The Right Man In The Right Place At God's Right Hand

That power is like the working of his mighty strength, {20} which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, {21} far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. {22} And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, {23} which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

A good C. E. O. can do wonders for a failing company. Remember the Chrysler Corporation back in the 70’s? For decades, the Chrysler Corporation was renowned for making good, expensive cars. You were really somebody if you could drive a Chrysler. But the auto maker fell on hard times. It appeared that Chrysler would go into bankruptcy or fade out altogether. Until they introduced Lee Iacocca as their new C. E. O. (Chief Executive Officer). Within a couple of years, Chrysler was back on the board again in the competitive auto making business. For years, what happened at Chrysler was a model of what to do when a large company falls on hard times.

We confess these words every Sunday: “Sitting at the right hand of God.” But what does that man? It’s a word picture from ancient times. When a king grew old and wanted to step back from ruling his country, he would sometimes bring his son in to rule in his place. He would invest all the authority in his kingdom into the hands of his son so that his decisions were also the king’s decisions. In effect, the king would make his son the “C.E.O” of his kingdom. The symbol of his power and authority was to be seated on a throne next to the king at his right hand.

When Jesus ascended into heaven and sat down at God’s right hand, he became God’s C.E.O. over all of God’s creation. What Paul shows us in our text is that …

Jesus Is The Right Man At God’s Right Hand

We live at a time when balance of power is important. You never want to put ALL power into one person’s hands – for fear of what he might do with it. So the CEO is answerable to the stocking holders’ board. The president is kept in check by the Congress and the Supreme Court. We wouldn’t want anyone to have absolute power because we just don’t trust anyone with that much power. I suppose we have a right to be skeptical and untrusting of anyone who has so much power. Unfortunately, I think that we sometimes have a little doubt and skepticism even of God having so much power and authority. Do we really want God to be in charge of our lives? In a popular hymn, we sing:

Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to thee.

Take my moments and my days; Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Are we really serious about that? Are we willing to give our future into God’s hands without qualification? Are we willing to let him do what he pleases with us and through us and for us? Or do we secretly really want to have a “veto” on all of God’s decisions? I think that sometimes we just don’t trust God completely to do what is best for our lives!

When Jesus ascended into heaven, God gave him absolute power over everything in heaven and on earth. Listen again to Paul’s words, and how often he expresses the absolute power Jesus has at God’s right hand. “That power is like the working of his mighty strength, {20} which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, {21} far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. {22} And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, {23} which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” How could God trust Jesus with all that power? The answer is simple. Because Jesus was and is God’s Son. Jesus said, “The Father and I are one.” They are one in the mystery of the Triune God. God’s purposes are Jesus’ purposes and God’s plans are Jesus’ plans.

Do you know how powerful that makes Jesus? He is the boss over everything and everyone and in every age. Nothing happens in this world unless Jesus either commands it or permits it. When Jesus was before Pontius Pilate, Pilate said he had the power to put Jesus to death. Jesus told him that he didn’t have any power except that which he had received from God above. Now all that power is in Jesus’ hands. He has the power to set up and tear down the kingdoms of the world. He has the power to hold evil in check, and the power to turn the evil plans of Satan into something good for God’s kingdom. He has the power over ever sickness and disease, and the power over life and death.