9. His Person being lifted up to draw all men to Him!

The prophet Isaiah, who lived c.740-681BC, both prophesied the coming of Jesus and His glorification.....  

The suffering and glory of the servant  

13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. (Isaiah 52:13)      

On the other hand, Isaiah also prophesied that fallen man, confident in their own strength, such as we in our modern world, would be humbled by the glory of the the Lord being lifted up by His people. 

On the other hand, Isaiah also prophesied that fallen man, confident in their own strength, such as we in our modern world, would be humbled by the glory of the the Lord being lifted up by His people.       

12 The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled), 13 for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty, and all the oaks of Bashan, 14 for all the towering mountains and all the high hills, 15 for every lofty tower and every fortified wall, 16 for every trading ship and every stately vessel. 17 The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, 18 and the idols will totally disappear. (Isaiah 2:12-18)

The New Testament acknowledges that that Jesus was to die and be lifted up.....

13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’ (John3:13-15)

And that finally, all people will be drawn to Him.....

31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. (John 12:31-3)

Footnotes: John 12:32 The Greek for lifted up also means exalted.   

He died on the cross, overcame death, and was lifted up. We all should bow to Him.....

8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (Philippians 2:8-10)

Amazingly He made a one-time sacrifice for us.....

25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 26 Such a high priest truly meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. (Hebrews 7:25-7)      

He is to rule and reign in the church, and then over the world in the age to come.....

20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, (Ephesians 1:20-22)       

The times when Jesus has been made preeminent in the church have been those of revelation and revival. Unfortunately we, as humans, have tended to absorb revelation, converting it into religion, and have worked out the pattern of revival, wresting control back from the Holy Spirit. Today's picture, a quotation of Reinhard Bonke, sums it up perfectly, particularly in the Western world. 

The kingdom church is based on the exaltation of Jesus, as revealed by the Word and empowered by the Holy Spirit.     

Are you prepared to put Jesus in first place in your life?

10. Christ no longer the stranger in our midst, but CROWNED - PRE-EMINENT!   
Again, this follows on from above.

Jesus was prophesied to come as King and Lord..... 

7 Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty –he is the King of glory. (Psalms 24:7-10)     

Jesus has been crowned, and will be returning as Lord of lords and King of kings..... 

13 They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.’ (Revelation 17:13-14)   

We need to both understand this and show it through godly living, to show that He truly is preeminent in our life.....     

Living godly lives in a pagan society     

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honour the emperor. (1 Peter 2:11-17)       

So that we may be truly able to share in this doxology.....

24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy – 25 to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and for evermore! Amen. (Jude 1:24-5)     

Amen.

 9. His Person being lifted up to draw all men to Him!

Jesus is to be our personal Saviour and Lord. He is to be preeminent in our lives.

18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever! Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)     

Jesus is no stranger! As genuine followers we are his brothers and sisters....

10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. 12 He says, ‘I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.’ (Hebrews 2:10-12)

We are precious to God, and He must be precious to us.  

The living Stone and a chosen people   

4 As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him – 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’ 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,’ 8 and, ‘A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they disobey the message – which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:4-10)