Jesus is Lord!
This is the great declaration of the gospel.
“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus Whom you crucified.” – Acts 2:36
(Bible quotations in this post are from the ESV.)
It’s also the core of our salvation.
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9
And, as we learned in the previous post, He is the source from which God draws our transcendent blessings.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” – Ephesians 1:3
Our blessings are in the heavenly realm because that’s where Jesus resides. And that brings us to the next aspect of the significance of the heavenly places in Ephesians.
Boss
“that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,” – Ephesians 1:20
This verse is an incomplete sentence; it’s part of a much broader statement. But even when taken by itself, this fragment discloses a key activity of God on behalf of His Son.
God exalted Jesus.
In a literal sense.
He didn’t whisper a word of encouragement or pat Him on the back. God resurrected Christ. Jesus, who died on the cross, is no longer deceased! Through His Father, He conquered the grave!
But God wasn’t finished. He did more than deliver Jesus out of the grave; He seated Him by His throne in heaven.
No matter the kind of government we live under, we recognize a throne represents power. It’s the political version of holy ground. When we approach a throne, we’re to honor the ruler as we seek his or her aid.
Jesus finished His sacrifice on earth when He laid down His life on the cross. God not only accepted Christ’s offering, He honored Him by raising Him from the dead and bringing Him back to His side.
Jesus is now seated at God’s right hand. The metaphor of the right hand conveys competency and dexterity. Most people are right-handed; they feel awkward trying to write or brush their teeth with their left hand. The results aren’t pretty!
When Paul states that Jesus sits at God’s right hand, he means that Christ has divine authority by which to act.
That’s powerful!
But what difference does it make where Jesus is? After all, He performed great miracles during His ministry on earth.
“And He answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.’” – Luke 7:22
These sound impressive to me! What did Jesus gain by ascending to heaven?
To answer that, let’s take a step back and observe verse 20 in its setting. Paul’s comment about Jesus in the heavenlies lies in the context of a prayer.
“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might 20that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” – Ephesians 1:15-23
The apostle wanted Christians to grow in their understanding of their Lord. The world ignores or mocks. At best, people view Him as a good guy on a par with other religious leaders.
But Christ is so much more!
God has invested His heavenly governance in His Son. Look at the words Paul uses in verses 19-21: “power,” “worked,” “rule,” “authority,” “power” (again), and “dominion.”
God resurrected Jesus on the earth, but He seated Him by His throne in heaven. Thus, Christ’s authority is total. It’s exhaustive, encompassing both realms of reality.
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.’” – Matthew 28:18
And unlike many government officials, Jesus suffers no term limits. As Paul says in verse 21, the Lord’s rule extends from this age to the next one. It doesn’t end!
Finally, God put everything under Christ’s feet (verse 22). The worlds, both natural and spiritual, are under His jurisdiction. He’s the boss of everything!
And as amazing as that is, Paul isn’t finished yet. In verse 23, he states that Christ is the head of the church.
Why bring up the church? What do we have to do with the rule of Jesus Christ over the heavens and the earth? We’ll find out in the next post!
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