We ended last week with this verse from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church;
“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” 2 Cor 4:7
Genuine Christianity is learning to live by the indwelling Jesus- Christ-Messiah. The Christian life is the outflow of “Christ in you”, the breaking forth of God’s uncreated, indwelling life – the radiating of God’s own energy in fallen, human vessels. Seeing Christianity from this perspective changes everything.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth, will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.” Helen H. Lemmel.
Behold the ill-starred Nazarene who went about “doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.” Acts 10:38
Behold the artisan from Galilee, the one who called Himself the “Son of Man” (which means “son of Adam” – the human being”).
Watch Him as He is taken before Rome’s delegates in the city of Jerusalem. See Him standing before Pilate – rejected, dejected, bludgeoned, beaten, spat upon. Behold Him who created the heavens, the Lord of the universe, suffering the most horrific gruesome form of torture that was ever invented by the human imagination.
Observe Him hanging from a wooden stake, dying a slow, hideous death, covered with blood – naked, mocked, and shamed. The Messiah has become a public spectacle that elicits the spine-chilling gleeful laughter of satan himself.
Watch death, the child of sin, emerge from the pit. With open arms, it darkens the wood of the cross and takes the Prince of heaven into its silent hopeless domain.
The powers of Rome may have defeated the suffering artisan two thousand years ago, but in the end, He shall triumph. Christ shall subdue all things and put them under His feet, for upon that bloody hill, Jesus of Nazareth – the spotless, sinless man – defeated the powers of darkness and won for Himself the keys of death, hell and the grave. He is our Saviour. He saves in every situation and at all times. There is no circumstance too hard for Him.
By Jesus’ resurrection, God the Father vindicated Him before angels, demons, and the human race to be the universally triumphant, sovereign Lord. This same Jesus now sits at the right hand of power, as a faithful high priest, tirelessly interceding for His own in the presence of God. He lives by the power of an endless life, and He never fails.
And one day, every kingdom, every ruler, every principality and power shall bow their mortal knees to the rejected Nazarene.
He,
the Lamb of God John 1:29
the Lion of the tribe of Judah Rev 5:5
shall reign in regal glory over everything in, below, and above the earth, in heaven.
Phil 2:10-11
He shall be the judge of all creation, and His kingdom shall never end.
Matt 24:30,32; Psa 2:8; Dan 7:14; John 5:22; 2 Cor 5:10
In that day, Jesus the Nazarene shall be universally vindicated as ruler of the kings of the earth. Humanity will meet the power of glory face-to-face, for when He appears, the world will see His divinity, His beauty, His majestic splendour, His perfect righteousness and His complete holiness. He shall make crooked lines straight as the earth’s rightful judge. But more, all who follow Him today will share in the unveiled, unapproachable, indescribable radiance of God’s Son tomorrow – a greater glory than this world could ever comprehend.
Indeed it will be His time, and He will have the last word.
“Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven.
And everyone will see him—
even those who pierced him.
And all the nations of the world
will mourn for him.
Yes! Amen!” Rev 1:7
“The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign forever and ever.” Rev 11:15b
“He humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour
and gave him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” Phil 2:8-11
How can you not love a Lord like that?
How can you not bow the knee to a God like that?
How can you not allow this radiant Lord to capture your heart and ravish your soul?
How can you not make Him your life’s pursuit for the rest of your days on this earth?
How can you not share, preach and teach anything else?
Look again at the craftsman from Nazareth.
Bow before Him, embrace Him, adore Him, and seek to know Him.
He is available and closer than you can imagine.
Jesus is your new tabernacle and temple.
If you really want to see God present, dwelling among us, if you genuinely want to worship God in all of His glory, if you truly want to receive that gift of wonder and see glimpses of diving glory, then come to Him.
Take your chances with the God of second chances.
Jesus didn’t just die to take you out of hell and into heaven.
He died to take Himself out of heaven and deposit Himself in to you.
Only a recovery of the greatness, supremacy, sovereignty, brilliance and “allness” of Jesus Christ Messiah will lead us to restoration and revival.
The wonder of Jesus as “all in all” is the only hope for igniting the flame of reformation, resuscitation and reconversion to Jesus as the awe-inspiring, all-inclusive person He is.
Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, but He is also so much more.
Jesus Christ Messiah is:
your Shepherd, your Advocate, your Mediator,
your Bridegroom, your Conqueror, your Lion,
your Lamb, your sacrifice, your manna,
your smitten Rock, your living water, your food,
your drink, your good and abundant land,
your dwelling place, your Sabbath, your new moon,
your Jubilee, your new wine, your feast,
your aroma, your anchor, your wisdom,
your peace, your comfort, your Healer,
your joy, your glory, your power,
your strength, your wealth, your victory,
your redemption, your Prophet, your Priest,
your kinsman redeemer, your teacher, your guide,
your liberator, your deliverer, your Prince,
your Captain, your vision, your sight,
your beloved, your way, your truth,
your life, your author, your finisher,
your beginning, your end, your age,
your eternity – your all in all.
He is the same yesterday, today and forever; yet He is new every morning. But beyond all of this, He is our King, your judge and the True Witness.
Based on "Jesus Manifesto" by Frank Viola and Leonard Sweet
This weeks YouTube link with songs for worship is available here
No comments:
Post a Comment