Crowning Jesus Jim Smith Jim Smith. June 2015 This material may be downloaded and copied for personal, group or church use. It is not to be changed and it is not to be sold. jimsmithghana@yahoo.co.uk kayisefa.gh@gmail.com For U.K. see the CROWNING ENGLAND page on www.prioryfellowship.org For Ghana see the CROWNING JESUS page on www.touchingthesoul.org 1
Introduction The Crowning project is growing in England and in Ghana. But is it biblically based? It is so important that our ministries are biblically and theologically correct. In this material I have tried to put Crowning into such a framework, so that we can be sure that we are standing on firm ground as we proclaim Jesus Christ is Lord. Index The crowning - exalting his name The Crowning - the authority to be crowned The Crowning the triumph of the Crowned One Crowning - what we lost Re-crowning - The name Crowning what happens now? Jesus Christ is Lord 2
* Crowning exalting the Name The lifting up of God, - the crowning - begins with his exaltation. The key passages for this are Isaiah 6 and Revelation chapter 5. Here is the passage from Isaiah:- Old Testament In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6:1-4) This passage gives us the key elements in Old Testament exaltation:- * High and exalted. The Lord is King above all kings, and Lord above all Lords. He should have all honour and praise from those who love him. He gets this from the Seraphim, the fiery ones who have unique love for him. He should get the same from his creation, not because he forces it, but because he deserves it. * Seated on a throne. The Lord is king, and Lord of all. * Train of robe filled the Temple. The greatness of the Lord is not restricted to time or place. His glory fills the earth, as his train fills the Temple. * Above him were the Seraphim. The Seraphim are the fiery ones. ( The seraphim burn with incomparable love. Gregory the Great.) They exist only to exalt God. They give us an example to follow. * Holy. The One who is exalted is holy. This word means different, separate, and uniquely pure. It is hard for us to appreciate this holiness, but we are able to live in its healing shadow. 3
The Lord is not just holy. He is Trinitarian holy Holy, Holy, Holy. This great surge of pure holy light challenged the spirit of Isaiah, who saw in this light his own true state. * Lord Almighty. The Lord is Yahweh Sabaoth which means The Lord of Hosts is with us. This name denotes His universal sovereignty over every army, both spiritual and earthly. The Lord of Hosts is the King of all heaven and earth. (Psalm 24:9-10; Psalm 84:3; Isaiah 6:5). * Whole earth full of his glory. This is the kabod (Glory) of the Lord, the mark of his purity and majesty. When the kabod is exposed, all humanity bows down and worships. (2 Chronicles 7:3) The whole earth is full of kabod. Every corner of the physical and spiritual realm is the Lord's. He is exalted in his creation because he is greater than every part of it. *Doorposts shook and temple was filled with smoke. The physical realm trembles at such power. It wasn't the last time - see Matt.7:51-53 New Testament The New Testament adds to our understanding of exaltation. Here is the passage from Revelation 5:- Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God s people. And they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God men from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth. Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: 4
Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise! Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever! The four living creatures said, Amen, and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Rev 5:6-end) What new things do we learn here? * And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Jesus is worthy of worship by all of heaven, just as is the Father and the Spirit. * You are worthy. Jesus is the Holy, Holy, Holy of Isaiah 6. He is the purifying fire of Malachi 3:2. He is without sin, (2 Cor.5:21) from everlasting to everlasting. (Rev 21:6) He is worthy! * Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise. He is not just worthy to take the scroll, but is worthy of all that heaven and earth can offer. * To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. The Trinity is worthy to be exalted. Our God is exalted. We worship the Lord of heaven and earth who also wants and longs to reign over England. But does he? 5
* Crowning - the authority to be crowned Jesus has earned the right to be crowned and to reign over England. Let s look at this passage:- Jesus, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:6-11) We have caught a glimpse of the exaltation of God in Isaiah, and of the Lord in Revelation. In Philippians, Apostle Paul shows us why lifting the name of the Lord is so powerful. * being in very nature God. His pre-existent willingness to save, his incarnation, his obedience, his sacrifice and his death have filled his name with all the power of O.T. and N.T. revelation of God. * Therefore God exalted him. Father has done for his Son what we must do for him here on earth. * Every knee shall bow. The name of Jesus has the power. The Red Sea, Jericho, the Philistines, Goliath, the stormy Galilee, Lazarus and Calvary all speak of this truth. The name is powerful, and we must learn to live under that name, making sure it is the covering over us and our lands. 6
* Crowning the triumph earned Jesus has his crown by the authority of the Father from heaven. He has earned it here on earth, in these ways:- * Nailed:- He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. (Col 2:13-14) * Redeemed:- For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18-19) * Making peace:- And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.(col 1:20) * Cleansing:- If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9) * Destroying:- Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death that is, the devil and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Hebs. 2:14-15) Jesus has his crown by right, and has sealed this right by his sacrifice. 7
* Crowning - what we lost It would take many books to get to the truth of what has happened to England. From a number of comments I have selected just a few to focus our minds:- * For indeed you need cleansing. You have so disappointed me. I placed you as a light to the nations. I longed that you might shine like the stars, a sign of my glory. Yet you have compromised yourself. The only Church in the Revelation which does not get criticised is Philadelphia, and the reason for it is simple - you have kept my word and not denied my name. (Rev.3:8) Compromise is the act of denying his name. Of course, we don t see it as such. We in England are very good at compromise. We call it negotiation and it is a very useful skill, enabling us to find our way round difficult issues. But there can be no negotiation with God s word, God s morality and God s standards. Yet we have compromised ourselves, and this has many consequences:- * We lose our position as salt and light. (Matthew 5:13) When the nation sees that we are flexible, then we can no longer challenge wrong thinking, and point out the better path. When we do this, the world replies, Oh don t worry. They will come round to our way of thinking. They always do. * The nation loses its beacon. (Philippians 2:15) When we compromise, we are not the only losers. How is a godless nation to know when it is straying from God s path, if God s people are straying as well? How is the nation to know right from wrong, if we abandon our position of moral absolutes? * God is denied by his people. (Revelation 3:7-8) This is the real heart of the issue. The church in Philadelphia was commended for not denying my name. The Church in England is getting the opposite - we are being judged for denying his name. 8
