Sarah is a mother of three small daughters, two of whom are chronically unwell. Her husband died a few years ago, and she works twelve hours daily to earn a living for her family. She felt like she was drowning in life. She could not meet expenses, medical bills piled up, and her boss was unsympathetic, making her work day and night. She could hardly sleep four hours a day. Prayer felt more like a desperate shout into a void than a conversation with a loving Father. One Sunday, she heard a sermon on the session of Christ. The pastor spoke about Jesus not only living, dying, rising, and ascending for her in the past but also what he is doing presently, seated at the right hand of the Father. Sarah had heard it before, but this time, something clicked.
It wasn’t a lightning bolt of sudden relief but a slow dawning, a gentle light beginning to rise. Slowly, it transformed her life. She realized that all these years as a believer, she had been seeing only one side of her Savior’s glory: that he saved her by his life and death. She had been picturing Jesus as distant and uninvolved in her present daily chaos and struggles. Christ’s session made her see that her Lord wasn’t removed from her struggles but was intimately and sympathetically involved in her present life. He wasn’t just a King on a far-off throne controlling the universe, but her personal King who is reigning over her life, with infinite love ordering and controlling every small thing. He didn’t just die and go to heaven; he is her personal High Priest, understanding and sympathizing with all her weariness and weakness, ready to supply all the grace she needs. She realized he is not just a prophet who made his apostles write the scriptures but a personal prophet who takes those truths and enlightens her mind and teaches her heart. The Holy Spirit opened her eyes to see the present King, Priest, and Prophet ministry of her Lord, who is seated in an exalted place at the Father’s right hand.
That week, Sarah didn’t suddenly win the lottery or get a miraculous healing for her child. The problems remained. But her perspective shifted. In the midst of her troubles, she learned to lift up her eyes and behold her enthroned Lord. When she felt tired and weak, she started picturing her High Priest, Jesus, in the midst of her chaos, not as a rescuer swooping in to fix everything but as a constant companion, a source of strength, sympathizing with her weakness. When she felt overwhelmed by financial problems and medical bills, she remembered that he held all things in his hands and was ordering everything for her good. When her boss was rude and demanding, she remembered that he was Lord of all, including her boss. When she felt everything around her was dark, she read her Bible with faith and felt this enthroned Lord enlightening her mind and teaching her heart precious truths.
One evening, exhausted and on the verge of tears, Sarah sat by her child’s bedside. Instead of just pleading for a miracle, she poured her heart out to Jesus and shared everything with him as a friend. She told him about her fears, her frustrations, and her weariness. She acknowledged his authority, his presence, and his love. She didn’t get an immediate answer, but she felt a peace settle over her, a quiet assurance that she wasn’t alone.
The real change wasn’t in her circumstances but in her heart. Sarah began to approach her days with a newfound confidence. It wasn’t a blind optimism but a deep-seated trust in the One who sat on the throne. She still faced challenges, but she faced them with Christ. She realized his session wasn’t just a theological concept; it was the bedrock of her daily life, the anchor in her storm. Her great revelation was that it wasn’t about her problems disappearing but about discovering a new divine strength she never knew in the midst of her problems. It was only in the midst of these intensely difficult situations that she could see the profound glory of her Savior. She learned to see her difficult situation as a divinely ordained means and opportunity to know the sufficiency and glory of her Lord as her personal Priest, Prophet, and King. And that, she realized, was the most miraculous change of all.
In our series “Looking Unto Jesus,” we have seen Jesus pre-creation, in the Old Testament, his birth, life, death, and resurrection. Last time we saw that our redemption story doesn’t end with the resurrection, but redemption applies and begins with the resurrection. Then, there is the Ascension, the Session, the Holy Spirit’s Mission, and Intercession—four marvelous, but very little understood, truths.
All of Christ’s saving work can be divided into two states: his humiliation and his exaltation. The five stages of his humiliation are: being born with human nature, living in a low condition under the law, his suffering, his cursed death, and his burial. Christ’s humiliation ends with his burial. The first step of his exaltation starts with the resurrection, and the second step is the Ascension. We come today to the third step of his exaltation, which is Christ’s session.
