Thursday, October 2, 2014

War In Your Heart # 73

Christ Our Pattern (continued)

The Cross is the Way to the Throne

Philippians 2:9: Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name.

"Wherefore." Underline and italicize this word. Get the full force of the weight of its meaning. "It is in consequence of this." Of what? Why, of His voluntary self-emptying and self-humbling. Jesus Himself had taught this twofold truth which was exemplified and literally fulfilled in satan and in Himself.

Luke 14:11: For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

"God highly exalted him." Not self-exaltation as with satan and Adam, but God exalted and "highly" as only God could exalt, above measure, super-eminent exaltation to the highest rank and place and power.

satan through self-exaltation had gone up to a position as high as he could take himself, only to be sent down by God to as low a place as he could be sent. Jesus through self-emptying and self-humbling had gone down to a position as low as He could take Himself, only to be exalted by God to as high a place as He could be exalted to. Jesus the Man has been exalted to the position and power of the Overcomer, a mighty Conqueror; a supreme Victor over satan and all his principalities and powers (Ephesians 1:20-22; Colossians 2:15).

The Cross is the way to the throne, so the Overcomer is seated at His Father's right hand on His Father's throne. "And gave unto him the name which is above every name."

lucifer through self-aggrandizement would have seized upon the name of "the most high," only to gain the name "satan," the most despicable and despised of all names in the who's who of created beings. The Son of God through self-emptying and self-humbling took the human name "Jesus," which stands for the Saviourhood of the Cross; the name which God has written in letters of flame upon the pages of time and of eternity as above every name (Philippians 2:10).

"That in the name of Jesus" - "Unto us a child is born" - to die on Calvary's Cross as the world's Saviour.

Matthew 1:21: Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Name of Jesus! Highest Name!
Name that earth and heaven adore!
From the heart of God it came,
Leads me to God's heart once more.

"Every knee should bow." The worship of and authority over the kingdoms of this world falsely promised Jesus at the price of bending the knee to satan was freely given Him by His Father, whom He worshiped and served. Now the homage of the whole creation shall be His.

"Of things in heaven." All celestial beings shall bow before Him; the myriads of holy angels; the principalities and thrones and powers that share in the government of God's throne; shall all bow their knee before that peerless Name.

"Of things on earth." All earthly beings shall likewise bow the knee: dictators, kings, presidents, statesmen, people of every nation and tribe an class, rich and poor, literate and illiterate, elite and outcast, all without exception or exemption shall bow the knee before Him who is called Jesus.

"Of things under the earth." All infernal beings must own His kingship: every stubborn rebel, every willful, independent sinner, even satan and his captives in hell will be compelled to bow the knew at the name of Jesus. But the highest height of exaltation has not yet been reached (Philippians 2:11).

"Every tongue should confess:" No exemption is granted here. Every tongue must speak; the tongue of the cowardly dumb, of the stubbornly silent, of the blatantly rebellious, of the will-fully profane, even the tongue of the blasphemer. How joyfully will the tongue of the worshiping, adoring lovers of Jesus not only speak but sing! God, the Father, has determined what shall be the nature of their confession.

"That Jesus Christ is Lord." "Unto us a Son is given" to reign as sovereign Lord. Now in this present time everyone who has received Jesus as Saviour is to crown Him Lord. But a day is coming when He will sit upon His own throne and rule in His own right as King of kings, and Lord of lords. Then will be fulfilled the Word of Scripture: (Revelation 11:15; Revelation 5:13).

The Bondslave of the Father has become Lord of the universe. Peoples of every nation and tongue and tribe will publicly own the universal empire of the exalted Man Christ Jesus. The Man who voluntarily took the form of a bondslave rules as the preeminent Lord. All authority over all creatures in heaven and upon earth is His in His own blood-bought right. The Overcomer sits upon His own throne. The way up is down. The Cross is the way to the throne.

Revelation 3:21: "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."

~Ruth Paxson~

(The End)

(Next: "That Which is Born of the Spirit")

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