WEBVTT 00:00:02.500 --> 00:00:06.200 This morning we come to our third series in looking 00:00:06.200 --> 00:00:11.259 at Christ as prophet, priest, and king. And so 00:00:11.259 --> 00:00:14.339 today we're going to consider the prophecies 00:00:14.339 --> 00:00:21.500 of Jesus as a king. Our texts are Psalm 2, Isaiah 00:00:21.500 --> 00:00:25.699 chapter 9 verse 6 and 7, and Hebrews chapter 00:00:25.699 --> 00:00:30.460 1. Let's begin. With reading Psalm 2. This is 00:00:30.460 --> 00:00:34.420 a messianic psalm. Speaking of the coronation 00:00:34.420 --> 00:00:38.460 of the Lord's anointed. Why do the nations rage? 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:42.140 And the people plot a vain thing. The kings of 00:00:42.140 --> 00:00:44.939 the earth set themselves. And the rulers take 00:00:44.939 --> 00:00:47.960 counsel together. Against the Lord and against 00:00:47.960 --> 00:00:52.079 his anointed. Say, let us break their bonds in 00:00:52.079 --> 00:00:56.869 pieces. And cast away their cords from us. He 00:00:56.869 --> 00:01:00.789 who sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord 00:01:00.789 --> 00:01:03.890 shall hold them in derision. Then he shall speak 00:01:03.890 --> 00:01:06.090 to them in his wrath and distress them in his 00:01:06.090 --> 00:01:10.810 deep displeasure. Yet I have set my king upon 00:01:10.810 --> 00:01:17.069 his, upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare 00:01:17.069 --> 00:01:20.349 the decree. The Lord has said to me, you are 00:01:20.349 --> 00:01:24.769 my son today. I have begotten you. Ask of me 00:01:24.769 --> 00:01:28.269 and I will give you the nations for your inheritance 00:01:28.269 --> 00:01:30.849 and the ends of the earth for your possession. 00:01:31.150 --> 00:01:33.909 You shall break them with a rod of iron. You 00:01:33.909 --> 00:01:36.790 shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. 00:01:37.489 --> 00:01:41.849 Now, therefore, be wise, O kings. Be instructed, 00:01:42.090 --> 00:01:44.870 you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with 00:01:44.870 --> 00:01:49.599 fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss. the son 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:53.579 lest he be angry and you perish in the way when 00:01:53.579 --> 00:01:57.000 his wrath is kindled but a little blessed are 00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:02.420 all those who put their trust in him i'm going 00:02:02.420 --> 00:02:04.620 to be reading the isaiah passage a little bit 00:02:04.620 --> 00:02:09.219 later so now we turn to hebrews chapter one chapter 00:02:09.219 --> 00:02:13.680 one god who had various times and in various 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:18.229 ways Spoken time past to the fathers by the prophets. 00:02:18.530 --> 00:02:23.990 Has in these last days spoken to us by his son. 00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:27.300 whom he has appointed heir of all things, through 00:02:27.300 --> 00:02:30.599 whom also he made the worlds, who being the brightness 00:02:30.599 --> 00:02:33.520 of his glory, and the express image of his person, 00:02:33.659 --> 00:02:36.460 and upholding all things by the word of his power, 00:02:36.580 --> 00:02:41.020 when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down 00:02:41.020 --> 00:02:44.340 at the right hand of the majesty on high, having 00:02:44.340 --> 00:02:47.479 become so much better than the angels, as he 00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:50.840 by inheritance obtained a more excellent name 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:54.439 than they. For to which of the angels did he 00:02:54.439 --> 00:02:58.340 ever say, You are my son, today I have begotten 00:02:58.340 --> 00:03:01.539 you. And again, I will be to him a father, and 00:03:01.539 --> 00:03:04.740 he shall be to me a son. But when he again brings 00:03:04.740 --> 00:03:07.639 the firstborn into the world, he says, Let all 00:03:07.639 --> 00:03:11.419 the angels of God worship him. And of the angels, 00:03:11.479 --> 00:03:14.520 he says, Who makes his angels spirits, and his 00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:17.400 ministers a flame of fire? But to the son, he 00:03:17.400 --> 00:03:20.729 says, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. 00:03:20.969 --> 00:03:23.710 A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of 00:03:23.710 --> 00:03:26.509 your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and 00:03:26.509 --> 00:03:30.129 hated lawlessness. Therefore God, your God, has 00:03:30.129 --> 00:03:32.750 anointed you with the oil of gladness more than 00:03:32.750 --> 00:03:36.250 your companions. And you, Lord, in the beginning 00:03:36.250 --> 00:03:39.169 laid the foundation of the earth. And the heavens 00:03:39.169 --> 00:03:41.889 are the work of your hands. They will perish, 00:03:42.069 --> 00:03:45.090 but you remain. And they will all grow old like 00:03:45.090 --> 00:03:47.750 a garment. Like a cloak, you will fold them up 00:03:47.750 --> 00:03:50.509 and they will be changed. But you are the same 00:03:50.509 --> 00:03:54.610 and your years shall not fail. But to which of 00:03:54.610 --> 00:03:58.469 the angels has he ever said, sit at my right 00:03:58.469 --> 00:04:01.289 hand till I make your enemies your footstool. 00:04:01.490 --> 00:04:04.349 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth 00:04:04.349 --> 00:04:07.770 to minister for those who will inherit salvation? 00:04:09.090 --> 00:04:12.009 Let's ask the Lord's blessing on this time together. 00:04:12.629 --> 00:04:16.639 Oh, Father, we are gripped. with the truth of 00:04:16.639 --> 00:04:20.360 the kingdom of Christ today and of his lordship 00:04:20.360 --> 00:04:23.920 and kingship. We pray, Father, that as we study 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:27.100 into this, into this third office, we ask, Lord, 00:04:27.180 --> 00:04:29.819 for your blessing. Lord, we pray that today Christ 00:04:29.819 --> 00:04:33.319 would be exalted and magnified. We pray that 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:36.720 he would be worshipped as king and that we would 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:40.600 fall before him and bow to him. We thank you 00:04:40.600 --> 00:04:42.560 for this time together and pray that you would 00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:45.500 bless the words of my mouth. and pray that you 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:47.959 would send forth your spirit to guide us and 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:50.420 pray that you would open up our hearts to hear 00:04:50.420 --> 00:04:53.939 and to understand. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:04:56.819 --> 00:05:00.680 One day, when Jesus of Nazareth came into the 00:05:00.680 --> 00:05:04.459 region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:10.459 Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? They 00:05:10.459 --> 00:05:15.310 answered, Some say John the Baptist. Some, Elijah, 00:05:15.689 --> 00:05:19.170 and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets 00:05:19.170 --> 00:05:23.170 who have risen from the dead. Jesus then said 00:05:23.170 --> 00:05:30.750 to them, but who do you say that I am? Simon 00:05:30.750 --> 00:05:34.269 Peter answers and he says, you are the Christ, 00:05:34.470 --> 00:05:39.449 the son of the living God. Jesus answers and 00:05:39.449 --> 00:05:42.930 said to him, blessed are you, Simon Barjona, 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:45.740 For flesh and blood have not revealed this to 00:05:45.740 --> 00:05:51.399 you, but my Father who is in heaven. This same 00:05:51.399 --> 00:05:55.019 question reverberates through time and through 00:05:55.019 --> 00:05:59.019 history. And we are confronted in every generation 00:05:59.019 --> 00:06:04.959 with this