Scripture: Philippians 2 v 9 - 11
"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and
given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of things in heaven, and thngs in earth, and things under the
earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father."
We are made to admire greatness and when we see or hear
of true heroism we applaud it loud and long. We praise those heroes who fight
valiantly against injustice and corruption.
We see heroes on the big screen or TV. People like
Braveheart who defy evil and bring about change. Maximus in Gladiator overthrew
an evil Caesar; Brian Mills in Taken destroyed a sex slave ring.
These men portray that which is beyond our abilities to
achieve and for the time we see them in action our hearts are satisfied with
wild justice. But these heroes celluloid make believe and not out there for
real.
When Jesus' disciples asked Him if He was going to
overthrow the Roman Government he responded that it was not for them to know
the timing of it which was in the Father's hands.
The disciples had been looking for a powerful leader who
would liberate them from the oppression of Roman domination. Instead Jesus had
taught them to turn the other cheek and walk the extra mile to show the Romans
that they were subject to their own lives.
They had not yet seen the power of Jesus' death and
resurrection at work in their lives, transforming them into heroes themselves.
The ultimate heroic act of dying in our place puts Jesus
far above any earthly hero celluoid or otherwise. It was the single most
selfless act of love that ever was or ever will be performed on this planet.
Jesus willingly laid down His life so that we would be spared the fires of
Hell.
He knew what awaited us if we were not redeemed, or
ransomed. So He set aside His kingly robes to be born as a baby in a stable. To
emphasize the importance of His death, the date of his birth was never
announced.
The Romans in the 4th century AD combined the Babylonian
and Christian religions and gave Jesus 25th December as a birthdate because the
Babylonian son of Baal was born on that day.
Celebrate Christmas if you wish but I personally do not.
I rather celebrate the resurrection and new birth daily in my life to the
honour of Almighty God.
Jesus Christ is much more than a hero. He is the Son of
God who rescued us from Hell and took away our sinful nature and gave us
righteousness in its place. His Blood washes us clean of all sin and protects
us from harm.
Honour Him above every other name and every other hero.
He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. As Jude states in verses 24 -25:
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling,
and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding
joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and
power, both now and forever. Amen."
Prayer: Heavenly Father Thank You for sending Jesus to
save us. Help us to make Him known to those around us through every means
possible to reach those trapped in sin under demonic power. Thank You that
Jesus' name is higher than every other name and that at the sound of His name,
demons flee. He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending. Amen Jesus Amen.