BRF Witness
Volume 13, Number 6
November/December 1978
JESUS CHRIST IS MAGNIFICENT
by Harold S. Martin
One who sets himself to the task of unfolding the wonders of Jesus has
undertaken an almost impossible job, because eternity itself can not suffice
to completely unfold Him. John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the Lamb
of God, baptized Him with the approval of Heaven, and then said of Jesus,
"He that cometh from above is above all" (John 3:31). Paul says to the
Philippians, "Wherefore God hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name
which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory
of God" (Philippians 2:9-10). It is true that some say we should not worship
Jesus, because He was not divine. But Jesus wants us to worship
Him.
Men of God down through the ages, refused to accept worship from other
human beings. When Cornelius fell on his knees before Peter and worshipped
him, Peter said, "Stand up, for I also am a man" (Acts 10:25); when the
Apostle John, overcome with emotion, fell down at the feet of the interpreting
angel to worship him, the angel said, "See thou do it not, for I am your
fellowservant ... worship God" (Revelation 22:9); when the people of Lystra
brought oxen and garlands and wanted to offer sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas,
the apostles rushed out among the crowd crying, "Why are you doing this?
We also are men of like passions with you" (Acts 14:15). We note that neither
men nor angels accepted worship from others. But when Thomas fell down
at the feet of the risen Christ and worshipped Him, and said "My Lord and
my God," Jesus accepted his worship. Jesus allowed Himself to be
worshipped as God. And just so He wants to become the idol of your heart.
You can never make too much of Jesus. He's the marvel of all marvels.
The Bible says of Him, "He that cometh from above is above all." Jesus
is the central subject of the Bible. All its types point to Him. All its
truths converge in Him. All its glories reflect Him. The central theme
of the Bible is the superiority of Jesus Christ. Abel's lamb was a type
of Christ. The Passover lamb in Egypt was a picture of Christ. The brazen
serpent in the wilderness was a shadow of Christ. Abraham saw His day and
rejoiced. Jacob called Him
"the Lawgiver of Judah." Moses called Him "the
Prophet that was to come." Job called Him, "my living Redeemer." Daniel
called Him "the Ancient of Days." Jeremiah called Him "the Lord our Righteousness."
Isaiah called Him "Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God." The prophet Haggai
called Him "the Desire of all nations." Anyone who reads the Old Testament
and doesn't see the many Scriptures that prophesy of Jesus to come must
surely read it with an unspiritual and an indifferent heart. And as for
the New Testament, Jesus Christ is everywhere on its pages. The very first
verse of Matthew says, "the book of the generation of Jesus Christ,'; and
the very last verse of the Revelation says, "the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you all." The first Name in the first verse of the first
book of the New Testament is Jesus, and the last Name in the last
chapter of the last book of the Bible, is Jesus. No wonder Paul
says in Philippians 1:20 "Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether
it be by life or by death."
1. JESUS IS MAGNIFICENT AS TO HIS ETERNAL SOURCE.
Jesus did not begin to exist when He was born of Mary. John 17:5 says
that Jesus "had glory with the Father before the world was." Jesus had
been present with God in the eternal ages before the world began. The birth
of Jesus in Bethlehem did not mark the beginning of a new person, but rather
it marked the incarnation of the eternal Son of God who had been present
with the Father, and "became flesh and dwelt among us." The life of Jesus
on earth was merely an episode between two eternities, one reaching back
before all creation, the other reaching forward forever. Jesus existed
long before He was born of Mary, for the Bible says, "In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; the same
was in the beginning with God" (John 1: 12). Back at the time when God
said, "Let there be light," Jesus was there. When God said, "Let us make
man in our own image," Jesus was there. And so we see that Jesus was the
Son of God long before He became the son of Mary.
Jesus was not just another man. He lived way back in the beginning when
everything was started. In fact, before the beginning began, Jesus was.
And because Jesus has always been with God, He knows all about us. He knows
how we are made. He knows the secrets of our hearts, He knows our needs,
and what's more, being God, He is able to supply them all. Surely Jesus
is magnificent, He is above all, there is none like Him, as to His eternal
source.
