunday, the preacher celebrates Jesus as "the Man upstairs"—our Kinsman Redeemer who became human to relate to us, died to redeem us from sin's curse with His blood, rose to represent us as High Priest interceding in heaven, and stands up when we face trouble, proving our worth and securing our freedom.
Greetings on Resurrection Sunday
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on this Resurrection Sunday. I greet you with the power of the Holy Spirit who raised up Jesus Christ from the dead. And He did, and He did. Then He can raise you up from any situation and circumstance you might face. Those of you that think you are in the battle by yourself—there is a Man in glory who hears our petition, who carries our griefs and our sorrows before the Father. The message today is the Man upstairs. And as you listen to it, I pray you will be blessed from on high.
He Came to Relate to Us—Kinsman Redeemer
God who was sovereign had to become man to relate to us. Again He came that He might relate to us. I want to take that a step further saying He relates to what the Bible calls our Kinsman Redeemer. Very unusual word for this generation. Kinsman divided into kin and man. He is kin to me. Are you any kin to me means are you related to me. He is my kinsman—related.
He is related to me. If you study Ruth you will understand in order to redeem property you had to be kin to the one that needed redemption or you could not redeem the property. So God was in a dilemma when He got ready to deliver us because He has to prove He was kin to us before He could redeem us from the curse of the law and from sin and death. And it was for this purpose He came that He might relate to us as Kinsman Redeemer.
We are related. Connected in a way that boggles the mind of the enemy because the enemy could destroy me if I was not kin to God. There are a whole lot of things that could not happen to me and did not happen to me because I am kin to the Lord. And when you start jumping on me God will speak up for me real quick and say do not mess with him. That is My son.
You remember the Lord told Pharaoh Israel is My son. My firstborn son. And everyone that offends him, God said I am fighting because you are messing with My kids. Ask your neighbor, say are you any kin to God. Everything, everything, everything but Christ restored what Adam lost for us by establishing kinship to God. Be the glory for the things He has done. Are you following me?
He Died to Redeem Us
He came that He might relate to us. Number two. He died to redeem us. He died to redeem us. His coming did not redeem us. He had to die to redeem us. He redeemed us as our Sacrificial Lamb and paid the price that liberated me from the clutches of sin and death. Redemption is a financial term that means He paid the wages. Satan had me locked up and Christ paid the bond that got me out on bail to free me from the curse of the law and liberated me.
You were not purchased with silver or gold but bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood. Somebody say thank God for the blood. Because He died to redeem me, you have a terrible time convincing me that I am worthless. Because God proved what I was worth when He died on the cross for my sins.
My net worth cannot be tabulated by buildings I own or property I have or the CDs I have. I could have it and lose it and none of that would change my net worth to God. I am valuable to God. Whether you like me or not. Approve of me or not. I am somebody to God. If when God got ready to prove what I was worth He crucified Jesus and said this is how much Jakes is worth to Me and died on the cross for my sin.
Touch your neighbor and tell them, I am somebody. You may not read about me in the paper and you may not see it in monuments in my name, but I am somebody. God so loved me that He shed His blood for me. That is why I do not have time for low self-esteem. Fear or depression. I must be valuable. Look at how much He paid to get me out of my bondage.
That is why I refuse to go back into what God pulled me out of. Look how much He paid to get me out of jail. I am a free man who died to redeem me. Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty I am free at last. Stand fast in liberty where Christ has made you free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
There are folks in this room that made up their mind. Once I get out I am never going back to being who I was before. I am free right now in the name of Jesus. Every now and then we get happy and loud and clap our hands and we shout and we weep and we rejoice, because when we think about what the Lord did for us it makes us praise His name.
Let the Redeemed Say So
You go ahead and praise Him about your big bad cars and your nice house and fur coats and diamond rings. None of that means anything compared to what I am shouting about. I am shouting because my name has been written in the Lamb's book of life. My sins have been covered by blood. I am saved from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet. Hell will never get to see me. Jesus delivered me out of hell. I am a free man!
God, ah, oh. He came to relate to us. He died to redeem us. And that is why the Bible said let the redeemed of the Lord say so. I think redeemed people need to come out of the closet and say so. Stop worrying about who is laughing at you or look at you funny or who does not understand why you praise the Lord. Ain't none of their business why you praise the Lord.
You do not know what was holding on to me and what I went through to what had me tied up. I am glad to be freed. If nothing else wonderful happens to me I am glad to be freed. Tell every devil and witch I am free and every dust thrower I am free right now in the name of Jesus. Good God. Glory to God. Glory in the highest. To the Lamb of God. To the King of kings. To the Lord of lords. To the I Am, to the Mighty God. Somebody give Him glory right now.
What did you say? Isaiah said He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities and our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed. Redeemed. I wish the redeemed would holler I am redeemed. Whenever you say that always say redeemed. Not I am going to be redeemed, not I hope to be redeemed, not I wish I was redeemed. I am redeemed.
