Christ our King

Matthew 2:1-12

No King but King Jesus

The work of our redeemer as Prophet, Priest and King:

A prophet - to represent God to man, speaking God’s word and calling us to know and believe in Him.

A priest - to represent man to God, to reconcile the two through the atoning sacrifice.

The King - to fulfill man’s created role, to bear the image of God in exercising dominion over all of creation.

We Need A King.

The motto of the revolution: No King but King Jesus.

We have lost that vision, gaining freedom as a nation has led many to reject any notion of a sovereign authority, so that now we live in constant rebellion.

We desperately need a righteous King.

Looking at the state of political affairs: whoever can promise the most hand-outs, manipulate the media, and shout the loudest… gets the most attention.

We are like sheep without a shepherd, everyone doing what is right in his own eyes.

Christ is King, How He reigns, How we receive Him as King.

Jesus Christ Is King

By Birthright: The Magi, seeing a star rise in the East, understood it as a sign that a new King had been born.

Jesus was born of David, and the heir to the throne. Matthew presents the genealogy of Jesus, leading back to David. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise to David that one would sit on the throne forever.

Luke’s genealogy goes back to Adam and God, showing that Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise made in the midst of the curse, that a son of Mary would crush the head of the serpent.

There was, woven into the fabric of God’s people, an expectation of a coming King, a Messiah, who would finally and fully deliver them from sin and evil.

Begotten of God: Sovereign over creation.

The message of the Gospels:

Matthew 1:23 “They shall call his name Immanuel, which means God with us…”

Mark 1:1 - “Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God”

Luke 1:32, 37 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… the Son of God.”

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.”

All of Scripture

Col 1:15ff He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation… all things were created through him and for him and he is before all things…

Heb 2:9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

King By Conquest: When nations battled, the victorious king would inherit the peoples of the conquered lands.

In his death and resurrection, Christ defeated sin and death, which held us captive. He has won us in his victory, He purchased us by his blood. We are the treasure he fought for.

1 Cor 15:2 ff In fact Christ has been raise from the dead… and he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet, the last enemy to be destroyed is death… The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 1:4 he was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead…

He is the Lamb upon the throne of Rev 5, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, who has conquered.

How does Jesus execute the office of King? (WSC 26)

Subduing us to himself - he brings those whom God has given to him under his gracious rule.

We are rebels from his rule and reign - but he subdues us. He calls us out of the world, out of sin and death, to be a people belonging to him, who live in Him, and who will be with Him forever. He gives life, and by His Holy Spirit, he calls us to him, showing us grace, mercy, and love. He corrects us, disciplines us, shapes us, that we would be like him.

Ruling and Defending us

He is the head of his body, the church, and he orders and governs his body with all wisdom and grace. He establishes his church, officers (elders and deacons), in order to nurture, defend, feed, and guide his flock.

1 Tim and Titus: elders and deacons, not instituted by man, but placed by Christ to order and govern his body, the church.

Hodge, The kingdom of Christ is not a democracy, but the kingdom where Christ is absolutely sovereign.

He gives us his word to guide and lead us. All scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.

2 Cor 10:5 Every thought is brought under the authority of Christ.

He is King, you are not free to hold convictions or practices that contradict your King’s Word.

He keeps and protects us, giving us His Holy Spirit who unites us to Christ in our calling, preserves and supports us in our temptations and sufferings.

Restraining and Conquering all His and our Enemies

When Herod learned of the newborn King, he was alarmed, threatened, and sent his army to slaughter the king, killing all of the male children in Bethlehem. Christ is King despite Herod’s raging.

Heb 2:8 God has put “everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.

While nations neglect him and are in rebellion against him, Christ still reigns and accomplishes his purpose in spite of their neglect and rebellion.

R.C. Sproul, “The kings of this world and all secular governments may ignore this reality, but they cannot undo it.”

G.I. Williamson - As our Sovereign King, Christ is “powerfully ordering all things to his own glory, and his people’s good, so that even the evil deeds of the wicked men are made to work out for the true benefit of the elect…”

Living for the King

Take a cue from the Magi

Worship Him: humble ourselves, bowing down before him.

The word for worship here means to fall down on your face. The Magi, in all their wisdom, wealth, and power, bowed down on the ground before the child-King.

To approach the king, humble yourself, repent of the times when you have tried to sit upon His throne, and bow yourself before him.

Stop saying you made Jesus King of your life. He already was, and didn’t need your permission. If you say you made Jesus Lord, that makes you His Lord. Own him as king, but understand that even if you don’t, He still is, and there will be a reckoning.

To enter His Kingdom, you must repent and believe.

The Magi were filled with exceedingly great joy.

We quickly skip over this, but shouldn’t. Why does knowing Jesus is king cause joy?

He’s been sent from God to deliver us. He answers that need that persists in every heart even today. We have no peace until we have peace in Christ; we have no life until we live in Christ, we have no freedom until we are bound to Christ.

He is unlike any other king, He rules the earth with truth and grace. Psalm 98:9 - “He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.”

They give him treasures

Opening their treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, they gave costly, sacrificially, freely. Only because in Christ they found the treasure of great value. Worship is giving all we are to our King.

Represent Him

2 Cor 5:20 “We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” How? In our walk and our words.

To follow his commands honor Him in your life. Seek to know His will, listen to His answer, and be zealous in your performance.

My life belongs to you, use me as you see fit.

The great commission: Go and make disciples of all nations - tell the world of our King.