2. JESUS IS MAGNIFICENT AS TO HIS MIRACULOUS BIRTH.
The Bible declares that our Lord's mother was a virgin, that His conception
was miraculous, and that the agent of conception was the Holy Spirit. The
Bible says, "But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth His
Son, made of a woman . . ." (Gal. 4:4). The birth of Jesus was no ordinary
birth. When the Jewish virgin Mary went down into that mysterious land
of motherhood, she came back holding in her arms the only baby in all the
world who had never had an earthly father. No birth like this had ever
occurred before; no birth like this will ever occur again. Jesus (who made
man) was born in the likeness of men., Jesus (who created angels) was made
"a little lower than the angels." Jesus (who was before Abraham) was born
two thousand years after Abraham. Jesus (who was David's Lord) became David's
son. Jesus (who was the great Creator) was now born of the creature, woman.
By a creative act, God broke through the chain of normal human generation,
and brought into the world a supernatural Being, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Those who deny the virgin birth of Jesus, call it a scientific impossibility,
and so it truly is, but if your God is not any bigger than a group of unbelieving
scientists, you have a very small God indeed! If the birth of Jesus was
not supernatural, then He cannot be our Saviour, for then He was born a
sinner like all the rest of us, and then He needs salvation Himself. But
God was not limited to the ordinary. God is not bound by the laws of nature
which we have discovered. Take away the supernatural conception of Jesus
by the Holy Spirit (and put Joseph there instead) and you will have taken
away our only hope of a perfectly pure, sinless Saviour. We can't understand
it, but we can believe it. Jesus is magnificent, He is above all, as to
His miraculous birth.
3. JESUS IS MAGNIFICENT AS TO HIS PERFECT LIFE.
Jesus was perfect God and yet at the same time He was perfect man. As
man, He hungered; as God, He is the Bread of Life. As man, He said, "I
thirst"; as God, He says, "Let him that is athirst come unto me and drink."
As man, He was weary; as God, He gives rest to all who come to Him. As
man, He prayed; as God, He hears and answers our prayers. As man, He wept;
as God, He wipes away our tears. As man, He was tempted; as God, He did
not sin. Peter says, "Who
did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth" (1 Peter 2:22). The
life of no other man has been so carefully and so critically examined as
the life of Jesus, yet persons of all generations have confessed that Jesus
was the only perfect Man who ever lived. Those who journeyed. with Him
for three years were so thoroughly convinced of His deity that they were
willing to seal their testimony with their own lives, for His sake. Not
a single time did He ever utter a word that He had to take back. Not even
His bitterest enemies, though they hounded His footsteps day and night
to trap Him, none could ever find anything for which to accuse Him. His
own challenge in John 8:46 was this: "Which of you convicteth Me of sin?"
The thief on the cross was compelled to admit, "This man hath done nothing
amiss" (Luke 23:41). Even Judas, the one who betrayed Him came with that
bloodmoney and threw it at the feet of the Sanhedrin, saying, "I have betrayed
innocent blood." And Pilate, the one who sat in the judgment seat and passed
sentence on Him, three times over declared, "I find no fault in Him." Every
man has some good points, but Jesus has them all! Jesus is magnificent,
He is above all, as to His perfect life.
4. JESUS IS MAGNIFICENT AS TO HIS SUPERNATURAL POWER.
Jesus had such mighty power in the tip of His finger, that when Peter
drew the sword and slashed off the ear of the high priest's servant, Jesus
immediately touched the ear, and it was healed. And no marvel, for actually
He created the ear in the first place. John says in chapter 1, verse 3,
"All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that
was made." Who conceived the grace of the young deer? Who conceived of
the majesty of the mountains? Who put the song in the throat of the mockingbird?
One Name answers all these questions, the precious name of Jesus.
