Philippians 2:7-8
"But made himself of no reputation (through He was a King in the line of David He did not act as one nor did He accept the pressure to become a War Lord to free Israel from the Romans), and took upon him the form of a servant, (a bond slave is the true Greek meaning) and was made in the likeness of men: (now here it comes) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
I don’t think I’ve ever met a believer that can comprehend ALL that took place at that cross. Now just think about it. There is so much more there than meets human understanding - we’ll comprehend it as long as we remain in Christ and receptive by faith of His revelation and He in us until we get to eternity; where we become completed in Him. How that God laid all the sin and guilt of the whole human race on Him. I can comprehend that His shed blood was such that it paid the full of sin's debt of the human race. I can grab that by way of inspiration to understand it, by faith only. I believe it, but to comprehend all this? No. And I don’t think any human being can in the full - that all is accomplished when He finished the work of the cross.
Now just to show you that He knew just exactly what was coming, come all the way back with me to Luke 18. Just to show that He knew exactly what was coming. He could have named the Roman soldiers who would taunt Him. He could have named the Roman soldiers who would nail Him to the cross. He could have named those people that sat around Him scoffing, long before it happened. And yet He never flinched. He never had second thoughts about finishing the work of the cross. He knew the price and the outcome of His action for He was response able for them to the end. All right, Luke 18 verse 31. This is shortly before they go up to Jerusalem.
Luke 18:31-33
"Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. (here He speaks of it) For he (speaking of Himself) shall be delivered to the Gentiles, shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, (now you know what scourging was, that was just what Paul got five times) and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again."
He knew it was coming to the last detail. But the Twelve didn’t. I tell people, don’t stop there. Read that next verse.
Luke 18:34
"And they, (the Twelve primarily but don't stop just with them for no one knew or understood what was foretold, it had been veiled, hidden to them) understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken."
The Twelve had no idea what was going to happen. That’s why they couldn’t preach Paul’s Gospel, which is faith in the death, burial and resurrection for salvation, and the finished work of the cross like we see in I Corinthians 15:1-4, and Romans 10:9-10, because it hadn’t happened yet. They didn’t know it was going to happen (though Daniel chapter 9 just as Psalm 2 speaks of Christ), or what was involved or hidden within it. Otherwise why would they have been sitting outside the tomb on Resurrection morning? Just as those bond by religion to this very day don't see or understand the things revealed within the contents of the Old Testament and elsewhere.
Hebrews 12:2a
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
So we continue on with this whole concept that Christ is not only our Savior and our Lord - He is the author, He is the file leader of everything that we believe and "for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame…," (and as a result of having finished that glorious work of the cross, He what?) sat down."
We've said that twice in all of human history God did something so perfect, so flawless, so complete that even He Himself could add nothing to it. What did He do? He sat down, and rested. The first time was after creation. The last verse of Genesis 1 says, "and He looked and it was very good." Which in the Hebrew just means, it was perfect. He couldn’t do another thing to make it any better. Then we don’t have that repeated until the Epistle of Hebrews when it says, "and after He had purged us from our sins" or He had finished the work of the cross, again it was something so perfect, so flawless, so complete. Something to which nothing could be corrected or improved upon and again, there was nothing left to do but what? Sit down. It is done.
So all through Scripture then we have this constant repetition that after he had finished the work of the cross, He sat down at the right hand of the Father having finished the work of the cross. Here’s another one - in fact, the first one, just flip back a few pages to Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3, because this is what we have to realize, that when He finished it, it was so perfect, so complete that He could sit down. But, you see, that was not enough for mankind and it's religion. People have come along, and have preached and taught "But you’ve got to do that, you have to do this." No! If that’s the case, then He didn’t finish it. This is the work of religion the very instrument of Satan. This has been the conflict from the Garden until Christ consummates the interim between the then and the now of time. The battle between God verses Satan, Christ verses religion and all that has been accomplished at the cross and its consummation of the ages. If you have to do something else besides believe it, then it was not perfect. That's religion. There was something left to be done. This is religion. But it is finished. This is faith in motion. And we dare not try and add to it, or Christ will profit us nothing. All right, Hebrews 1 verse 3 says it even plainer than Hebrews 12:
Hebrews 1:3-4
"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they."
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