“Session” is an old word. Its literal meaning is “to sit.” But it is not just a posture. When we say a “sitting” Prime Minister or Chief Minister, we don’t just mean that he is sitting in a chair. It symbolizes present authority, power, reign, and right. It is their regime, their reign; their session is going on. When you go to court, the clerk will announce, “All rise, the honorable judge is coming.” All rise; the judge walks in and climbs up to the bench, and he sits down. As soon as the judge is seated in the seat of authority, the clerk says, “This court is now in session.” It is in his just authority and fair control. It means that what was happening before, something different is going to happen in one sitting.
In the same way, we talk about Christ’s session. After he ascended, God glorified him by seating him at his right hand. It is an official act of his exaltation. It is not just a sitting posture but much more, as we will study today.
We have three headings: The Reality of Christ’s Session, The Meaning of Session, and The Application to Our Lives.
1. The Reality of Christ’s Session
How do we know Christ sat down at the right hand of God? We know he rose from the dead; the apostles were eyewitnesses. We know he ascended; they saw it with their own eyes. But how do we know he sat down at the right hand of God? We know because of the testimony of the scriptures and the Holy Spirit coming as an experiential reality to confirm his session.
The session of Christ was prophesied in the Old Testament, and this glory was promised to Christ as he finished his redemption work on earth. Psalm 110:1 says, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, Till I make your enemies your footstool.'” Daniel 7:13 says, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Our Lord himself foretold this in an amazing situation. In his Sanhedrin trial, the High Priest asks him, “I put you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!” Matthew 26:64 says, “Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power.'”
The session of Christ was an important doctrine in the apostles’ teaching. In fact, the very first sermon in Acts 2:32-33 says, “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God…” We started with Ephesians. Paul was praying that God should open our spiritual eyes to see “the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.”
Not only in the Old Testament, Jesus’s prophecy, and the apostles’ teaching, but in church history, starting from the Apostles’ Creed, which mentions eleven actions of Jesus: he was conceived, was born, suffered, crucified, died, was buried, descended to the dead, rose again, ascended, was seated, and then is coming again. Out of the eleven, nine of those actions of Jesus are past tense. One of them is future: he will come again. Only one of them is in the present, a present activity: he is seated at the right hand of God. You can see the session of Christ in all the confessions of faith in church history. So we see the reality of the session of Christ.
2. The Meaning of Christ’s Session
Christ is seated at the Father’s right hand now, so what? Christ’s session started a new heavenly ministry of Christ. Jesus was transitioning from an earthly to a heavenly ministry. Luke wrote two books: one, the Gospel according to Luke, and the second, Acts, which are like two ministries of Christ. Volume one is his earthly ministry, and where does it end? It ends with his ascension. Volume two picks up with the ascended ministry of Christ, the heavenly ministry of Christ. All the events in the book of Acts are the effect of Christ’s heavenly ministry after his session. The history of Acts abruptly ends because his heavenly ministry continues even now and will end at his second coming.
The Westminster Larger Catechism captures this beautifully: “Question 54. How is Christ exalted in his sitting at the right hand of God? Christ is exalted in his sitting at the right hand of God, in that as God-man, he is advanced to the highest favor with God the Father, with all fullness of joy, glory, and power over all things in heaven and earth.” What does he do with all that? “He gathers and defends his church, and subdues their enemies; furnishes his ministers and people with gifts and graces, and makes intercession for them.” The session of Christ means that now Jesus has entered into a new phase of heavenly ministry. He is gathering, building, protecting, and sanctifying his church.
As we come to the Lord’s table, what does it mean to us as his church and as believers? I want to highlight three things. Lift up your eyes as you see your enthroned Lord. I want you to:
- Behold your perfect priest
- Behold your reigning king
- Behold your infallible prophet
We have studied the three damages sin has done to us: it has filled our conscience with guilt, made our heart uncontrollably evil, and blinded our minds, making us ignorant. All our life struggles can be traced to guilty consciences, evil hearts, and ignorant minds. Our Lord’s heavenly ministry addresses each of these wonderfully: his priestly ministry resolves our guilt, his reigning ministry our evil heart, and his prophetic ministry our blind and ignorant minds.
Firstly, Behold your perfect priest. The book of Leviticus shows that a guilty conscience can find cleansing and acceptance with God only when an atoning sacrifice is offered and a High Priest goes to the holy place and intercedes for us. The writer to the Hebrews shows there are so many limitations in the Old Testament model. The High Priest could go into the Most Holy Place only once a year, and he had to first atone for his own sins. We saw that he had to follow a maze of complex rituals, and then when he came, he would always stand, indicating he had to continue to do that work. Hebrews 10:11-12 says, “And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.”