question. Who is Jesus? And the answer 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:09.589 is very clear. Because there are many conceptions 00:06:09.589 --> 00:06:13.250 of Jesus in various belief systems and the imaginations 00:06:13.250 --> 00:06:18.389 of the mind and of religions. To some, he is 00:06:18.389 --> 00:06:23.430 portrayed as a divine idea, a demonstrator of 00:06:23.430 --> 00:06:27.889 God's healing power, or as the Arians taught, 00:06:28.189 --> 00:06:31.850 that he was not co -eternal or co -equal with 00:06:31.850 --> 00:06:35.230 God the Father, but was a created being who had 00:06:35.230 --> 00:06:39.319 a beginning. This, incidentally, is the controversy 00:06:39.319 --> 00:06:42.259 that brought forth the summary of Christian doctrine 00:06:42.259 --> 00:06:46.120 in the Nicene Constantinople Creed that we confess 00:06:46.120 --> 00:06:51.079 today. Some teach that he is a man or a heavenly 00:06:51.079 --> 00:06:55.160 being progressed to divinity. Others, that he 00:06:55.160 --> 00:06:59.759 was a great and an enlightened teacher and that 00:06:59.759 --> 00:07:05.360 he was an exemplary human being. Like the crowds 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:08.519 of Jesus' day, they say that he was one of the 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:12.000 great prophets, a great man, one who healed people 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:16.399 and spoke words of truth. Now, a right understanding 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:20.899 of who Jesus is is absolutely crucial. And this 00:07:20.899 --> 00:07:25.459 is why so many false religions attack this point. 00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:31.220 They redefine who Jesus is. Jesus himself said 00:07:31.220 --> 00:07:34.600 in John chapter 8 verse 12, I am the light of 00:07:34.600 --> 00:07:37.639 the world. He who follows me shall not walk in 00:07:37.639 --> 00:07:40.500 darkness, but have the light of life. And he 00:07:40.500 --> 00:07:44.579 continues in John 12 verse 32, and I, if I be 00:07:44.579 --> 00:07:48.180 lifted up from the earth, will draw all people 00:07:48.180 --> 00:07:52.660 to myself. This he said, signifying by what death 00:07:52.660 --> 00:07:55.899 he would die. The people answered him, We have 00:07:55.899 --> 00:07:58.000 heard from the law that Christ remains forever. 00:07:58.180 --> 00:08:00.480 And how can you say the Son of Man must be lifted 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:04.839 up? Who is this Son of Man? Then Jesus said to 00:08:04.839 --> 00:08:07.399 them, A little while longer the light is with 00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:11.439 you. Walk while you have light. Unless darkness 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:15.279 overtake you, he who walks in darkness does not 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:19.379 know where he is going. While you have the light, 00:08:19.540 --> 00:08:22.779 believe in the light that you may become sons 00:08:22.779 --> 00:08:26.600 of light. Now in the Advent series of sermons 00:08:26.600 --> 00:08:30.120 this year, we've focused on who Jesus is by considering 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:33.559 his offices. We've looked at Jesus the prophet. 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:37.279 The one who foretells, revealing the words of 00:08:37.279 --> 00:08:40.179 God to the people, and the one who foretells, 00:08:40.179 --> 00:08:43.460 that is predicting future events. Last Sunday, 00:08:43.500 --> 00:08:47.259 we considered how Jesus was the priest. He fills 00:08:47.259 --> 00:08:51.000 the office of a priest. This priesthood was of 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:53.809 the order of Melchizedek. He was the one who 00:08:53.809 --> 00:08:57.009 made an offering for sin by offering his own 00:08:57.009 --> 00:09:01.009 sinless body to make atonement and reconciliation 00:09:01.009 --> 00:09:06.490 before a holy God, thus bringing sinful man and 00:09:06.490 --> 00:09:12.110 a holy God together. He truly was a high priest, 00:09:12.389 --> 00:09:16.669 the one to whom all sacrifices pointed to and 00:09:16.669 --> 00:09:22.080 foreshadowed. But if we were to stop with these 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:26.299 two offices of prophet and priest, we would fall 00:09:26.299 --> 00:09:30.919 woefully short of understanding who Jesus really 00:09:30.919 --> 00:09:34.740 is. For it is the third office that completes 00:09:34.740 --> 00:09:38.679 the glory of Christ, and it is one to which the 00:09:38.679 --> 00:09:42.379 apostles continually spoke of and allude to. 00:09:42.659 --> 00:09:46.230 Any understanding of Jesus the Christ that does 00:09:46.230 --> 00:09:49.690 not speak of this office as king, has a greatly 00:09:49.690 --> 00:09:54.210 diminished and truncated view of the person of 00:09:54.210 --> 00:09:58.190 Jesus. I speak of Jesus as the faithful witness, 00:09:58.509 --> 00:10:02.029 the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over 00:10:02.029 --> 00:10:04.950 the kings of the earth. Revelation 1 and verse 00:10:04.950 --> 00:10:09.710 5. He is Lord Jesus the king. He who is the Lord 00:10:09.710 --> 00:10:15.679 of lords and the king. Of kings. Revelation 17 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:19.940 verse 14. One might see the benefits of the first 00:10:19.940 --> 00:10:24.500 two offices. And yet miss the lordship of Christ. 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:29.120 His kingship over all. Jesus the eternal son 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:33.679 of God. was begotten of the Father, and he lived 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:37.860 on the earth and became man. After his life, 00:10:38.019 --> 00:10:41.159 his suffering, his death and resurrection, and 00:10:41.159 --> 00:10:46.519 then his ascension, he was crowned as king, not 00:10:46.519 --> 00:10:50.500 only over all of the earth, but also of everything 00:10:50.500 --> 00:10:54.620 above the earth and of everything under the earth. 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:59.070 Jesus. is the second person of the Trinity. He 00:10:59.070 --> 00:11:03.110 is the eternal Logos, the word of God, and he 00:11:03.110 --> 00:11:07.750 is king. Today, we want to look at some of the 00:11:07.750 --> 00:11:10.850 many prophecies of Jesus as king and then see 00:11:10.850 --> 00:11:14.149 how the New Testament declares him to be so with 00:11:14.149 --> 00:11:18.690 great clarity and with boldness. Everywhere the 00:11:18.690 --> 00:11:21.570 apostles and evangelists went, they pressed this 00:11:21.570 --> 00:11:24.309 point home. They would speak the prophetic word 00:11:24.309 --> 00:11:27.350 by calling for repentance. They declared the 00:11:27.350 --> 00:11:30.029 remission and the forgiveness of sins through 00:11:30.029 --> 00:11:33.429 the sacrifice and atonement of Christ. And then 00:11:33.429 --> 00:11:36.950 they would declare him to be Lord and Christ. 00:11:37.610 --> 00:11:40.590 Acts 2 verse 36. Therefore let all the house 00:11:40.590 --> 00:11:44.230 of Israel know assuredly that God has made this 00:11:44.230 --> 00:11:48.730 same Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ. 00:11:48.909 --> 00:11:53.509 He is King and Messiah. And then again in the 00:11:53.509 --> 00:11:56.990 sermon in Acts chapter 5 verse 30 and 31. The 00:11:56.990 --> 00:12:00.850 God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered 00:12:00.850 --> 00:12:06.090 by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted. to 00:12:06.090 --> 00:12:11.629 his right hand, to be a prince and savior, to 00:12:11.629 --> 00:12:15.029 give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of 00:12:15.029 --> 00:12:18.250 sins. Now, as we begin with the Old Testament 00:12:18.250 --> 00:12:21.309 prophecies, there are many of them. They are 00:12:21.309 --> 00:12:24.889 numerous. I will not have time today to fully 00:12:24.889 --> 00:12:28.659 cover them all. This also indicates the importance 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:33.399 of this office. But we will begin by going all 00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:36.759 the way back to the deathbed of Jacob. This is 00:12:36.759 --> 00:12:42.559 around 1600 to 1700 years before Christ was born. 00:12:42.779 --> 00:12:45.820 So let's get started in the Old Testament prophecies. 