Only One (No greater king than Jesus) “…[N]ow, Father, glorify Me along with Yourself and restore Me to such majesty and honor in Your presence as I had with You before the world existed.” – John 17:5 (AMP) [Jesus], although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, but stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross! – Philippians 2:6-8 (AMP) In light of the subject of this particular devotional, let’s begin with the idea found in John 17, verse 5; that is, Jesus had “majesty and honor” (/“glory” NKJV) with God the Father “before the world existed.” Jesus, before He came (and we came to know Him in the flesh as “the Christ,” as “Jesus of Nazareth,” that is, of course), shared in the majesty/honor/glory of His Father in heaven. In essence, Jesus was of royalty even before His time among us in the flesh. (Concerning this idea of “royalty,” this is why even the wise men “from the East” could not deny the ‘extent’ of Jesus’ royalty even as a babe: i.e., “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him” [Matthew 2:2].) But notice once again what the apostle Paul states about Jesus in the context of this great eternal majesty of His: “He was like God in every way, but he did not think that his being equal with God was something to use for his own benefit. Instead, he gave up everything, even his place with God. He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form (Phil. 2:6-7 ERV). Wow! Christ, full of majesty/honor/glory, decided that in that majesty it wasn’t too much for Him to “humble Himself”—becoming like one of us in the flesh; obeying His heavenly Father in the flesh to “the point of death, even the death of the cross” (NKJV)! And as a result of the reality of what He did in the flesh while He was among us, as the author of Hebrews states, “he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him (Hebrews 5:9 ESV). Now in light of what has been stated above, let me ask you this: What royal dignitary do you know of who has gone to greater lengths than Jesus in relation to personal sacrifice for the sake of all people? Oh yes, I am sure that there have been noble gestures in the past concerning certain sacrifices by one royal dignitary or another for the sake of his (or her) own people. But how about for the sake of one’s enemies as well? (E.g., Rom. 5:10.) –How about for those who utterly “despised and rejected” Him (Isa. 53:3)? (As Romans 5:7-8 simply states: “Now it is rare to find someone willing to die for an upright person, although it’s possible that someone may give up his life for one who is truly good. But think about this: while we were wasting our lives in sin, God revealed His powerful love to us in a tangible display—the Anointed One [Jesus] died for us” [The Voice].) As this season naturally causes many of us to look a little more closely (more than usual, no less) to that scene of a babe in a manger in Bethlehem, may we seek to keep in mind as well why that particular babe came in the first place—to ultimately “give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45b; i.e., “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” [Luke 2:11]; “…and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” [Matt. 1:21]). Yes, truly, as the angels sang that night to the lowly shepherds in the field: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14) For Jesus—the greatest King of all!—has come and dwelt among men! (E.g., “… [A]nd they shall call His name Immaunuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” –Matthew 1:23b NKJV) Let Him be praised! –Amen.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 15:03:35 +0000
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