As we continue to consider the glory of Jesus, God makes a very clear distinction between the heavenly beings, called angels, and His Son. They did not receive the glory that sets Jesus apart from all of creation!
“For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under His feet.” (Hebrews 2:5–7). Statements like this in Scripture are intended to do two things for us; remind us of Jesus’ lowly humanity and yet the exceeding glory of His deity. God never said to the angels, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet” (1:13). The right hand of God’s throne is reserved for only One — the One who has equality with God in deity. This glory is impossible for us as humans to comprehend, but we have been given the opportunity by God’s grace to let this “light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” transform our lives (2 Corinthians 4:6). The more you and I contemplate this glory, the more we will see the unique place He has in history. God gave Him “glory and honor.” Will you?
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It is good for us to take time away from the busyness of Christmas shopping, wrapping presents and cooking meals, to sit and let the glory of the Son of God illuminate our souls. As Paul sat in a dark, and perhaps damp, prison cell, he was thinking of churches that were newly planted. There was only one way he could encourage them and protect these young believers from being deluded by false teachers who sought opportunities to make a name for themselves — write letters.
As he starts writing his letter to Colossae, he tells them that in the circumstances of a prison cell, he was praying for them (1:3-14). Then his quill forms the most beautiful description of Jesus. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And 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, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:15–20). I see the smile and glow on Paul’s face as he writes these verses. Read them again to yourself out loud. Do you see the pleasure of God in Jesus our Savior? May I say, deity was at home in the person of Jesus. Since the “fullness of God was pleased to dwell” in Him, would you find delight and pleasure in letting Him make His home in you? His presence will transform your future! The Apostle John is the only New Testament writer who uses the title “Word” in referring to Jesus, which fits so perfectly with the reason why John wrote this Gospel. “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). His focus on Jesus was to lift up His Person above everything in this world.
John wants to make sure we do not miss the point that the “Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1:1). There has always been a great attempt to weaken this truth – the deity of Jesus, even in the Church. Paul confirms this truth as Jesus being “in the form of God…equal with God” (Philippians 2:6) and “in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Colossians 1:19). The title “Word” or “logos” means “the complete content of God’s revelation” and it came to us in human form; “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (1:14). In “dwelling among us,” He actually took up “residence” here on earth so that the revelation could be clearly seen. Thirty-three years is not temporary by any human standards. John goes on to say, “and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” – there was no other “Son” (see also 3:16)! There is a responsibility on our part to receive this revelation. Jesus came in human form with the full revelation of God to His own people, the Jews, but they did not receive Him (1:11). There were some who received Him; “for from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (1:16). As we do in all our training material, we ask the students to “APPLY” what they have learned from Scripture in their own lives. It is appropriate to ask you, my reader; what change does this truth make in your life? If this revelation makes no change in your life, then you have not seen His glory! “After the tribulation…they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:24, 26; Matthew 24:30; Luke 21:27).
WHAT A STATEMENT! The lowly, humble Son of God, rejected by men and crucified by men, will come again “with great power and glory”! As John begins to write down the details of the vision he saw on the island called Patmos, he says, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so. Amen” (Revelation 1:7). There will not be any mistake about His identity or His role as King, Lord and final Judge. These two features will clearly distinguish Him; “great power and glory”! As the universe acknowledged the coming of Jesus the first time, so every creature will see the magnificent beauty and greatness of the Savior at His final coming. Two of the striking moments of this display of “great power and glory” will be the reaction from those who crucified Him. The person they thought had come to an end His life through their murderous deed will fill their vision with His greatness. Every person in every tribe that rejected Jesus as Savior will bow their knee to Him and “every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). You and I have the opportunity now to introduce persons to Jesus as the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and who made our peace by His blood (Ephesians 2:13-14). Let’s make that our goal before the end comes. Then it will be too late. There is so much about Jesus’ birth, the incarnation of God in human flesh, that should grip our attention, transform our lives, and evoke our worship. A few blogs at this time of year are a pitiful attempt to exhaust such an infinite subject. My goal is to stir up in you some response to what Scripture says about Him that will change your heart, life and love for Jesus.
The angel told Joseph to call this baby conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit, “Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” In addition to calling Him Jesus, “they shall call His name Immanuel (which means, God with us” (Matthew 1:21-23). What does “God with us” mean? Though we can never grasp the fulness of this, Hebrews tells us that Jesus “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature” (1:3). I want us to look at these two expressions and learn something deeper about the presence and glory of God in His Son.
As we meditate on these two expressions of God in Jesus Christ, there should be an immediate response from us in both worship and transformation. Have you taken time to look at HIM? There is a glory that Jesus speaks of and prays for that is so little spoken of or seen in the Church. It was His desire that with the Spirit coming to fill believers, He would be represented in such a powerful way that the world would be “turned…upside down” (Acts 17:6). While this happened in the Early Church, we do not see that taking place today. Why?
