In the third part of the series 'The Name of Jesus,' I preached on Sunday on the person of Christ, and my soul was completely captivated. The great wonder of all time is that God took on the human to enable the human to take on the divine. It is a master plan unparalleled and unequaled in grandeur, depth, and power. It is a plan in which we have been included, and it is up to us to know it, understand it, love it, and perpetuate it.
- Christ pre-incarnation was God, Lord, with supreme authority and total dominion; He was Creator, the letter to the Colossians eloquently describes the fact that “by Him were created all things, that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.” And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. The excellencies of Christ should be a subject of constant meditation and enjoyment for the Christian.
- Christ in the incarnation demonstratedgrace, perfection, beauty, compassion, love, authority, and dominion over every situation and person in the power of the Spirit. He exercised dominion over sickness, demonic oppression, and the elements, and taught and exemplified perfect love. The woman with an issue of blood, the centurion, the disciples in the storm—all encountered the perfect love and authority of the incarnate Christ, God become man.
- Christ, through the cross, obtained complete reconciliation for man with God, forgiveness of sins, a clean record despite our past. He ended the devil's right to rule over human affairs and completely defeated him. There can hardly be a greater regret than that attributed to the devil in God's word, even though it is said that if the princes of this world had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
- He subjected to Himself all power, authority, and dominion in heaven and on earth. He brought into existence a new man with the life of God in him and the authority to approach God and overcome the devil. Then He departed and put on the divine glory that He had temporarily given up to carry out His mission on earth.
- Christ post-incarnation delegated to his man the authority and dominion he had earned on earth as a man in order to bring about the manifestation of God's will on earth. He is no longer the carpenter of Nazareth, nor the baby Jesus in the manger, nor the miracle worker in sandals; He has once again become the Lord of all glory, Master of His creation, who 'upholds all things by the word of his power.'
And when John, the beloved apostle, saw Him on the island of Patmos, His face shone like the sun at its zenith, a vision so dazzling that John fell down as if dead. This is Jesus, the One to whom this name refers; it is His power that is put into action when one of His own dares to believe Him and begins to speak and act as His representative, (in His name). He, therefore, is God's master plan. The Church will become more effective when it begins to see Jesus as He is and to serve Him as it should.
Shalom!
