The Savior – The Person of Jesus Christ

Learning to Love Christ Supremely   

 

1 Corinthians 16:22

If anyone does not love the Lord — a curse be on him. Come, O Lord! NASB

 

Jesus is Supremely Valuable

As we have stated above, Jesus Christ is supreme in all things. He is Lord over the entire Creation, being not only the Creator Himself, but also the sustainer of everything in existence.

Acts 17:24-25 – 24 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things; NASB

He is the very Lord of History, directing all things to fulfill the purposes for which He made them. Everything was made by Him and for Him, and therefore exists for His own purposes, pleasure and satisfaction.

Proverbs 16:4 – 4 The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil. NASB

Does not reason therefore demand that we understand Jesus Christ to be the most valuable being in existence? If He is the source of all other things, then He is infinitely more valuable than everything He has created! What thing in existence could it be said is of greater worth than the One who created it? The very thought is ridiculous. If Christ created the mountains and the valleys, are they of greater worth than He? If He made the most majestic, beautiful and powerful angels in Heaven, are they more beautiful than Him? If He made man and woman, the very pinnacles of His creative acts, and endowed them with splendor and beauty, intelligence and emotions and creative minds, are they more splendid or beautiful, more joyful and wise than the One who spoke them into existence? Of course the obvious answer is by all means NO! In Scripture the Psalmist wonders how God can be so gracious to mankind as to endow him with such gifts, and sees God the Creator as infinitely higher and exalted above mankind the creature.

Psalm 8:3-5 – 3 when I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him? 5 Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God, And dost crown him with glory and majesty! NASB

The fact of the matter is, Jesus Christ is infinitely more valuable than everything He has created. When we see the creature, we should see in it just a glimmer of the infinite majesty of the One who created it. The earth and the heavens, in all their glorious beauty, only show us a small portion of the infinite beauty of Christ their Creator! When we look at mankind, and see the virtues in us, lovely things which are valuable, we see only a dim reflection of the infinite virtue of Jesus Christ, the very source of all virtue and goodness in the creation. In Jesus is the fullness of every grace, goodness and virtue! He is altogether lovely! He is glorious in His perfections! He is infinitely wise and powerful and loving and righteous! He is supremely valuable! This is why the greatest commandment in all the Scripture is to…..

Matthew 22:37-38 – 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.‘  38 “This is the great and foremost commandment. NASB

This loving of our Lord is expressed briefly by the great Puritan Pastor Thomas Brooks…. “There is not only fulness, but an overflowing of fulness in Jesus Christ. All wisdom, all knowledge, all light, all life, all love, all goodness, all sweetness, all blessedness, all joys, all delights, all pleasures, all beauties, all beatitudes, all excellencies, all glories are in Christ. The true lovers of Christ know that Christ loves as a head, as a king, as a father, as a husband, as a brother, as a kinsman, as a friend. The love of all relations meets in the love of Christ; and this raises up a believer to love Christ with a transcendent love. They know that Christ loves them more than they love themselves; yea, that he loves them above his very life. And magnes amoris amor, love is the magnet of love. Christ is amiable and lovely; he is famous and conspicuous; he is spotless and matchless in his names, in his natures, in his offices, in his graces, in his gifts, in his revelations, in his appearances, in his ordinances. He is full of gravity, majesty, mercy, and glory. “He is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.” His mouth is sweetness; yea, all of him is desires, or all of him is delights, Song 5:10-16. Christ is wholly delectable; he is altogether desirable from top to toe; he is amiable and lovely, he is glorious and excellent. Christ is lovely, Christ is very lovely, Christ is most lovely, Christ is always lovely, Christ is altogether lovely. He is “the express image of God;” he is “the brightness of his Father’s glory.” If the soul can but discover him, it shall find in him all high perfections and supereminent excellencies. And upon these and such like considerations the saints are led forth to love Jesus Christ with a most transcendent love.” Now if these things be true, and they are, then our value system, the principles by which we value things, must come into conformity with what is truly valuable. Therefore if our affections are to be properly placed, they must be placed upon Him.

 

 

 

 

 

The Savior – The Person of Jesus Christ

The Supremacy of Christ in All Things  

 

Colossians 2:9-10

For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been

made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; NASB

 

Jesus is LORD in Authority

As the Scriptures speak of Jesus Christ there is no mistaking the clear portrait that it paints of His person. He is “Lord!” Without apology He is lifted up and proclaimed as the “Lord of all.”

Acts 2:36 – 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ —  this Jesus whom you crucified.” NASB

Romans 10:12 – 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; NASB

Revelation 17:14 – 14 “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” NASB

The word “lord” implies His authority. He is the supreme authority. Christ claims to have ALL authority in Heaven and on earth.

Matthew 28:18 – 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. NASB

This authority is described in no uncertain terms in the New Testament. The authority of Jesus Christ is the highest authority and He is in fact the Sovereign, the supreme authority in the universe. He is described as “the head over all rule and authority.”

Colossians 2:9-10 – 9 For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; NASB

 

Jesus is the Lord of Mankind and Angels

The fact that Jesus is the Lord over all intelligent beings in creation is clearly seen in Scripture. Jesus is held forth as possessing all authority and judgment for the express purpose that all mankind may honor Him.

John 5:22-23 – 22 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. NASB

He is clearly seen in the New Testament as having power over every angel, authority and dominion forever.

