EXALTING CHRIST JESUS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

Philippians 1:18b-20

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

We were created to worship, glorify, and exalt our Creator, the God who is the Maker and Master of all humanity and through Jesus, His only Son, we can bring all our honor and praise to our heavenly Father in this life and the one yet to come.

This is part of the blessing of salvation, God’s greatest gift to His people, granted fully by grace and grace alone. Through the redeeming work of Jesus on Calvary’s cross, death will pass over all who have placed their belief in Him and those believers will be delivered into eternal life.

Friends, this gives every Christian reason to rejoice and be glad each and every day for no matter what life might bring today, tomorrow, and every day until this earthly body fails us, our future is set and secure. There is no more worry needed about dying because through Jesus, death has lost its sting. The Apostle Paul summed this up best as he wrote these words to the Christians in Corinth:

“...thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57

Paul knew he and every other Christ follower was victorious through belief in their Savior Jesus. It’s what allowed him to live and minister with such a bold confidence every day and as we see in today’s verses from the first chapter of his letter to the Philippians, Paul maintained this confidence even while in prison. Look again at his words here:

“Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Vv. 18b-20

Now the average person wouldn’t see being locked up in jail as a reason to rejoice but here we see the Apostle doing just that for even if he perished there, never tasting worldly freedom again, he knew the ultimate liberation awaited him, a liberation that would free him from the clutches of sin and death and usher him into Heaven. Deliverance was a surety for Paul and so he only wished for one thing...that Christ would be exalted in his body, “whether by life or by death”.

To exalt someone is to lift them up to a place of stature, to elevate a person to a place of special honor. Paul knew that God had placed His Son in authority over all things in heaven and on earth after Jesus ascended to sit at His Father’s right hand. And so the Apostle’s main goal each day was to make sure Jesus was presented as the One in ultimate authority, adored and praised over everything and anything, no matter the circumstances, even in prison.

I don’t know about you but I admire Paul and see him as the second best role model for my Christian life after Jesus. For through the life and testimony of the Apostle, we learn so much about what our life attitude should be as Christ followers and in today’s verses, we are reminded of the importance of exalting Christ Jesus in all that we do, no matter what life brings, rejoicing and glad in the deliverance and salvation we have through Him and Him alone.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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