by Larry Curl

The Magnificence of Christ

(Part 4)

The Magnificence of Christ in His Position

• At the Right Hand of the Father (a place of power & authority)

Hebrews 1:1-3, 1 “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. “

In Scripture when someone is said to be seated at the right hand of someone of authority, such as a king, it indicates that they have been given a place of high honor. In fact, being seated by the kings’ right hand was the highest place of honor one could hope to achieve in their country or kingdom. But of course, even that honor pales in comparison to being called to sit at the right hand of Almighty God in His Kingdom.

Expanding on what it means to be seated at Gods’ right hand, there is this from John Calvin, “This passage shews plainly, if any one does, what is meant by the right hand of God. It does not mean any particular place, but the power which the Father has bestowed on Christ, that he may administer in his name the government of heaven and earth. It is idle, therefore, to inquire why Stephen saw him standing, (Acts 7:55,) while Paul describes him as sitting at God’s right hand. The expression does not refer to any bodily posture, but denotes the highest royal power with which Christ has been invested. This is intimated by what immediately follows, far above all principality and power: for the whole of this description is added for the purpose of explaining what is meant by the right hand.”

Looking at other Scripture that speaks of Jesus sitting at the Fathers’ right hand we can turn to what the Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 1:19-21, “And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us, the ones believing according to the working of His mighty strength which He worked in Christ in raising Him from the dead, and He seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all principality and authority and power and dominion, and every name being named, not only in this world, but also in the coming age”

Here we see God the Father exalting Jesus above all others by seating him at His right hand.

And Jesus position is not just above, but he is far above all of the things listed in this passage!

• Jesus is far above all principality and power
  • I combined principality and power here because these words are seen tied together in other bible passages.
  • So, what is meant by Principality and Power here?

Borrowing from John Piper:

“These two terms (as used here and in Ephesians 6) are literally, “rulers and antichrists”. …as seen in Ephesians 6:11, 12, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

“Here the principalities and powers are clearly aligned with the devil. The most natural interpretation would seem to be that principalities and powers refer to supernatural beings in Satan’s hosts. They are not mere flesh and blood; that is, they are not merely human. They are supernatural. And they are intent on man’s destruction, which is why we need the “armor of God.”

• Fortunately for us, our Lord Jesus Christ, in his position at the right hand of God is far above Satan and his hosts. They are formidable enemies, but because Jesus’ power and authority is far greater than theirs, we need not fear them. So, this aspect of Jesus “position” is certainly another example of Jesus magnificence!

• Jesus is also far above all authority and dominion
  • Jesus is the King of all kings.
  • Whatever authority or dominion an earthly king may be given, he is still under the authority of Christ.
  • And as we have already seen Jesus has also been set above all supernatural rulers or authorities and their dominion.

• Jesus is far above every name (in this world and the age to come)

• We will come back to this subject when we dig into Hebrews 1:4 “So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. “

Looking further into what it means for Jesus to be seated at the Fathers’ right hand, there are verses in God’s Word that describe Jesus’ role as our High Priest who intercedes for us.

Hebrews 8:1 states;

    “Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven”

And Romans 8:34 adds;

“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, is seated in the perfect position to intercede for us. And he pleads for us continually, to bridge the gap between the perfection and holiness of God, and our sinfulness. This is necessary because even though it is true that we are forgiven for all our sins when we place our faith in Jesus, we still struggle with sin while on this earth. (refer to Pauls’ struggles described in Romans 7).  This struggle with sin doesn’t change the fact that we are eternally saved, but it effects our daily relationship with God. So, we are told to confess our sin (1 John 1:9) to restore our daily walk with God. But, we also by Gods’ grace, have Jesus at the right hand of the Father as our eternal mediator, defending us from the accusations of Satan.

This also reveals the Magnificence of Christ in that even though in his position at the right hand of God he has supreme authority and power, he doesn’t use it just for his own glory. But, he uses his position power to help sinful people like us by interceding on our behalf before the Father. We are blessed indeed!

The Magnificence of Christ in His Name

Hebrews 1:4 “So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. “

There are some very important and powerful angels noted in Scripture by name. There is Michael the arch angel and Gabriel and the angel Lucifer.

Besides these angels that were given specific names, there are two important groups of angels identified in Scripture;

1. Seraphim

The seraphim are the least mentioned of the types of angels. They are only found in Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah tells of seeing the Lord sitting on his throne. Angels identified as seraphim were flying above him. When translated the word “seraphim” means “fiery or burning ones”. These angels are most noted for having six wings.

(Isaiah 6:2-3) Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

(Isaiah 6:6) Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.

2. Cherubim

Of the types of angels noted in the Bible, the cherubim are mentioned the most. In (Ezekiel 10:20-21) they are described as having a head that has four faces, in addition to having four wings with what looks like human hands under their wings.

When Adam and Eve were drove from the Garden of Eden, God placed cherubim on the east side of the Garden to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24)

All of these angels had powers, abilities and appearances that caused people to react in fear and awe whenever they were seen.

Sometimes people were tempted to worship the angels that they saw because they were so magnificent. But, in Hebrews 1:4 we see that Jesus is superior to the angels! And our knees should only bow to Him.

On that note, the apostle Paul adds this regarding the place and name of Jesus;

Philippians 2:9-11, 9 “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Also, looking back to Ephesians 1:21, we glean even more about the name of Jesus “….and He seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all principality and authority and power and dominion, and every name being named, not only in this world, but also in the coming age”

Jesus’ name is above every name of every being that ever existed or ever will exist in the future.

And here are just some examples of what the exalted name of Jesus now means to us.

• Salvation is in the name of Jesus alone: “Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11–12).

• Forgiveness of sins is received through the name of Jesus: “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43).

• Believers are baptized in the name of Jesus: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38).

• Healing and miracles were performed in the name of Jesus: “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see” (Acts 3:16).

• Jesus teaches believers to pray in His name; that is, to pray, in His authority, the type of prayer that He would pray: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:13–14)

We see that there is so much wrapped up in the name of Jesus! These verses are only a few examples. But, they are enough to reveal that the name of Jesus is magnificent far beyond any other name!!

The Magnificence of Christ in His Superiority to the Angels

Hebrews 1:4-14, 4 “So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”?

Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”? 6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” 7 In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire.”

The Magnificence of Christ in His Unchanging Permanence

• His Eternal Nature

8 But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” 10 He also says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 11 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”