Here, our High Priest, who is sinless and has no personal sins of his own to atone for, after offering himself as a perfect sacrifice, not only enters into the earthly temple but even into heaven, into God’s very presence. Not only will he be there always in God’s presence, but the glory of his atonement work is emphasized in his posture: he sits. That is completely different. The Levitical priests stand daily because their sacrifices cannot take away sin. He did his work fully, by one offering, and after that, he sits forever in heaven.
Jesus sitting at the Father’s right hand. Behold him, fix that in your mind because that is an infallible assurance that his atoning work on the cross for you and me is completely finished. Oh, how we need to be reminded and assured of this again and again. If you notice, we lose our peace and joy, and all the small things of life become big only when we forget the great standing Christ has purchased for us. Hebrews 10:14 says, “For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”
This morning, you and I not only stand as forgiven, cleansed sinners but as perfectly righteous before God, who have fulfilled all his righteous demands because of Christ’s work. The piercing eye of infinite justice cannot find the least flaw in us. God completely delights in us and passionately loves us because of this righteousness. It is a meritorious, virtue-filled righteousness. It is this righteousness that blesses us with all the blessings of God. Do you know it is this righteousness that purchased the whole of heaven for us? It is everlasting righteousness.
My struggling, ever-weighing, and drowning guilt. My Priest lifted me above all accusations of the law, the curse of the law, even my own conscience, and above all difficult worldly situations, trials, Satan, and demons. None of them can ever condemn me. Paul throws a universal challenge in Romans 8:33, “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?” What is the ground of this bold challenge? Verse 34: “It is God who justifies. It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”
Do we realize this work of atonement is finished, perfectly completed for us? We stand right now as perfectly righteous; we don’t have to do anything now. The law has no demands on me. All negative and positive demands of the law are paid in full. What is the assurance of “Behold your Priest sitting at the right hand of God?” Think of who made him sit there. The God whose laws we have broken and before whom we are guilty. When he saw Christ’s work on our behalf, he was so pleased and gave him such a level of contentment. He not only raised him from the dead and ascended him but welcomed him into heaven as if congratulating him on the great accomplishment of his most difficult work. “O my Son, what shall be done for you this day? You have finished a great work, and what honors shall I now bestow upon you? The highest glory in heaven is not too high for you; come sit at my right hand.” “Oh, all you sinners, you are welcome now to my presence through my son.”
That is what we are proclaiming by taking part in communion. We are not offering any sacrifice or coming on our own merit. We come to take the bread and cup. We are not just looking at the elements but beyond the elements, at the perfect, finished work of Christ. We remember that glorious work is finished for us, and it is an infallible reality because behold who sits on the throne: my High Priest. This bread and cup point to the once-and-for-all, sufficient sacrifice of Christ who sits on the right hand. We ask him, “Lord bless; pour out the blessings that are ours in Jesus Christ. What he purchased for us; what he intercedes for even now.”
What about the struggles I face today? His atoning work is completed. But his priestly work continues. In the Old Testament, people went to priests for every problem and struggle they had; they were like all-in-one doctors for all people’s problems. Today, in the same way, for all the problems, weakness, and struggles you have, you can come to this Priest. Remember where he is sitting. He has not only lifted you from the lowest hell by atoning for all your sins but lifted you to the highest status of sonship, a child and heir of God. To a state of fellowship and very close familiarity with God and access to him with holy confidence and boldness. How the book of Hebrews encourages: Hebrews 4:14,16 says, “Seeing, then, that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us come boldly unto the throne of grace” to find all mercy and grace.
Hebrews 8:1 says, “Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.” Wow! He is set on the right hand of God, as a High Priest or minister to intercede for us. Hebrews 8:24 says, “For Christ has not entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” This assures us of endless sympathetic mercy and grace for all we need.
Behold your reigning king. Jesus “sitting” does not mean Jesus is literally sitting at the right hand of God. God has no hand, right or left; it is a condescending to human language. Stephen in Acts actually saw Jesus standing. It is figurative language, taken from kings who place someone in honor and power and commit to them all the authority of their government, like Pharaoh did to Joseph. The greatest expression of God’s majesty is the throne of God. When Isaiah saw that majesty, he was undone. The right hand of God in the Bible is the place of honor, power, and reign of God.
