As the eternal Word, who was “ made flesh and dwelt among us,” Christ told forth the very thoughts of God toward us and expressed His never-dying love. The Holy One o f God indicates His sinlessness, His impeccabil ity, His spotlessness, "holy, undefiled, separate from sinners.” His name Redeemer reveals how He by His death saved us from eternal condemnation and as the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd and the Chief Shep herd, His atoning work on the cross, His intercession at the “ throne of grace” and His kingly glory are set forth. He is also called The Rose o f Sharon, The Lily of the Valley, The Chiefest among ten thousand, the One “ altogether lovely”—all of which remind us of His beauty and perfection. Other titles are The Nazarene, The Carpenter, the Servant o f Jehovah, which speak of His humility and total obedience to His Father's will. “His N ame shall be called W onderful ” Our Lord Jesus has always been “Wonderful.” Be fore the heavens and earth were created, He was won derful in His being, in His glory and His beauty. In Old Testament times He was wonderful in His patience and love with His sinning creatures. How faithfully He led them and taught them and chastened them through out the centuries! He was wonderful in His birth, for He was born as no other human being was ever born. God was His Father; He was “ conceived of the Holy Ghost.” He was “ the only begotten Son of God.” On the night when He was born, angels filled the sky and human shepherds worshipped at His lowly manger. A wondrous star led wise men to the house where he lay as a small child. He was wonderful in His birth ! Our Lord Jesus Christ was wonderful in His life. He lived a holy, sinless life on earth. His Heavenly Father spoke more than once from Heaven saying of Him, “ This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17 ; 17:5). Jesus Himself could say, “ I do always those things that please him” (John 8 :29 ). The disciples too spoke with authority in terms like th is: “ tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin [or sin apart]” (i.e., He was not tempted to sin — Heb. 4:15, ASV ). He was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens” (Heb. 7 :26 ). Yes, our Lord Jesus Christ was wonderful in His life! He was wonderful in His works. Only because He was God could He perform such mighty deeds. More over, because He always was, is now, and ever shall be, the God o f love, He had compassion on the mul titudes; He healed the sick; He opened the eyes o f the blind; He raised the dead; He cast out demons; He comforted the broken-hearted; He forgave sins. Only God can accomplish these things! As the Creator, He manifested His power over nature, turning the water into wine, stilling the tempest, walking upon the sea, multiplying the loaves and the fishes. Thus He showed His power over nature, sickness, demons, death and sin. He was wonderful in His works, in order to prove that He had every right and all power to become our Sin- bearer and Lord and King. Christ Jesus was wonderful in His words. Even the officers who were sent by the Pharisees to take Him prisoner admitted this: “ Never man spake like this
man” (John 7 :46 ). He always spoke the truth — the truth about the Triune God and His plan of salvation; the truth about things to come; the truth about man’s moral and ethical obligations to God and to his fellow- man. The Lord Jesus was wonderful in His death. No one else ever died as He did— a propitiatory sacrifice for sin. He died that we might live. He died willingly, gladly, for lost, never-dying souls! Our Lord was wonderful in His resurrection. In His glorified, yet very real, body, Christ bore the keys of hades and the grave (Rev. 1 :18 ). He broke the bands of death, robbing Satan of his mightiest weapon. Because He lives, we too shall live! He was wonderful in His ascension into Heaven. Angels attended His return to His eternal, uncreated glory, reassuring His loved ones that He would come again (Acts 1 :11). The Father in Heaven greeted Him with those marvelous words o f welcome Home, foretold by David a thousand years before David’s Son was born in Bethlehem: “ The Lord said unto my Lord (i.e., God the Father said to God the Son, for David’s Son was David’s Lord ), Sit thou on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Psa. 110:1). Our great High Priest, even Jesus, is wonderful in His present ministry at the right hand of the Father, fo r there He "ever liveth to make intercession” for His blood-bought children (Heb. 7 :25 ). When we sin, He prays fo r us, chastens us, and restores us to fellowship with Himself. He guards and cares for us. How pa tiently He deals with His own ! He is wonderful in His authority, power and love! “ And His name shall be called Wonderful” when He comes in glory to reign. The whole world will be filled with His glory. From all eternity He has been won derful in the eyes of the Father and the Spirit, in the eyes of angels, and in the eyes of His saints, the born- again, separated ones. But when He rules over all the earth, all men will call Him “ Wonderful.” His glory shall cover the earth “ as the waters cover the sea.” “His N ame S hall be C alled . . . C ounsellor ” We may not even attempt to say that in ages past the world of men has accepted Christ as Counsellor. Today the unbelieving world still rejects His counsel. Instead, “ The kings o f the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his anointed” (Psa. 2 :2 ; Acts 4:26-28). The godless world crucified “ the only wise God our Saviour” (Jude 25). Even those o f us who love Him and truly want His counsel all too often fail to go to Him for wisdom and guidance! We are self-willed, im patient, forgetful of our utter dependence upon Him who “ doeth all things well.” But in the ages to come it will not be so. All men shall call Him “ Counsellor.” In His inherent worthiness, He always has been the only safe and true Counsellor. Yet this sinful world has never accepted Him as such. Six thousand years of human history are but the record o f failure and sin on the part of frail humanity. Nations rush headlong to eternal doom — all nations which forget God—which means most of the nations o f the earth. When Christ sits upon the throne o f David, it
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DECEMBER, 1968
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