00:12:45.940 --> 00:12:50.120 Genesis chapter 49 and verse 10. Now Jacob has 00:12:50.120 --> 00:12:53.179 lived in the land of Egypt for about 17 years. 00:12:53.870 --> 00:12:55.889 This was since the great famine when his son 00:12:55.889 --> 00:12:59.409 Joseph became governor of the land. And now he 00:12:59.409 --> 00:13:02.669 is about ready to die. He calls for his 12 sons, 00:13:02.929 --> 00:13:06.090 gathers them together, and he prophesies over 00:13:06.090 --> 00:13:11.830 each one of them. The three oldest all have some 00:13:11.830 --> 00:13:15.370 major, major problems. And so his prophecy of 00:13:15.370 --> 00:13:19.230 them is not really very good. But then he comes 00:13:19.230 --> 00:13:24.250 to the fourth son, to Judah. had experienced 00:13:24.250 --> 00:13:27.570 a great redemption. Judah at one time was in 00:13:27.570 --> 00:13:31.230 favor of casting away Joseph, but then Judah 00:13:31.230 --> 00:13:35.370 has repented of that. He has assumed responsibility 00:13:35.370 --> 00:13:38.429 for his brothers. All of this occurred in the 00:13:38.429 --> 00:13:40.730 book of Genesis and the whole story and saga 00:13:40.730 --> 00:13:45.909 of Joseph. And so to Judah, the fourth son, Jacob 00:13:45.909 --> 00:13:50.230 prophesies. He says, the scepter shall not depart 00:13:50.230 --> 00:13:53.929 from Judah, nor a lawgiver, from between his 00:13:53.929 --> 00:13:59.610 feet until Shiloh comes. And to him shall be 00:13:59.610 --> 00:14:02.549 the obedience of the peoples. Now let's unpack 00:14:02.549 --> 00:14:06.389 this a little bit. A scepter is a ceremonial 00:14:06.389 --> 00:14:09.809 staff. It's held by rulers such as kings, queens, 00:14:10.009 --> 00:14:14.470 or emperors. And it serves as a symbol of sovereignty, 00:14:14.690 --> 00:14:20.789 of authority, and power. In this prophecy, Jacob 00:14:20.789 --> 00:14:23.990 says the scepter will not depart from Judah until 00:14:23.990 --> 00:14:27.470 Shiloh comes. What is he saying? That is that 00:14:27.470 --> 00:14:30.990 the kingly line throughout all of the history 00:14:30.990 --> 00:14:33.990 of Israel would always be a king from Judah. 00:14:34.970 --> 00:14:37.750 A descendant of Judah. And this indeed was the 00:14:37.750 --> 00:14:41.070 case. We see starting in David and then David. 00:14:41.210 --> 00:14:42.789 And of course, there's the covenant made with 00:14:42.789 --> 00:14:45.809 David about his kingly line. And then David has 00:14:45.809 --> 00:14:48.830 Solomon. Solomon has Rehoboam. And all down through 00:14:48.830 --> 00:14:52.850 the whole history of Israel, it's always a descendant 00:14:52.850 --> 00:14:56.750 of both of David, which is also a descendant 00:14:56.750 --> 00:15:00.370 of Judah. But then he says until Shiloh comes. 00:15:00.450 --> 00:15:03.509 So Shiloh here is a name for the Messiah. And 00:15:03.509 --> 00:15:08.970 of this, he says that the scepter would not depart, 00:15:09.149 --> 00:15:12.169 a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh 00:15:12.169 --> 00:15:14.710 comes. And then to him, that is to Shiloh, shall 00:15:14.710 --> 00:15:17.210 be the obedience of the people. In other words, 00:15:17.250 --> 00:15:21.110 he's going to continue the kingly line. But he 00:15:21.110 --> 00:15:23.409 doesn't go any further than that. Because to 00:15:23.409 --> 00:15:28.470 him, all people are to obey. They are to bow 00:15:28.470 --> 00:15:34.820 down before this coming one. shiloh the kingly 00:15:34.820 --> 00:15:37.039 line would continue until messiah would come 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:40.720 and to him then as king and as ruler the peoples 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:44.000 of the earth would be obedient we gain further 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:48.139 in understanding of this in psalm 72 this is 00:15:48.139 --> 00:15:50.840 written by david one of the great great great 00:15:50.840 --> 00:15:55.090 great great great grandsons of judah Of this, 00:15:55.110 --> 00:15:58.009 the son of David would come down like rain upon 00:15:58.009 --> 00:16:00.830 the grass before mowing, like showers that water 00:16:00.830 --> 00:16:04.289 the earth. In his days, the righteous shall flourish 00:16:04.289 --> 00:16:07.750 an abundance of peace until the moon is no more. 00:16:08.009 --> 00:16:12.429 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea and 00:16:12.429 --> 00:16:15.629 from the river to the ends of the earth. Those 00:16:15.629 --> 00:16:18.549 who dwell in the wilderness will bow before him 00:16:18.549 --> 00:16:21.730 and his enemies will lick the dust. The kings 00:16:21.730 --> 00:16:24.330 of Tarshish and of the Isles will bring presence 00:16:24.330 --> 00:16:27.309 the kings of sheba and seba will offer gifts 00:16:27.309 --> 00:16:31.570 yes all kings shall fall shall fall before him 00:16:31.570 --> 00:16:35.950 all nations shall serve him this is the self 00:16:35.950 --> 00:16:39.129 -same messiah it's the self -same shiloh that 00:16:39.129 --> 00:16:43.289 judah predicted all nations would serve this 00:16:43.289 --> 00:16:47.370 great king now we see this same theme recurring 00:16:47.370 --> 00:16:50.409 in many places in the old testament prophecies 00:16:50.409 --> 00:16:54.230 including the psalms But so we see here, Judah 00:16:54.230 --> 00:16:57.889 predicted this. This is the first one of speaking 00:16:57.889 --> 00:17:00.870 of the kingship of the Messiah that we have in 00:17:00.870 --> 00:17:03.389 the Old Testament. Then we're going to look at 00:17:03.389 --> 00:17:07.589 Psalm 2, which we read. Psalm 2 again, King David 00:17:07.589 --> 00:17:11.369 is prophesying about the coming king. This is 00:17:11.369 --> 00:17:13.589 in a messianic psalm. There's quite a number 00:17:13.589 --> 00:17:16.450 of psalms. Psalms are divided up into a number 00:17:16.450 --> 00:17:18.630 of different categories. There's psalms of lament. 00:17:18.970 --> 00:17:21.670 There's psalms of rejoicing. There's prophetic 00:17:21.670 --> 00:17:24.809 psalms or messianic psalms speaking about Jesus. 00:17:25.269 --> 00:17:28.230 There's psalms that are great hymns of praise. 00:17:28.549 --> 00:17:30.930 And then there's imprecatory psalms. That is 00:17:30.930 --> 00:17:34.609 psalms of judgment against evildoers. So Psalm 00:17:34.609 --> 00:17:38.670 2 is a messianic psalm. It begins by showing 00:17:38.670 --> 00:17:42.329 the rebellion of rulers and kings against the 00:17:42.329 --> 00:17:45.849 Lord and against His anointed. Speaking of the 00:17:45.849 --> 00:17:50.829 Son of God, Jesus Christ, against the Lord and 00:17:50.829 --> 00:17:54.299 His anointed. Why do the nations rage at the 00:17:54.299 --> 00:17:56.799 people's plot of anything? That is, they conspire. 