First, the right hand is the hand of honor and glory, where kings would place those whom they highly esteem and honor. For example, Solomon placed his mother in a seat at his right hand in 1 Kings 2:19. So God has expressed his infinite favor, delight, and honor to Jesus Christ more than he ever did to any creature. “To which of the angels said he at any time, ‘Sit you on my right hand?'” (Hebrews 1:13). This is the highest peerless exaltation even God can do to anyone.
Secondly, the right hand is the hand of power. We call it the weapon hand and the working hand. “He is my right hand.” And the setting of Christ there imports his exaltation to the highest power and authority.
Thirdly, the right hand means a triumphant reign. When the Father said to him, “Sit at my right hand,” he gave the awful scepter of his sovereign government into Christ’s hand. He is the boss now. Whether things are on earth or in heaven, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, they are all under his triumphant reign. Though his enemies oppose, it is all useless because he is infinitely above them; they will all fall under his footstool.
This is amazing. Though Christ in his divine nature as the second person in the Trinity was always glorified, now he is exalted as the God-man with his human nature; even his humanity is exalted. Can you think of the exaltation of Christ’s human nature to the highest honor, even to be the object of adoration to angels and other beings in the universe? For it is properly his human nature that is the subject of all this honor and is advanced to the right hand of Majesty; it has become an object of worship and adoration. Oh, here is the mystery, that flesh and blood should ever be advanced to the highest throne of majesty, and being there installed in that glory, all the universe directs worship to him as God-man. Why was human nature advanced to such a height? I felt like going and hiding my face somewhere—it is for you and me! Can you believe it!
Ephesians 1:20-23 says, “God raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And he put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
Did you hear that? This Christ with human nature was exalted to such height and glory so he might be the head of the church. Having now the fullness of reign, grace, and honor in himself, he works all things according to the counsel of his purpose. In other words, he orchestrates the whole universe in such a way that his church might grow in grace here on earth, know his strength in its weakness, its riches in its poverty, and its glory in its humiliation, and finally enter the glory to be with him. No power in the universe will be able to hinder that because Christ reigns. He protects his church as the apple of his eye from all the enemies.
He sovereignly and providentially rules the whole universe and spiritually and redemptively rules over his church. His providential, sovereign reign is subordinate to his spiritual kingdom. He orders and rules everything for the benefit of his church.
So, brothers and sisters, when, like Sarah, in whatever situation providence has placed us, lift up your eyes and behold your reigning King. He is not far off. Every pressure you feel comes from him, and learn to see them as a means and an opportunity to experience his strength and grace and to draw closer to him and behold his kingly glory.
Why are there so many troubles, Pastor? You don’t know the depth of your evil, depraved heart. To sanctify that heart, break its pride, and teach it humility and dependence, his reigning wisdom allots this.
Every time I study the life of Joseph, I cry inconsolably, especially when he reveals himself to his brothers. Even though I have read it hundreds of times, every time I cry. Just as Joseph was at the right hand of Pharaoh and ruled the whole of Egypt, when he saw his brothers as beggars, he didn’t initially give them everything. He was initially distant and even rude. Why? He knew them as criminal enemies. He wanted to test them and make them repent. He used his reign and orchestrated the whole situation to test them, to lead them to brokenness and repentance, and he wanted to show all mercy and forgiveness, but he didn’t want to do so when they were still unrepentant. But when they repented and humbled themselves, though the ruler of Egypt, he fell on their necks and wept and gave them the best in the land. Our Joseph is the ruler of this world. We have high connections. He may seem uncaring and rude sometimes, but he is orchestrating all this for our sanctification and blessing. He is a King who is reigning over our lives. When we submit to his reign in our hearts, he opens the treasures of heaven to us. So whatever happens in life, brothers and sisters, remember: our Joseph reigns on the throne.
Behold your infallible prophet. Another great problem we have is a blind and ignorant mind. Many times we feel like we are groping in darkness in life. Many mental disorders sin has created. One that doctors call myopia is that you can only see a little in front of you. If you make a hole in your hand, you can only see a little, not to the right, left, up, or down, only in front of you, the immediate. When we face problems, with myopic vision, how big it looks. We stop seeing anywhere else. This is why we are sometimes so discouraged. Then we have amnesia, especially about God. We learn about God, and then the next week we forget. The Lord has to say, “Remember me,” because this is our problem.