Let the devil know there is an ed on it. Past tense. It is over, settled, finished, complete. My witness is in heaven and my record is on high. I know whom I have believed. I am redeemed. Redeemed. Great God I thank You. He came to relate to us, He died to redeem us—what a mighty God we serve who redeemed us.
There are some things God redeemed you from that you cannot even tell anybody about. Just look at him and say I am redeemed. Not giving up any details I am just redeemed. Free at last. Thank God Almighty I am free at last. I have been redeemed.
He Lives to Represent Us
Number three, He lives to represent us. He lives to represent us. He rose from the dead to represent us. I am not without representation. He represents me. The Bible said in Hebrews He ever lives to make intercession for us according to the will of God. He rose up from the dead and continues to occupy the position of High Priest to intercede on my behalf.
He represents me in the portals of glory. I got a Man on the inside of the boardroom of heaven that represents me. He is in heaven what my congressman is in Congress. He represents my interest and my affairs. Do you understand what I am saying? Many times hell would have destroyed me but because I had a Man on the inside pleading my case every time the devil got ready to snatch me Jesus said not him. He is redeemed. Not her. You cannot have her.
And some of you have to pry breakthrough and cannot figure out how you came through. You just keep saying something happened. Let me tell you what happened. There was a Man in glory pleading your case and making a way. That is why the enemy did not destroy you and the car wreck did not kill you and the disease did not eat you up and the witch could not hex you because every time the devil said no, God said yes!
The Man Christ Jesus—He Got Up!
He came as a servant. Took on the form of a servant. Walked where we walked. Slept where we slept. Ate where we ate. And in the fullness of time, a little over 33 years He walked upon the earth. We trace His life to the age of 12 and pick it up again at the age of 30. From 12 to 30 there are 18 years of silence—we do not have any information. At the age of 30 John the Baptist is baptizing in the Jordan River and somebody in the crowd is there that distracts him from the baptism and he looked up from the baptism and says behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
And all of the sudden He stepped from background into the forefront and came out of hiding and exposed Himself and the Spirit descended on Him like a dove and the voice from heaven said this is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And the Spirit led Him to the wilderness and after 40 days of fasting was over and the devil shot his best shot. Jesus kept treating him with the Word of God—it is written. It is written.
And the Bible said they took Him from judgment hall to judgment hall and could not find any fault in the Man. They beat Him, they scourged Him with cats of nine tails though they found no fault in Him. A weaker man would have died on the post but He knew He had to be a sacrifice and death was trying to get Him at the whipping post because if He had died there on the whipping post He would not have redeemed you from the curse of the law and sin and death.
He carried His own cross up the hill and humbled Himself to the death of the cross and they hung Him high and stretched Him wide and He still would not die until the high priest looked over and said let Him go. When the high priest nodded his head He became a sacrifice and when Christ died the sun said I cannot look at this and the ground got nervous and began to tremble and the veil in the temple was ripped from the top to bottom and dead men were seen walking the streets.
Oh, Satan say we got Him now. Said He is down and He will not be back. Maybe they got together and decide they were going to throw a party. Planning on having a week's party to celebrate the death of the Lord but after three days they had to stop the party. Because early Sunday morning, He got up from the dead with all power in His hand and He said, I am He that was dead, I am alive forevermore!
Oh! Thank the Lord! All that He has done for me. My soul cries out hallelujah. I thank You Lord for saving me. Ask your neighbor say do you know the Man? Do you know the Man? Do you know the Man upstairs?
The Man in Glory Who Stands for You
There is something about that Man. His disciples said what manner of man is this that even the winds and waves obey Him. There is something about that Man. The Bible says that early Sunday morning He rose up from the dead. Snatched the sting out of death. Took the victory out the grave. Said I am He that was dead but I am alive forevermore. Somebody say forever.
What I like about Jesus, He did not just get up from the dead and run into heaven as if He were scared of the Roman soldiers but the book said that He hung around for 40 days to show Himself alive with many infallible proofs. And after He showed Himself to the disciples He called for a cloud. Walked over and climbed up in the cloud and the cloud began to take the Man Christ Jesus up in the air.
As they were watching Him go upstairs, I heard an angel say, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye here gazing at Him? This same Jesus that you see ascending... But when that cloud hit glory and He stepped off the cloud all of the sudden there was a Man in glory. And there was glory in the Man.
And Paul said that He seated on the right hand of the Majesty on high. That He is just sitting there waiting for you to get in trouble and when everything you call on His name He steps into active duty because He is your attorney. And when you call His name, somebody say Jesus. Ah, Jesus. Jesus! Jesus!
The Bible says He was seated on the right hand of Majesty on high. As far as I know He kept on sitting there until one day one of His deacons got in trouble and they were stoning him and as the rocks began to hit him in the head the Bible says Stephen looked up into the heavens and he did not see Him seated because his attorney had stood up then. He saw Him stand up!
Oh God. Won't He stand up for you when the devil is trying to kill you. Won't the Man stand for you when sickness is trying to destroy you. Won't the Man stand for you when hell has it out for you. Won't the Man. Won't the Man?