00:17:56.859 --> 00:18:00.019 The kings of the earth, they conspire and take 00:18:00.019 --> 00:18:04.160 counsel against the authority of the Lord and 00:18:04.160 --> 00:18:08.240 His anointed. The Lord Jehovah and His anointed, 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:12.400 Jesus Christ. They say, let us break their bonds 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:14.660 in pieces. Let's cast away their cords. We don't 00:18:14.660 --> 00:18:18.079 want them to rule over us. They rebel against 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:23.420 this king. What happens? David goes on to describe 00:18:23.420 --> 00:18:28.480 this in verse 4. God laughs at them. Can you 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:31.259 imagine anything more terrible than the laughter 00:18:31.259 --> 00:18:36.400 of God against you? You in your weakness as you 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:40.059 conspire against him and God looks at you in 00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:44.599 his authority and he starts laughing at you in 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:49.400 derision. You think you're somebody I'm going 00:18:49.400 --> 00:18:54.210 to show you. God laughs at them. He who sits 00:18:54.210 --> 00:18:57.369 in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall hold 00:18:57.369 --> 00:19:00.950 them in derision. And in his wrath then he says 00:19:00.950 --> 00:19:03.970 and he speaks to them and he distresses them 00:19:03.970 --> 00:19:09.890 in his deep displeasure. I will set my king on 00:19:09.890 --> 00:19:14.089 the holy hill of Zion. I will declare to the 00:19:14.089 --> 00:19:19.069 decree the Lord has said to me you are my son. 00:19:19.880 --> 00:19:25.259 Today I have begotten you. Ask of me. I will 00:19:25.259 --> 00:19:30.519 give you the nations for your inheritance. In 00:19:30.519 --> 00:19:34.680 fact, you shall break them with a rod of iron 00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:38.940 and dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. 00:19:39.099 --> 00:19:45.779 To all, all nations who rebel against his son, 00:19:45.960 --> 00:19:50.400 Jesus Christ, they will be dashed. And broken 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:55.779 like a clay pot. And then comes the exhortation. 00:19:56.279 --> 00:19:59.619 In light of this great truth, what should kings 00:19:59.619 --> 00:20:02.799 and rulers and judges do? What are they called 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:07.619 to do? David goes on and he prophesies. Be wise, 00:20:07.660 --> 00:20:11.319 O king. Be instructed, you judges of the earth. 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:16.160 Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. 00:20:17.109 --> 00:20:22.650 Kiss the son and that's an old image of bowing 00:20:22.650 --> 00:20:25.569 down and of worshiping and being obedient to. 00:20:25.670 --> 00:20:28.349 You follow the feet and you kiss the feet. And 00:20:28.349 --> 00:20:31.670 so that's what's saying here. You kiss the son 00:20:31.670 --> 00:20:35.809 in obeisance to him. You serve the Lord with 00:20:35.809 --> 00:20:38.930 fear. You rejoice with trembling. You kiss him 00:20:38.930 --> 00:20:42.579 lest he be angry. And you perish in the way when 00:20:42.579 --> 00:20:45.299 his wrath is kindled but a little. And then he 00:20:45.299 --> 00:20:47.680 ends with this blessing. Blessed are all those 00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:51.559 who put their trust in him. This is Psalm 2. 00:20:51.720 --> 00:20:55.200 This prophecy shows us the importance of Christ 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:58.740 the Son of God as king. And of the relevance 00:20:58.740 --> 00:21:02.039 of that truth to all other rulers. For they all 00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:07.299 are called to obey him. To revere him. to serve 00:21:07.299 --> 00:21:12.200 him in their capacities as king or ruler or president 00:21:12.200 --> 00:21:16.640 or judge or congressman or senator or commissioner 00:21:16.640 --> 00:21:20.339 or city councilman and all other positions of 00:21:20.339 --> 00:21:24.640 authority. They are all called to bow the knee 00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:29.359 to Christ, to govern according to his law and 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:34.750 word and to submit themselves to him. They must 00:21:34.750 --> 00:21:38.690 then recognize their own authority as one that 00:21:38.690 --> 00:21:43.269 is derived and limited because they serve the 00:21:43.269 --> 00:21:47.990 Lord Jesus Christ. This is Psalm 2, the prophecy 00:21:47.990 --> 00:21:54.619 of Jesus as king. Number three. That one is Isaiah 00:21:54.619 --> 00:21:58.799 chapter 9, which we read through that in our 00:21:58.799 --> 00:22:01.099 responsive reading. But I'm just going to bring 00:22:01.099 --> 00:22:05.240 out especially verse 6 and 7. For unto us a child 00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:10.119 is born. Unto us a son is given. And then Isaiah 00:22:10.119 --> 00:22:13.240 goes right into this. He shows the kingliness 00:22:13.240 --> 00:22:16.279 of this son right away. He says the government 00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:19.079 will be on his shoulder. And the government will 00:22:19.079 --> 00:22:23.640 be on his shoulder. In other words, there's a 00:22:23.640 --> 00:22:28.240 number of metaphors that that can refer to. That 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:31.059 of him bearing the weight of government or them 00:22:31.059 --> 00:22:34.460 submitting to him or him bearing the burden of 00:22:34.460 --> 00:22:37.759 it. However it is, it's the government is on 00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:42.519 his shoulder. And then it goes on. His name is 00:22:42.519 --> 00:22:45.819 going to be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty 00:22:45.819 --> 00:22:49.779 God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And 00:22:49.779 --> 00:22:51.920 then Isaiah continues again in the same theme. 00:22:52.019 --> 00:22:55.640 Of the increase of his government and peace, 00:22:55.799 --> 00:23:01.180 there will be no end on the throne of David and 00:23:01.180 --> 00:23:04.339 over his kingdom to order it and establish it 00:23:04.339 --> 00:23:08.099 with justice and judgment from that time forward, 00:23:08.160 --> 00:23:11.940 even forever. And we think, how can this happen? 00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:16.059 How can? Jesus, especially with given what we 00:23:16.059 --> 00:23:20.059 know now, his lowly birth, him giving himself 00:23:20.059 --> 00:23:23.180 as a sacrifice for sin, which is not in view 00:23:23.180 --> 00:23:25.900 right here in this particular prophecy. How can 00:23:25.900 --> 00:23:29.359 it be that this will actually happen? Well, Isaiah 00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:32.079 continues. He says, the zeal of the Lord of hosts 00:23:32.079 --> 00:23:35.799 will perform this. It's going to be done. You 00:23:35.799 --> 00:23:38.079 don't have to understand it all. It will happen. 00:23:38.460 --> 00:23:43.250 This man, this one will come. This child who 00:23:43.250 --> 00:23:46.210 is to be born is the son of God. And as a son, 00:23:46.289 --> 00:23:48.589 Isaiah prophesied that he will be given authority 00:23:48.589 --> 00:23:52.750 over all. He shall rule. The governments of the 00:23:52.750 --> 00:23:55.410 world will be vested in him. And we see this 00:23:55.410 --> 00:23:58.369 in his names. First of all, that he will be the 00:23:58.369 --> 00:24:01.869 mighty God, which testifies that Jesus is God 00:24:01.869 --> 00:24:05.069 and therefore he is eternal. And he will be a 00:24:05.069 --> 00:24:08.029 father, everlasting father. Now, this is not 00:24:08.029 --> 00:24:11.450 confusing the Trinity here in the sense of God, 00:24:11.589 --> 00:24:14.470 the father, the first person, but rather that 00:24:14.470 --> 00:24:17.250 this father is the sense of being one with the 00:24:17.250 --> 00:24:20.190 father and being a father to the church and of 00:24:20.190 --> 00:24:23.109 the world to come. The father of the gospel state, 00:24:23.269 --> 00:24:26.569 which is being put in subjection to him and not 00:24:26.569 --> 00:24:31.319 the angels, like Hebrews 2, verse 5 says. And 00:24:31.319 --> 00:24:33.359 then he is the prince of peace. He brings peace 00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:36.599 