Behold what our prophet has done to cure our mind’s diseases, blindness, and ignorance. He does his prophetic work in two ways: through external means and internally through his Spirit. Peter in Acts says that what they were prophesying and teaching is the result of the pouring of the Holy Spirit. This pouring of the Holy Spirit is proof that Christ is exalted to the right hand of God, and that he, as the final prophet, has sent his Spirit. Christ did his prophetic ministry through the Holy Spirit by revealing all truth to the apostles and making them record them as scriptures in the written word. He providentially preserved that for thousands of years. Now he does his external prophetic ministry through his word. Hebrews 1 says, “God in the past spoke in various times in various ways through the prophets, but now he’s spoken to us through his Son.” His Son is exalted, pouring out his Holy Spirit, speaking to his people. It’s not only scriptures.
In Ephesians 4, Paul says that when Christ ascended into the highest heavens, he led a host of captives free. And what else did he do? He gave gifts. Do you remember what Ephesians 4 says? When Christ ascended, he gave gifts to men. What were those gifts? He goes on to list some of them: Spirit-filled people like apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These Spirit-filled people all have prophetic ministries. Christ, the exalted Christ, preaches prophetically through them. All these gifts come when he is enthroned, when he is seated in his session. Jesus’ session in heaven marks the era of the prophetic ministry through his word and ministers. Now he does his prophetic work externally through the word and his ministers. This is not adequate on its own.
Secondly, he does his prophetic ministry through internal illumination. We need both; both are ordained by him. Preachers only teach our ears and minds, but Christ alone can teach our hearts. That is why even the great teacher, Apostle Paul, prayed that Christ would open the eyes of the Ephesians and enlighten and teach their hearts.
So as we look at the session of Christ, behold your Priest, King, and Prophet who is meeting all our deepest needs from heaven even today through these ministries. There is much more on this subject that I could not cover.
Application
Lift your eyes and look up, believer. In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, he writes about a man who is always digging in the dirt and never realizes that there is a crown above his head because he never looks up. The main problem in many of our lives is that we never look up, like that man always digging in the dirt. We look down and see one problem after another.
Yes, when you face the trials of life, tears, struggles, and discouragements, just as Christ faced and as Sarah faced, remember that there is another reality that we as believers need to be reminded of time and time and time again. Lift up your eyes and behold the ministry of my Priest, King, and Prophet (PKP).
Colossians 1 says, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” This means, “Set your affections on things above,” that is, set your desires, loves, hopes, and joys on heavenly things. Oh, what a shame it is to set our affections on the things in this life. Do we not have a kingdom, a God, a Christ, and a crown in heaven to set our affections upon? And shall we set them upon dross and dung? We set our affections there because our best and choicest things are already in heaven.
The Bible teaches that as a believer, you are united to Christ. You are thereby also united to the glory which belongs now to Christ so that you, the Bible says, are raised and seated with him in heavenly places. This implies the advancement of believers to the highest honor. Ephesians 2:6 says, “He hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” This is by faith, which makes it as sure to my soul as if I had a foot already in heaven. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.” By faith, I now sit in heavenly places. If Christ’s session is mine, then I am set down with Christ in heavenly places—not bodily, but by faith.
What is the end of Christ’s session, but that he might invest all his saints with the same privilege? “All power, authority, and judgment is committed to the Son, he is highly advanced, and thereby he has the advantage to advance me and to glorify me.” Oh, what joy may enter into this poor, dark, disconsolate soul of mine, while I think over these glorious passages of Christ in glory!
His prayer even now is that they might be where I am. Oh, how should faith stand and gaze on Christ in that respect? What! Is he there preparing to lift me to such glory? What, shall I sit at the right hand of Christ? Admire, O my soul, this aim of Christ, the meaning of his exalting himself with human nature was to exalt you. The meaning of his exalting you in this manner is to manifest to all the world the height of his grace to you in raising so poor a creature to so rich a glory. Consider the power, virtue, and influence of this object for our souls’ salvation. Oh, the flowings, the rich emanations of grace and glory that come from here! Oh, why do we toil ourselves in gathering sticks, struggling for little honor in this pitiable world, when tomorrow we shall be out of this world and be so exalted with Christ, going to Christ?
How should it heighten my joys and enlarge my comforts when I consider that Christ is set down at God’s right hand? Oh, the loveliness, beauty, and glory of his countenance! Why are we not all in a burning love? O my heart, why are you not love-sick?
