High and lifted up

Fom the sermon preached May 6, 2012

High and lifted up. Jesus is high and lifted up. One of the great themes of the New Testament and the declaration of the church is that Christ is high and lifted up. One of the things that I think the church –and I mean the church in general, has lost or at least set aside, is that Christ I high and lifted up –he is exalted, he is holy, he is the king of kings and lord of lords.
If you are a regular attendee at LBC you may go, huh? We lift Jesus, we exalt him. And you would be right. We do, but as I look at many churches, particularly those that are amoung the post-modern and emergent movement, I see Jesus reduced to a moral, feel good guide to how we are to live. And I do not want to dismiss that Jesus is that –he does teach and guide and help us.
But Jesus was in time past –God. (John 1:1) Jesus was God come in flesh John 1:14. He is high and lifted up and exalted in the heavenly realms today and forever. (Ephesians 1).
When we lose sight of the glory and the splendor and the wonder of His majesty, His exalted place, it affects our worship, our prayers, our mission, our obedience.
And we lose the power and the impact of what he has done for us. The scriptures –both old and new testament, proclaim the deity, the god-ness, of Christ Jesus. This past week I thought and prayed long on what to share this morning. What kept coming to my heart was share about the wonder and majesty of Jesus. In part it came from the message last week and the song we sang –open the eyes of my heart, Lord. One verse says, “to see him high and lifted up, shining in the light of his glory”
The writer of that song took the image right out of Ephesians 1. Let me read from verses 20-23. Peter, who witnessed the glory of Christ revealed on the mount of transfiguration, Peter who fell at the feet of the risen Lord, Peter who saw Jesus lifted up into the heaven with the promise of return, Peter wrote “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through Him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” (I Peter 1:20-21)
John, the beloved disciple, who also saw Jesus glorified, raised and lifted writes, of the great vision he had of heaven, Revelation 5:11-14.
He is worthy, he is exalted, he is high and lifted up. He is the lamb that was slain, the righteous one of God. He was the perfect sacrifice, the perfect payment for our sin. He was and is the one who angels sing out to –worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength, honor and glory and praise!”
It is because Jesus is worthy, it is because he is high and exalted, it is because he is the lamb that we sing “To him who sits on the throne, the lamb, be praise and honor and glory and power forever and forever, AMEN!”
This praise come from the lips of men –the ones who are saved. And I notice there is no mention of how it is to be sung, only that it is to be sung! It could be in Gregorian chant or operatic symphony, in 4 part harmony or caribean cadence. Perhaps in one, perhaps in all, no matter the way it is the focus –Jesus, high and lifted up, Jesus exalted and glorified.
Perhaps it will be in one voice –unison, or perhaps a cacophony of sound risen in joy and reverberation from every language known –the focus is Christ.
To see Jesus high and lifted up affects our worship –we come to worship Him, to honor him, to lift him and declare His name. To see him high and lifted up affects how we see communion –not just as a remembrance but as a declaration, as worship. Imagine, this creator of the universe, this god come in flesh, this one to whom the angels sing, this one who has all of creation beneath his feat, this son of God, the most high God, who loves us so much, who cares for us so much, this awesome wonder, who became our friend and went to the cross –took our sin, our separation, our death. This wonder of wonders who said, this is my body –which knew no sin, is broken for you. This wonder of wonders who said, this is my blood –which washes away your sin, if given for you. Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength, honor and glory and praise!
To see him high and lifted up affects not only our worship but our lives. To see Jesus high and lifted up affects our actions –whatever you say or do, do it for His glory! To see Jesus high and lifted up affects our world view because suddenly the things of earth will grow strangely dim –in the light of His glory and grace.
Oh, that the eyes of our heart will be opened to Jesus –high and lifted up. Oh that the eyes of our heart will be opened to the lamb who is on the throne. Oh that the eyes of our heart will be opened.
The writer of Ephesians indicates that worship, the lifting of His name, the honor and glory of Christ is even why we are saved (1:6, 1:13-14, 2:7-10) Our proper response to our salvation is to worship our Lord, to praise his name, to lift him up, to glorify him. We have the benefit of being saved from hell, but we have the purpose of bringing glory to Him! (Eph 3:20-21)
But even more, do we pray for the eyes of the hearts of his church to be opened. That the eyes of the hearts of his people will once again capture the wonder and the majesty and the glory of Christ. That his church will see –will see! And know! And praise! The one in whim we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance to the riches of God’s grace that he lavished (I love that word) on us.
In the past while I have read several books and articles about the decline of worship in the churches of the western world. And one of the primary reason I see stated over and over is because we have a depreciation of God and a sinful apathy towards the glory and majesty of Christ. Worship is honor and adoration directed towards God! When we fail to lift up our Lord, we fail to worship. Open the eyes of our hearts lord –that we may see Christ who has been raised form the dead and is seated at the right hand of the father in the heavenly realms.
Halleluia, what a savior! Halelluia –what a savior.