The Ultimate Hero
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 things 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 are celluloid/make believe and not out there for
real. But we long for someone real who can stop the fearful evil caused by the
basest sins in the world.
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. Jesus also told them that it
could not be done by force.
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, celluloid 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 emphasise the importance of His death, the true date of
his birth was never announced.
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 His
righteousness in its place. His Blood washes us clean of all sin and protects
us from harm. Through this unique act Jesus purchased us back from Satan. The
whole human race was back in God's hands!
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (this
is the Rock upon which I will build My Church, Jesus told Peter and His
disciples) will be born again of water and spirit. That means when you believe
and are baptised your spirit comes alive. Your spirit is inside Jesus, alive
and ready for action. Your flesh and
soul need to be loosed of memories, hurts, anger etc and catch up with where
Jesus wants you to be effective for Him. All delay in serving Him is on your
side not His.
The ultimate victory will be the Battle of Armageddon on
the plains of Meggido in Israel, when the full power of the Antichrist
manifests against her. All the armies of the world will unite and a force of
200 million will advance to destroy God's chosen people. The full might of
Jesus will descend from Heaven with all the saints (raptured believers) and He
will stand before that army and kill 166 million of them in one moment of time.
The rest will flee.
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.