CHRIST ABOVE THE BELIEVER
Philippians 2:9-11
Morning Meditation 10/23/17
"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
In Philippians chapter two we have both the condescension and the exaltation of Jesus Christ. Some one has asked, "Where is Jesus now?" It is an easy question to answer but a hard one to deal with if the question is asked by an unbeliever. He wants to see to believe and Jesus wants us to believe to see. Peter said in 1 Peter 1:8, "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:" One day we will meet Him face to face and what a day that will be. Until then we walk by faith. We believe what the Bible says, and act on it, and God blesses.
I want to look in this meditation on some things the Bible says about Jesus:
HE HAS FINISHED HIS WORK ON OUR BEHALF
Hebrews 10:12, "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;" Jesus in His high priesthood replaces the Old Testament priesthood. The priesthood that served at the tabernacle and temple never finished their work. Therefore, there was no seat for them to sit in. It was because their work was never finished. The lack of a seat for the high priest is evidence that He never finished. He was relieved by another to take his place, and so the sacrifices were made continually.
However, the New Testament priesthood is different. There is only one high priest and His name is Jesus. He finished the word of redemption so that He can mediate redemption seated on the throne at the right hand of God His Father and ours. There is nothing that thrills one's soul more than to discover that God is your Father, Jesus is your mediator, and the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, and with us, to impart those special blessings that the obedient saint can draw from daily.
Hebrews 10:12 "But this man" is speaking of a special man. The other men were men from the tribe of Levi and had an ordinary birth. But this man had a special birth. He was begotten of the Holy Ghost which freed Him from birth of the Old Sin nature. When Hebrews 10:12 says "But this man," it is speaking of a special life. Jesus was different from birth than Mary and Joseph's other children. He was perfect, industrious, and never had to be corrected for any wrong. Jesus did no wrong. Jesus was God's Lamb and the lamb had to be spotless. Jesus was spotless. Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
Then we have another statement that declares that Jesus was without sin: Hebrews 9:28 says, "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
Jesus is a special Man because He lived without sin. Hebrews 9:14 says, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" We are told plainly that Jesus offered Himself without spot to God that our conscience might be purged from dead works to serve the living God.
1 Peter 1:19 says, "But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" Peter says Jesus offered himself as a lamb without blemish and without spot as a sin offering. It is the sacrifice that sets the sinner free not his human effort. Man must come to the end of himself, accept God's diagnosis of him, and call on the Name of the Lord asking for mercy and forgiveness.
HE IS THE VICTOR OVER HIS AND OUR ENEMIES
Hebrews 2:14 says, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;"
Colossians 2:14-15 says, "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it."
Jesus came to conqueror our enemies and all that prevents one from being saved and going to heaven. He accomplished what He set out to do. You will discover this in John 17 in our Lord's great high priestly prayer. John records this prayer in John 17. We will just look at John 17:4-5 where Jesus prays, "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." Jesus was a different man than any other that has ever been born. He has pre-existence. He knew where He was before He was born a Man so that He might die for men.
HE IS THE ONE AND ONLY HIGH PRIEST TO REPRESENT BELIEVERS TODAY
Hebrews 9:24 says, "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:"
Jesus as our high priest is in God's presence daily to be our Mediator and Advocate. We are told in 1 Timothy 2:5-6, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." You will notice that the Holy Spirit makes it plain that there is just ONE Mediator between God and man. He also makes it clear who the Mediator is: "the man Christ Jesus." I want to make it clear that I believe that Mary was one of the greatest among women. But she is not the mediator. And you are wasting your time praying to Mary. The Scripture is our only rule of faith and practice. And the Bible is clear that Jesus alone is the One through whom we must go in prayer to the Father. He is in heaven now to appear in the presence of God for us.
HE IS OUR ADVOCATE TO PLEAD FOR US
1 John 2:1-2, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
The word "Advocate" means, "one who pleads another's cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate." Jesus can plead a legal defense for the believer when he sins. Jesus shed His blood for every Christian. When the Accuser of the brethren (Satan) comes before God to accuse us, we have there a legal defense. Our lawyer is Jesus and He has never lost a case. Now if He had to plead for us on the grounds of our righteousness, He would never win a case. But our Advocate never pleads for us on the grounds of who we are and what we have done, He always says, "Father, I died for that one. He has put his faith in me for salvation." When Jesus makes His plea, it is always on the basis of the cross. He died for me. He lives for me. And I live in Him. So before Satan could get to me, he would have to over come Jesus to do it. And that is impossible.
Jesus has overcome Satan and it is just a matter of time when He will put Satan in the bottomless pit and he will stay there during the Millennial reign of Christ.. Revelation 20:1-3 says, "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." When Jesus rules from David's throne in Jerusalem He will have no problems with Satan and his demon forces. He simply, without a struggle, puts Satan in the bottomless pit. Satan has no power to compare with that of Jesus Christ. The cross is the place where Satan was overcome. Every time you see a soul saved, you see Jesus taking that soul out of Satan's kingdom of darkness and translating him into His kingdom. Colossians 1:12-14 says, "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:"
Jesus as our Advocate is in heaven with the Father, there to plead our case, and He has never lost a case and never will.
HE IS OUR SUN AND SHIELD
The Psalmist says in Psalms 84:11, "For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."
The Lord depicted as the sun reminds us when the day comes when we will be in the New Jerusalem and there will be no need of the light of the sun because the Son will be the light of it (Rev. 22:5).
He is also our shield. There is no way to know how many things Jesus as our shield has been that shield for us. The arrow that Satan shot at us we never saw. Jesus was there and deflected the arrows shot out of the bow of Satan with every intention of killing us. But it didn't happen because Jesus is our shield..
Jesus is truly our Protector. None of us would make it to heaven if we did not have Jesus to stand between us and the enemy. Praise Him for it.
May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