to the world. He sits on the everlasting throne 00:24:36.599 --> 00:24:39.519 of David and over his kingdom. So we see the 00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:42.759 prophecy Judah gives. David is in this line. 00:24:42.980 --> 00:24:45.279 And then God also makes a covenant with David, 00:24:45.480 --> 00:24:47.960 talking about him that there would not fail one 00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:50.039 who would sit on the throne, which was ultimately 00:24:50.039 --> 00:24:55.910 fulfilled in Christ. He sits on the everlasting 00:24:55.910 --> 00:24:59.230 throne of David. This kingdom will be established 00:24:59.230 --> 00:25:02.369 with judgment and justice. This means that he 00:25:02.369 --> 00:25:05.529 is not a figurehead. He's not a token. He is 00:25:05.529 --> 00:25:11.130 a real king exercising his authority and his 00:25:11.130 --> 00:25:15.349 power as Psalm 2 prophesies. This kingdom then 00:25:15.349 --> 00:25:18.670 will endure. In fact, there's no end to the increase 00:25:18.670 --> 00:25:22.220 of it, of his government and kingdom. We see 00:25:22.220 --> 00:25:27.039 Jesus alluding to this prophecy as just before 00:25:27.039 --> 00:25:30.259 he ascends, he gathers the disciples around him 00:25:30.259 --> 00:25:34.059 and his words to them are this, all authority 00:25:34.059 --> 00:25:39.220 has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 00:25:39.480 --> 00:25:44.099 All authority. Direct fulfillment of this passage. 00:25:45.180 --> 00:25:48.099 Now there are so many more Old Testament passages. 00:25:48.740 --> 00:25:52.000 There's Psalm 110, one and two. The Lord said 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:55.180 to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make 00:25:55.180 --> 00:25:57.819 your enemies your footstool. The Lord shall send 00:25:57.819 --> 00:26:01.420 the rod of your strength out of Zion. Rule in 00:26:01.420 --> 00:26:06.109 the midst. There's Jeremiah 23, verse 5 and 6. 00:26:11.309 --> 00:26:24.089 Now this is his name by which he will be called. 00:26:24.289 --> 00:26:28.990 The Lord, our righteousness. And then there's 00:26:28.990 --> 00:26:33.460 Daniel. Daniel chapter 7 verse 13 and 14 describes 00:26:33.460 --> 00:26:38.240 the ascension of Christ. This is the actual coronation 00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:41.420 of Christ. And Daniel prophetically describes 00:26:41.420 --> 00:26:45.099 it. He says, I was watching in the night visions. 00:26:45.240 --> 00:26:51.539 And behold, one like the Son of Man. Coming with 00:26:51.539 --> 00:26:54.759 the clouds of heaven, he came to the Ancient 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:57.920 of Days, and they brought him near before him. 00:26:58.099 --> 00:27:02.680 Then to him was given dominion and glory and 00:27:02.680 --> 00:27:06.700 a kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages 00:27:06.700 --> 00:27:10.220 should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting 00:27:10.220 --> 00:27:14.039 dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom 00:27:14.039 --> 00:27:18.759 the one which shall not be destroyed. Then in 00:27:18.759 --> 00:27:22.119 Zechariah chapter 9 verse 9. Rejoice greatly, 00:27:22.359 --> 00:27:25.519 O daughter of Zion. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. 00:27:25.660 --> 00:27:30.680 Behold, your king is coming to you. He is just 00:27:30.680 --> 00:27:35.700 and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey. 00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:39.559 A colt, the foal of a donkey. This is a direct 00:27:39.559 --> 00:27:44.259 prophecy of how Jesus would enter into the temple 00:27:44.259 --> 00:27:49.859 mount during Holy Week. Then there's Psalm 45, 00:27:50.220 --> 00:27:52.680 1 through 6. I'm not going to take the time to 00:27:52.680 --> 00:27:55.299 read it right now, other than just saying that 00:27:55.299 --> 00:27:58.779 the exhortation is to gird your sword upon your 00:27:58.779 --> 00:28:02.400 thigh, O mighty one, with your glory and your 00:28:02.400 --> 00:28:05.799 majesty, and in your majesty ride prosperously 00:28:05.799 --> 00:28:09.140 because of truth, humility, and righteousness. 00:28:10.440 --> 00:28:13.720 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter 00:28:13.720 --> 00:28:16.299 of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. 00:28:16.880 --> 00:28:20.279 And then I'm going to classify the last one, 00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:21.799 even though it's in the book of Luke, I'm going 00:28:21.799 --> 00:28:24.240 to classify it as Old Testament because this 00:28:24.240 --> 00:28:26.920 is before Christ was born. But when the angel 00:28:26.920 --> 00:28:30.599 comes to Mary and tells her that she is going 00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:33.900 to become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit 00:28:33.900 --> 00:28:37.740 and she is going to bear a child, here's what 00:28:37.740 --> 00:28:41.400 he says. It's what the angel says. Do not be 00:28:41.400 --> 00:28:44.559 afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 00:28:44.819 --> 00:28:47.839 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and 00:28:47.839 --> 00:28:50.279 bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. 00:28:50.640 --> 00:28:53.259 Now that he gives this description, he will be 00:28:53.259 --> 00:28:55.859 great and will be called the son of the highest. 00:28:55.980 --> 00:28:59.319 And the Lord God will give him the throne of 00:28:59.319 --> 00:29:02.539 his father, David, and he will reign over the 00:29:02.539 --> 00:29:06.079 house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom. There 00:29:06.079 --> 00:29:10.970 shall be no end. As I said, there are many more. 00:29:11.150 --> 00:29:14.809 This is just some of them. Many prophecies of 00:29:14.809 --> 00:29:18.289 Jesus as king. Let's move on then and look at 00:29:18.289 --> 00:29:26.269 the fulfillment in the New Testament. Did the 00:29:26.269 --> 00:29:29.309 apostles and the New Testament writers understand 00:29:29.309 --> 00:29:35.430 Jesus to be king in this way? And I ask this 00:29:35.430 --> 00:29:39.619 question because There are some Christian believers 00:29:39.619 --> 00:29:43.880 who say that Jesus right now is only king of 00:29:43.880 --> 00:29:48.319 the church, that he will be king at his second 00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:52.299 coming over everything else. The New Testament 00:29:52.299 --> 00:29:54.859 writers did not see it this way, but yet it's 00:29:54.859 --> 00:29:57.559 a very common understanding as they go into all 00:29:57.559 --> 00:29:59.660 the prophetic time charts and everything that 00:29:59.660 --> 00:30:02.140 they put together. They say that Christ is king 00:30:02.140 --> 00:30:05.839 now, but he is not king of the nations. He is 00:30:05.839 --> 00:30:10.380 not yet. But they did not see it this way. Let's 00:30:10.380 --> 00:30:14.779 look at how the New Testament writers speak about 00:30:14.779 --> 00:30:19.940 Jesus as king. First of all, he is highly exalted. 00:30:19.940 --> 00:30:24.559 He has been highly exalted by God so that all 00:30:24.559 --> 00:30:27.740 should bow before him and serve him. This is 00:30:27.740 --> 00:30:30.750 now on the other side of the ascension. Of the 00:30:30.750 --> 00:30:33.109 work of Christ on the cross. And his resurrection. 00:30:33.349 --> 00:30:35.670 His death and his resurrection. And then his 00:30:35.670 --> 00:30:38.430 ascension. And so now we have these passages. 