Messiah King

Glory: Nigeria Prayer

Intro: The Weary World Rejoices

I love Christmas music…The Song “Oh Holy Night” has a special place in my heart I love

There is this lyric

A Thrill of Hope

The Weary World Rejoices

I don’t know why but when I think about that line I think of that first spark of hope that I had when I first started to follow Jesus

There is so much there I remember through reading my Bible for the first time my perspective was broadened to realize that there is a God in the universe and that he sent his son to not only live and exist with us but to redeem humanity.

I just remember that first thrill of hope I had in my life…It was like somehow I just knew that if God really is real and it is true that he does love me

Then I have nothing to fear…I have nothing to worry about…That God is in charge and I am good with that

So the name of this series is “The Weary world Rejoices”

And we truly live in a weary world!

We truly live in a world where we have the church which should be a factory of hope and you read the news and everything is breaking…Nothing is right…

Hope begins with a spark—a moment when the weary world meets the God who loves us.

Well would it surprise you to find out that this is always the way that it has been?

We just finished a series last week on the book of Ruth

Ruth is a perfect example of this…

The book is about the most powerless of the powerless…

A poor widow from Bethlehem and a poor widow from Moab. They have no standing and God redeems them and choose them…he brings them into the family line of the messiah!

Ruth is the definition of moving from a weary world to a world of hope

She is the definition of moving from dark to the light

And I suppose this is why we love Christmas…I mean it is a time of the year where it is physically dark…Like it gets dark around 4:45 and then on top of that, it is cloudy all the time…

Christmas is a broken world rejoicing

This year for Christmas we normally look at Hope, Peace, Love and Joy which is great but we are mixing that up a bit this year. We are going to look at Jesus the Promised King, Jesus the Prophet, Jesus the Priest and Jesus the savior

Jesus the King

Today we are diving into “Jesus the King” but before we get there I want to tell you a story

Gavrilo Princip is not a household name but it is a name that has had a daily affect on your life since you have been born and you probably don’t realize it

In 1911 He joined a secret society called “Young Bosnia” This group was a politically aware group that wanted to free Bosina from

In 1913 He received some military training from another political secret society called ..>And I am not making this up, this is not a movie…”The black Hand”

And when the Archduke of Austria and his wife came to visit…They were next in line to be king and queen of Serbia

Princip shot into their convertible killing them both

As you know this is the start of the first world war.

But why does this matter?

This was a bullet in the head of the old world…

I doubt Princip knew that this one shot would lead to over 20 million dead and many million more suffering…and then another world war would would lead 70 million dead around the world…He probably couldn't forsee the cold war, vietnam and conflicts in the middle east which are all 100% attributed to what happened in world war one

But what I am sure he didn’t know would happen was at the end of world war one, the world of kings all but disappeared

the Romanavs a 500 year old monarch from Russia were overthrown and killed and thrown out of power

German Empire (Kaiser Wilhelm) fell

The Austro-Hungarian Empire fell

a few years later the Ottoman Empire fell

Kingdom of Montenegro fell

This is why I say what this one guy did was a bullet in the head of the old world…Because with world war one the old world died with it

The point: We are living in a time and a society where we don’t want a king!

In our society the biggest critique on our own president is that he is a king…I mean this is a slam in our society….

We live in a culture that wants the benefits of a king—without the accountability of a king.

And yet we come to scripture and find that Jesus is king…And guess what…The world doesn’t want another independent king…A King that we can mold! sure

So today I want to walk us though Jesus as king but I want to start in what might be a strange place

All through the Torah there is this little thread

Numbers 23:9 NIV

From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them. I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations.

Israel is set apart.

They are not like one of the nations! They are different because their leader…Their King is Yahweh

All though the book of Deuteronomy the book is to teach the children of those who fled Egypt you see verses like this:

Deuteronomy 4:8 NIV

And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

The steadfast reminder is look …we have the Lord.

He has given us his laws…

The Lord has made a covenant with us…We are not like those other wicked nations…

Because literally, God is leading us….I mean if you lived in ancient Israel the entire town life was organized around the presence of the Lord

We are not like the other nations…Israel was supposed to be holy and set apart

And what sets the other nations apart?

