Throughout history words and their meaning evolved and develop.  One that has changed meanings is the word excellent.  The root word is “excel” today means to go beyond, to project, surpass, outdo, to be chosen, prime, and admirable.  It is where we get the word “excelsior” which means to go still higher and ever upward. However, during the times of the writing of the Word of God it had an entirely different translation.  During that time it had such a profound and deep definition that it could scarcely be used in its proper context.  During that age when referring to a person as excellent what you were actually saying is, “You are many things.”  With this in mind, I want to use this paper to define, sketch, and make clear the meaning of the Excellency of Jesus Christ.  His Excellency would be how in His uniqueness He brings many extremes to Himself.  His Lordship takes Him to both ends of the spectrum and even to a few ends that we cannot even see.

     First, we will take the one thing about Jesus the Bible attributes the word and title “excellent” to on four different occasions.  And that is His Name.  His Name brings many extremes to the moment and it transcends time and space.

     A name is restricting in that it explains you to people.  It tells them not only who you are but where you are.  My name explains that I am here and not there.  In Exodus the third chapter we find a nervous Moses asking God for His name.  In the Old Testament, nobody knew the name of God.  They gave Him titles that coincided with experiences they had with Him, thus there are sixteen Jehovah titles.  So, when Moses asked God to get specific about His name so he could give it to Pharoh to bring some credibility to his request of turning the Israelites lose Moses was actually asking God to bring into one word that transcends time and space.  Moses was asking God to bring to the moment one name that would tell people where He was.  How do you give a name (that explains that you are here and not there) to the One that is everywhere?  Excellency comes to the moment when Moses asks God, “Can You bring into one word everything there is to know about You?”  We know that God responded, “I AM that I AM.”  Thus God creates a brand new tense.  He did not say “I was,” or “I will be,” rather I AM.  Not necessarily past, present, or future but eternally present.  The utmost extremes in the concept of time brought to one word and moment that is the excellency of His name.

     Next, we have the excellency of the God-man.  Two features about Him that cannot possibly get any further apart suddenly thrust together in Jesus Christ, the God-man.  That is excellent.  There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).  He calmed the storm, raised the dead, healed and cleansed the leper, cursed the fig tree, and multiplied loaves and fishes.  All were attributed of God.  He also slept in the back of the boat and wept over the death of His friend Lazarus.  All were marks of a man.  Although asleep in the back of the boat like a man, He spoke to the storm saying, “Peace, be still.” like God.  He wept at the funeral of Lazarus like a man, but said with loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” like God.  He hung on a cross and was thirsty, was in pain, bled to death and died like a man, but three days later He got up from the grave like God.  

He is The God-Man

The two natures of Jesus Christ form what theologians call the “hypostatic union.” Put simply, it means that Jesus is fully man and fully God at the same time.

He is God-perfect in all His ways. He was made flesh and came to earth to solve the problem of human sin. He was unjustly

Wound – an injury that involves breaking, a cut or breach, an opening created

Wounds can come from anywhere…and the Bible has a lot to say about woundedness with verses like…

Psalm 109:22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.

 Proverbs 18:14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?          Message version “what do you do when your spirit is crushed?

Zechariah 13:6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

Wounds cause openings that are too often filled with hate, anger, hurt, warped ideas, wrong attitudes, annoyance, confrontation, layer after layer of numbness. There are three things about the ministry of woundedness that I have learned through the years…I would like to give those to you through these biblical examples.

Psalm 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

·         Notice here it doesn’t say he heals the wounds, rather He binds them…the wounds don’t leave…sometimes you walk with them for the rest of your life…so, please don’t mistake the lingering pain as God’s way of telling you, He doesn’t care about your wound.  Sometimes the pain doesn’t leave

1.  Some wounds you’re not supposed to conquer only survive and learn to live with.
Some of the greatest anointing and experiences that you will ever walk-in will come out of your broken places…You see when a person has a permanent  limp, things change…because of my wounds my songs have changed, my testimony has changed, my attitude has changed, 

In order for there to be an impartation, there must first be an opening and the opening God uses to impart into your life is none other than wounds. Since the beginning of creation God has used wounds.