If Christ is honored so gloriously, think of what honor is reserved for all believers and those who faithfully serve Christ.
One of the things that the session of Christ should remind us, as Christians who struggle with everyday struggles, is that we are in union with the glorious and honorable Jesus Christ. Look up, believer, and look to him by faith who has entered into that glory for you. And because he is there, as you trust in him, you will soon be there, too. It made Stephen’s face shine as the face of an angel when he had but a glimpse of Christ at his Father’s right hand. Even though the world was stoning him, his face was filled with divine joy. This gives us confidence in facing life’s challenges (Romans 8:31).
The Father set Christ on his right hand, and Christ will set the saints on his right hand. So runs the promise, Revelation 3:21: “To him that overcomes, I will grant to sit with me in my throne; even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” 2 Timothy 2:12 says, “If we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him.” What amazing love: that his glory shall be their glory in heaven. See where free grace has already mounted up poor dust and ashes!
Romans chapter 12 says, “Be not conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Now, what can bring about a renovation of your mind? As you think of these truths, your mind is lifted up to things that are above. Your mind gets out of the rut that the world is always trying to put you in. And one of the things that the Spirit does as he lifts up your mind is he lifts you up to the one who is infinitely exalted. Your minds are daily dragged down by the gravitational pull of this present world.
You come to this place of worship each Sunday looking for what? For refreshment, for strength, for renewal, for grace, and for power from on high, from God. Because you’re going to have to go back out there, and you’re going to have to go back into that place of house and work and listen to all the cursing and all the blasphemy and all the dirty jokes and all the weariness and all the commercials that you’re going to see that are going to tell you this is the way to happiness. This is the way to have a nice life; it’s all these goods and all these luxuries. You need more of this, more of that. The world creates envy, covetousness, and lust in our hearts, and it is always going to weigh down on you.
And the scripture is saying, “Wait, look up to the glorious one.” As you look up to Christ and your mind is transformed by the Spirit of God through the word of God, it will give you that inoculation you need to resist the confused noise and cacophony that comes at us on a daily basis, so that we would not be like that man in Pilgrim’s Progress, always looking at the dirt, but looking to the crown that is above our head. This looking up is going to give you grace to persevere. It will make you know the power of his resurrection in your life. Ah, what reason you have to honor Christ on earth, who is preparing such honors for you in heaven.
Worship with Awe
This should make us worship and love the Lord as the first-century believers did. Is Christ set down on the right hand of the Majesty in heaven? Oh, with what awful reverence we should approach him in worship! He is an object of eternal admiration and worship of all the angels, who have no portion in his session. How much should we worship him who has all the portion of this exaltation? How much should we worship our PKP?
As we come to communion, let us get rid of light and low thoughts of Christ, and a formal, irreverent, and careless mindset. Begone all deadness and drowsiness, for we are coming to a great King—a King to whom the kings of the earth are but as little pieces of clay. Behold, the angels cover their faces in his presence. He is an adorable Majesty. He is no longer just human. John, who was lying on his chest, saw him in glory and fell like a dead man. Yes, we can approach freely and share our struggles, but we must recognize that he is exalted and worship him. Recognize Christ’s Lordship in every area of our lives. Obey his commands and follow his example.
Serve with Confidence
This should fill us with confidence in the work of the gospel and the church. When such a Lord reigns, how will the church fail in its gospel mission, whatever opposition it may face? Haman could not prevail against the Jews while Esther, their friend, spoke for them to the king. No more can our enemies prevail while our Jesus sits at his and our Father’s right hand. All the enemies are made a footstool. Though they cause a little noise, you see a footstool for the one sitting on the throne only lifts him up. It is useful to lift him up higher; so shall all of Christ’s enemies’ efforts only exalt him. He is lifted above all their opposition.
Serve for a Great Reward
If Christ is so gloriously advanced to the highest throne, then serving and suffering for him is the greatest honor we can have. That is why Moses “esteemed the very reproaches of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt” (Hebrews 11:26). That is why Paul boasted that his very chains and sufferings for Christ have glory in them. All we get for service in the world is finally ashes. These men counted shame and suffering for Christ as treasures. It would richly reward him. If we lift up our eyes and see how exceedingly great Christ is, we will count it the greatest glory to serve him and to be humbled and to suffer for him.
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 