DRAWING NEAR
January 29
Exalting Christ
God "seated [Christ] at His right hand in the heavenly places"
(Eph. 1:20).
Christ occupies the highest place of power, prominence,
authority, and honor.
To exalt someone is to elevate that person in status, dignity, power,
and honor. As God, Jesus possesses all power and authority, and is
deserving of all honor and glory. But when He was on earth most
people refused to give Him the glory He deserves. Instead they mocked
and eventually murdered Him.
Just prior to His death, Jesus prayed to the Father, "Glorify Thou Me
together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee
before the world was" (John 17:5). The Father answered that prayer by
giving Him an exalted name and an exalted position.
Paul wrote, "God highly exalted [Christ], and bestowed on Him the
name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on the earth, and under
the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11).
Hebrews 1:3 adds that when Christ had made purification of sins, He
sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Old Testament
priests didn't sit down while on duty because their work was never
finished. Repeated sacrifices were necessary because of the priest's
own sins and the sins of the people. Christ, on the other hand, made
one all-sufficient sacrifice, then sat down. His atoning work was
completed.
The "right hand" of God is a metaphor for the highest place of power,
prominence, authority, and honor. From that exalted position Christ
reigns as the sovereign Lord of the universe.
There's one aspect of Christ's exaltation that we as believers can
participate in right now. David said, "O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt His name together" (Ps. 34:3). Psalm 99:5 adds,
"Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool." Praise and
worship the Lord. Be generous in praising Him today, for He is
worthy!
Suggestions for Prayer:
Read Psalm 34 and exalt the Lord for all the benefits He demonstrates
on behalf of His people.
For Further Study:
Read Colossians 3:1-4
1. Describe your position in Christ (vv. 1, 3).
2. What should be the focus of your life (v. 2)?
3. When ultimately will God vindicate your faith in Christ (v. 4)?
4. What must you do to be exalted by God (see James 4:10; 1 Peter
5:6)?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Psalm 34 (NKJV)
1 I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually
be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of
it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my
fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not
ashamed.
6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out
of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And
delivers them.
8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who
trusts in Him!
9 Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who
fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the
LORD shall not lack any good thing.
11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of
the LORD.
12 Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may
see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open
to their cry.
16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, To cut off the
remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out
of all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such
as have a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers
him out of them all.
20 He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous
shall be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who
trust in Him shall be condemned.
Colossians 3:1-4
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are
above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear
with Him in glory.
James 4:10
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
1 Peter 5:6
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may
exalt you in due time
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
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http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
http://www.gty.org/Gospel/
http://www.nwbible.org/
To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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