M is for Majesty

Though Majesty is more of a descriptive word than a title, it is used to describe our Lord’s worth and authority above all that is and was and is to come. He is my Majesty. He is Your Majesty. He has all wisdom. He is King of all kings, and Lord of all lords.
According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, Majesty is a noun. It is 1) the dignity or power of a sovereign. 2) It is sovereign power. The title is used in speaking to or of a sovereign, and is preceded by “Your’ or by ‘His or Her’.

In Job 37:22, Job said that with God is awe-inspiring Majesty. David wrote whole Psalms to the Majesty of God (See Psalm 93). In II Peter 1:16 Peter said he had been an eyewitness of His Majesty. He had been there at the ‘Transfiguration’. He had been there when Jesus rose from the dead, and he had seen him ascend into heaven. He had first hand knowledge of His Majesty.

Writers and songwriters down through the years have sought to express the Majesty of our God. Stu Garrard/Martin Smith have written:

“Majesty, Majesty
Your grace has found me just as I am
Empty handed, but alive in Your hands.
Majesty, Majesty
Forever I am changed by Your love
In the presence of Your Majesty.”

Bill and Gloria Gaither have given us this familiar chorus, one I love hearing sung b y a large choir or congregation. I cannot help but join in with:

“Majesty, Worship His Majesty
Unto Jesus be all glory, honor and praise!
Majesty, Kingdom, Authority
Flows from His throne
Unto His own
His anthem raise.

So exalt, lift up on high
The name of Jesus.
Magnify, come glorify Christ Jesus the King.

Majesty, worship His Majesty
Jesus who died, now glorified
King of all kings.”

                AMEN, MAJESTY!

L is for Lamb

When Jesus came to earth the 1st time, He came to be a sacrifice. He came as a Lamb for sinners slain. John the Baptist introduced Him as the “Lamb of God”. One cannot really understand this title without having some knowledge of the practice of animal sacrifice in the Bible.


The sacrificial system provided a way for God’s people to approach Him even though they had sinned. Those who were offering sacrifices understood the animal was a symbol of themselves and their desire to offer their own lives to God. This sacrificial system of the Scripture represents God’s way of instructing man what it means to approach a holy God.

To the Jewish people the lamb represented innocence and gentleness. According to the Mosaic Law, the lamb sacrificed must be a male, without blemish, firstborn of the flock.  Isaiah likened our Savior, Jesus, to the lamb of sacrifice when he wrote in Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter and a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” The lamb is a symbol of meekness, humility and a willingness to submit to the will of the master. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God; He is male, sinless and without blemish. He is willing to submit to His fathers will.

In Revelation we have the ‘lamb’ mentioned 29 times. Here the ‘Lamb who was slain’ now lives and reigns victorious.

Rev. 7:17 “For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd; and He will guide them to the springs of the waters of life; and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Rev 17:14 “…and the Lamb will triumph over them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings…”

Rev. 19:7 “let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb has come.”

When the Lamb comes the 2nd time, those who have been covered by His blood by accepting Christ as their sacrifice, will be kept safe. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (the Lamb of God) that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

K is for KING

“Behold a king shall reign in righteousness” (Isaiah 32:1). For years the Jewish people longed for their coming ‘king’ to restore them as a nation to their freedom and former glory. This King would be their Messiah, and in thinking Jesus might be their Messiah, they called Him “Son of David”. They thought their messianic king, the righteous one to come from the line of David, was among them. He even rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, a sign of both peace and humility.


They were right in all ways except the timing. At His 1st coming, He came as a sacrifice; but one day He will be revealed as the greatest of all kings. Then He will not come on a donkey, but it says in Rev. 19:11 “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.” Then going to verse 16 it states: “on His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

The following is an article called “My King Is…” by Dr. S.M. Lockridge. When I read it I felt my excitement and praise build until at the end I was also shouting, “That’s my King! AMEN!” Read it and Praise our King!

“The Bible says my King is a seven-way king…He’s the King of the Jews; that’s a racial king…He’s the King of Israel; that’s a national King…He’s the King of Righteousness…He’s the King of the Ages…He’s the King of Heaven…He’s the King of Glory…He’s the King of kings, and He’s the Lord of lords. That’s my King. Well…I wonder, do you know Him?

David said, “The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define His limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply. No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings. He’s enduringly strong…He’s entirely sincere…He’s eternally steadfast…He’s immortally graceful…He’s imperially powerful…He’s impartially merciful…Do you know Him?

