JESUS RULES!

Jesus rules!

Yes, in the language of slang, you can interpret that as meaning – He is really awesome.  Which is true, for sure.  But I'm talking about something else here.

His Authority.

Can you think of some people who have that aura of authority around them? Whose words ring with weight and wisdom?  Whose presence seems somehow larger-than-life?

These are some people on my list who have/had that certain quality about them:

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Billy Graham

C.S. Lewis

Ronald Reagan

John Wayne

Mother Teresa

The Apostle Paul


But at the absolute top of my list is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And He demonstrated His authority while on this earth in three ways:

1)  He showed authority over the natural world

2)  He showed authority over the physical body

3)  He showed authority over the spiritual realm


Let's expand on those ideas.

First of all, Jesus demonstrated His authority over the natural world. He turned water into wine, He calmed storms, He multiplied physical elements to produce food, He went on some pretty successful fishing trips.

In all of these encounters, Jesus exhibited His God-ness.  He spoke, and the natural world obeyed Him.

Have you ever pondered that deeply?

Jesus controlled atoms and molecules, space and time itself.  Since all things were created through Him and for Him, He spoke as the ultimate power over creation.  His words manipulated the very stuff of matter.  On His word, the natural world bowed to its Master.


Secondly, Jesus demonstrated His authority over the physical body.  He healed the lame, opened the eyes of the blind, cured leprosy, and even raised the dead!

Jesus did what no doctor can do.

He instantly made disability and disease and death disappear.  Poof!  Just like that.

And yet, isn't it rather amazing that He didn't use that power and authority to save His own life?  He could have, you know.  With a word.  Poof!  Just like that.

But He intentionally set aside His authority and gave up His life willingly for a greater purpose than His own safety and healing.

He instead chose to heal the world, and ultimately offer the eternal healing of a resurrected body just like His own.


Finally, Jesus demonstrated His authority over the spiritual realm.  At His word, demons were instantly cast out.  At His word, the devil was spurned. At His word, angels could be summoned to do His every command.

He had the ability to rule the world, and all the heavens, with the power of His will and the direction of His voice.

Jesus had direct access to the Father, instant communion and communication with the Almighty.  He knew the Holy Spirit intimately.


In this Advent season, I'm thinking about this Jesus.

The Jesus who possessed such power and authority.  The Jesus who had command over the natural world, the physical body, and the spiritual realm.

The Jesus who could have come to this world as a mighty conqueror, wielding His power in any way He wanted to, exercising His authority to rule over everything.

And yet, the Jesus who chose instead to come into our world as a baby.

No wonder the world was puzzled, and mystified, and angered by who He was.  He was NOT who they had expected.

The nation of Israel, and perhaps indeed all of humanity, had been looking for a messiah.

What they got was The Messiah.

They wanted a powerful savior, yes.  But they wanted a man.  A man who would exercise power and authority in the political world.  They wanted a man who would restore the nation of Israel.

They wanted a man who would give them back their OWN power and authority.


Are we really any different?

I confess, sometimes I want to "force" Jesus to use His power and authority to make life *work*.

Like in the natural world.

Wouldn't it be nice if He instantly produced money to pay the bills?  Or how about if He created some extra food on the table?  And wouldn't it be great if He stopped some storms or sent some rain?

Douse the wildfires, Lord.  Dam up the floods.  Quiet the earthquakes.

Make the world obey You.


Sometimes I want to "force" Jesus to use His power and authority to make life *work*.

Like in the physical body.

Wouldn't it be nice if He instantly healed sickness and disease?  Or how about if He fixed disabilities and deformities?  And wouldn't it be great if He made germs and viruses and bacterial ailments disappear?

Cure cancer, Lord.  Do away with mental illness.  Abolish death.

Make the body obey You.


Sometimes I want to "force" Jesus to use His power and authority to make life *work*.

Like in the spiritual realm.

Wouldn't it be nice if He kept us from facing temptation?  Or how about if He did away with sinful thoughts and feelings?  And wouldn't it be great if He gave us perfect faith?

Send some angels, Lord.  Get rid of evil influences.  Make the enemy disappear.

Make the spirits obey You.


It sounds wonderful, doesn't it?

And yet, I have to stop and think about this.  If I really had those things, if I really could make Jesus do what it takes to make life *work*, would I really do the right things?

For indeed, if I could manipulate His power and authority, wouldn't I end up re-making Him into my own image?

And in the end, would it really turn out that I had Jesus at all? 

I think that I would find that I had made a messiah, but had totally missed out on The Messiah.


And, after all, that's who arrived in the manger.

THE Messiah – (with a capital "M" – amen!)

The One with ultimate power and authority.  

And yet, the One who laid it all aside to arrive as a helpless baby, a human with weakness and frailty.  The One who willingly relinquished His God-ness and deigned to come into our world.

He, who controlled the natural world, entered atoms and molecules.

He, who controlled the physical body, inhabited one Himself.

He, who controlled the spiritual realm, left angels to walk on earth.


Yes, Jesus had ultimate and sovereign control.

And yet, as mentioned before, He set aside that position of authority for something else.

Someone else.

Me.

And you.

I am stunned by the immensity of this.


You know, truthfully I don't really want to control Him.  I just want to know Him.  More and more, forever and ever.

JESUS RULES!!

He gave up His divine privileges.
He took the humble position of a servant.
He became like other human beings.
And was born in the likeness of men.

(THE NATURAL WORLD)

"And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger.  And they went and woke him, saying, 'Master, Master, we are perishing!'  And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm...And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, 'Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?'" (Luke 8:23-25, ESV)

(THE PHYSICAL BODY)

"John's two disciples found Jesus and said to him, 'John the Baptist sent us to ask, 'Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?'  At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind.  Then he told John's disciples, 'Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard – the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.  And tell him, 'God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.'" 

(Luke 7:20-23, NLT)

(THE SPIRITUAL REALM)

"When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons...When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, 'What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg you, do not torment me.'  For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man...Jesus then asked him, 'What is your name?'  And he said, 'Legion,' for many demons had entered him...Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these.  So he gave them permission.  Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned." (From Luke 8:27-33, ESV)

(THE MESSIAH)

"At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon.  He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel...That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there.  He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, 'Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.  I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people.  He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!'" (From Luke 2, NLT)

"'But what about you?' [Jesus] asked. 'Who do you say I am?' Peter answered, 'You are the Messiah.'" (Mark 8:29, NIV)

"...these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31, NIV)

(HIS AUTHORITY)

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'" (Matthew 28:18, ESV)

"Jesus answered [Pilate], 'You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.'" (John 19:11, ESV)

"'Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?'" (Matthew 26:53, NIV)

"And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit." (Matthew 27:50, ESV)

(HIS RULE AND REIGN FOREVER)

"Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.  Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:6-11, NLT)

"Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.  For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.  The last enemy to be destroyed is death.  For he 'has put everything under his feet...When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.'" 

(1 Corinthians 15:24-28, NIV)

"... I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven.  He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence.  He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him.  His rule is eternal – it will never end.  His kingdom will never be destroyed."

(Daniel 7:13-14, NLT)

"Jesus said, 'It is finished.'" (John 19:30, NIV)

"'Look, I am coming soon...I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.'"(Revelation 22:12-13, NLT)

In this Advent season, will you take another look at the manger and see the humbleness of a Savior who laid aside His God-ness to become one of us?

How can you worship Him anew?

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