When He stood before the disciples on the Mount of Olives (just before
He ascended into Heaven), He said, "All power is given unto Me in heaven
and in earth" (Matthew 28:18). Jesus walked on the waves, stilled the storms,
healed the lepers, raised the dead, and opened the eyes of the blind. Jesus
never met a blind man without giving him sight. Jesus never met a dumb
man without making him speak. He never met a leper without cleansing him.
He never met a cripple without making him walk. Jesus never approached
a funeral procession without breaking it up. And-do you know that no one
ever died in the presence of Jesus? Even Martha told Jesus, after her brother
Lazarus had died, "Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother (would) not
have died" (John 11:21).
Jesus meets every need. He satisfies every desire. lie hushes every
fear. He calms every trouble. He is the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the
Valley, the Balm of Gilead, the Fairest of ten thousand to the soul. He
is the Word of God, the Son of God, the Heir of God, the Chosen of God,
the Lamb of God, the Wisdom of God, the Power of God, the Gift of God,
the Bread of God, the Image of God, the Mighty God. He created the worlds.
He changes the destiny of nations. He has power over death and disease.
The Bible says that even the wind and the sea obey Him! Jesus is magnificent,
He is above all, as to His supernatural power.
5. JESUS IS MAGNIFICENT AS TO HIS AUTHORITATIVE TEACHING.
Matthew says at the close of the Sermon on the Mount, "And it came to
pass when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at
His doctrine for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the
scribes" (Matt. 7:28-29). The scribes were the learned men and teachers
of the Jewish nation. They were largely Pharisees who taught chiefly the
sentiments of the Rabbis, and the traditions which had been handed down
from the fathers. They spent much of their time in vain disputes, and in
quoting authorities. But Jesus of Nazareth spoke so differently. There
was an air of complete and final authority about all that He said. He never
said, "I suppose this is the way it should be," or "It is probably this
way," or "Consult the experts on the subject." Jesus Christ is the authority
on every subject! Jesus over and over again, said, "But I say unto you,"
not, "So-and-so said."
Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount by saying, "Blessed are the poor
in spirit," and then, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." There is no
doubt about it. There is no question about it. It is not mere supposition.
"Theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Jesus can claim this unique authority
because He is the Son of God. His wisdom is from above. Jesus was not the
product of the educational centers of His time. He never spent long weary
hours at the feet of some learned master. He had never been granted
a "preaching license" by the Sanhedrin. No one needed to lug an unabridged
dictionary after him to find out what He meant. And yet His teachings
have never been fully penetrated, simply because His wisdom was from above.
Jesus is magnificent, He is above all, as to His authoritative teaching.
6. JESUS IS MAGNIFICENT AS TO HIS SACRIFICIAL SUFFERING.
Great men of this world may be valued for their lives, but Jesus is
known above all for His death. The blood atonement of Jesus is the scarlet
cord running through every page in the entire Bible. Cut the Bible anywhere
and it bleeds. It is red with redemption truth. His death was prophesied
in the Garden of Eden. His death was pictured in the sacrifices of Israel.
'Jesus spoke of His death when He said, "For this cause came I into the
world."
There are 255 verses in the New Testament that refer directly to the
death of Christ. One-fifth of the Gospel according to Matthew, and almost
one-half of John's Gospel is a record of the last week leading up to the
Cross. Contrast this with the records of the lives of great men. One edition
of The Encyclopedia Britannica contains a 16,000 word article on Napoleon
Bonaparte--and the only thing that is said about the death of this
most powerful personality that appeared since the Reformation, is this:
"Napoleon died on the morning of May 5 in his fifty-second year. His body
was dressed in his favorite uniform." And that's it; only nineteen words;
that's all it says. The death of Napoleon (you see) was not especially
important. But the death of Jesus Christ is of supreme value.
On that afternoon when the sky was darkened, and the sun hid its face,
and the veil of the temple was rent in twain, and the Son of God cried
out, "It is finished" -on that great day, the price of our redemption was
paid. And now, because of His magnificent suffering, Jesus can reach down
into the pit of corruption and lift the sinner up from the miry clay, and
wash him white in the fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's
veins.
