The Final Consummation (Remastered)

Devotional

Day 1: Human Nature Exalted at the Right Hand

The resurrection of Jesus did not merely reverse death—it elevated humanity’s frailness to cosmic authority. The carpenter of Nazareth, who once slept in boats and wept at graves, now holds dominion over galaxies and demons. His pierced hands steer hurricanes and hold sparrows. Every ache you feel, every weakness you carry, is known by the One enthroned above all powers. His scars prove that human frailty has been crowned with divine glory. [28:28]

“God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
(Philippians 2:9–11, ESV)

Reflection: When have you felt most aware of your limitations? How might Christ’s exaltation reshape how you see your humanity’s sacred potential?

Day 2: The Head Directs the Body’s Every Movement

A severed limb cannot function—it withers. But when connected to the head, even the smallest finger shares the vitality of the whole. Christ’s life pulses through His church like nerve impulses, directing each member’s purpose. Your capacity to love, serve, or endure flows from union with the One who conquered death. To strain independently is to starve; to abide is to access resurrection power. [08:09]

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
(Ephesians 4:15–16, ESV)

Reflection: What area of your life feels disconnected from Christ’s leadership? How might surrendering control here invite His renewing energy?

Day 3: Already Seated in Heavenly Realms

A king’s children do not grovel in courtyards—they dwell in the palace. Though your feet tread earth, your true citizenship orbits heaven’s throne. Every hardship, every mundane task, unfolds under the gaze of the One who rules history. Your prayers are not whispers lost in chaos but petitions heard in the war room of the universe. The cross secured your seat; faith pulls the chair closer. [33:25]

“And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
(Ephesians 2:6, ESV)

Reflection: What earthly struggle would you view differently if you fully believed your heavenly position? How might this truth steady your heart today?

Day 4: Storm Clouds Held in Pierced Hands

No hurricane spins unchecked, no cancer spreads uncharted. The hands that bore nails now hold every molecule’s trajectory. What feels like chaos is a canvas where Christ paints redemption. Your suffering is not random—it is sifted through fingers that chose the cross to prove love’s mastery over loss. Even hell’s worst schemes fuel His ultimate triumph. [37:44]

“Putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death.”
(Hebrews 2:8–9, ESV)

Reflection: What storm in your life feels beyond Christ’s control? How might His sovereignty over cosmic forces reshape your fear into trust?

Day 5: The Certainty of Glory’s Harvest

A seed buried in winter cannot resist spring. So your struggles now—the grief, the waiting, the unseen battles—are gestation for eternal weight of glory. Christ’s resurrection guarantees yours. No tombstone will finalize your story, no failure outlast His grace. The Head has risen; the body must follow. Your future is as fixed as His throne. [41:42]

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(Romans 8:38–39, ESV)

Reflection: What doubt about your eternal security lingers? How does Christ’s unshakable reign anchor your hope when feelings waver?

Sermon Summary

Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1 rises from thanksgiving into petition, and the great petition is that the eyes of the understanding may be enlightened. The apostle does not pray that believers may receive more power, but that they may know the exceeding greatness of the power already working in them. The Christian life is not strengthened by chasing experiences in the shallows. The way to a rich experience is a clearer objective understanding of the truth God has revealed.

The exceeding greatness of God’s power is measured by what God wrought in Christ. God raised him from the dead when death, the grave, hell, and all evil powers sought to hold him. God then set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, the place of supreme honor and authority. Christ is far above all principality and power and might and dominion, above evil powers, above blessed angels, above every name that is named in this world and in that which is to come.

The right hand of God declares not only future glory but present fact. Christ is not waiting to become King. Christ has all power in heaven and in earth now. The Lamb who was slain already holds the scroll of history and opens its seals. The kingdom does not need anxious men steadying the ark, as though Christ’s reign could be defeated unless frightened hands rushed to save it.

This exaltation belongs to Christ as mediator, as the God-man, as Jesus. The name above every name is given to Jesus, the one who lay in Bethlehem’s manger, sat weary by the well, slept from sheer fatigue in the boat, and was crucified through weakness. Human nature in him has been raised to the right hand of God. The power working in believers is the same power that lifted human nature in Christ to glory.

God has given Christ to be head over all things for the church, which is his body. The privilege of the Christian lies in union with him, for what is true of the head belongs to the body. The church is already seated in him positionally and shall one day share his reign actually. This does not remove suffering, calamity, loss, or chastening, because the mystery of sanctification remains in his wise and tender care. Yet nothing can happen apart from him, and nothing can separate the body from the head. The risen head guarantees the rising of the body, and final perseverance is therefore absolutely certain.

