Jesus Is King

Introduction

Merry Christmas, good morning please turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 9 verses 6-7. That is Isaiah 9:6-7. Imagine if someone walked up to you and asked, who is in charge of your life? That would a strange experience. It’s not something we’re often asked, and I would guess it is because we assume that I am in charge of my life. We might think it would be a bit oppressive to answer this question in any other way. If a man “my wife” even in jest, you’d probably assume his wife is a nag, if a teenager said my parents we’d assume the parents are overly strict, a wife said her husband you’d think he was abusive. The reality is that we live in a world in which authority is seen as bad. Anything that threatens our personal decision making anything that demands our submission and allegiance can’t be good. Yet, on Christmas Eve when everyone is just trying to be happy. I want to convince you to let someone else rule your life. I want to convince you that true way to being merry is to subject yourself to another. Jesus is King. And if Jesus is King you must live as if he is in charge. Let’s Read Isaiah 9:6-7

Why Should I Let Jesus Rule My Life?

This passage is written before the birth of Jesus by a prophet named Isaiah who is writing in the midst of being invaded and conquered by the Assyrians. In the midst of this difficult and dark time he writes this prophecy of coming King, a Messiah, that would come to rescue God’s people. One who would bring light to the darkness. He is writing of a future event, but he also writing with the knowledge of a past promise. Which we read in our Scripture reading this morning. A promise given to King David approximately 200 years before Isaiah lived. 2 Samuel 7:16 “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”” Now, David’s kingdom was in the middle of getting sacked by the Assyrians and in fact would get taken over the Babylonians and Persians. And when we meet read about the birth of Jesus in the New Testament, approximately 800 years after Isaiah they are being ruled by Rome. The characters in the Bible are still waiting for the King to come. They are waiting for a son of David to come and rescue them.

Approximately 33 years after Jesus’ birth, Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem and a crowd lines the road and is putting out palm branches for him and they are crying out Matthew 21:9 “, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”” This shout that Jesus is the son of David is the recognition that Jesus was fulfilling 2 Samuel 7:16. Yet, a week later they are crying for his crucifixion. What are the charges made against him? That he claimed to be the King of the Jews.

John 19:1–9 “Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?”

John 19:10–16 “So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

Do you see the imagery? Jesus the Son of David is made to be a king. But as King he comes to suffer and die. Is this what the angel had in mind when he said, Luke 2:10–11 ““Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Christ means Messiah, the angel is saying Jesus is the Son of David you were promised. And yet, our king came to die.

But that wasn’t the end was it? Jesus would raise from the dead. He would appear to over 500 witnesses and then ascend into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. He sits with God the Father on the throne to rule and reign forever. And we are given yet another promise in Revelation 19:11–16 “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” John writes to tell us that the King who was mocked at the Christ will return to judge the earth and finally establish his forever kingdom. This forever kingdom that still awaits us, is the kingdom that Isaiah is prophesying about in our passage this morning.

This future kingdom ruled by King Jesus awaits all you surrender to Jesus as King. That is the truth the Bible puts forward that Jesus is the promised King of the past, present, and future. Now, my task with God’s help this morning is to try to convince you to allow that King Jesus to actually rule your life. Knowing the story isn’t enough. Do you truly believe it ? In other words, who is in charge of your life? Is it Jesus? Why should it be? Reason number one:

The Government Is On His Shoulders v. 6b

Jesus is the son that has been born to be our king and Isaiah tells us that the government is on his shoulder. He bears the weight of leadership for us. And this isn’t just the government of one country, but the entire world. The book of Revelation makes clear that Jesus comes to rule all the nations. He the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He comes to rid the world of all oppression because he will rule over all and destroy all oppressors. The governance of the entire world rest on his shoulders.

We sing the song O Holy Night and it says “And in His name all oppression will cease” Why? Because we also sing in the song, Christ is the Lord. Behold your king, before him lowly bend.

