EXALT JESUS 1
EXALT JESUS July 6, 2014 Sermn in a sentence: Mre than anything else, r anyne else, we need t exalt Jesus! Scriptures: (NKJV) Jhn 3:14; Jhn 12:27-33; (Num 21:4-9); Phil 2:5-11; 2 Cr. 5:14-19; Rev 4:2-11; Rev 5:8-14; Rev 7:9-12 The first presidential inauguratin ceremny fr President Obama was attended by apprximately 1.5 millin peple frm arund the wrld, with the cst f the festivities exceeding $150MM. 1 This was all t exalt ne man just a man, (albeit a natinal president) but just anther human being. T exalt means t raise n high; lift up; elevate. T raise in rank, character, hnr. T glrify r praise; pay hnr t. (Webster s) Humanity readily exalts thse wh excel in wealth, pwer and ability. Gd, n the ther hand has nly ever exalted ONE! Yes, Ench, Elijah and Mses had sme interesting experiences, but nly ONE has been exalted. This ONE was highly exalted, lifted up and glrified, nt because f wealth, pwer and ability, but because f a crss! As the wrd f Gd tells us: 1 http://www.factcheck.rg/2009/01/cmparinginauguratin-csts/, accessed 10/27/2012 2
Philippians 2:5-11 (NKJV) Let this mind be in yu which was als in Christ Jesus, 6 wh, being in the frm f Gd, did nt cnsider it rbbery t be equal with Gd, 7 but made Himself f n reputatin, taking the frm f a bndservant, and cming in the likeness f men. 8 And being fund in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became bedient t the pint f death, even the death f the crss. 9 Therefre Gd als has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is abve every name, 10 that at the name f Jesus every knee shuld bw, f thse in heaven, and f thse n earth, and f thse under the earth, 11 and that every tngue shuld cnfess that Jesus Christ is Lrd, t the glry f Gd the Father. It is ften brught t ur remembrance that the birth f Jesus was an incredible event, but it wuld have meant nthing fr us withut His death n ur behalf. Therefre, we nw als jin with the eternal Spirit f Gd the Father in exalting, glrifying and elevating the wrk f His Sn Jesus Christ. Let s lk at it anther way. (And let me highlight fr yu that this is ne f the mst imprtant planks in the fundatin f apstlic dctrine). Jesus Christ is nne ther than the eternal Gd in a human bdy the visible, fleshly manifestatin f the Almighty Gd. Emmanuel, Gd with us, the fullness f the Gdhead bdily as Isaiah and Paul taught us. S therefre, when we speak f Gd exalting Jesus, we re really speaking f Gd exalting Himself and shwing us what He really deems t be the mst imprtant facet f His character, His purpse and His wrk. Believe it r nt, saving yu and me is what exalts Gd in His wn mind! In truth and in fact, Gd was in Christ, recnciling us t Himself: 3
2 Cr 5:14-19 NKJV Fr the lve f Christ cmpels us, because we judge thus: that if One died fr all, then all died; 15 and He died fr all, that thse wh live shuld live n lnger fr themselves, but fr Him wh died fr them and rse again. Therefre, frm nw n, we regard n ne accrding t the flesh. Even thugh we have knwn Christ accrding t the flesh, yet nw we knw Him thus n lnger. 17 Therefre, if anyne is in Christ, he is a new creatin; ld things have passed away; behld, all things have becme new. 18 Nw all things are f Gd, wh has recnciled us t Himself thrugh Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry f recnciliatin, 19 that is, that Gd was in Christ recnciling the wrld t Himself, nt imputing their trespasses t them, and has cmmitted t us the wrd f recnciliatin. This is why every persn and spirit will bw at the name f Jesus. Everyne will bw in exaltatin f the saving wrk f Jesus Jehvah wh Saves! This was nt an easy, glamrus r desirable prcess. This exaltatin, glrificatin and lifting up demanded a crss (Jhn 3:14 (Num. 21:4-9); Jhn 12:27-33. Jhn 3:14 (NKJV) And as Mses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even s must the Sn f Man be lifted up, Jhn 12:27-33 (NKJV) "Nw My sul is trubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me frm this hur'? But fr this purpse I came t this hur. 28 Father, glrify Yur name." Then a vice came frm heaven, saying, "I have bth glrified it and will glrify it again." 29 Therefre the peple wh std by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spken t Him." 30 Jesus answered and said, "This vice did nt cme because f Me, but fr yur sake. 31 Nw is the judgment f this wrld; nw the ruler f this wrld will be cast ut. 32 And I, if I am lifted up frm the earth, will draw all 4
peples t Myself." 33 This He said, signifying by what death He wuld die. Jesus reminded the peple that Mses had made a brass serpent during Israel s sjurn in the wilderness f Egypt as a means fr the peple t be saved frm the judgment f Gd. He raised the serpent high n a ple and all wh lked at it were saved frm death. Jesus made the pint that in a similar fashin, He Himself wuld be lifted up n a crss, and in s ding wuld draw all peple t Himself. This wuld be their means f redemptin and deliverance frm the wages f their sins, which is death (Rm 6:23). S, tday, and every day, we shuld be engaged in exalting Jesus fr the great wrk He has dne in ur lives and fr His incredible gift f salvatin, purchased fr us with His wn bld. This is a big deal! This demands ur full attentin and gratitude. This requires an active, fcused, reasned respnse t ur Saviur f thanksgiving, wrship and praise. Jhn did nt simply recrd the fact that Jesus wuld be lifted up t draw all peple t Himself. He als was privileged t see int the future as the angels, elders, heavenly creatures and saints f Gd gather arund His thrne in heaven. He even recrds fr us the wrds f exaltatin, glrificatin and wrship frm this amazing gathering: - We acknwledge Gd s existence: Revelatin 4:8 (NKJV) The fur living creatures, each having six wings, were full f eyes arund and within. And they d nt rest day r night, saying: "Hly, hly, hly, Lrd Gd Almighty, Wh was and is and is t cme!" 5
- We acknwledge His rle as creatr: Revelatin 4:11 (NKJV) "Yu are wrthy, O Lrd, t receive glry and hnr and pwer; Fr Yu created all things, And by Yur will they exist and were created." - We acknwledge His rle as redeemer: Rev. 5:9 (NKJV) And they sang a new sng, saying: "Yu are wrthy t take the scrll, And t pen its seals; Fr Yu were slain, And have redeemed us t Gd by Yur bld Out f every tribe and tngue and peple and natin - We acknwledge His grace in elevating us t the psitin f kings and priests: Rev. 5:10 (NKJV) And have made us kings and priests t ur Gd; and we shall reign n the earth." - We acknwledge His wrthiness t receive ur wrship: Rev. 5: 12 (NKJV) "Wrthy is the Lamb wh was slain t receive pwer and riches and wisdm, and strength and hnr and glry and blessing!" - We acknwledge His wrthiness t receive ur wrship frever: Rev. 5:13 (NKJV) And every creature which is in heaven and n the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and hnr and glry and pwer Be t Him wh 6
sits n the thrne, And t the Lamb, frever and ever!" We jin tgether in exalting Jesus tday! *********************************************************** Sngs: I Lve Yu Lrd / We Exalt Thee Ttal Praise I m ging t lift up the name f Jesus Lift Him Up, Lift Him Up 7