Come Thou Long Expected Jesus: Part IV

“By thine own eternal spirit rule in all our hearts alone; by thine all sufficient merit, raise us to thy glorious throne.”

Yes, Christ will bring his kingdom to earth at some point, but in the meantime, Wesley doesn’t want us to forget that he is invited to rule in our hearts. It is easy to desire a theoretical heaven where all will be well. It is far more difficult to surrender our will and plans to God when he may not give us all we desire. This passage also speaks to the need to live with an undivided heart in the midst of a wildly divided world. James is clear that, “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:10). Jesus further elaborates that “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). The Psalmist understood the temptation to love many masters and be drawn to all that glittered. He wanted God to “unite” his heart (Psalm 86:11). Our hearts were made for him and can only experience true joy, rest, and peace when he is ruling our emotions, dreams, and plans. Inviting him to rule is a risky business on some levels. We must be prepared for a total gut job. He isn’t going to leave little nooks and crannies with our pet sins. He will rule all of us – or he will have none of us. He will conform us to his image, and we will be transformed into his likeness.

I love this last part, and it goes together! By thine all sufficient merit, raise us to thy glorious throne. His sacrifice alone was sufficient to pave the path of redemption. The idea of sufficient here is that he was amply qualified for the task at hand. There was no backup option. If Jesus had called down the legion of angels, given into temptation, or somehow been found wanting there was no plan “B.” See, the qualifications for the Messiah, the Anointed One who would save us from our sins was both perfect humanity and perfect deity. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never met a perfect human. At the opposite end of the spectrum, there has never been a sinless god who agreed to die and pay for the sins of mankind. There have been many “enlightened” teachers. There have been many demanding “deities,” but Jesus stands alone as a God who perfectly supplies what he demands. He is unique in his teaching, claims, and provision. He alone is sufficient to pay the price for our sin and reconcile us to the Father. And that is the beauty of Christmas. We are not really celebrating his “birthday,” but we are celebrating his incarnation. We rejoice in his coming. We rejoice in the destruction of the barrier between God and man. We anticipate the day when we will gather around his throne, but in the meantime, our hearts can be where he reigns. As we are obedient, each moment of every day throughout the year can be a celebration of Christmas – of his coming – of his provision – of his return.

Because he came once, we can receive from his overflowing abundant goodness “grace upon grace” (John 1:16). Because he is coming again, we can know that his work in and through us is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). We are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) We sometimes sorrow, but not without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We look forward to his glorious appearing (Titus 2:13). As we celebrate Christmas with all of its wonderful traditions, don’t forget the beginning. Remember the purpose of this holy day. Set aside specific time to express your love for the one whom we have not yet seen, but the one our hearts love (1 Peter 1:8). Contemplate the manger and the cross. Think of his incarnation and his return. Consider his love and judgment. Dwell on his sacrifice and his demands. Remember that the manger was the beginning and rejoice that today can also be a new beginning for us as well.