The weight of the world is placed on the shoulders of Jesus, which implies this wonderful truth. It’s not on you. You see to deny the rule of Jesus to take up self-rule. If Jesus doesn’t rule your life, if he isn’t in charge. Who is? You. And that might sound like a good thing, until its not. You are not meant to rule the world and if you try, you’ll fail.

I am convinced that much of our anxieties and worries stem from the reality that we are trying to control things that just out of our control. And to grasp for control of the uncontrollable is to claim authority that we don’t have. We are in essence attempting to overthrow the Kingdom of God by forcing our own kingdom’s agenda.

There are two kingdoms in this world. The Kingdom based in reality called the kingdom of God and the kingdom based in false belief called the kingdom of self. The Bible says the government, or kingdom is on his shoulder. It all depends on him. To live like its on your shoulders is to deny reality.

The real world is his and he truly bears the weight of it all and he provides grace to you for every moment. But the world you imagine where in the future everything goes wrong, where it all depends on you, where happiness is only obtained if the house is x amount square feet, where we are debt free, if all the kids go to college, where this political party wins and election etc … Is an imagined world, until whatever happens, happens. And the truth, is that we just don’t have the control that we imagine we have. Because the world, doesn’t rest on our shoulders.

Psalm 46:10 ““Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”” Nothing will stop his promises from coming true. His forever kingdom will come no matter who weight you attempt to bear. So, instead of trying to rule your own life allow Jesus to rule it.

Now, allowing someone else to rule your life is only a good idea if they are competent and kind. If they foolish, cruel, or weak. They will make a terrible ruler, but that is not what we have in Jesus. Allow Jesus to rule your life because he is a king of supreme character.

A King of Supreme Character v. 6b.

To say his name shall be called… Is to describe his character. A name in the ancient world carried the very character of someone. Perhaps you have heard of the basketball player Pistol Pete. Pistol Peter played for LSU in the late 1960s and averaged 44.2 points per game. He is still the NCAA’s highest all time scorer with 3.667 points. His nickname “Pistol” is a testament to his play. He was shooter. The name of the child born to us, the son given is a testament to his character.

He is the Wonderful Counselor. He is supernaturally wise. There is nothing that escapes his attention, he never fails to consider the big picture nor does he overlook the smallest details. His counsel is always true, his advice is always the best possible advice. No one can counsel the Lord because he is the ultimate counselor.

He is Mighty God. The mightiest of all supernatural and spiritual beings. He is all-powerful and nothing can rival him. He can keep you safe, because is not safe. We have started reading the Chronicles of Narnia to Judah, it’s a great story by CS Lewis about a fictitious world of talking animals called Narnia. In one scene a group of children are being told about the king of Narnia, a lion named Aslan. They are discussing this with two talking beavers, who else would they be talking to, and a child asks, “Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.” It’s a wonderful quote and helpful to me when I consider the power of our mighty God. Jesus is not safe. But he’s good, he’s the king I tell you. He’s not safe, because he mighty. Following Jesus might lead you to a cross. But the king will rise, and those who are his will rise with him.

He is Eternal Father. A king at this time would often excise his rule in unjust ways. He might hoard his wealth while his people starved, allow bandits to raid the poor while he hid behind his armies. But a father would lead a his family tribe which usually would extend beyond his immediate family. It could include his siblings, children, children’s children etc. And that father/ruler would treat those under his care as family. Jesus doesn’t treat us as subjects, but rather as sons and daughters. To submit your life to Christ is to submit yourself to someone who truly has your best interest in mind.

Finally, he is the Prince of Peace. He does not use his authority and royalty to oppress. Rather he uses his authority and power to bring peace. We all long for peace. Peace from business, financial stress, relational difficulty with friends and family. Maybe just some peace and quiet. Yet, we live in a world that it doesn’t seem like there is all that much peace.

