“Christianity is not a system of morals but the worship of a Person.”- William E.H. Lecky, historian (1838-1903).
Have you ever meditated on the excellence of the Lord Jesus? Read through the following verses and let the Lord open the eyes of your heart that you may understand the greatness of our Lord.
Who is the Lord Jesus? He is the Son of God. He is the Heir and Lawful Owner of all things, by and through Whom God created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time. He is the sole expression of the glory of God, the perfect imprint and very image of God’s nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. Yet, consider what He did for us- He offered Himself through His death , accomplishing our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt. Through His rising from the dead, He sat down at the right hand of God, taking a place and rank different from, much superior to and more excellent than any created angel. In Him all things hold together. From Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things.
Hebrews 1:2-4, The Amplified Bible -In the last of these days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order].He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of God's nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high, taking a place and rank by which He Himself became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name (title) which He has inherited is different from and more excellent than theirs.
Col 1:15-18 NIV He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Romans 11:36 NIV For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
Jesus’ throne is forever and ever. His scepter and throne signify His power and authority. He remains and continues permanently; He remains the same, and His years will never end nor come to failure. Stability in life can only be through standing on what does not change. If we stand in Christ, we are believing on what is eternal. There are so many philosophies in this world that exalt men, systems, beliefs, the universe, created things. But all these are like grass which withers. Everyone who has ever opposed Christ will one day bow his knee and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. In schools, influential teachers, “experts” in their fields, may try to sway students with secular, atheistic, humanistic ideas. But we must stand fast in the Lord Jesus. And stand fast in the word of God. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and strongholds that set themselves up against the Lord Jesus.
Hebrews 1:8-12, The Amplified Bible- But as to the Son, He says to Him, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever (to the ages of the ages), and the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of absolute righteousness (of justice and straightforwardness).You have loved righteousness [You have delighted in integrity, virtue, and uprightness in purpose, thought, and action] and You have hated lawlessness (injustice and iniquity). Therefore God, [even] Your God (Godhead), has anointed You with the oil of exultant joy and gladness above and beyond Your companions.And [further], You, Lord, did lay the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the works of Your hands.They will perish, but You remain and continue permanently; they will all grow old and wear out like a garment.Like a mantle [thrown about one's self] You will roll them up, and they will be changed and replaced by others. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end nor come to failure.
Isaiah 40:8, NIV- The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
Philippians 2:9-11,NIV- Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
2 Cor. 10:4-5, NIV - The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
In Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Many people turn their backs on Jesus because they have loved the so-called “wisdom” of the world, the theories, the world-views, the philosophies. But only in Christ are hidden the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All wisdom is in Jesus. If we desire wisdom, only by remaining in Jesus can we have access to the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He is the vine, we are the branches. We have to stay in the vine to have the life of Christ flowing in us. Our fruit will come from staying in the vine. And we don’t bear fruit just so others can see our fruit. We bear fruit, not for human approval, but for the approval of the Gardener alone.
Colossians 2:3, Amplified Bible- In Him all the treasures of [divine] wisdom (comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God) and [all the riches of spiritual] knowledge and enlightenment are stored up and lie hidden.
In Christ, the whole fullness of God dwells! Think of what that means, the fullness of God! And we are in Him, made full and coming to fullness of life. So there is nothing to be afraid of, neither people nor demons, because the fullness of God is in Christ, and we are in Christ. The immeasurable, unlimited, and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe is available in Christ, the same power God exerted by God’s strength when He raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. Nothing compares to Jesus—He was seated at God’s right hand, far above all authority and power and dominion and every name that is named in this age and world and the age and world to come. Far above means absolutely no one comes near to Him.
Colossians 2:9-10, Amplified Bible- For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead--Father, Son and Holy Spirit--and reach full spiritual stature]. And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power].
Col. 1:19, NIV- For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him…
Ephesians 1:19 Amplified Bible: And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places],far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come. And He has put all things under His feet and has appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church [a headship exercised throughout the church].
What is our response when we come to know Christ?
Apostle Paul said, “ I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ. –Philippians 3:8) Paul considered EVERYTHING a loss compared to the SURPASSING GREATNESS of knowing Jesus. Whatever he was (a circumcised Benjamite and a Pharisee) and whatever he had accomplished (zealous service and adherence to the law), the Apostle Paul considered a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. He considered them garbage, rubbish, that he may gain Christ and be found in Him. How many of us still go around touting our degrees, our lineage, and our accomplishments? May we be like Paul instead. May we fall in love so much with the Lord who loved us and gave His life for us. May we know Him so closely and love Him so deeply that we can also say we consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ.
Phil 3:4-11 NIV If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
As for Moses, Hebrews 11 says that he refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He turned his back on his royal lifestyle. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than all the treasures of Egypt. Egypt was one of the superpowers then. But Moses regarded suffering for Christ’s sake of greater worth than ALL the treasures of Egypt. It’s like us saying we regard disgrace for the sake of Christ of greater worth than all the treasures of the United States of America. What’s more, Moses did not fear the king’s wrath; he was unawed and undismayed. Moses persevered in following God to leave Egypt. Why? Because Moses saw Him who was invisible. I believe that Moses met the pre-incarnate Christ face to face at the burning bush and on Mount Sinai. I believe that He was able to gaze on the face of the Lord Jesus when he was on the top of Mount Sinai for 40 days.
Exodus 32: 4 Amplified Bible But now go, lead the people to the place of which I have told you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. (*my note: the "Angel of the Lord" is generally accepted to be the pre-incarnate Christ, not just any ordinary angel. Christ existed even before He was born as a human.)
Exod 33:11 NIV The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
Exod 34:5 NIV Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD.
In the same way, we must also persevere because we fix our eyes on Jesus who is invisible.The Lord Jesus must be the reason we persevere. The world is full of stories of people who persevered because of the “human spirit”, because of sheer determination and focus. We see that plainly on TV shows like Fear Factor and Amazing Race. But as God’s people, we persevere because we see Jesus who is invisible. We persevere not by our strength, but by God's supernatural strength. We are strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. This is a strength that is not finite, that has no limit. The power God gives us is the power of His resurrection. We have hope because the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, not just because of plain optimism that is Christ-less .
Heb 11:24-27,NIV By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
The Amplified Bible expresses it better:
Heb. 11:24-27, Amplified Bible [Aroused] by faith Moses, when he had grown to maturity and become great, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, because he preferred to share the oppression [suffer the hardships] and bear the shame of the people of God rather than to have the fleeting enjoyment of a sinful life.He considered the contempt and abuse and shame [borne for] the Christ (the Messiah Who was to come) to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt, for he looked forward and away to the reward (recompense).[Motivated] by faith he left Egypt behind him, being unawed and undismayed by the wrath of the king; for he never flinched but held staunchly to his purpose and endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible.
