Heb. 2:6-106But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? 7Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: 8Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. 9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Hebrews 2:6‑10)
And now we turn our eyes to the right hand of the Majesty on high, and there we see Jesus, crowned with glory and honor. Yes, the One whom Simeon looked upon, a lowly babe at His mother's breast, the One whom John saw crucified and dead upon a cross, we see now in the highest place in the glory. God has raised Him from the dead and set Him there. Every Christian heart thrills at the thought of His exaltation, and yet that glory that has received Him has not made Him more glorious. It was the only place in the universe that was worthy of Him. His disciples anticipated the throne of David for Him, and He shall have it in due time, with every other throne; but there was only one place that was worthy of Him when He came forth from among the dead, and that was the Father's throne on high. The diamond is put in a golden setting, but its setting does not increase the value of the gem; it is the only fit setting for it. So it is with Jesus, whose name is now above every name, and who is crowned in heaven with glory and honor; He is in His right setting there. God has said to Him, "Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool." He is not inactive there, but having passed through all suffering, He is the fully qualified Captain or Leader of God's many sons. I should like to deepen the desire within us to follow Him, and to awaken and stir up a holy enthusiasm for Him in the hearts of those He has saved.
Psalm 110 is a remarkable psalm; it is quoted in the New Testament more often than any other. It begins, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool," plainly presenting the Lord as faith sees Him now crowned with glory and honor. The third verse of it is very beautiful; it describes what is yet to be seen in Israel when the Lord shall rule in Zion, but I want to give it a present application which I feel is wholly just, and for this purpose I will quote it as it is in the J.N. Darby translation. "Thy people shall be willing (or offer themselves willingly) in the day of Thy power, in holy splendor: from the womb of the morning shall come to Thee the dew of Thy youth." All His foes are to be subdued beneath His feet, and Israel, a newborn nation, shall surround their Messiah and King with loud hosannas, nevermore to grieve Him. That will be a splendid thing to behold, but there is a greater splendor, and it may be realized and seen now. This is the day of His rejection by men. He is not wanted by the world, but those who love Him may come to Him with wholehearted devotion. They may be filled with enthusiasm for Him; as a newborn race they may follow Him with steady steps and loins well girt; they may make their boast in the Lord. This, in the eyes of heaven, is "holy splendor," and nothing else than this can please our God.
We see Jesus crowned with glory and honor, and it is as the victorious and crowned Savior that He is leading many sons to glory. Glory is our destiny, for we are following the One who is there. This is all real to men of faith, but not to those who walk by sight; and we must be on our guard against the glamor of "the things that are seen" which dims faith's keen vision, and often betrays the Christian into fearing men, or into admiring and following them. But the greatest of men can offer us no destiny. Death is their master; it mocks at their promises, and shatters all their hopes and ambitions. Every day is a witness to this.
"The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Await alike th' inevitable hour-
The paths of glory lead but to the grave."
There is no hope beyond the grave but in Christ. He has overthrown death, and destroyed him who had the power of it, which is the devil, that He might deliver those who through fear of it were all their lifetime subject to bondage. And in Him we have a hope that maketh not ashamed. He will not fail us, nor be untrue to God who has entrusted His sons to His care. He is not only a great leader, but He is "a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God," and He ever liveth to make intercession for us. And that brings us to another side of His activities for us in the glory. If the road is rough and the trials great, and if the fight waxes fierce and we grow faint, "He has said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee," and He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and knows how to sympathize with us and to succor us in our hours of need. He considers us and cares for us and provides the grace that we need, so that when we look to Him and come to His throne of grace, we find the help already prepared and waiting for us. Jesus is not only a glorious leader, but He is a sympathetic friend. His name is glorious, and His arm is omnipotent, but His heart is tender. He has won our admiration by His exploits, but He has won our hearts by His love.
4. His Coming Again
"We shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3:22Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2). That will be the climax of our joy and the consummation of all our hopes, when the stress and strain of our pilgrimage is over and the testing is complete. We shall meet Him in the air and look upon His face; we shall see Him as He is. Later, when He returns to the world, He will come as the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, to judge and make war, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. But we shall not wail because of Him, for though we, too, shall see the splendor of His majesty, we shall see Him and know Him as we have learned Him here. What He is to us now, He will be when we see Him. We shall not meet a stranger whom we fear, but a Savior and a friend whom we love; One who has been near to us in our sorrows and carried us through them, who is our daily resource and joy; as He is to us now, so shall we see Him then. What precious experiences have bound us to Him in this valley of weeping, what intimate links we have with Him, and these we never lose.
We shall see Him also as the One in whom the Father delights, the Object of the Father's love, and in this we shall have full communion with the Father. This will be the supreme joy of the Father's house, where the Father's beloved Son is honored and adored by all.
We are to appear with Him when He comes forth to reconcile all things to God, and when His glory shall shine to the uttermost bounds of the universe that He has created. We shall see Him then, just as blessedly \perfect as He was in the manger, and on the cross, and on His Father's throne, and every remembrance of Him and every fresh view of His glory will call 'forth fresh praise from our willing hearts and
He is a great \ and glorious Savior, and I wish that I could set Him forth in a worthier way, but this is at once my joy and my grief; my joy that I am able to speak of Him at all; my grief because my words are so cold and dull when they ought to be words that would move you and thrill you and bring you in holy enthusiasm and full surrender to His feet. But a thousand times better than hearing of Him is to draw near and learn what He is for yourself, and that knowledge that you will gain of Him now, you will never lose. It will be your prized possession forever and ever.