THE WORTHINESS OF JESUS
The Bridegroom King
There is no aspect of God’s grace that more powerfully transforms our emotions or satisfies our heart than when the spirit reveals Jesus to us. 8 I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus… Philippians. 3:8
HE IS A LOVER
One of the most significant truths in the Scripture is that the Lord has deep desire for His people. This is truth is expressed poetically in the Song of Solomon as the King declared how “His Bride ravished His heart
9 “You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes.”
Song of Solomon 4:9 ESV
10 “I am my Beloved’s, and His desire is toward me.” Song of Solomon 7:10
Ravished heart: Webster defines “ravished” as being filled with emotions of joy or delight because of one who is unusually attractive
His desire is toward me: Our identity is in belonging to the King. We are the girl he gets in the end, and His desire is for us. Our actions do not “motivate” the Lord to desire us.
Gods love for us is unconditional.
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 ESV
He loves us perfectly.
9“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you.” John. 15:9
II. HE IS A FIERCE AND JUST KING.
Jesus will be openly seen as the most beautiful, fierce and just ruler that the heavens and earth has ever seen when He destroys the Antichrist’s armies in the Armageddon campaign.
Psalms 45:3-6 King James Version
3. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.
4. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
5. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.
6. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
Jesus’ second coming will be in context to a military conflict around Jerusalem.
19The kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered to make war against Him [Jesus]… 20The Beast [Antichrist] was captured…21The rest were killed with the sword… (Rev. 19:19-21)
Because of truth, humility, and righteousness: When Jesus wages war against the Antichrist, His actions will be motivated by and will produce truth, meekness, and righteousness.
III. HE IS!
Hebrews 1:1-3
1God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Jesus is heir of all 2Whom He has appointed heir of all things… (Heb. 1:2)
The Romans proclaimed Caesar as the heir, rightful owner, of the nations. The leaders of Israel saw themselves as the “heirs” over the land of Israel. Both groups persecuted Jewish believers. It was a radical idea that a Jewish man who died as a criminal was the true heir of the world!
The Father decreed that Jesus be given all the nations as His inheritance. This includes their governments, property, money, resources, and possessions on earth.
8I [the Father] will give You the nations for Your inheritance… (Ps. 2:8)
John had a vision of the Father giving the title deed of the earth to Jesus (Rev. 5:1-8). This will result in Jesus receiving total authority over all society in the Millennium. He will own all the cities, property, money, banks, natural resources, oil and water rights, intellectual property, etc. of the earth. All on the earth will joyfully agree with Jesus taking over the nations (Rev. 5:13).
Jesus is the creator of worlds
Jesus created all things under the Father’s authority.
2Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom He made the worlds… (Heb. 1:2)
The common Greek word for “the physical world” is kosmos, but the word used here is ionus, which means “the ages.” Jesus created the physical and spiritual worlds and the time frames in which God’s storyline and eternal purposes unfold through the various ages. In other words, Jesus is the architect, with His Father, of the storyline that unfolds through the ages on earth.
Jesus created the visible, natural, material world and the invisible, supernatural, spiritual world.
16By Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. (Col. 1:16)
Jesus is the sustainer of the universe
Jesus sustains the worlds in the same way that He created them, by words that release His power (Gen. 1:3; Heb. 11:3).
To uphold all things means to “sustain” or “support” them continuously.
3And upholding all things by the word of His power… (Heb. 1:3)
Creation cannot sustain itself; it needs a continual impartation of power and energy to keep it in order. The universe operates according to laws of nature that are sustained by Jesus’ word. When scientists discover the laws of nature, they are knowingly or unknowingly studying the sustaining power of Jesus’ word.
Jesus is the redeemer of the universe
Jesus cleansed the created order from sin. He had to become human and then to offer Himself as the offering for sin.
3…He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty… (Heb. 1:3)
Sin created a great crisis in creation by releasing death and demons that harm creation. The Father had to find a man untainted by sin to solve the crisis created by sin.
Jesus, the innocent One, became guilty so that guilty ones could become innocent.
Jesus is the ruler of the universe
3When He…purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Heb. 1:3)
13Behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days…14To Him was given dominion…that all peoples…should serve Him. (Dan. 7:13-14)
He wants you with him. 24Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me… (Jn. 17:24)
The Life That God Calls Great
John 13-17 is the teaching given by the Jesus during the Last Supper. Jesus spoke this to the leadership of His new Church to prepare them to walk in a way that God calls “great” and to thrive spiritually even in the face of intense pressures and temptations.
This is where I believe we find ourselves today.
7“ The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Rev. 19:7
How do we live a life pleasing to God? How do we make sure we are ready?
Love the lord your God
Matthew 22:37-40
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Jesus defined loving God as the “first” and “great” commandment.
Thus identifying it as the Spirit’s first priority in the kingdom, the “first” calling for our life,
CONTEXT:
In Deuteronomy Moses teaches the Israelites who have turned away from God to idols. This is to the generation of Israelites about to enter the Promised Land after 40 years
The narrative of Deuteronomy is set on the east side of the Jordan River, on the plains of Moab, within view of Canaan. This is where the Israelites camped after their 40 years of wilderness wanderings.
The commands are to turn away from Idols, to Obey, and Love will grow.
Deuteronomy 30:2,6.
2 “and when you and your children return to the Lord your God,”
2 “and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today,”
6 “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.”
The lord your God will carve your heart over time so that your desires become his, so that your affections become his, he will teach you how to love him.
Marriage is a carnal parallel. When two people come together they must learn each other’s love language. We must be taught how to love. Luckily, the Holy Spirit is our teacher, and he is the best!
However, turning away from idols towards obedience is a non-negotiable.
Jesus linked loving God with obeying God five times in John 14:
In John14:15, If you love Me, keep My commandments
In John14:21, He who…keeps them, it is he who loves… Me
In John14:23, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word
In John14:24, He who does not love Me does not keep My words
In John14:31, 31I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do
Jesus defined loving God as being deeply rooted in a spirit of obedience.
As you Turn to the Lord, for the first, time or again, and begin to obey his commands, he will circumcise your heart to love God.
THE PROMISE
Deuteronomy 30: 2-4
2 and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back.
It doesn’t matter how far you have gone, how dark you think the darkness is he will bring you back.
The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors… Deut 30:9
No comments:
Post a Comment