Well a lot of things…But one of the things is that the other nations have a king that raises an army…They can protect them…

So early on in the history of Israel…It is not going well for Israel…

The people shout out to Samuel who is now the priest of Israel

1 Samuel 8:4–5 NIV

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

Look Samuel…We know that God has called us to be not like one of the nations but its not working out…

Appoint a King

Like the other nations

These words are so specific…They are self-condemning words

Words that condemn their speakers…But there will be more of these self condemning lines that we will find…Lets look at 1 Samuel 8:6-9

1 Samuel 8:6–9 NIV

But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

God’s response to Samuel is look…Israel is going after the other nations…I have set up a covenant, I have given them laws…but Israel doesn’t honor me..

See the desire for a king is the desire to be protected while being disobedient

See in the book of Judges and before this when Israel was faithful God would protect Israel…But when they went after false gods then God would lift his protection and as punishment would allow them to be conquered

The desire for a king was so that they could live however they wanted without consequences from the Lord.

Israel wanted protection without obedience.

If we have a king, we can live how we want to live and be protected

God had always been seen as the king of Israel

So eventually the story moves forward and one of these days we will walk though the book of 1 Samuel because its just so good but the twitter version is this

Israel chooses a king that is good in their own eyes…He is a head taller than anyone else…He is handsome

The point is they choose Saul..and from 1 Samuel the only qualifications were that he looked like a king…But in reality he was a terrible king

But the entire time God has a different person in mind because God is thinking about the Long game while we are thinking about the short game…

See Israel wanted a leader for right now

But God pointed it out…Look they rejected me as king!

When we reject God as King, we always choose a lesser king.

So God was rejected as king in favor of a man named Saul who was an obvious train wreck

But God wanted a leader that was an archetype…One who would lay the foundation for when God reclaimed his throne…

A leader that all other leaders should look like

When Saul was losing the throne Samuel told him this

1 Samuel 13:14 NIV

But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

There is a king coming who will search after God’s heart…

A king that will desire what God desires and want what God wants

And we find that king in chapter 16

1 Samuel 16:7 NIV

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

David was anointed king and was Israel’s greatest king

He would be a king that would be after God’s heart…A king that would usher in the worship of the Lord..

A king that never mistook himself for THE king…He always knew God was king

And he always wanted to do big amazing things for God

he even wanted to build the temple but God wouldn’t let him…he basically said that Solomon would build him a house

But here is the promise that he gave David…

2 Samuel 7:16 NIV

Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ”

Ah! So somehow David’s throne will be established forever!

God promises a forever throne—and only Jesus can fill it.

Well if we fast forward to an amazing Christmas text we see Isaiah 9

The text that tells us of the coming of Jesus

Isaiah 9:1–7 NIV

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

In no uncertain terms do we see that there is a new king coming.

A child will be born

The government will be on his shoulders

But this is no ordinary child.

He will be called some special names

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

And he will sit on the throne of David

So he is human…he will be born as a child but also somehow he will be wonderful counselor and mighty God!

It is a reminder that a new kind of king is coming.

Isaiah reminds us that the true King brings light, justice, and peace without end.

One who will lead

One who will actually have a good governance

One who will not be riddled with corruption

One who will actually rule with Justice and righteousness!

And then in the gospel of Matthew right at the very beginning we begin to hear this story

Matthew writes the geneology of Jesus, who Jesus’ family was…

It was clear that Jesus was the one who is being born into the lineage of the king

Matthew 1:6 NIV

and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

I love how Matthew gives us the lineage of Jesus though King David but also this huge reminder that David messed up…

David was the father of Solomon…whose mother had been Uriah’s wife

Almost to say, David was the greatest king of Israel and yet, he was still flawed

Jesus is the King who enters a broken family to redeem broken people.

And Even though we have these messed up people some how the messiah of the world will come from that stock

Even the way Matthew writes the story is a reminder that David stole another man’s wife and then killed him

We keep getting more and more indications that Jesus is a king

The very next chapter we see people coming to visit this new baby and they know the book of Isaiah! They know the prophesy!

Matthew 2:2 NIV

and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

They go to king Herod and say…Hey were is the real king?

We saw the star that was

We want to worship the real king!

And then when Jesus starts his ministry…He doesn’t want you to mistake who he is or what he will be doing

What is Jesus main message, what is the gospel?

Matthew 4:23 NIV

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

The gospel is the good news of a new kingdom and King.

The main message of Jesus is that he is setting spreading a new kingdom!

A kingdom where there is healing

A kingdom where God reigns

A kingdom where sickness has no power

A kingdom where darkness has no standing!