God’s work always has the element of glory as part of it. Whether healing the sick, raising the dead, or feeding the five thousand, the glory of God was shining in the person of Jesus. The fact that most did not see that glory as they should does not diminish the reality of His glory. The Spirit in us is the power that enables us to see the glory of Christ. Jesus prayed; “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one” (John 17:22). All through Scripture, particularly John’s gospel, the perfect unity between the Father and the Son is proven. Unity is part of their glory. Jesus is praying that the same glory in divine unity be seen among us who believe in the Son. How is this achieved? Never by human effort, organizational demand, or the rules of men! Paul gives us the formula in 2 Corinthians 3. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Transformation takes place the more we are occupied with the glory of Christ. In turn, that causes unity to grow in the Church. It is no longer achieving our goals and desires, but HIS! All creation began with glory. The whole universe screamed the glory of God with its perfection and glory. All it took to bring everything into being was for God to speak. David said it accurately in Psalm 33; “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him! For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33:8–9). That is God’s glory in creation – everything in perfect beauty and unison.
Then one angel, Satan, becomes jealous and wants to put a black mark on all God had done. This introduced pride, selfish disobedience – SIN! How is it that God can be so patient with mankind who gave in to such a hideous intrusion into a scene filled with glory? It would have been simple for God to wipe the creation clean and start over. But He didn’t. Why? He wanted us to see how His glory could be restored in fallen humanity through the gift of His perfect Son. God wanted His creation to know His character. Specifically, that mankind who had been diseased by sin, would have their hearts “TURNED from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in” Jesus (Acts 26:18). How would He do this? Most of us know the answer; God has turned the hearts of men, women and children back to Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. But there was another critical element that had to be part of this turning. HIS GLORY! The beauty and attractiveness of God’s way had to be seen as glory. It was not just the birth of Jesus that was glorious, but His life, death, burial, resurrection and return to the Father. That is a continuous revelation of God’s glory to man from the very beginning. Have you seen His glory? It is a rare and mostly an unpopular concept to plant churches that are not dependent on the church planter, the sending church, or the organization that sent the missionary. As we study carefully, areas of the world where the Church has been most successful in starting church planting movements, they are places where the gospel was preached, disciples made and strengthened to stand on their own. This naturally resulted in multiplication.
One of these places in the world where this happened is Korea. Early missionaries “insisted that Korean churches become “self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating” almost from birth. A baby, if proper care is taken, can afford to have its umbilical cord cut minutes after birth. A baby…if proper care is taken, can learn to swim in the first few weeks of its life! So also, an infant church, with adequate teaching and example, can stand on its own in a remarkably short period of time.” (1) This was the foundation that caused the Korean church to flourish and multiply! Why then are we not doing the same today? Well, we are, but in far less places than we should. What we have discovered is that when we refuse to ‘bottle feed’ with financial aid, two things happen. First, those who think we must support them with money quickly lose interest in the Word of God and discontinue their studies. Second, God opens doors with persons who are truly hungry for Scripture and want to learn the principles that motivated the Early Church. As we push across frontiers and encourage church planters with the simple principles of discipleship and establishing new and existing believers, money becomes a non-issue. Even where persecution has tightened our freedom, God opens other avenues to accomplish His purpose – “make disciples of all nations!” (Matthew 28:19). (1) Eternity in Their Hearts, Don Richardson, Regal Books, 1984, page 70. Don Richardson tells the true story of Pu Chan during the early stages of the Lahu people receiving the gospel. Pu Chan had “the Wa people saddled a little pony and told his disciples (village people) to follow it in search of a “white brother who had the book of Siyeh, the true God.”
The pony led those amazed disciples over approximately 200 miles of mountainous trails and down into the city of Kengtung (Burma). Then it turned into the gate of a mission compound and headed straight for a well. The pony stopped beside the well. Pu Chan’s disciples looked in all directions, but could see no trace of either a white brother or a book. The Wa tribesmen heard sounds in the well. They looked inside it and saw no water, only two clear blue eyes looking up at them out of a friendly, bearded white face (the person digging the well). “Hello strangers!” The voice speaking in the Shan language, echoed out of the well. “May I help you?” William Marcus Young climbed out of the well, which was not in use yet. As he brushed the dust from his hands and faced them, the Wa messengers asked, “Have you brought a book of God?” Young nodded. The Wa men, overcome with emotion, fell at his feet and blurted out the message from Pu Chan. Then they added: “This pony is saddled especially for you. Our people are waiting. Fetch the book! We must be on our way!”” God has prepared someone to hear the message you have about a Savior who came just for them. His book is the story they are waiting for you to tell. Will you go? Eternity in Their Hearts, Don Richardson, Regal Books, 1984, page 102. There is a very significant movement of God that can be seen at different times throughout history. In that we are focusing more on the coming of Jesus the Messiah, we will look at the role of John the Baptist in preparing people for His coming and how we can do the same.
At the announcement to Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth would give birth to John, the angel said to him; “he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared”” (Luke 1:15–17). It is clear that the preparation John was sent to do was far more than making public appearances and telling people to be ready for the coming of Jesus through repentance. Hearts would have to change so they put God first; relationships in families would need to follow God’s original plan. There would need to be a major shift in how people respected the wisdom of God through those who proclaimed the Word of God. He wanted “a people prepared” for the coming of His Son. Should it be any different today? Jesus has left us with the responsibility to “prepare” hearts by giving the message of the gospel. There are people waiting to hear the message because in some way, God has prepared their hearts to receive it. I will explain this point more tomorrow, but for now, let us be urgent with the business of turning hearts like John did and doing whatever it takes to prepare their hearts. |
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