00:30:38.769 --> 00:30:42.450 How did they see Christ? Who is Jesus? He is 00:30:42.450 --> 00:30:47.630 a king. Paul recounts this in the book of Philippians 00:30:47.630 --> 00:30:51.410 chapter 2 verse 5. He says to the Philippian 00:30:51.410 --> 00:30:54.650 believers. Let this mind be in you. Which was 00:30:54.650 --> 00:30:58.150 also in Christ Jesus. Who being in the form of 00:30:58.150 --> 00:31:01.049 God. did not consider it robbery to be equal 00:31:01.049 --> 00:31:04.349 with God, but made himself of no reputation, 00:31:04.769 --> 00:31:08.049 taking the form of a bondservant and coming in 00:31:08.049 --> 00:31:10.910 the likeness of men and being found in appearance 00:31:10.910 --> 00:31:14.809 as a man. He humbled himself and became obedient 00:31:14.809 --> 00:31:17.569 to the point of death, even the death of the 00:31:17.569 --> 00:31:23.670 cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted 00:31:23.670 --> 00:31:27.089 him and given him the name which is above every 00:31:27.089 --> 00:31:32.609 name, At the name of Jesus, every knee shall 00:31:32.609 --> 00:31:37.009 bow of those in heaven and of those on earth 00:31:37.009 --> 00:31:40.269 and of those under the earth. And that every 00:31:40.269 --> 00:31:45.890 tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord 00:31:45.890 --> 00:31:49.650 to the glory of God the Father. How did Paul 00:31:49.650 --> 00:31:53.009 explain the kingship of Christ? Every knee will 00:31:53.009 --> 00:31:58.839 bow. He is Lord of all. And including... Everything 00:31:58.839 --> 00:32:01.079 in heaven, everything in earth, and everything 00:32:01.079 --> 00:32:05.059 under the earth. Jesus has been highly exalted 00:32:05.059 --> 00:32:11.000 and is king over all. Next we look at John. John, 00:32:11.000 --> 00:32:13.119 in the beginning of that great book revealing 00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:15.299 Jesus Christ, that is the book of Revelation, 00:32:15.700 --> 00:32:21.779 he describes Jesus in this way. Chapter 1, verse 00:32:21.779 --> 00:32:25.990 5. Jesus Christ is the faithful witness. the 00:32:25.990 --> 00:32:29.309 firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the 00:32:29.309 --> 00:32:32.390 kings of the earth, to him who loved us and washed 00:32:32.390 --> 00:32:35.650 us from our sins in his own blood, and has made 00:32:35.650 --> 00:32:39.910 us kings and priests to his God and Father, to 00:32:39.910 --> 00:32:43.730 him be glory and dominion forever and ever. John 00:32:43.730 --> 00:32:48.109 the Revelator, he sees him. He is the ruler of 00:32:48.109 --> 00:32:52.799 the kings of the earth. Paul writes of this kingship 00:32:52.799 --> 00:32:55.819 in the letter to the Ephesians. After describing 00:32:55.819 --> 00:32:59.740 how the Father has chosen us, the Son has redeemed 00:32:59.740 --> 00:33:02.940 us, and the Spirit has sealed us in chapter 1, 00:33:03.079 --> 00:33:06.019 Paul then speaks of how the Father of glory, 00:33:06.279 --> 00:33:09.819 the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, worked in Christ 00:33:09.819 --> 00:33:13.880 when he raised him from the dead and seated him 00:33:13.880 --> 00:33:18.140 at his right hand in the heavenly places. Far 00:33:18.140 --> 00:33:23.349 above. all principality and power and might and 00:33:23.349 --> 00:33:26.849 dominion and every name that is named, not only 00:33:26.849 --> 00:33:29.410 in this age, but also in that which is to come. 00:33:29.529 --> 00:33:35.549 And he put all things under his feet and gave 00:33:35.549 --> 00:33:39.750 him to be head over all things to the church, 00:33:39.829 --> 00:33:43.470 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills 00:33:43.470 --> 00:33:47.990 all in all. These are wonderful passages demonstrating 00:33:47.990 --> 00:33:52.089 the fulfillment of all those glorious prophecies 00:33:52.089 --> 00:33:55.390 that we read. But I want to spend the rest of 00:33:55.390 --> 00:33:58.730 my time in the book of Hebrews chapter 1. And 00:33:58.730 --> 00:34:05.509 so to that now we turn Hebrews chapter 1. This 00:34:05.509 --> 00:34:08.250 first chapter is one of the most sublime and 00:34:08.250 --> 00:34:11.150 glorious summaries of the superiority of Jesus 00:34:11.150 --> 00:34:15.510 above all others. Jesus is shown to have fulfilled 00:34:15.510 --> 00:34:19.550 all of the Old Testament prophecies. He is specifically 00:34:19.550 --> 00:34:23.269 shown in verses 1 through 4 as having fulfilled 00:34:23.269 --> 00:34:27.130 and filled the offices of prophet, of priest, 00:34:27.369 --> 00:34:31.449 and of king. Let's read the first four again. 00:34:33.670 --> 00:34:36.610 God, who at various times and in various ways 00:34:36.610 --> 00:34:41.619 spoke in time past by the fathers. through to 00:34:41.619 --> 00:34:45.380 the fathers, by the prophets, has in these last 00:34:45.380 --> 00:34:50.099 days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed 00:34:50.099 --> 00:34:53.980 heir of all things, through whom also he made 00:34:53.980 --> 00:34:56.840 the world, who being the brightness of his glory 00:34:56.840 --> 00:35:00.159 and the express image of his person and upholding 00:35:00.159 --> 00:35:02.699 all things by the word of his power, when he 00:35:02.699 --> 00:35:06.460 had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the 00:35:06.460 --> 00:35:10.789 right hand. of the majesty on high, having become 00:35:10.789 --> 00:35:14.110 so much better than the angels, as he has by 00:35:14.110 --> 00:35:16.670 inheritance obtained a more excellent name than 00:35:16.670 --> 00:35:20.570 they. As the greatest of all prophets, Jesus 00:35:20.570 --> 00:35:23.789 is the culmination of all the prophets. There 00:35:23.789 --> 00:35:27.050 can never be another prophet after him that is 00:35:27.050 --> 00:35:31.929 superior to him. Jesus is the greatest of all. 00:35:32.090 --> 00:35:35.909 He is the last and the greatest. There is none 00:35:35.909 --> 00:35:39.730 greater. Notice the phrase, in these last days 00:35:39.730 --> 00:35:43.400 of this Matthew, Henry says, This is the final, 00:35:43.519 --> 00:35:47.099 the finishing revelation given in the last days 00:35:47.099 --> 00:35:50.400 of divine revelation to which nothing is to be 00:35:50.400 --> 00:35:54.039 added, but the canon of scripture is to be settled 00:35:54.039 --> 00:35:58.199 and sealed. It is the revelation which God has 00:35:58.199 --> 00:36:01.519 made by his son, the most excellent messenger 00:36:01.519 --> 00:36:04.880 that was ever sent into the world, far superior 00:36:04.880 --> 00:36:09.090 to all ancient patriarchs. and prophets by whom 00:36:09.090 --> 00:36:13.570 God communicated his will to his people in former 00:36:13.570 --> 00:36:17.349 times. And thus, Jesus fulfills the office of 00:36:17.349 --> 00:36:19.849 prophet. There will not be a greater than he. 00:36:19.949 --> 00:36:23.289 There can be no one after Jesus who can rise 00:36:23.289 --> 00:36:26.369 up and say, I'm at the level of Jesus. Or you 00:36:26.369 --> 00:36:29.070 need to also listen to my words because my words 00:36:29.070 --> 00:36:32.550 go together with Jesus' words. No, Jesus is the 00:36:32.550 --> 00:36:40.239 last, the final. greater than all others. He 00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:43.440 then also has cleansed our sin. We see this in 00:36:43.440 --> 00:36:46.280 verse 3. This is the purification, the purging, 00:36:46.320 --> 00:36:49.519 the washing away of our sins. This fulfills his 00:36:49.519 --> 00:36:53.059 priestly office. So Jesus is shown here by the 00:36:53.059 --> 00:36:56.360 writer of Hebrews. He fulfills the office of 00:36:56.360 --> 00:37:00.159 prophet. He fulfills the office of priest. And 00:37:00.159 --> 00:37:05.639 then he goes on about the king. He says, as God, 00:37:05.900 --> 00:37:10.360 Jesus is equal with the Father. He says, he... 00:37:10.920 --> 00:37:15.079 has been appointed as heir of all things it is 00:37:15.079 --> 00:37:18.360 through Jesus that all the worlds were made and 00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:20.480 we're going to get into this in just a bit but 00:37:20.480 --> 00:37:22.420 first of all we want to understand this equality 00:37:22.420 --> 00:37:25.980 this Jesus and God how