And Jesus grew a reputation

A reputation for ushering in his kingdom

But people kept on mistaking what the kingdom of Jesus is all about

As a people I think that we have Godly desires

and we have perverse desires

Our perverse desire is to become a kingmaker

To be the man behind the man…

To get our guy to become the king…

Why? because what is better than being the king?

Controlling the king! Getting all of the benefits but none of the backlash of being in leadership.

And Jesus would deal with this all the time…The people around him clearly recognized him as a king that would eventually take his throne

And people responded to Jesus as if he was a king

John 6:15 NIV

Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Think about that

This was after Jesus fed the 5,000…They were going to go and make him king by force

They mistook his kingdom…

They wanted a king who they could install as king…WHY? Because

But we can not install Jesus as king…He can only install himself as king. Because the way that Jesus becomes king is by giving up his life not taking lives like other kings would

Jesus wouldn't be made king by force because he will not be beholden to a constituency

He is truly sovereign

But there are more instance where Jesus closest followers saw him and said Hey…We can not wait until you start your political kingdom here on earth

In fact literally in Luke after Jesus takes communion with his disciples…In the very same story as communion we get this little detour:

Luke 22:24–30 NIV

A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Here is just such a great link back to when Israel asked for a king the first time.

Jesus disciple just had a meal with them

and Jesus did very king like things like make a covenant with them drink wine and bread with them and make a covenant this is classic king behavior

So the disciples realize this and talk about who was going to be the greatest in the administration of king Jesus

And Jesus reminds them that the gentiles act this way…

Jesus is saying look you are falling into the trap of wanting to be like the other nations again but I just made a covenant with you…And you have forgotten what my kingdom looks like

My kingdom is one where the ones who are the greatest are the ones who are servants

Jesus’ kingdom is not about power—it’s about service.

And Jesus is like hey don’t make any mistake about what kingdom you are receiving…I am sending you the kingdom of serving others….You are not getting the kingdom of immense military and political power

Instead its the kingdom of sacrifice

Even as Jesus is arrested and going to die on the cross

But the gospels are written in such a way…And Jesus lived in such a way to force us to make a choice about who we will serve

John 19:14–15 NIV

It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

Israel has this problem which is essentially always going after the wrong king.

But so do we. We do this all the time…

Our entire world history is of setting kings up and then tearing them down

Down with the kings…We are the Gavrelo Princip of our day…

But the real question is how many times have we given our allegiance to Cesar?

See in the most damning part of the new testament the people who were supposed to view God as king completely showed all their cards

They showed that God is not their king and that their king is Cesar

See the manger is an unlikely place for a king

Kings are born in palaces and are raised under a king they train their whole life for the throne

But Jesus was born into a humble manger

He lived a life where he gave his whole self away

He set up a kingdom that had no military…No political banners….It had no constituency

Instead he died for those who would follow him

The Manger is the birth place of the king and the cross becomes the throne…

It was even labeled as such

Luke 23:38 NIV

There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.

John Howard Yoder said this: “The Cross is not a detour or a hurdle on the way to the kingdom, nor is it even the way of the kingdom, it is the kingdom come.”

Jesus is born into a narrative where there are already kings

Jesus is born into a setting where people wanted to take and make him king by force

This is just the way of the world!

and He does nothing that a king would do.

All he does is feed the hungry and heal people and say guess what my kingdom is about the poor and marginalized

But as much as we look at Jesus and say Yes this seems right! Jesus is amazing

we are also the Gavrilo Princip’s of the world…

See Gavrilo Princip didn’t just not like the Austro-Hungarian Kingdom, he wanted his own guy to be in power…Because if his guy got power then maybe he could get some too

If he got this guy out then maybe he can remake the world in the way that he wants…

Aren’t we like that?

Hopefully without the murderous streak….

But we back some politician with the perverse desire to become a king maker…

So we can stand around the water cooler saying..>yeah that’s my guy….Becuase it makes us feel bigger or stronger

But one of the first questions of Christmas is WHO IS YOUR KING? DO YOU REALLY WANT TO CRUSCIFY YOUR KING?

What is your answer?

We have no king but Cesar?

Do you want the king who rules through force

or the king who lays his life down for broken people?

The empire’s king or the manger’s King?

Jesus is the King who doesn’t take power—He gives Himself.

The weary world rejoices because the King has come—and His kingdom has no end.

So I say today

The Bible is absolutely forcing us to choose!

Who will your king be?