Ephesians 1:20-21 Which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,… I. THE THRONE OF ESSENTIAL AND ETERNAL MAJESTY, which from everlasting belonged to Christ. Sovereign of all worlds, ruling in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, swaying the sceptre as a right of His own self-existence, which the Father owned, and which the Holy Ghost taught the apostle to call "the sceptre of Christ." Well, then, we are forbidden to find any fault with the manner in which he sways that sceptre. It is a right sceptre. If He sways it to bring a scourge on the land, it is right; if He sways it to bring affliction on any of His people, it is right. If He sways His sceptre to thwart our carnal desires and imaginations, it is right. Now this sceptre of righteousness, this righteous sceptre, which Jesus sways from His high throne eternal in the heavens, set up from everlasting or ever the earth was made, demands righteousness in all the creature performs; and while He bestows and communicates it to all the election of grace, it is so far a sceptre of righteousness that He will execute righteous judgment upon all who live and die haters of His gospel and His truth, and He will extend from the top of His sceptre, as Ahasuerus did to Esther, life, and privilege, and promise, "Whatsoever ye ask shall be done." II. Look now at THE HUMILIATION TO WHICH CHRIST STOOPED from His eternal, essential throne. "Though He was in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God," yet He "took not on Him the nature of angels," much as He loved them, and much as He employed them, but He "took upon Him the seed of Abraham," and "humbled Himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross." Then observe, this stoop of humiliation was for the purpose of establishing His mediatorial kingdom on earth. III. THE ENTHRONIZATION RESUMED. The Father has raised Him up, having suffered the penalty, paid all, done all, conquered all, rescued all the election of grace from the ruin of the Fall. The Father hath raised Him up — not to go through another scene of poverty, persecution, despising, and ridicule, but set Him at His own right hand, as the emblem of power, and that, too, in heavenly places. Then I view my glorious Christ ascended up to where He was before, and exalted up far above all heavens to fill all things, that from His high throne He may manage still all the affairs of His Church, invested with official authority, insisting on the progress and prosperity of His Church, imparting all supplies of grace, even grace for grace, and having engaged, under solemn responsibility, to bring all His redeemed and regenerated family to sit with Him upon His throne. But there are more heavenly places than one. It is given in my text in the plural. I grant the first meaning to be, on the throne of glory in the invisible world, in common with the Father and the Holy Ghost, having all power given to Him in heaven and in earth, that He may give eternal life to as many as the Father hath given Him, viewing Him there enthroned, and never more to quit the throne. Then observe, He is seated at the Father's right hand, as well as all these heavenly places, to give of His fulness for the reception of His Church; and therefore the apostle said, "Of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace." Glory to His name, that we have liberty to come as often as we feel our grace vessel empty, and have it replenished, crying unto Him, "More grace, Lord; more grace, Lord!" (J. Irons.) Parallel Verses KJV: Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, |
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