He’s the greatest phenomenon that ever crossed the horizon of this world. He’s God’s Son…He’s a sinner’s Savior…He’s the centerpiece of civilization…He stands in the solitude of Himself…He’s august…He’s unique…He’s unparalleled…He’s unprecedented…He’s the loftiest idea in literature…He’s the highest personality in philosophy…He’s the supreme problem in highest criticism…He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology…He’s the cardinal necessity for spiritual religion…He’s the miracle of the age…He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him…He’s the only one qualified to be an all sufficient Savior…I wonder if you know Him today?

He supplies strength for the weak…He’s available for the tempted and the tried…He sympathizes and He saves…He strengthens and sustains…He guards and He guides…He heals the sick…He cleanses lepers…He forgives sinners…He discharges debtors...He delivers captives…He defends the feeble…He blesses the young…He serves the unfortunate…He regards the aged…He rewards the diligent…and He beautifies the meek…I wonder if you know Him?

Well, my King…is the King…He’s the key to knowledge…He’s the wellspring to wisdom…He’s the doorway of deliverance…He’s the pathway of peace…He’s the roadway of righteousness…He’s the highway of holiness…He’s the gateway of glory…Do you know Him?

Well…His office is manifold…His promise is sure…His light is matchless…His goodness is limitless…His mercy is everlasting…His love never changes…His word is enough…His grace is sufficient…His reign is righteous…and His yoke is easy, and his burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you, but He’s indescribable…He’s incomprehensible…He’s invincible…He’s irresistible.

Well, you can’t get Him out of your mind…You can’t get Him off of your hand…You can’t out live Him, and you can’t live without Him…The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him…Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him…The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree…Herod couldn’t kill Him…Death couldn’t handle Him, and the grave couldn’t hold Him. Yes!!! that’s my King, that’s my King!

Father…"Thine is the Kingdom…and the Power…and the Glory…Forever"…and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever. How long is that? And ever…and ever…and when you get through with all the forevers, then…AMEN!…AMEN! "

J is for Jesus

The name Jesus was the personal name given to our Lord and Christ. When the angel told Joseph it was OK to take Mary to be his wife because the babe she carried was a miracle of God and from the Holy Spirit, he was told to call the baby ‘Jesus’, because He would save His people from their sins.

Back in Jesus day, “Jesus” was a common name. To distinguish our Lord from others of that name, He was referred to as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus son of Joseph, Jesus the Nazarene. And later on in Scripture He was refered to as “Jesus Christ” as though Christ were the surname.

In the Greek, the word is “Iesous” (yay-sous) equivalent of the Hebrew “Yeshua”, translated to Joshua in English. The name Joshua is the oldest name containing Yahweh, a name for God so sacred it was considered too holy to pronounce. Both the name of “Jesus” and “Joshua” mean “Yahweh is help” or “Yahweh is salvation”.

Yahweh is God’s personal name in the Old Testament, and Jesus is the personal name of our Redeemer, Christ, in the New Testament. With “Yahweh is salvation”, we have Jesus as Yahweh come to earth. Jesus Himself said that if you have seen Him, you have seen the Father (John 14:9). So no longer is God a distant God, but through Jesus He is God becoming one with us, God reaching out in mercy, God nailed to the Cross, and God rising from the grave to show us the way of life. Jesus, is the name above all names, glorious Savior, blessed Redeemer.

Therefore also God highly exalted Him,

And bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

That at the name of Jesus Every knee shall bow,

of those who are in heaven, and on earth and under the earth,

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

(Philippians 2:9-11)

In closing from a poem written by my mother, called “A Name”:

“When my heart feels empty and longing

And there’s a void that will not be filled,

And there’s an ache that is truly suffering

And a pain that cannot be stilled,

There’s a Name that I love to whisper

For that Name brings contentment and peace.

The name is the name of my Jesus

Whose love for me never can cease.”

Yes, there is something about that Name—Jesus.

The Curse and the GLORY of the Cross

In Bible days the act of nailing or binding a person to a cross or tree was considered the cruelest and most shameful method of capital punishment. Anyone hanging on a tree according to Deuteronomy 21:23 is cursed by God. Because of the stigma and curse on anyone ‘hanged on a tree’ the idea of a crucified savior was foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews (I Corinthians 1:23). Yet Jesus willingly took the curse and humiliation of the law and as Galatians 3:13 tells us “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” Thus He became the means of freeing people from the curse of Sin.


Jesus did not just ‘die’ in our place—He became a “Curse” of the worst kind, for you and for me. He received the total rejection by the Father so that we could be “accepted” in the beloved. He bore the utter darkness died alone as the Father had to turn His back on His beloved and only Begotten Son, so that we would not have to die alone.