If we deny his name, not only do we lose all the good things he has stored up for us, but we are putting ourselves in a position where he will have to judge us, and that will be particularly painful. Perhaps the judgment has already begun. Restrictions on Christian teaching in many places, disregard for Christian teaching on the sanctity of life, blasphemy of the name of Jesus, deviant sexuality, weak moral leadership, corruption in national life and politics, millions of babies murdered, power and wealth ruling if this isn t a sign of imminent judgment, we might wonder what is. God calls for a radical stand to be taken by his people. There is no room for compromise, no flexibility on principles of purity, holiness, justice or morality. Do we think that this position is too harsh? Jesus pushed these principles to radical limits in the Sermon on the Mount. There we see the high demands of non-compromise. * You have been willing to lie down with the snake, saying we will be safe in the den of the serpent. And so you have been robbed of your power. The serpent has stolen your power. You have become tarnished, as blind as those you were meant to save. This is a very uncomfortable observation. If we have compromised our life and faith, we have acquiesced to the works of darkness, and as a consequence we have become blind ourselves. We won't be the first to make this mistake. Look at Sardis:- You say, I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so that you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so that you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so that you can see. (Rev 3: 17-18) How can the Lord assume his kingship over our land if we have become like Sardis? No wonder we are so weak and confused. What can be done? I have written much more extensively on this subject. See Is there any hope for England on the CROWNING ENGLAND page of www.prioryfellowship.org 9
* Re-crowning - The name We begin by putting Jesus back on his throne over England. We re-crown him. The name of Jesus is as powerful as it ever was. Here are a few reminders from the Bible about the power of the name:- * He shouted at the top of his voice, What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God s name don t torture me! (Mark 5:7) * He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, Quiet! Be still! Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. (Mark 4:39). * When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. (John 11:33-34) * Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) * She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her! At that moment the spirit left her. (Acts 16:18) * Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:9-11) The name of Jesus lifted over any situation can change that situation. The name is beyond time., It was, is and is to come. We need to have a new confidence in the name, and begin to use it. 10
* Crowning what happens now? Putting Jesus back on the throne of England is going to be a long and painful process. What has to happen? * The Spirit has to move At Mizpah, Israel began again when the Spirit moved in them to turn back to the Lord Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord. (1 Sam.7:2) This return can only happen when the Spirit moves. Perhaps we can urge that move of the Spirit. After all, He does want to glorify Jesus and recrowning Jesus would be a glorification. But we cannot demand it. It has to be a move of grace in the heart of God. * We have to be changed There is no quick fix here. Repentance - true life changing and sacrificial repentance has to follow the Spirit s moving. So Samuel said to all the Israelites, If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. (1 Sam.7:3) The Spirit responds to our hearts, and perhaps for the first time enough hearts are bleeding and crying for the loss of this land. But the Spirit has to move first. For too long we have told the Lord what to do, and that is a disaster. We can only plead for his moving, and allow the Spirit to intercede for us with sighs too deep for words We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. (Rom 8:26) 11
* Jesus Christ is Lord Our response What can we do? Why don t we start lifting the name of Jesus over England again? This will begin the process of re-crowning him. We have much to do but that does not stop us making a beginning. How can we do that? Jesus Christ is Lord As I was praying one day, the Lord spoke to me. Exalt my name in England he said. I began to think about this. Suppose, all over England, we began to proclaim the name of the Lord again. Three times a day- at 6.00 a.m., noon and 6.00 p.m. Wherever we were, we spoke out Jesus Christ is Lord. We would have to commit ourselves to doing it for the rest of our lives, and doing it wherever we were. If 2000 people committed to this, then 6000 times a day, Jesus Christ is Lord would be spoken into the heavens over England. Then I designed a card, and this is what I put on it:- It is time for God s people to lift the name of Jesus over England. Every day, at 6.00 a.m., 12.00 noon and at 6.00 p.m., speak out the name of Jesus, using the words on this card. If enough of us commit ourselves to doing this, the Lord will begin to take his position over Ghana again. His name will be lifted high, and his will become the centre of our Nation. On the front of the card I put JESUS CHRST IS LORD. 12
Since hearing from the Lord and beginning Crowning, thousands of cards have gone out all over Ghana, where Crowning started, and slowly they are beginning to spread over England. There is no organisation. The cards spread by personal recommendation, especially by friends giving them to friends. There is no back up, and no other agenda but proclamation. Only the Lord can make this work. A final vision The people sat down before the Lord. Glory flowed around, and they were refreshed. The Lord asked Where are the others? What others? they asked. I called to my people. I called for them to repent of their sin, and to come to me in repentance, so that I might know they have a new heart towards me. Now I see that so few have heard me. Lord they cried Surely we few are enough? We want you to wear your crown again. We want to be under your protection again. We want other names to be silenced. But so few he replied. Go and bring others. 13