That was no ordinary death that Jesus died. That was God Almighty taking
upon Himself the sin of a fallen race! "He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities. . the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity
of us all" (Isaiah 53:5-6). Jesus bore my sins in His own body on the tree.
Jesus stood where I should have stood. The pains of Hell that were my portion,
were heaped upon Him! Thank God that we can sing.
"The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day,
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away."
Surely, Jesus is magnificent, He is above all, there is none like Him,
as to His sacrificial suffering.
7. JESUS IS MAGNIFICENT AS TO HIS PROMISED RETURN.
As surely as Jesus came the first time, so certain is it that He will
come again. One of these days Jesus will come in all His glory, and all
His holy angels with Him. In the 260 chapters of the New Testament, the
second coming of Jesus is mentioned 318 times. If the Bible is true, this
wonderful Jesus is going to come again! "Be ye therefore ready also, for
the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not" (Luke 12:40).
First Jesus will descend from Heaven, and from the air above, He will
call out His saints and take them with Him to the Father's house in Heaven.
And then, sometime later, at the close of the Great Tribulation, Jesus
will come riding upon a white horse, crowned with many crowns. He will
bring an end to the battle of Armageddon. He will destroy the reign of
the Antichrist. He will cast the devil into the bottomless pit. And He
will set up His own kingdom upon the earth and bring peace and order to
this tortured old planet. When we think of His promised return, our hearts
should fill up with the glorious old song:
"All hail the power of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.
Let every kindred, every tribe, on this terrestrial ball,
To Him all majesty ascribe, and crown Him Lord of all."
When Jesus comes again in power and great glory, He will be the Judge
from Heaven who will "bring every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:14).
The books will be opened; the secrets of ail hearts will be brought to
light. No wonder the second coming of Jesus is made the basis of every
appeal to high and holy living in the New Testament. In Hebrews 10:25,
when we urged "not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together," it's
because we "see the day" of the Lord approaching. In 1 Corinthians 11:26,
when we are told to partake of the Communion bread, it's because "ye do
show the Lord's death until He come." In 2 Timothy 4:2, when the young
minister is urged to "preach the word," it's because Christ shall judge
the quick and the dead "at His appearing and His kingdom." In Titus 2:12,
when we are urged to live clean and pure lives, it's because we are "looking
for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the great God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ." The Second Coming of Jesus is made the basis of
appeal for every New Testament plea to high and holy living.
Jesus is the Light of the World, the Bread of Life, the True Vine, the
Good Shepherd, the Door to Heaven; He is the Faithful Witness, the First
Begotten of the dead, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Alpha and
Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the Ending, the Lord who
is, who was, and who is to come-the Almighty. This Jesus whom we love and
serve is peerless, matchless, incomparable, magnificent! He has no equal!
He's above all! There is no other that can be compared with Him!
The question we must honestly face right now, is the one concerning
His supremacy in our lives. Where have you placed this magnificent Jesus
whom God hath highly exalted? Are you giving Him the highest place? Or
are you putting your family, your business, your pleasure ahead of Him?
Where do you place Jesus in your love? Jesus is supreme in every other
realm, how can we forbid Him complete reign over the little empire of our
hearts?
And if you have never accepted Him; if you-have been saying, "I want
to run my own life; I want to paddle my own canoe; I want to be king of
my own castle," remember this: There is a day coming when every knee shall
bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory
of God. And the Bible says (Philippians 2:9-11) that this will include
all beings in heaven, in earth, and in hell beneath.
During the trial of Jesus, Pilate raised the question, "What shall I
do then with Jesus who is called Christ?" That is the question you are
being asked today. What will you do with Jesus? Your answer will determine
your eternal destiny. You are either going to be forever with Him,
or forever without Him. Today the question is, "What will you do
with Jesus?" If you reject Him all your life and die without Him, the question
someday will be (not "What shall I do with Jesus?"), but "What will He
do with me?" Believe the Gospel, repent, and be baptized today.