“Because Jesus Christ did what God wanted Him to do, we are all purified from the sin by the offering that he made of His own body once and for all. Every Jewish priest performs his services every day and offers the same sacrifices many times; but these sacrifices can never take away sins. Christ however, offered one sacrifice for sins, an offering that is effective forever, and then He sat down at the right side of God. There He now waits until God puts His enemies as a footstool under his feet. With one sacrifice, then, He has made perfect forever those who are purified from sin”. (Hebrews 10:10-14 –The Good News New Testament).

The work of the Cross was to atone for the sin of the world, our sin. Atonement itself is life changing. Yet redemption is free through the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. All who accept His payment for their redemption become new creatures in Christ. This is the GLORY OF THE CROSS! Lives are altered and redirected by it!

But we cannot leave our Savior on the Cross. On the third day He rose, triumphant over sin, hell and death! Death has lost and Life has won! He lives, our Savior lives!

Have a Glorious Resurrection Day knowing we serve a Risen Savior! Praise God, He lives!!

I is for Immanuel

In Matthew 1:23 it states “they shall call His name Immanuel, which, being interpreted, is God with us.” Why, you may ask, was Jesus not called Immanuel as His given name? My notes in my Scofield Bible say that ‘according to Hebrew usage, the name does not represent a title, but a characterization. It shows that He really was “God with us”. It also shows that the diety of Christ, our anointed one, was emphasized at the very beginning of the New Testament.

The word “Immanuel” consists of two Hebrew words: ‘El’, meaning God and ‘Immanu’, meaning “With us”. It is pronounced ‘ih-MAN-yoo-el’, and is used only three times in Scripture; the first appears in Isaiah 7:14, with prophetic words spoken by Isaiah about 700 years before Christ. It is used again in Isaiah 8:8, and then in our verse of Matthew 1:23, which is quoting from Isaiah. Matthew is applying it to the child to be born of Mary, the virgin betrothed to Joseph. In Jesus, God would become a man that He could save the world and bring man back to God. Through Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, would redeem and restore this relationship between man and God.

David tell us how God is with us as our ‘Immanuel’ in Psalm 139:7-10:

“If I go up to the heavens, you are there,
If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
If I settle on the far side of the sea,
Even there Your hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast.”

How can we lose? What do we fear? Immanuel, God is with me.

A 4th century prayer known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate, says:
“Christ be beside me, Christ be before me,
Christ be behind me, King of my heart;
Christ be within me, Christ be below me
Christ be above me, never to part.”

‘Immanuel’, God with us.
                          He is our God
                                           He is truly with us!

H is for High Priest

The role of the priest is to bring the people to God. In the Israelite Nation, the priesthood consisted of three groups: The High Priest, the ordinary priests and the Levites. The High Priest was the only one authorized to enter the most Holy Place, and that only 3 times a year.

In the New Testament, Jesus is identified as our High Priest. He paid the sacrifice once for all, and now He is the One who faithfully bears us into God’s presence.

As our great High Priest, it is Jesus perfect offering that has won for us complete forgiveness. In Hebrews 5 it tells us that in the office of the high priest of the Israelites, he not only offered sacrifices for the people, but also for himself because he is also a weak human. But Christ, the anointed one of God, became our High Priest as He had already given Himself as the ultimate sacrifice.

There are several ways in which Jesus meets all the requirements needed to be a High Priest. First of all, He has a human body. Hebrews 2:17 (NIV) states “For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest…” He was human just as though he had never been God, but He was also totally God as though He had never been human.

The second reason is that being human He could also sympathize with we ignorant sinners. In Hebrews 4:15 (NIV) it states “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin.”

The third reason is that He was ordained of God. In Hebrews 5:4 it states “no one takes this honor upon himself, he must be ordained of God…” God the Father chose his eternal Son to be our eternal High Priest.

A fourth way Jesus earned the right to become the High Priest was through His suffering. Isaiah 50: 5-7 prophetically portrays Christ: “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting…” In the Garden of Gethsemane, our Lord experienced intense agony to the point of sweating blood. He was not agonizing over his coming physical death, (many people experienced physical death by crucifixion), but it was the fact that he was about to die for the sin of the world. He, who knew no sin, would become the worst sinner as he bore the sin of the whole world. He was about to suffer what is called ‘the second death’ and to be forsaken by His Father. He knew about suffering!

We needed to have a perfect High Priest, and Jesus was perfect, as He perfectly obeyed the Father. He then became the perfect mediator as well as a perfect victim on our behalf. He alone is qualified to be our Perfect High Priest. Christ became the source of our eternal salvation. Jesus only is the ‘well of salvation’ to which all must come and drink. Jesus is the Eternal High Priest, because His sacrifice, given once for all, obtained eternal redemption.

The Eternal Son
                   Gives us Eternal salvation,
                                          In which we can be eternally secure.
                                                               He is our Perfect and Eternal High Priest!