God Has Exalted Jesus Christ – Part 1

(Acts 5:29-32, Phil. 2:5-11, Ps. 2)

God has exalted His Son.  He has given Him a name above every name.  It is expressed in various ways for us.  God Himself, the source of all, the Living God, has exalted the man, Jesus, and given Him all authority.  This man who is called the first-born from the dead is seated at the right hand of God.  Jesus Himself says to John on the isle of Patmos, “I am He that lives and was dead.”  He later says, “I have sat down with my Father on His throne.”  Some years ago, I was in a diner for breakfast and some men had gathered there for fellowship.  I use that word as their clear purpose was to share the life that Christ is.  One of them was clearly the leader.  We could call him an elder.  It was so plain that he had a maturity beyond the others.  This is not to say the others were immature as I spoke for a few minutes to one of the group as they got settled.  I said something to the leader and he responded, “It is a mystery and a marvel.”  That is a simple and wonderful expression of who Jesus is.

It is written that all things were created by Him, for Him, and through Him.  He was with the Father before the world was, and He knew it.  No other man is like this man.  Born of a virgin, without earthly father, born by a sovereign act of the Holy Spirit.  He is the first born of all creation in this.  At His natural birth, God was doing something greater than the creation of Adam.  That was only the beginning of the revealing of His Son.  God gave Him to be the Lamb, the sacrifice for al the sins of mankind.  And He accomplished more than that.  He is the last Adam.  He is standing, and laying down His life, for us all.  The essence of the good news is that when He died, we all died.  Now some extend this that all our saved.  No, we were all dead in sins.  But God made us alive together in Him.  We must receive the life of the risen Christ.  We must believe that so that it becomes our life.

How was it that God so honored Jesus above all?  Read Isaiah 57:15 and 66:1-2.  He regards the humble, the broken and contrite among men.  Christ became sin for us.  That in itself is a mystery but it is the very wisdom of God.  We read in the passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Jesus humbled Himself.  The Son; like His Father is meek and lowly in heart.  This is essential to His nature.  This may not compute to us.  The Lord is who He is.  He is I am that I am.  He does not have to prove anything.  His purpose is to reconcile all things to Himself, and this He has done in and through His Son.  And we are invited and pleaded with to come and participate.  Read Romans 12:1-2.  The Spirit through Paul beseeches us to be transformed.  Humble yourself under God’s hand and process, and He will exalt you at the proper time.

Humility is the way to honor.  It was so for Jesus and it is so for us in Him.  True humility results in obedience.  He who is willing and obedient will eat the good of the land. (Is. 1:19)  The Lord is referring here to spiritual good.  Jesus was in tune with His Father and did what He saw the Father doing.  He spoke what He heard from His Father.  He was focused on this.  It’s written that  the Lord creates the hearing ear.  This is that ear of our inner man, our spirit.  We can call it conscience where we hear the still small voice.  While we cannot always be in the secret place, we learn to maintain a stillness and a listening ear.  We live in His presence.  He is our very present help by the Spirit.  As Jesus said, by the Spirit, He and the Father will make their abode in us.

As He makes His dwelling in us, His kingdom has come to us.  It is increasing in us.  AS we His people are so possessed by Him, His testimony, His witness is increasing in the earth.  This did not begin yesterday.  The Lord has been working through the entire earth for 2000 years.  Yes, that process is not yet complete but it is in progress and is accelerating.  Many continue to resist the truth.  So we include Psalm 2 as a reference.  The nations rage.  Resistance to the true revelation of Christ continues.  It shows up on many levels including among the collection of believers.  Churches divide over what, for many of us, are obvious issues.  These separations reflect that final separation of sheep from goats.  Mankind wants mercy without justice.  The justice of God was fulfilled at the cross.  The world hates Jesus Christ because His death seals it’s end.  Now that is not the final end for the Lord is creating new heavens and a new earth. So we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus.”