##

Key Takeaways

1. Truth leads into deep experience [05:30] The apostle’s prayer turns the Christian away from a merely subjective hunt for feeling. Experience has value only when it is the fruit of truth grasped by enlightened understanding. Doctrine is not a cold substitute for life; doctrine is the high road by which life becomes deep, stable, and full. [05:30]
2. Christ reigns already, not someday [21:50] The exalted Christ is not outside history waiting for a later hour to receive authority. All power has already been given to him in heaven and in earth. Fearful activism forgets the crowned King and starts trying to steady the ark with trembling hands. [21:50]
3. Jesus carries humanity into glory [26:53] The exaltation belongs to Jesus, the Son of Man, not only to the eternal Son considered apart from his incarnation. The weary, tempted, crucified man has been raised above every principality and power. In him, human nature has reached the right hand of God. [26:53]
4. The Head secures the body [41:42] The risen Christ cannot be separated from the people joined to him. The resurrection of the head guarantees the resurrection of the body, spiritually now and bodily at the last. Neither death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers can pluck from his hand what belongs to him.

## [41:42]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:30] - Paul’s Prayer for Enlightened Understanding
[03:29] - Knowing the Power Already at Work
[04:55] - Truth as the Road to Experience
[06:53] - God’s Power Makes Belief Possible
[08:09] - Union With Christ the Head
[10:19] - The Glory and Preeminence of Christ
[11:33] - Raised From Death and Exalted
[14:18] - Far Above Every Power
[19:52] - Christ’s Present Reign Over History
[24:46] - Exalted Because He Humbled Himself
[30:36] - Head Over All Things for the Church
[37:44] - The Mystery of Suffering in Christ
[39:49] - The Certain Perseverance of the Saints

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ephesians 1:19-23
“and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” [00:24]

Philippians 2:9-11
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [26:45]

Hebrews 2:8-9
“putting everything in subjection under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” [24:03]

Matthew 28:18
“And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'” [21:39]

Observation questions

In Ephesians 1:19-23, what specific things does Paul say God did in Christ, and how do those actions build one on another? [11:59]
What words and phrases in these passages show that Christ’s authority is present now, not only future? [21:50]
In Philippians 2:9-11, which name is especially emphasized in Christ’s exaltation, and why is that detail so striking? [26:53]
According to Ephesians 1:22-23, what relationship does Christ have to the church, and how is the church described? [30:36]

Interpretation questions

Paul does not pray that believers would receive more power, but that they would know the power already working in them. Why is that difference important for the Christian life? [04:03]
The way into deep Christian experience is through truth understood, not through chasing spiritual feelings. Why do believers so easily reverse that order, and what tends to happen when they do? [05:49]
Hebrews 2 says, “we do not yet see everything in subjection,” and yet “we see Jesus” crowned with glory and honor. How does that help explain why Christians still live with trouble and weakness while Christ already reigns? [38:30]
Christ is given as head over all things for the church. How does union with Christ help explain both the believer’s safety now and the certainty of final perseverance? [41:47]

Application questions

When joy or strength feels low, is there a habit of looking mainly for a new feeling, a dramatic moment, or a quick spiritual lift? What might it look like this week to seek a clearer grasp of truth instead? [05:30]
Christ reigns already over all things. Where is there a tendency to live anxiously, as if everything depends on human urgency and frightened effort? What would calmer trust in his present kingship look like in that situation? [21:19]
Jesus who was weary, weak, and crucified has been exalted above every power. How does that speak to someone who feels ordinary, frail, overlooked, or worn down? [28:35]
If what is true of the Head belongs to the body, how should that shape the way Christians think about their identity when they feel ashamed, defeated, or spiritually small? [31:51]
Nothing can happen apart from Christ’s wise and tender rule, yet suffering still enters the believer’s life. Is there a present hardship, loss, or disappointment that needs to be brought under this truth? What makes that hard to do honestly? [39:39]
The resurrection of the Head guarantees the rising of the body. How might daily life change if final perseverance were treated not as a fragile hope, but as a settled certainty in Christ? [41:25]
Paul’s prayer is that the eyes of the understanding would be enlightened. What truth about Christ’s power and position most needs to become more real personally right now? [43:30]

