You Shall Kiss the Son: Every Kneee shall bow

Passages

Philippians 2:10-12

Philippians 2:10–12 KJV 1900

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Psalm 2 ESV

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Introduction

Perhaps I should have started with this message before tackling Acts with you; we are about halfway into Acts and if the Lord permits we shall finish the book before years end. Being at the half way point, I want to bring us this message from Paul’s writing, which matches the Psalmist writings. We will next week start to examine more deeply the ministry of Paul.

Today’s message I want us to examine the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. The gospel is simply the good news of Christ, and by this point I pray we understand the essentials of the good news of Christ. Jesus also brings good news of His Kingdom. There are two types of Christians (note I say Christians) in this world; there are the Christians that believe everything gets worse and there are the Christians that believe the time of fire in the sky is but purification for better days. There are the Christians that believe the Kingdom of God is referring to a Jewish state during the millennial reign and there are Christians that believe He is reigning today, conquering enemies and establishing His Kingdom through His bride, the fulfillment of the Old Covenant revealed today as the Church.

This my friends is as Keith Mathison book states, and eschatology of Hope.

We will examine what it means to Kiss the Son.

We will examine what Jesus meant when He prayed Thy Kingdom Come

We look at the practical ways the church lives this out.

Kiss thy Son

To understand Kiss the Son; let us look at what kissing the son is not. This past week all across America the return of the golden calf worship was turned on by many Americans across the world. Hoping that this election will go their way, and things we work out. Their golden calf gets their money. We do this show every four years.

The tragedy very few Christians today are calling for their “party” to repent and kiss the son. Worse Christians who are calling for government to act in the proper office and mandate a Christ centered world are labeled with terms Christian Nationalist, Theonominst, Deconstructionist, and are quickly barred from pulpits and ministries they lead.Forbid a Christian actually teaches what the word of Christ teaches, Thy Kingdom come, every knee shall bow (does not mean every knee will be saved) and kiss the son.

To Kiss thy son is to submit everything under His rule and His Law. Listen to these words of the great commission

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The great commission is not simply teach them to believe in me; it is a far greater extent to this it involves the Kingdom. Teach them to be citizens of the Kingdom of God, teach them to be followers of Christ. This is not a plead of wait until I return, set up a Kingdom. It is a the Kingdom of is advancing, go do what I say.

If the words of scripture are true and they are; then every knee will submit to Christ and toungue confess; again this is not saying everyone will be saved. The road is narrow and very few find it. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, etc…

A man will enter the courts of God on his day of judgement, this man will tell God I was the money bags of the church, I was there at Waughtown Baptist since my birth, I served as a Deacon, etc… God may very well tell this man but you never kissed thy son.

Let the words of Matthew 7:21-23

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Even within “Christian churches” and believe not every Christian church is of God even in solid denominations. There are many sitting in pews today under the biblical watch of a Pastor and have still to kiss thy son. The day on which they will bow to Christ will be one day too late.

So it leaves with this question what it is to Kiss thy Son?

In your own personal life. Have you given your life over to the Lord. I’m not asking did you say a prayer at age 8 and got baptized. I’m not asking if you served in the church. I certainly don’t care how long you have been a member of a local member of a local body. Christ won’t be asking these things of you in terms of your redemption. Do you know Him as Lord, as Savior? Does He know you?

In your home. Men, are leading in your home? Does your family have the mark of Christ? Is your family obedient to the word? Or are you leading a Sunday only Christian household? Do you read the word over your kids? Do you pray for them? How do you worship? Are you engaged in the teaching of the word? Does your household obey the great commission or were simply to busy building a career and neglecting the spiritual within your home?

In the Church. Is the body of Christ submitting unto Christ and His way. Is the church multiplying? I don’t mean multiplying in membership only, but is the church making disciples? Jesus is calling for submission to Him and biblically he has set the church to be the instrument to do this using his word, prayer, mercy ministries, etc.. The church is crucial in the good news of the Kingdom.

Is the local government and city filled with Christians speaking to the law of God, and building the city, government, schools, to the word of God? Am I for Christian nationalism? If by Christian nationalism you mean as the Scottish Covenanters did in calling the crown to repent, submit to the law of Christ, and use the ministry of the sword as called by the word of God to punish evil. Yes I am. Everything shall submit to the Son and every knee will bow.

Thy Kingdom Come

If then the call is to submit to thy son; where do we get this in the teaching of Jesus. Many of you sitting here today know the Lord’s prayer. The very first part of the prayer is praise as addressing the Father. The second is thy Kingdom come. Then in the word of Jesus, in his prayer he prays the Lord does not take us from this world, but to keep us here. Why? So that His Kingdom will advance.

The world is not burning, the sky is not falling, it is simple looking at the Kingdom parables with the right lenses. The chaff is being bound up for their day of burning, those who will bow down to Christ but did not submit to Christ will surely face thy wrath of the Father. They are not winning anything, the Lord in His providence is judging our nation by giving us evil rulers and permitting the murder of infants as judgement on our nation. The Lord has given our nation over to her evil ways.

The ashes will fall upon the day to which the Lord binds up the chaff for the day of burning. The wheat shall be standing. The Kingdom of God grows while the Kingdom of darkness will be cast into the lake of fire.

Christ Kingdom is growing; how do we see this today? Look at your phone. This little phone has many apps that have the word of God on it with many languages, spread across the world. In nations like Iran, China, India, places where Jesus is banned the church is multiplying. Today many have access to the internet to social media devices like Facebook. The gospel is being spread on Facebook. To the video game community, through resources like discord, there are gaming groups having bible studies, making disciples, while playing online.

Look at your high school athletics, groups like FCA are on public school campuses, proclaiming Christ. Organizations like Trail Life and American Heritage Girls (to which my family is a part of) are growing because the world’s organizations failed. People are desiring traditional roles of gender and they are coming to Christians to say listen you are right.

This nation in her glory day, was built by Christians or at least a Christian worldview. My point being the prayer of Jesus is that we would stay, His Kingdom will come and in one regard is here.

Practical Application

You are never too old to partake in building the Kingdom of God. There are different seasons in life, the young who need to learn, the mature who can climb into the dark pits and drag souls to the Lord who makes dead bones alive, and those who are in their last season of life. These saints must hold the rope for the mature, teach the young, and give everything they have to leave the legacy of Christ and not their own. The worst thing a man will ever do with the church God gave him for decades to care for is to hold the keys his very death and the death of the church. Let go of the keys Church, give it to the mature who are still able to go into the wells, trusting they will have the keys ready for the next mature. Learn, go, hold the rope, die with the legacy of Christ and your name forgotten. This is the life of God’s people, for His glory as they call nations to repent.

Submit your household to the Lord and most of your own soul.

Call the nations to submit to Christ because they will bow to Him ,far better to bow to Christ as one of His, than damned to an eternal wrath of God.

Conclusion

As we paused this week to reflect on the Kingdom of God, next week we will resume into the final half of Acts where we encounter the very soul of the church living out the Kingdom of God. The first of half of Acts was Christ establishing the church, the second half is the nitty gritty of the outpouring work of the church among the nations. Every knee shall bow, Kiss thy Son.