1 Peter 3 verse number 18. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a-preparing, wherein few, that is eight souls, were saved by water. the like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but of the answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. Heavenly Father, we ask that you'd bless these few thoughts this afternoon. May the Savior be glorified in the process and our hearts lifted up once again. In our Savior's name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. The title of the message this afternoon is, Where Can I Find Christ Jesus? I will begin with something for which I might get some flack, but I know I'm not the only person here who is guilty of this, so I may just hide behind you if the rotten tomatoes start to fly. Years ago, I read and enjoyed the novels written by a fella named Frank Peretti. Frank Peretti. Peretti is a Canadian, or was a Canadian. He was born in Lethbridge, where I ministered for a short while, Lethbridge, Alberta. Today, he and his wife live in a place called Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. just down the road. So he's a local boy, as far as I am concerned, in more ways than one. Some people say that he is the creator of the Christian thriller genre of literature. He is a member of an Assembly of God congregation, and he also plays in the bluegrass band Northern Lights. The picture that I have seen on his dust cover looks very familiar. And having been to more than one Bluegrass concert, I'm pretty sure that I have seen this fella around town or around the area. He has authored This Present Darkness, Piercing the Darkness, The Oath, and this one that I still possess, The Visitation. The Visitation. One of the fun things about Peretti's books is that he sets them in places around here. Around here. The Visitation, for example, takes place in a small community west of Spokane, Washington. Out on Highway 2, which leaves us with Reardon and Davenport. And I can just picture this story taking place in one of those two communities. The gist of the story is that in a small eastern Washington town, a prophet of God appears performing undeniable miracles. And when people begin to say that he is the Messiah, he does not deny it. He lets it stand. Soon that little community is being flooded with people who are asking, where is he? Where can I find the Christ? And it changes the community in its entirety. The story is about a man who struggles between with between what the Bible says and what he is seeing in this so-called Messiah. It is not Peretti's best book, in my opinion, but it's fun and it has some important lessons. Down through the two millennia since the days of Peter, there have been thousands of pretend messiahs. Jesus warned us of this. He said, take heed that no man deceive you, for many shall come in my name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many. If you Google the subject false messiahs or messiah claimants, you will come up with quite a list. I did that and I found that. Many of them have been Jewish. But more of them are related to Christianity in one fashion or another. You might know some of these names. Sun Myung Moon, Father Divine, David Koresh, and I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, but Alan John Miller is another one. The Muslims have a few messiahs that they claim are related to all of us. And even some politicians have made that claim. Some of you might remember Emperor Haile Selassie from Ethiopia. I am the messiah. Not one of these hundreds of people who made the claim really are or were Christ Jesus the messiah. I would like to believe that people can find Christ Jesus when they come to our church. I believe that the omnipresent God is with us in this auditorium. I hope that it can be said that through his spirit, Christ declares his gospel in this place just as he did off the bow of the ark in the days of Noah. But if someone came into our service hoping to shake hands with the Lord Jesus Christ, they are going to be disappointed. He is not here in any physical way. He will probably never be here in any physical way. Where is Christ today? Peter says, He's in heaven. Christ Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures, then he was buried, but he was quickened by the spirit, verse number 18, and now he's gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him, verse number 22. That Christ is now in heaven is not something open to successful debate. People can debate anything, I suppose, but they're not going to win this one if they care anything about the Word of God. We have dozens of scriptures which say Christ is in heaven. Mark describes the Great Commission. Go ye into all the world. And then in the next verse says, so then after Christ had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven and sat on the right hand of God. The gospel of Luke closes with the words, and he led them out as far as Bethany, and he lift up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them and carried into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. Then the first chapter in the book of Acts. We read the words, and when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while the disciples looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which said, you men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Please don't ask me where heaven is located. I cannot give you a specific answer. But I know that from his location, which was on the other side of the world at the time, or essentially so, Jesus went up into heaven. There he is. Where is heaven? It is wherever the throne of God is located. I know that, but I can't point a finger and say there it is. There is Christ Jesus sitting at the right hand of God the Father on that throne. We're told more often that Christ is at the Father's right hand We're told more often that he is at the Father's right hand than we are specifically told he is in heaven. Psalm 110 verse number one is often quoted in the New Testament. It says, the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Paul told the Ephesian Christians that he steadfastly prayed for them that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of God's calling which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places. Paul exhorts us all, saying, if ye then be risen with Christ, set your affection on things above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. And what Christian is not blessed by the words of Romans 8, 33 and 34? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who maketh intercession for us. When Stephen had finished his final sermon and the Lord was preparing him for his departure, he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus, this time standing at the right hand of God, ready to receive him. These aren't half the scriptures. We say Christ is in heaven or at the right hand of the father. And the implication of the scriptures is that he has been exalted to the highest possible position in the universe. That's even too shallow. At the father's right hand is a place where no mere child of Adam can ever be. You never hear of angels standing or sitting at the right hand of God. It's the place where only God's beloved Son could sit, in whom the Father is infinitely well-pleased. It is a place of honor, declaring that the work Christ was commissioned to do on the cross has been successfully carried out. So where is Christ today? He's in heaven, Peter tells us so. He is at the right hand of the throne of God. And what is it that he is doing there? He has gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. Let's try to remember the people to whom Peter was writing this letter. They included servants or slaves, many of whom were being mistreated by people. There were Christian wives and daughters whose husbands and fathers were not children of God. There were Christians generally throughout heathen Asia who were, to one degree or another, suffering under various kinds of persecution. So we have all of these Christians, many of whom are not really enjoying their earthly lives. Peter tells them, don't render evil for the evil that they do to you. Don't render railing upon them for the railing that they heap upon you. If you suffer for righteousness sake, consider yourselves to be happy. Happy are ye. And be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled. And remember that your Savior is now at the right hand of the throne of God ruling over all those people who are mistreating you. His reference to authorities refers to institutions and positions such as governments or parents. They usually have legal or administrative power over others, whether or not they abuse them. Powers points to actual strength, strength to apply, strength to inflict their authority. And Peter's reference to angels is obvious. It could be the angels of God. Christ has authority over the angels of God and of the angels that serve Satan. He has authority over Satan himself. And by the way, if Christ has authority over demons, angels, and kings, don't you think that he has authority over little people like us as well? Body, soul, spirit, and life. Interestingly, the Holy Spirit led Peter to use the word subject. What does he say? Who's gone into heaven is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. He's already used that word four times. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to kings as supreme or unto governors as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not just to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, they may also, without the word, be won by the conversation of those wives. For after this manner, in old time, the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands. After exhorting us to submit to various authorities for the Lord's glory, Peter declares that those secular authorities are subject to Christ. He's the boss. And there he is in heaven at the right hand of the Father. And once again, this is not the lone scripture that testifies to Christ's authority. In writing to the Ephesian church, Paul reiterates his prayers for them, saying, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, I pray that you might know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe according to the working of his mighty power. which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places far above principalities, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. He hath put all things under Christ's feet." Don't worry, brethren. Our Savior is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And then there's that blessed statement of Romans 8. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Paul says, I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And there he sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Why aren't any of these things to separate us from the love of God? Because they are all subject unto our Savior. As a result, Paul goes on in the next verse, which we'll get to at a different day. For as much then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh and now has all his enemies under his authority, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind. You don't need to worry about these problems in this world. Look past them. Yes, they're real. They can be painful. They are problematic. But you have a savior in heaven who is in control of all things. Look to him. Look to him. The apostle might have quoted the Lord himself at this point. Peace be unto you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Beside wheeling this authority, there are a few other things which Christ is doing in heaven on our behalf. What is Christ doing while seated at the right hand of the Father? He's leaning over. This is just a picture. He's leaning over and whispering in the Father's ear, interceding for us. What shall we say to all the problems in life as we consider the promises that God has given to us? If God before us, who can be against us? Going back to Romans 8 once again. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Here's this one who has all things subject unto him, and he is whispering in the ear of the Father on our behalf. What is our Savior doing for us? He's gone to prepare a place for us. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God? Jesus said, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also. I'll close with one more quick point. I won't keep you long. Christ is in heaven right now, but he's making preparations to return to earth. As the disciples watched the Lord Jesus ascend from earth into heaven, their amazement was interrupted, as we've already said. While they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as Christ went up, behold, two men, apparently angels in the form of men, stood by them in white apparel. which also said, you men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? You got things to do. And he is coming back. Earlier, Jesus told Israel's high priest, I say unto you, hereafter you shall see the son of man, referring to himself, sitting on the right hand of power. But soon, coming in the clouds of heaven, Christ is coming to earth again. Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. He is coming again, Hebrews 9, 28. He has those plans. He's got the ticket purchased. The date has been set, although not shared with us. He is coming again. But of that day and hour knoweth no man. No, not the angels of heaven. but the Father only. So be patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. He will come to reward, He will come to bless, He will come to gather, and He will come to judge those that have rejected Him. As Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, behold, the Lord cometh with 10,000 of his saints to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds. Today's children of God should take to heart the truth that no matter how terrible this world becomes, and it may become far more wretched than it is today, physically abusing us, we have nothing to fear because our Savior is seated upon the throne of the sovereign God. He can and often does put down authorities and powers, whether or not we actually recognize it. And he is coming again. He will soon be here. Perhaps he'll be here before we reach our homes this afternoon. He's coming again. Are you ready for his coming? Are you excited about his coming? Are you a child of God through faith in Christ Jesus? Or should you expect the wrath of God? Please stand.