how is this here well 00:37:25.980 --> 00:37:30.000 look at Philippians chapter 2 verse 6 Jesus who 00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:32.900 being in the form of God did not consider it 00:37:32.900 --> 00:37:37.719 robbery to be equal with God and this is why 00:37:37.719 --> 00:37:41.469 the Jews sought to kill him This is described 00:37:41.469 --> 00:37:44.969 in John chapter 5, verse 18. Therefore the Jews 00:37:44.969 --> 00:37:48.730 sought all the more to kill him because he not 00:37:48.730 --> 00:37:51.670 only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God 00:37:51.670 --> 00:37:56.090 was his father, making himself equal with God. 00:37:56.510 --> 00:38:01.670 And as the God, man, and mediator, he was appointed 00:38:01.670 --> 00:38:07.309 by the Father to be the heir of all things. God 00:38:07.309 --> 00:38:11.099 created the world through him. Jesus upholds 00:38:11.099 --> 00:38:14.260 all things by the word of his power. And being 00:38:14.260 --> 00:38:17.119 the heir and ruler of all creation, he fulfills 00:38:17.119 --> 00:38:20.260 the office of king. All of these are found in 00:38:20.260 --> 00:38:24.739 these first four verses. In being the heir of 00:38:24.739 --> 00:38:28.800 all things, which is here in verse 2, he is appointed 00:38:28.800 --> 00:38:32.659 heir of all things. This is how we understand. 00:38:33.289 --> 00:38:35.369 that all authority in heaven and earth has been 00:38:35.369 --> 00:38:38.469 given to him. I mentioned this already from Matthew 00:38:38.469 --> 00:38:42.110 chapter 28, verse 18. But also in John chapter 00:38:42.110 --> 00:38:45.429 5, Jesus asserts that the Father has given to 00:38:45.429 --> 00:38:49.570 him all judgment. All judgment has been given 00:38:49.570 --> 00:38:54.769 to the Son. So he is the heir of all things. 00:38:55.349 --> 00:38:58.869 Now God also created the world through him. The 00:38:58.869 --> 00:39:02.480 world's both visible and invisible. The old creation 00:39:02.480 --> 00:39:06.039 was made through him, and by him comes the new 00:39:06.039 --> 00:39:10.239 creation. And Christ rules and governs all, both 00:39:10.239 --> 00:39:14.659 the old creation and the new creation. Jesus 00:39:14.659 --> 00:39:18.980 also upholds all things by the word of his power. 00:39:19.159 --> 00:39:23.059 We see this in verse 3. He upholds all things 00:39:23.059 --> 00:39:27.690 by the word of his power. I don't remember exactly 00:39:27.690 --> 00:39:31.150 which one is negative and positive, and I have 00:39:31.150 --> 00:39:33.329 forgotten about this illustration until right 00:39:33.329 --> 00:39:38.230 now. But when you look at the very core of the 00:39:38.230 --> 00:39:40.590 atom and you split the atom and it goes three 00:39:40.590 --> 00:39:45.070 ways, you know how things both attract and they 00:39:45.070 --> 00:39:48.750 pull apart? If it would not be for the overshadowing 00:39:48.750 --> 00:39:52.590 power of God and actually of Jesus Christ in 00:39:52.590 --> 00:39:57.239 this, Every atom would instantly explode because 00:39:57.239 --> 00:39:59.639 they would naturally repel one another because 00:39:59.639 --> 00:40:02.019 of the elements that are within them. I should 00:40:02.019 --> 00:40:04.139 have gotten the exact details and phraseology 00:40:04.139 --> 00:40:06.300 for you, and I'm sorry I don't have that. But 00:40:06.300 --> 00:40:11.559 it truly and literally is that Jesus holds together 00:40:11.559 --> 00:40:14.559 all things by the word of his power. Else this 00:40:14.559 --> 00:40:17.420 world and every atom that is created would simply 00:40:17.420 --> 00:40:23.349 explode. Jesus holds all things. and upholds 00:40:23.349 --> 00:40:26.730 all things by the word of his power. He then, 00:40:26.889 --> 00:40:30.849 as verse 3 brings out, he is the heir and ruler 00:40:30.849 --> 00:40:34.530 over all creation. He fulfills the office of 00:40:34.530 --> 00:40:36.969 king by sitting down at the right hand of the 00:40:36.969 --> 00:40:40.550 majesty on high, which position is much higher 00:40:40.550 --> 00:40:46.250 than the angels. Verse 4 brings that out. Begotten 00:40:46.250 --> 00:40:50.369 by the Father as a son, he then is to be worshipped 00:40:50.369 --> 00:40:55.119 by both men, and angels. Chapter 1, verse 6, 00:40:55.320 --> 00:40:57.440 but when he again brings the firstborn into the 00:40:57.440 --> 00:41:00.500 world, he says, let all the angels of God worship 00:41:00.500 --> 00:41:04.400 him. The writer then effectively delivers the 00:41:04.400 --> 00:41:07.780 crowning summation of his kingship by quoting 00:41:07.780 --> 00:41:12.039 three Old Testament passages in verses 8 through 00:41:12.039 --> 00:41:16.980 13. This is the kingship of Christ summarized 00:41:16.980 --> 00:41:21.260 in Hebrews 1. But to the Son he says, Your throne, 00:41:21.300 --> 00:41:24.940 O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness 00:41:24.940 --> 00:41:28.739 is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved 00:41:28.739 --> 00:41:31.699 righteousness and hated lawlessness. Therefore 00:41:31.699 --> 00:41:34.360 God, your God, has anointed you with the oil 00:41:34.360 --> 00:41:38.900 of gladness more than your companions. And you, 00:41:39.000 --> 00:41:41.360 Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of 00:41:41.360 --> 00:41:43.280 the earth and the heavens are the work of your 00:41:43.280 --> 00:41:46.849 hands. They will perish, but you remain. and 00:41:46.849 --> 00:41:49.570 they will all grow old like a garment, like a 00:41:49.570 --> 00:41:51.650 cloak. You will fold them up, and they shall 00:41:51.650 --> 00:41:54.809 be changed. But you are the same, and your years 00:41:54.809 --> 00:41:57.989 shall not fail. But to which of the angels has 00:41:57.989 --> 00:42:01.449 he ever said, Sit at my right hand till I make 00:42:01.449 --> 00:42:04.469 your enemies your footstool? This is Psalm 45, 00:42:04.750 --> 00:42:10.449 6 -7, Psalm 102, 25 -27, and Psalm 110, and verse 00:42:10.449 --> 00:42:14.309 1. He then follows up this glorious truth of 00:42:14.309 --> 00:42:16.809 the kingship of Christ. And this is where it 00:42:16.809 --> 00:42:20.690 really hits home to us. In chapter 2, verse 1, 00:42:20.889 --> 00:42:25.849 he says, Therefore, we must give the more earnest 00:42:25.849 --> 00:42:29.809 heed to the things which we have heard, lest 00:42:29.809 --> 00:42:34.349 we drift away. For if the word spoken by angels 00:42:34.349 --> 00:42:38.199 was... Proved steadfast. And every transgression 00:42:38.199 --> 00:42:42.099 and disobedience received a just reward. How 00:42:42.099 --> 00:42:45.559 shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? 00:42:46.719 --> 00:42:50.320 How is it possible to escape the wrath of God 00:42:50.320 --> 00:42:54.260 if we deny his kingship? If we take away from 00:42:54.260 --> 00:42:57.500 him his rulership and lordship and atonement, 00:42:57.539 --> 00:43:01.420 his offices of prophet and priest and king? We 00:43:01.420 --> 00:43:07.489 cannot, we dare not do this. He warns us, watch 00:43:07.489 --> 00:43:13.389 out lest we drift away. So in closing then, how 00:43:13.389 --> 00:43:19.929 should we then live? Jesus is not an angel. He's 00:43:19.929 --> 00:43:23.829 not just a good man, a wise teacher or a healer. 00:43:24.190 --> 00:43:30.170 Either he is who he said he was and who he was 00:43:30.170 --> 00:43:35.170 prophesied about or else he's an imposter. Or 00:43:35.170 --> 00:43:38.989 even a lunatic with grand delusions. You cannot 00:43:38.989 --> 00:43:43.449 possibly conceive or call a man a good man who 00:43:43.449 --> 00:43:46.309 says what Jesus said about himself and what the 00:43:46.309 --> 00:43:50.349 scripture said about himself. He is either who 00:43:50.349 --> 00:43:55.130 he said he was or he's crazy and off the rocker. 00:43:55.849 --> 00:44:01.039 There is no middle ground. He cannot be a good 00:44:01.039 --> 00:44:04.260 man and say those kinds of things about himself. 