1 Peter 3:22 – Jesus Christ, 22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him. NASB

Ephesians 1:21-22 – 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. 22 and He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, NASB

Scripture makes emphatic statements about His authority over all things even going so far as to say that the eternal destiny of mankind, whether they have life after death, or perish in under God’s wrath forever, all hinge on their obedience to Him.

John 3:35-36 – 35 “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” NASB

The New Testament describes the fact that eventually all created intelligent beings will one Day give allegiance to Christ and verbally confess His Lordship over them.

Philippians 2:9-11 9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. NASB

The fact of the matter is, Jesus is Lord whether one recognizes it or not. Just because one has not submitted their life to Him, does not mean that one is not accountable to Him. For He will come to judge every person for the deeds done in the body, as the gospel declares. And He alone possesses the authority to determine one’s eternal destiny. Ultimately, every person that has ever lived will bow their knee before Jesus Christ and acknowledge Him as the Lord. That day will either be a day of glorious celebration for the faithful, or day of shocking terror for the wicked and unbelieving.

2 Timothy 4:1 – I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: NASB

Matthew 16:26-27 – 26 “For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds.  NASB

Dear reader, if you have never acknowledged Jesus as the Lord of your life, today is the day! You are not guaranteed tomorrow, and there will be no second chances on the other side of the grave. Turn from your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus, and He will give you eternal life! Reject Him and pay the wages of your sin, which is death, eternal separation from God and everything that is good.

John 3:18 – 18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. NASB

Matthew 13:41-43 – 41″The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. NASB

The door of God’s free grace and mercy is now wide open awaiting for you to walk through and be forgiven! Come to Christ in repentance and faith and be saved!

 

Jesus is the Lord of Providence and History

Because Jesus has existed eternally as God the Son in Heavenly Glory, and because His nature has not changed since the incarnation (He simply took on the additional nature as a man), He still possesses the full attributes of Deity, including all incommunicable attributes of God such as Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence. He is in fact the very agent of the Godhead in Creation and the Providential control of the universe. The Scripture plainly declares that Jesus Christ is the Creator of everything that exists, including everything that is visible and invisible which is to include “all things” in existence. These statements in Scripture are emphatic, exhaustive and comprehensive.

Colossians 1:15-16 – 15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things have been created by Him and for Him. NASB

Hebrews 1:2-3 – 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. NASB

John 1:3 – 3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. NASB

But notice that the primary reason for this stated in Colossians 1:18 is so that He might come to have “first place in everything.”

Colossians 1:17-18 – 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. NASB

That is that He might be the pre-eminent One, or that He would have Supremacy in All Things. This means that Jesus is the very Lord of History and that, because all things were created by Him and “for” Him, that all things exist for the “end” or “purpose” for which He made them, He being the proprietor and executor of His own works. Jesus is supreme in His person and being because He is the eternal God, the One Creator of all that exists, the man who is this God incarnated in human flesh, the focal point of human history, and the One for whom all things exist for His own purposes, to magnify and exalt His fame, beauty and power.

Charles Hodge comments….. “The person to whom they are to bow the knee is Jesus, not the Logos, but the God-man. And the acknowledgment which they are to make is, that He is Lord, i.e., their Lord, their absolute proprietor and Sovereign. It is in this sense also, that the Apostle says (Heb. i. 2), that God hath appointed the Son heir of all things. It is in virtue of this dominion over the universe that Christ is called Lord of lords and King of kings, i.e. the Sovereign over all other sovereigns in heaven and on earth. This universal authority is exercised in a providential control, and for the benefit of his Church. He employs the angels as ministering spirits, to minister to the heirs of salvation. He controls and restrains the principalities, powers, world-rulers, and spirits of wickedness. (Eph. vi. 12.) He overrules all the affairs of nations and of individuals to the same end. He directs all events concerning his people severally and his Church collectively. Paul constantly recognized this providential control of Christ as directing all his steps. Under the present dispensation, therefore, Christ is the God of providence. It is in and through and by Him that the universe is governed. This dominion or kingdom is to last until its object is accomplished, i.e., until all his enemies, all forms of evil, and even death itself is subdued. Then this kingdom, this mediatorial government of the universe, is to be given up.”

The fact that Jesus is the agent of God in Providence is clearly seen in Scripture. He literally “upholds all things by the word of His power” and “in Him all things hold together.” This means that all the molecules of the physical and non-physical universe are governed by Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1:3 – 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; NASB

Colossians 1:17 – 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. NASB

He is directing History to accomplish His purposes and is bringing it to an expected end, the end for which He planned and decreed that it should all exist, from before the ages began. The Scripture plainly declares that everything that happens is happening ultimately under the Sovereign Authority of God as He directs them so that in the end His purposes are fulfilled.

Paul affirms that God works “all things after the counsel of His will” and to His “ends.”

Ephesians 1:11-12 – 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. NASB

Romans 8:28 – 28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. NASB

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 – 3 Consider the work of God, For who is able to straighten what He has bent? 14 In the day of prosperity be happy, But in the day of adversity consider- God has made the one as well as the other So that man may not discover anything that will be after him. NASB

Daniel 4:34-35 – For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. 35 “And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What hast Thou done?’ NASB

Psalms 135:5-6 – 5 For I know that the LORD is great, And that our Lord is above all gods. 6 Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps. NASB

When Christ has accomplished His purposes, and the end of the ages arrives, His enemies will be dashed under His feet and Peace will reign forever.

1 Corinthians 15:22-28 – 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all. NASB