Notice this text begins with a therefore. There is a causal relationship between Christ’s humiliation and his exaltation. Christ has earned it.

When God created mankind he entered into a covenant relationship with us through our perfect representative Adam. If Adam obeyed, we would all enjoy eternal life. Adam, and everyone of us since have chosen to seek independence rather than obedience.

By choosing to live independent of God’s rules, we have also chosen to live independently of his blessing – thus we have chosen to reject life.

The Son of God came to earth, and he lived a life of perfect obedience. He kept the law. He went to the wilderness when God sent him. He ate what God gave him. When he went to the cross, he went out of obedience not to his own will, but out of obedience to the will of his father.

He has earned eternal life, and it is his to give. When you by faith become married to him, you have everything that he has. You become one with him. His obedience is your obedience. His glory is your glory.

1. He earned our Pardon

What does that mean? It means your pardon, the forgiveness God gives you for your sins is not just a gift that can be taken away. It is earned, and yours by right.

Of course, salvation is by grace. God sent his son by grace. The son graciously came to redeem us, he obeyed and died out of grace. He graciously offers salvation, all you must do is receive it by faith. And he goes further than that, actually giving us the faith to receive the Gospel.

But the salvation he offers us, he earned by his works. Once we are in Christ, our pardon and glory come to us by right, not by gift.

How does that comfort you? When someone forgives a debt by grace, you always wonder if they still hold it over you. Once it has been paid, it is paid for ever. Your sins have been paid for.

We often imagine a courtroom where a judge has discerned that we are guilty. We feel like we have been at a friends house for a sleep over, and broken a lamp. Jesus then walks in and says, gee Dad, can’t you cut him some slack on my account? And since the father loves the son, he allows us to slip by. But you always wonder what the dad really thinks.

That is not the case. In the courtroom we have an advocate, a lawyer who stands us and says, “I paid for those sins, I took responsibility and you have already punished me for those sins. Moreover, I was perfectly obedient to your every command, and that obedience I have credited to this man’s behalf. He is innocent. To punish him would be a travesty of justice. He is righteous. He deserves your love and blessing.”

Come Boldly to the Throne of Grace – why can you come boldly? Because your pathway has been earned. You have every right to full access to the Father.

2. He earned our Glory

He has been exalted, and seated in heavenly places. He earned glory, he deserves it and he is presently enjoying it.

But listen to what else the New Testament teaches:

Eph 2: God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

You have been seated with him. You are in Christ. He has earned Glory, and therefore, glory is ours by right.

We will not be houseguests in heaven. We tend to think of it like we are friends of Jesus and therefore we get to go to heaven and enjoy his house because he has invited us. But there is a major problem with that. House guests wear out their welcome. And after a while your stay depends not upon what the son thinks of you, but upon what the father thinks.

Johnny Cash once told his daughter’s boyfriend: “I haven’t known you for so long that I would miss you if you left.”

Would God the father miss us if we left.

Yes, but even more than that, heaven is ours by right. Jesus earned it. If you must have a earthly example, then think of it as an all inclusive resort, and Jesus has pre-paid all the bills. It is all yours for the taking.

Even more than that, God has adopted us into his family. We are joint-heirs with Christ.

Do you live like an heir? John Bunyon has a picture in Pilgrim’s Progress of a man with a crown of glory above his head, but he does not see it because he rakes around in the mud. How about you, Paul says you are seated in heavenly places. Do you spend enough time thinking about the glory that is yours that you believe it more real than the mud you slog around in?