Sermon Clips

Our final position is absolutely certain. And sure the final security and perseverance of the saints is beyond doubt. Because we are members of his body and because he is set at the right hand of God in this place of absolute authority and might and dominion. There is nothing that is more certain than this. He must reign till he has put all his enemies under his feet. Nothing can stop him. He's the master of them all. [00:40:14]

He's already the Lord of history. Jesus Christ isn't outside history, and history isn't working itself out apart from him. He controls it. At this moment, it's in his hands. He's unfolding it, for he must reign, says Paul to the Corinthians in the 15th chapter of the first epistle. He must reign. He is reigning, and he'll go on reigning until his enemies have been made his footstool. My dear friend, don't allow your thoughts about the coming kingdom to rob you of the realization of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is reigning now. [00:22:34]

The apostle is so anxious that these people may know the exceeding great power of God, the energy of the strength of God's might that is working in them. He doesn't pray that they may have more power. You notice that what he prays for is that they may come to know and to realize the power that is already working in them. And that is characteristic of his message everywhere. [00:03:49]

He's anxious to help these people and this is what he's saying. You must realize that the power in you is as great as this. It has taken human nature in Jesus and it has raised human nature in him and with him to the right hand of God. And it's there now. With all this authority and power human nature has been elevated to that height in him. What a staggering thought. [00:27:32]

God has raised him from the dead and has set him at his own right hand in this supreme position of glory, has put everything under his feet and has made him the head of all things for the church, for the sake of the church, that he might exercise it all in the interests of the church in order that he might finally redeem his people and present them faultless to God. [00:30:31]

In other words, the way to a rich subjective experience is a clearer, objective understanding. People who neglect doctrine will never have a big experience. The higher road to experience is truth, and to concentrate on experience alone is generally to find your christian life bound in shallows and in miseries. [00:05:49]

He is the controller. He is the head over all things. He controls the stars in their causes, the ocean in its movement, the wind and the rain, the hurricane and the storm, the sunshine, everything, all life is in his hands. He is the head over all things. The material universe, yes, but also the moral universe and the spiritual universe. God has made him the head of it all. [00:18:37]

We have seen that we cannot even believe the gospel, apart from this power of God that works in us, a man by his own energy and power cannot believe the gospel. The natural man understandeth not the things of the spirit of God. They are foolishness unto him. How can a man who is dead in trespasses and in sins do anything spiritual? He can't. We all must be quickened by the power of God. [00:06:53]

We don't understand it, but we know this. This is a part of the process of our sanctification. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. It isn't that he cannot commend all these things. He doesn't choose to. It would be a very bad thing for us if he did. Unless, as the result of sin and its operations within us, he has to chastise us. He knows what's best for us. There are times when we need the sunshine. There are times when we benefit by the storm. [00:38:39]

men and women who underestimate the power of the devil and of hell and all their cohorts are mere tyros in this christian faith. The world is as it is today because of these principalities and powers, these unseen spiritual forces. But the son of God is above, far above them all, greater in might and dignity and majesty and position. [00:15:30]

When all the forces of evil and of hell, when death and the grave were trying to hold him, he was raised by the mighty power of God. Death couldn't hold him. The grave couldn't contain him. He burst asunder. The bends of death, the power of God. [00:11:33]

Because of that, what is true of him is true of me. It's true of all of us who are Christians. The church which is his body. He's given it all to him for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. Oh, the privilege of being a Christian or the honor of being a Christian. [00:31:51]

His great petition for them is that they may have the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of God. The end of all things is the knowledge of God. It is the girl of the christian faith and the christian life. And however much we may be enjoying blessings and experiences, if we don't come to an ever deeper knowledge of God, we are failing. [00:02:03]

And the first is this. We have to realize that these things are already true. Now, I'm anxious that I shouldn't be misunderstood at this point, but I often have a suspicion and a fear that there are some friends who are so anxious to emphasize the glory of the visible kingdom and reign of Christ which are coming, that they are guilty, unconsciously, of detracting of what is already true about him. [00:19:37]

Now, all the energy that I have as an individual Christian comes to me because I am a member in the body of Christ, and the energy in the members is the energy that comes from the head. [00:09:05]

Ask a question about this sermon

MLJ Trust This sermon · AI assistant

How does union with Christ supply spiritual power?

Why is Christ exalted as head for the church?

Why do believers still suffer despite Christ's authority?