00:44:04.480 --> 00:44:08.199 We would think him crazy, delusional, and demented. 00:44:08.679 --> 00:44:18.039 He is who he said he was. Christ was born for 00:44:18.039 --> 00:44:24.099 this. He was born to be a king. Hail the heaven 00:44:24.099 --> 00:44:27.619 -born prince of peace. Hail the son of righteousness. 00:44:28.219 --> 00:44:32.119 Light and life to all he brings. Risen with healing 00:44:32.119 --> 00:44:36.579 in his wings. Mild he lays his glory by. Born 00:44:36.579 --> 00:44:41.059 that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons 00:44:41.059 --> 00:44:44.380 of earth. Born to give them second birth. Hark 00:44:44.380 --> 00:44:48.420 the herald angels sing. Glory to the newborn 00:44:48.420 --> 00:44:53.860 king. He dearly beloved is our king. And we bow 00:44:53.860 --> 00:44:56.860 before him, we reverence him, and we remember 00:44:56.860 --> 00:45:00.239 him. And at his birth, we celebrate it, that 00:45:00.239 --> 00:45:03.340 he was born a king. Of course, the one other 00:45:03.340 --> 00:45:05.960 example we have are the wise men. And we don't 00:45:05.960 --> 00:45:07.820 know how many there were. Traditionally, we say 00:45:07.820 --> 00:45:10.599 three, but the scripture doesn't say. What do 00:45:10.599 --> 00:45:13.239 they do? They bring him great gifts, and they 00:45:13.239 --> 00:45:16.460 come and they bow before him. They, by their 00:45:16.460 --> 00:45:20.400 actions, are fulfilling Psalm 2, bringing the 00:45:20.400 --> 00:45:24.239 gifts and bowing before him. And so I say to 00:45:24.239 --> 00:45:28.619 you, behold the regal majesty of Jesus. Be utterly 00:45:28.619 --> 00:45:32.679 captivated with his glory, with his beauty, with 00:45:32.679 --> 00:45:35.940 his kingly majesty, his rule and his reign over 00:45:35.940 --> 00:45:40.440 all things. Bow before him, worship him, serve 00:45:40.440 --> 00:45:45.599 him, rejoice in him. Be filled with awe and love, 00:45:45.880 --> 00:45:49.960 with honor and with... reverence like psalm 45 00:45:49.960 --> 00:45:54.239 verse 3 gird your sword upon your thigh almighty 00:45:54.239 --> 00:45:58.260 one with your glory and in your majesty and in 00:45:58.260 --> 00:46:01.159 your majesty ride prosperously because of truth 00:46:01.159 --> 00:46:05.239 humility and righteousness for indeed the lord 00:46:05.239 --> 00:46:09.960 reigns he is clothed with majesty we do not follow 00:46:10.670 --> 00:46:13.730 cunningly devised fables, Peter says, when we 00:46:13.730 --> 00:46:16.550 made known to you the power and the coming of 00:46:16.550 --> 00:46:19.550 our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses 00:46:19.550 --> 00:46:24.550 of his majesty. Now, what does a king do? Well, 00:46:24.610 --> 00:46:29.050 a king rules. He reigns. He comes to conquer. 00:46:29.250 --> 00:46:36.590 He invades. He comes to destroy the evil. And 00:46:36.590 --> 00:46:40.210 when we think of Jesus, We need to see him in 00:46:40.210 --> 00:46:43.610 this same way. This Jesus is not one who's just 00:46:43.610 --> 00:46:45.969 meek and mild and he's a good man. He goes around 00:46:45.969 --> 00:46:49.429 and heals. No, he's a king. And he does what 00:46:49.429 --> 00:46:53.110 kings do. He conquers. He invades. He destroys 00:46:53.110 --> 00:46:56.369 the dragon and slays him. He comes to rescue. 00:46:56.590 --> 00:46:59.409 He comes to save and to deliver. He comes to 00:46:59.409 --> 00:47:03.230 vanquish evil and to scatter darkness. And this 00:47:03.230 --> 00:47:09.190 king came to defeat death. He comes. As the triumphant 00:47:09.190 --> 00:47:12.650 king of kings and lord of lords. Whose kingdom 00:47:12.650 --> 00:47:18.070 shall have no end. I'm amazed at how many people 00:47:18.070 --> 00:47:21.909 sing that most glorious of pieces of music in 00:47:21.909 --> 00:47:24.869 Handel's Messiah. And they sing that great and 00:47:24.869 --> 00:47:29.250 triumphant hymn. That hallelujah for the Lord 00:47:29.250 --> 00:47:35.170 God. For the Lord God reigns. And yet they miss. 00:47:35.690 --> 00:47:38.429 The point of it so much. They sing of all the 00:47:38.429 --> 00:47:41.809 glories of Christ's kingdom. And yet, how can 00:47:41.809 --> 00:47:44.610 you do that and not bow the knee to Christ? And 00:47:44.610 --> 00:47:50.110 yet, so many do. If we miss this aspect of Christmas, 00:47:50.449 --> 00:47:54.050 we risk missing the point and spirit of Christmas 00:47:54.050 --> 00:47:58.289 altogether when a person sees Jesus as he is. 00:47:58.909 --> 00:48:03.210 They either fall before him in the terror of 00:48:03.210 --> 00:48:06.489 the rod that can dash them to pieces, or they 00:48:06.489 --> 00:48:12.289 fall before him in worship, which leads to doxology. 00:48:12.570 --> 00:48:16.710 The word of glory and praise to him who sits 00:48:16.710 --> 00:48:21.150 on the throne, who lives forever and ever and 00:48:21.150 --> 00:48:25.170 ever. And so to you, dear believer, hear these 00:48:25.170 --> 00:48:29.000 words of comfort. Speaking of Jesus, the prophet, 00:48:29.099 --> 00:48:33.000 the priest, and the king, Jude, worships in doxology 00:48:33.000 --> 00:48:37.179 when he says, Now to him who is able to keep 00:48:37.179 --> 00:48:41.500 you from stumbling and to present you faultless 00:48:41.500 --> 00:48:45.360 before the presence of his glory with exceeding 00:48:45.360 --> 00:48:52.059 joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be 00:48:52.059 --> 00:48:56.329 glory. and majesty, dominion, and power, both 00:48:56.329 --> 00:49:01.429 now and forever. Amen. Worship and doxology. 00:49:01.630 --> 00:49:05.570 It's either we fall before him in terror of his 00:49:05.570 --> 00:49:11.409 rod and his rule, or we fall in worship and surrender 00:49:11.409 --> 00:49:17.010 in bowing to him as our king. We get a glimpse 00:49:17.010 --> 00:49:21.210 of heaven as the apostle John describes the scene. 00:49:21.630 --> 00:49:26.889 of jesus as the lion of the tribe of judah the 00:49:26.889 --> 00:49:31.230 root of david the lamb as it has been slain and 00:49:31.230 --> 00:49:35.090 he says now when he had taken the scroll the 00:49:35.090 --> 00:49:38.550 four living creatures and the 24 elders fell 00:49:38.550 --> 00:49:42.869 down before the lamb each having a harp and golden 00:49:42.869 --> 00:49:46.349 bowls full of incense which are the prayers of 00:49:46.349 --> 00:49:50.250 the saints and they sang a new song saying You 00:49:50.250 --> 00:49:53.969 are worthy to take the scroll and to open its 00:49:53.969 --> 00:49:58.329 seals for you were slain and have redeemed us 00:49:58.329 --> 00:50:01.929 to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue 00:50:01.929 --> 00:50:05.090 and people and nation and have made us kings 00:50:05.090 --> 00:50:08.650 and priests to our God and we shall reign on 00:50:08.650 --> 00:50:12.699 the earth. Then I looked. John says, and I heard 00:50:12.699 --> 00:50:15.920 the voice of many angels around the throne, the 00:50:15.920 --> 00:50:19.039 living creatures and the elders, and the number 00:50:19.039 --> 00:50:23.340 of them was 10 ,000 times 10 ,000 and thousands 00:50:23.340 --> 00:50:27.000 of thousands saying with a loud voice, worthy 00:50:27.000 --> 00:50:31.530 is the lamb. who was slain to receive power and 00:50:31.530 --> 00:50:35.269 riches and wisdom and strength and honor and 00:50:35.269 --> 00:50:38.190 glory and blessing. And every creature which 00:50:38.190 --> 00:50:41.230 is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth 00:50:41.230 --> 00:50:43.949 and such as are in the sea and all that is in 00:50:43.949 --> 00:50:47.210 them, I heard saying, blessing and honor and 00:50:47.210 --> 00:50:51.329 glory and power be to him who sits on the throne 00:50:51.329 --> 00:50:58.230 and to the Lamb forever and ever. Let us then, 00:50:58.289 --> 00:51:03.550 dearly beloved, worship our king, our prophet, 00:51:03.730 --> 00:51:06.570 our priest, and our king. Let's pray.