2. God uses pain and wounds for the purpose of releasing gifts and potential.
When God created Adam he took a look at him and pronounced for the very first time in history…

Genesis 2:18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

When God needed something to make man more complete He knew that what needed was already in him, but there needed to be an opening (wound)……………..so through the wound of Adam came a gift to Adam; His wife.

All through the first wound!  I wonder what my wounds have the potential of releasing to the world.  

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes, we are healed.

3. The world needs your wounds
The English word (wound) in this scripture is plural (more than one) but the greek word (Gr. mooloopi-mwlwpi) is SINGULAR!  The Greek language requires so much accuracy that if two wounds had been visible the plural would be necessary. But, Christ was beaten so ruthlessly that only one wound was visible and it covered His entire body.   One big open wound!

  This is one of the reasons we have communion service to keep this fresh in our minds and to not forget about his wound.  I can say this….the world needs what you have gone through.

Some of us are waiting...you are waiting for your moment of greatness to appear, your opportunity to arrive, your season to materialize.  Some are waiting for someone to love...or for someone to fall in love with us...for the one that God has for us.  Perhaps there is a Ruth listening that is waiting for Boaz to look your way...or maybe you are an Esther waiting for an appointment with the King.

One of the reasons we keep waiting is the joy we expect to receive when the thing you are anticipating arrives……but you can have joy today.

 Galatians 6:9 “Let us not be weary in well doing…in due season we shall reap, if we faint not…”

 There are things you can do to keep from fainting as you wait…

  John 5 tells of the lame man who sat at the pool of Bethesda for 38 years…Jesus same by and the man tells Him his story…everytime I go to get in the water someone steps in front of me…then Jesus says in John 5:8 “…arise, take up your bed and walk…”

 In other words, “what you are wanting is not in the pool, what you are wanting is where you are!”   So, WHERE ARE YOU?

The bible tells the story of Ruth…her husband dies and her mother-in-law is very bitter because she also lost her husband and 2 sons.  So, all that’s left is Naomi and the 2 daugthers-in-law.  One named Ruth and the other named Orpah.  Naomi tells them to go back home and Orpah left but Ruth wouldn’t go.  Ruth knows something good is coming her way and Ruth begins to look within her inner circle for someone that needs her. And she sees her mother-in-law and says, “Wherever you go I’m going…”

…so, here’s the first thing you do while you’re waiting…

1.   Inventory what and who you have
Something in your present is the key to something in your future…Moses what’s in your hand? Ex. 4

"Jesus the people are hungry and if we send them away they will faint…Jesus said , What do you have?  Well there is a lad here with 2 fish and five loaves of bread.  Bring it to me.” John 6

 Ruth made a decision to sow into her present while she waited for her future…next thing you know Ruth is married to Boaz and they produce Obed, who produces David, that leads to the lineage of Jesus…and if you read the book of Ruth closely will see that Ruth came into her blessing and promotion because of her connection to Naomi…

 In Genesis 39 we read the familiar story of Joseph who had a dream of everything opposite of what he was presently experiencing…his home life was awful, his brothers hated him and was jealous of the relationship he had with their dad…but he had a dream that he was a ruler and everyone loved him and bowed down to him…He was sold by his brothers for around $13 to a traveling band of Ishmaelites and now he is a slave.

 I believe that Joseph began to carry himself like a ruler…here’s why I believe that because Gen. 39 says that a general pf Pharoh’s army named Potiphar saw something on Joseph.  He saw that Joseph was different, he carried himself different, he saw God’s favor on his life

2. Joseph began to act like the future he saw
A young preach friend of mine left Bible school and came to me and said, “Mike, what should I do…no body wants to have me to preach for them…I’m not getting any bookings.”  I said…Print you some business cards, put on your best suit and sharpest tie, comb your hair and shine your shoes, go into conferences and hand out your business cards to every pastor you can find and tell them, “I’m an evangelist”. Start acting like the person you want to be.

 Start developing the aura, the charisma, the standard, the posture, and even the vocabulary for the future you are wanting to enter…Even though Joseph was accused and lied on by Potiphar’s wife he didn’t feed into that accusation…while he was waiting for his f