I recently was reading a devotional from Charles Spurgeon. It was entitled, Christ's Glory
With Spurgeon's words as the backdrop, I reworked some of the language to make it my own...It is Spurgeon who brillantly paved the way with his words that I used.
This last Sunday I finished the Gospel's story of Jesus with his Resurrection and Ascension. The week before we looked at the Cross. As I said yesterday there is so much that I could have said about Jesus and didn't. Trying to do an overview of the story of the Bible - a panoramic view - is filled with difficulties...and for the most part I struggle to say it effectively.
Still in my reading Spurgeon said is so well...and with my editing, I repeat it here for you:
1 Timothy 3:16
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
We have just seen the Lord Jesus in the days of His flesh,
humiliated and scorned: "He was
despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief."1(Isaiah 53). He whose brightness from eternity past was as
the morning “emptied himself”
(Philippians 2) and wore the
sackcloth of sorrow as His earthly clothing.
He came as a servant, as one
who came to willingly lay down his life
(John 10). Among the Jewish leaders shame
was His belt, and being rejected was an everyday event.
None of it deterred him from God’s Purpose for
his coming – the Cross. In his
humiliation, he triumphed over all the powers of darkness upon that bloody cross; and now our faith sees Him Exalted, and someday returning, robed in the
splendor of victory.
How glorious He must have been in the eyes of the angels,
when a cloud received Him out of sight and He ascended to heaven! Now He wears
the glory that He had with God the Father before creation, and yet another glory above
all—that which He has earned in the fight against sin, death, and hell.
As
victor He wears the illustrious crown. Listen to the heavenly song: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, for
by Your blood You ransomed people for God!” (Revelation 5)
He wears the
glory of an Intercessor who can never fail,
of a Prince who can never be
defeated,
of a Conqueror who has defeated every foe,
of a Lord who has the
allegiance of every subject.
Jesus wears all the glory that heaven can bestow upon
Him - all that ten thousand times ten thousand angels can minister to Him. We cannot with the utmost stretch of imagination conceive of His exceeding
greatness; yet there will be a further revelation of it when He shall descend
from heaven in great power, with all the holy angels—"Then he will sit on his glorious throne" (Matt. 25:31) The
splendor of that glory seen will stun the hearts of His people.
This isn't the
end, for eternity will sound His praise. "Your
throne, O God, is forever and ever!" (Psalm 45:6).
If you would
rejoice in Christ's glory then, He must be glorious in your
sight now. I hope He is!
Peace
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