Perhaps your skeptical this morning. Or you think I am a Christian but I just don’t have much peace. Rich Mullins a singer songwriter who died in 1997 wrote a song called Hold Me Jesus. Mullins struggled with alcohol and childhood trauma throughout his life. I love this song by Mullins because he captures what its like to be a sufferer and struggler in this life. The songs opens with the line “Sometimes my life just don’t make sense at all” Do you resonate? The chorus cries out Hold me Jesus, I’m shaking like a leaf who have been my King of glory, and then he asks the question, “Won’t you be my Prince of Peace?”

You almost feel in the music Mullins’ lingering doubt. He knows the answer, but yet he is questioning. Jesus, will you really pull through? Mullins uncovers something revolutionary in the bridge. He sings, “Surrender don't come natural to me I'd rather fight You for something I don't really want Than to take what you give that I need And I've beat my head against so many walls Now I'm falling down, I'm falling on my knees.” He continues “And this Salvation Army band is playing this hymn And Your grace rings out so deep It makes my resistance seem so thin” And when hits the chorus this time something is different.

The music swells the drums come in with a little more fervor. It’s the same lyrics still phrased as a question, but its like the question mark is gone. He sings it twice and then resolves. As if the question has been answered. Yes, he will be the Prince of Peace. But not apart from the revelation of the bridge. Surrender.

The Peace for Christ is for those who know that Christ is the King. The King who reigns eternally

His Kingdom is Eternal v. 7

It is not just eternal in time. But it is eternal is space. The increase of his government, his kingdom will know no end. He will reign over the entire world, there will not place on this planet that is left untouched by his rule. At the return of Christ all will be subjected to his rule. From the east to the west from the north to the south the increase of this kingdom will know no end.

And his kingdom is eternal in its quality. His peace will know no end. There will never be war, famine, disease, pain, strife, stress, or oppression. It will be peace upon peace and peace that somehow continues to increase with no end. And this kingdom will be upheld forever with justice and righteousness. No more selfishness, theft, murder, or unfairness. All will be just and righteous forever! An eternal Utopia ruled by King Jesus.

Trying to illustrate heaven is impossible. In the Lord of the Rings a beloved character dies. The reader mourns the characters in the story mourn and the story continues. The character is resurrected by two the characters don’t know this until the very end of the story. These two characters endure the worst parts of the battle against evil, but when evil is vanquished. They learn their friend is in fact alive. And the character Sam Gamgee says this famous line “Is everything sad going to come untrue?”

And I think this is a great way to try and understand what heaven will be like. Everything sad will come untrue. No more death, no more cancer, no physical limitations, no more sin, no more infertility, no more pain, no more trauma, no more abuse, no more addiction, no more injustice, selfishness… just peace, justice and righteousness forever.

Why should you let Jesus rule your life? Because the joys of heaven are only for those who belong to the king of heaven. Jesus tells us John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Conclusion

Earlier in the sermon I told you its not enough to just know the story. You have to believe it. In the Bible belief is more than cognitive ascent. Belief isn’t just holding something in your mind. Belief or faith is a lived experience. If you said you believed in Jesus as the promised king from 2 Samuel 7:16 then it changed you. If you were Jewish you would get baptized in front of the whole world, you would risk being kicked out of the synagogue, disowned by your family, maybe even arrested or killed. Your belief could lead to you losing everything. But they did it by the thousands because they knew that the peace of Christ was better. If you were a greek who gave up the worship of idols, stopped being sexually immoral, lost friends, lost family, and you get baptized and join a church that probably had converted Jews in it. You willing left being a cultural majority to become a cultural super minority. But they did because the peace of Christ was better.

I gave three reasons to allow Jesus to rule your life. But it really comes down to one. It is only through Jesus that you can know true peace and be reconciled to God. My question this morning isn’t what do you believe? Because I fear you don’t really know what the word believe means in the Bible. So, for the sake of clarity here the question one last time. Who is in charge of your life? Let’s Pray