J O H N W. M O O R E
EXALTING JESUS CHRIST WITH ALL OUR HEART, SOUL, MIND AND STRENGTH
Jesus is certainly worthy of praise and adoration. He should be lifted up and magnified. His virtues should be extolled. His power and authority should be recognized and His name revered and sanctified. A greater man never, nor will ever, walk the earth. He was perfect in every way. He was perfect in obedience to His Father, tireless in His devotion, and dedicated to His cause. If God "hath highly exalted Him," (Phil. 3:9; Acts 5:31) then so should all of creation. Notice the words of the familiar song by Tillit S. Teddlie:
Worthy of praise is Christ our Redeemer,
Worthy of glory, honor and pow'r!
Worthy of all our souls adoration,
Worthy art Thou! Worthy art Thou!
Lift up the voice in praise and devotion,
Saints of all earth before Him should bow;
Angels in heaven worship Him saying,
Worthy art Thou! Worthy art Thou!
Lord, may we come before Thee with singing,
Filled with thy spirit, wisdom and pow'r;
May we ascribe Thee glory and honor,
Worthy art Thou! Worthy art Thou!
Chorus:
Worthy of riches, blessings and honor,
Worthy of wisdom, glory and pow'r!
Worthy of earth and heaven's thanksgiving
Worthy art Thou! Worthy art Thou!
Indeed, He is worthy of all our soul's adoration. He is Redeemer, Lord, King, and Friend. He is Ruler over heaven and earth and is without equal. His name is above every name (Phil. 2:9), and in no other is there salvation (Acts 4:12). He is truly Lord of lords and King of kings (I Tim. 6:15). We should exalt Him in every way.
Sadly, Christ does not always receive the exaltation He deserves. Many people are exalting Buddha, Mohammed, Ghandi, humanism, materialism, etc., and all kinds of iniquity over the "blessed and only Potentate." (I Tim. 6:15). The world must exalt Jesus now or else they will be forced to bow down before Him and thereby become the Lord's footstool on the day of judgment. They will be conquered and cast into an eternal hell, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The church, above all people, should exalt Christ now. They, too, will be cast into the lake of fire if Christ has not been utmost in their lives. Disobedience (Matt. 7:21), religious indifference (Rev. 3:15,16), and apathetic attitudes (Rev. 2:4) reflect a negligence in extolling Jesus. Not only is it imperative that we exalt Jesus now, but we must do so with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). Mark 12:30 conveys the idea of complete and comprehensive commitment and love to God. Love for God demands that we love and exalt His Son. Herein is the emphasis of the assigned topic for this portion of the lectureship. We must exalt Jesus Christ with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
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