Original: September 26, 2007
The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Psalm 93:1
The other day I was sitting around the mens locker room at the local gym talking about what guys at the gym talk about: The Bench Press. If you know anything about weightlifting then you know that over the years the bench has become the standard by which other men measure strength and (pathetically) manhood. One man who I will call Pete has the strongest bench at nearly 500 pounds and he weighs a mere 240 pounds.
This guy loves to talk, especially about himself, and as we discussed his bench he began to relay his max with "The Shirt" and without “The Shirt”. I have been lifting weights off and on for 30 years so I was momentarily caught off guard as I had never heard of a bench press shirt.
So I did what I usually do and interrupted to inquire more about this special shirt. Here is what I learned. The BPS is a shirt designed for lifting, is extremely tight, and constricting motion and compressing the muscles in the upper body. This enables lifters to make a clean and tight lift by limiting joint movement while compressing the muscles similar to, although more extreme than, compression shorts, “Under Armor” or the full-body swim suits we have seen in the Olympics. Wearing The Shirt instantly guarantees enhanced strength in the Bench Press.
God is strength.
To be clothed in Jesus Christ is to be clothed in power. Jesus told his Disciples, “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49)
We are very quick to mention that God is love (1 John 4:19). Why don’t we say God is power or God is strength? Have we emasculated God? Have we feminized Jesus to the point that we have softened who He really is? Awhile back I stood tight-lipped in church refusing to sing the lyrics "I want to kiss the feet of mercy and wear the crown of beauty" (I may be a little wrong on the lyrics).
First of all, I will wear the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8). Secondly, the verse this song originated must have been from Isaiah 61:3 but is preceded by verse 2 which says, “To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.” Furthermore, nowhere in Scripture do we ever “kiss the feet of mercy”-not even close.
Go ahead and check it for yourself.
Can someone please bring the real Jesus back to church! I want the Jesus who is a man's man. I want The Jesus who attracted zealots, fishermen and ticked off religious hypocrites. I want The Jesus who went to the Temple and “...found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!’” (John 2:14-16)
This blue eyed, skinny, effeminate Jesus is killing the men in churches across America. Effeminate Jesus is giving us a wrong, no an embarrassing, interpretation of who Jesus really is.
I want to serve the God who "reigns!" I want to worship the God who is "clothed with majesty!" I want to pursue the God who is "girded with strength!" I want to sacrifice my life for the God who has the "world firmly established" so that "it will not be moved."
Don’t you?
I want Pastor Jack Hayford’s Jesus. Listen to the words of his song, “Majesty”.
Majesty, worship his majesty. Unto Jesus, be all glory, power and praise. Majesty, kingdom authority, flow from his throne unto his own, his anthem raise. So exalt lift up on high the name of Jesus. Magnify, come glorify Christ Jesus the king. Majesty, worship his majesty. Jesus who died now glorified, King of all kings.
God does not have to put strength on. Strength and power are God! God is and God defines strength. Just as God is love, God is also strength. They are a part of His nature and character. Strength cannot be removed from God without making Him less than God! God’s love has never been the first thought on my mind even though I know He loves me. When I think of the King of kings, Lord of lords, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last I think of power, strength, majesty, and dominion.
I think of Jesus. God is strength!
