A Vision of Jesus

“But, we see Jesus…” Hebrews 2:9

As trends and tastes continually evolve, innovative dabblers can’t keep their hands off of Christ. Artists want to give Him a new face, marketing pros want to create a new cosmopolitan profile for Him, historians want to revise the themes of His life and theologians want to rewrite His doctrine. Maybe we do need an updated vision of Jesus, but the changes must focus on us, not on Him. Here is my vision of Jesus.

Jesus Christ stands out as the unrivaled champion of the scriptures. Without Him, we have only unexplained ceremonies, unachieved purposes, unappeased longings and unfulfilled prophecies. Without Christ the Old Testament is a river which has lost its way to the sea, a swift-flying arrow with no target and magnificent eagle with no roosting branch. Jesus Christ forms the centripetal point of the law—-everything converges upon Him, and the centrifugal point of grace—-everything emerges from Him. On Him rides the theme of both Old and New Testaments, the raison d’être to every dispensation of time, the reflection of every great personage and the substance of every great type.

Jesus used the scripture to testify of himself. “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”. John 5:39. He dwells at the center of the church. He constitutes the totality of our message: “But we preach Christ crucified…” I Corinthians 1:23. He stands as the object of our deepest consecration: “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. Philippians 3:8-10. He embodies the adoration of the songwriter, and the hope of the saint.

Jesus represents the reason for my repentance, the remission of sins in my baptism and the substance of the Spirit that indwells me. All things revolve around him. Jesus is God himself! “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” Ephesians 1:20-23.

Jesus exists at the center of eternity. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.“ Revelation 1:8 In New Jerusalem, Jesus, the Lamb, is the king of the city. The light of the city is the face of Jesus. The joy of the city is the presence of Jesus. The music of the city is the name of Jesus. The harmony of the city is the praise of Jesus. The employment of the city is the service of Jesus. The theme of the city is the love of Jesus. The duration of the city is the eternity of Jesus.

Take care to preach Jesus, teach Jesus, sing of Jesus, read Jesus, talk Jesus and walk Jesus. He gives our sermons meaning, our songs power, our witness effectiveness, our doctrines truth, our devotion wealth, our holiness beauty and our piety purpose.

On Christ the solid rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.