Christ’s Present Work

An Easily Forgotten Reality

As Christians, we love to open up the Word of God together coming to the text of Scripture diving into each individual passage. Often our Bibles are filled with highlights, ink lines the crevices of many pages, and notebooks are overflowing as we study the Bible. Sometimes we study specific doctrines or topics to understand them better like the biblical history of Israel, the second coming of Christ, or the biblical role of a husband leading his family. However, one point which is very easy for us to merely skim over is the work of our Lord Jesus at this present moment of history. We fill our minds by casting them back to the glory of His work on the cross of Calvary. His perfect life, death, burial, and resurrection at His first coming blow us away, as well they should! Perhaps we think of the future with the Lord when He returns to make all things new and we dwell with Him in righteousness forever. Yet, even with these grand thoughts, we must not neglect to consider again the work of the Lord in the here and now.

Interceding For His People

“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” -Romans 8:34

Right now Christ is continuing to intercede on our behalf as believers. Christ comes before the throne room of the Father and petitions Him for our sake. This gives us the reason for the certainty of our redemption as believers. Hebrews 7:25 highlights that particular point:

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” – Hebrews 7:25

As believers, we are brought into a redemptive relationship with the Lord whenever we come to Him in saving faith. His constant intercession for us guarantees our salvation on the basis of His finished work at the cross. He comes before the Father interceding for all who are His. Through every difficulty, heartache, and trial believers have the assurance that their Lord is petitioning for them. That fact gives them assurance that they are saved to the “uttermost” and that one day Christ will finish His work in them when they are raised from the dead and receive a glorified body.

Building His Church

The Lord is actively building His church even now. As the Gospel goes forth He is saving souls and drawing the lost into His flock. He promised the Apostle Peter:

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” -Matthew 16:18

Even though all of the demonic forces of hell try to stop the progress of the church, Christ promises that their fate is sealed and their failure is certain. For He is the One who reigns supreme and is building His church. This should be a promise of hope for the Christian. We are seeking to share the Gospel, labor in the church, encourage one another, and seek the magnification of the Lord. All the while, we can lean upon this promise that Christ builds His church by His power and He has foretold that work shall not fail!

Upholding The Universe

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” -Hebrews 1:3-4

Why does the world continue to go on? It is not because of random chance and it is not because of the brilliance of humanity. It is because Christ is upholding the universe right now. He is sustaining not only this world, but also all of the planets, the stars, all of the galaxies, everything. He is upholding it all. He is doing this while seated in the position of authority, drawing lost souls to Himself, equipping His church, and interceding for us before the Father. It is not as though He is taxing Himself with the effort either. He is not growing weary or tired. Jesus shall need no one to come in to rest Him and take His place for a brief respite. No, He is gloriously doing it all while under no strain.

Reigning With Authority

After His resurrection, Christ commissioned His disciples saying:

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” -Matthew 28:18-20

Christ holds the position of preeminence reigning at the Father’s right hand with all authority. So much so that this age is biblically defined as the one where He makes all of His enemies a footstool for His feet (1 Corinthians 15:25). Our Lord holds the rod of iron over which He presides over all the nations of the earth (Psalm 2 and Revelation 2:26-27). We see this reality in that the Gospel is going forth around the world with the Scripture being proclaimed as disciples are made from every tribe and tongue. They are being instructed on how to live obediently for His name.

Glory in The Moment

There is no doubt that this list only scratches the surface of Christ’s present work. However, my hope is for us as believers to begin to consider not only the glory of the Lord in the past and future, but also right now. He is presently wonderful and magnificent in all of His deeds. We should rejoice in His intercession, the triumph of His Gospel, His building up of the church, His sovereign position, and His upholding of the universe. Each part of Christ’s work in the past, present, and future should cause the believer to be overwhelmed with joy. Let us delight in Him as we seek to serve Him faithfully!