God, the Father sent Jesus to reconcile the world.
Our first parents, Adam and Eve, did not obey God. They fell into sin, thus giving up the authority that was originally given to them by God. By deceiving Adam and Eve, Satan lawfully became the prince of this world and took dominion and authority away from mankind.
When Jesus was about to start his earthly ministry, he was tempted by Satan three times. In the third and final temptation, Satan tells Jesus explicitly that he rules the world. In Luke’s account of this, the devil claimed that God had given him the kingdoms and that he could, in turn, give them to whomever he wished (Luke 4:6). Jesus understood the reality that Satan was indeed the prince of the world because he did not say, “Satan, you cannot deliver the kingdoms to me!”
What was the Devil trying to achieve with this last temptation? He tempted Jesus to have authority over the kingdom instantly without waiting for God’s will to be accomplished. Let us pause here for a moment, to understand this often-used clever scheme of the devil. Since the beginning of time, Satan has incited humans to try to fulfill God’s promises with their human strength. Abraham and Sarah were promised by God to have descendants innumerable, like the stars in the sky. But looking at the circumstances and getting tired of waiting on God to keep his promise, they decided to help God out! They devised a plan to create a happy family rather than waiting for God. Thus Ishmael was born and it was not the way God intended to fulfill his vows to Abraham. Ismael’s hand was against everyone, and his descendants lived in constant hostility to his kinsmen.
Going back to the third temptation of Christ, Satan again uses the same playbook that he used on Abraham. He was saying to Jesus: “I’ll give you the kingdoms now, and you can establish the kingdom of God on earth. Is that not what you came for? Wouldn’t that please God? You can do it without suffering now!” Jesus our Lord, did not fall for the temptation, even though he was weak, deprived, and hungry after 40 days of fasting. He said, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” (Matthew 4:10) The quotation, in part, is from Deuteronomy 6:13.
It was God’s plan from the beginning to send his Son to die on the cross for the sins of mankind. God is omniscient – he knows everything. Before he laid the foundation of the world, he already knew that man would sin and perish without his help. Therefore he already prepared a plan of salvation – a way for us to be reconciled with God, through his Son, Jesus Christ our only mediator and intercessor.
“It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.” (1 Peter 1:19-21 NLT)
Before Jesus came into this earth, he was the Lord of Lords through whom the universe was created. He chose voluntarily to leave his glory aside and come to earth as a man, in order to save us.
“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.” (Phil 2:5-8 NLT)
In sending Jesus to the earth, God’s plan was not to overthrow the prevailing Roman kingdom. The main purpose of Jesus’s earthly ministry was to deal with our spiritual condition. Mankind was dead in its sins and separated from God. Yet his love for us is so great that he came to save us from our sins even though we do not deserve it. He came to pay the price for sin so that everyone who believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life. His entire incarnation was motivated by a unique and pure love for God and love for the lost. This is a delight to God, for God loves sinners. (John 3:16)
At the cross, Christ defeated Satan on behalf of us helpless sinners. Before Jesus went to the cross, he boldly declared:
“The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.” (John 12:31 NLT)
With the empty tomb, Christ also destroyed the devil’s most powerful weapon — death. Jesus accomplished all that God sent him to do on earth by being humble and obedient to God’s plan.
God the Father exalts Jesus.
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:8-11 NLT)
For the Son of God, Creator of life, heaven, and earth, becoming obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross — is the ultimate act of humility. Jesus, who stooped down low, was raised by the Father to his glorious position in heaven. God the Father wants us to honor and worship the Son as the exalted King.
There are amazing parallels between the life of Joseph and the life of Jesus. One of the parallels is the exaltation of Joseph after his humiliation. Joseph was wrongly accused and sent to prison for two years. With an unexpected turn of events, he is suddenly ushered into Pharaoh’s presence to interpret a dream. After he successfully explains the dream, Pharaoh exalts Joseph to become the ruler of Egypt — second only to himself.
Like Joseph, Jesus also received authority after enduring the cross to reconcile the lost world to God, the Father. We see this expressed by Jesus in Matthew 28:18. Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:18,19 NLT)
One of the most fascinating verses in the Bible is found in Psalms 110:1. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David wrote this Psalm around 14 generations before Jesus came to earth. 19th-century English preacher Charles Spurgeon, when commenting on this Psalm, vividly captures the importance of this revelation:
“What gracious allowance on Jehovah’s part to permit a mortal ear to hear, and a human pen to record his secret conversation with his co-equal Son! How greatly should we prize the revelation of his private and solemn discourse with the Son, herein made public for the refreshing of his people!”
Now let’s look at the verse to understand this solemn discourse within the blessed Trinity. In the opening verse of Psalm 110, God, the Father, is talking to his Son and appointing him to rule over His enemies.
“The Lord said to my Lord,
‘Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
until I humble your enemies,
making them a footstool under your feet.’” (Psalm 110:1 NLT)
When David wrote, “The LORD said to my Lord,” he clearly is saying that the Messiah (or Christ) was his Lord and master — his Adonai. This verse was quoted verbatim by Jesus in Matthew 22:41-45 to prove to the Pharisees that he was the Lord of David (and not the other way around). This messianic and prophetic Psalm became a reality when he ascended to the Father after his resurrection, becoming the Lord of both the dead and the living (Romans 14:9).
The second part of Psalm 110:1 talks about the Father bringing everything under the authority of Jesus. You may be wondering: why does that have to happen if he is already exalted? This is not for lack of authority but due to God’s patience in deferring judgment against the world (2 Pet 3:9-15). This gives everyone on earth the gracious opportunity to repent and follow Christ. This is why God uses the crucial word “until.” Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God the Father even now, and he holds authority over all the earth — but the time has not yet come for Christ to return and judge the world.
In Daniel 2, we see Christ portrayed as a rock cut from the mountain, but not by human hands. There is a progression of time where the rock grows into a mountain and then fills the whole earth, symbolizing both Christ and his Church’s expanding authority over the kingdoms of the world. God the Father is actively working on behalf of the Son to ensure that everyone and everything comes under the authority of Jesus.
At the final judgment, Christ will judge all people and nations and destroy all enemies — including sin and death.
“..After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, ‘God has put all things under his authority.’ (Of course, when it says ‘all things are under his authority,’ that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.”
(I Cor 15:24-28 NLT)
What should be our posture towards our Lord now in the present? God the Father now wants us to honor and worship the Son as the divine ruler of the universe.
“In addition, the Father judges no one.
Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.” (John 5:22,23 NLT)
As the Father desires, let us worship our Lord, Jesus, whose name is above all names. Let us strive to proclaim and spread his fame throughout the earth.
Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne;
Hark! how the heav’nly anthem drowns
All music but it's own!
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity.
"Crown Him with Many Crowns"
Hymn, 1851
Matthew Bridges and Godfrey Thring
