The King & Kingdom Living
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
The passage we will read today will affect our worldview vertically and horizontally.
horizontal and vertical
Vertically, we will focus on Christ’s enthronement as King and Lord.
Horizontally, we will focus on what it meas to live in a community under the king.
We will start by looking at the book of Hebrews, which many have thought to be a written record of a sermon.
The Hebrews is full of a high view of Christ.
And I believe, as followers of Christ, we need a high view of Christ.
Let’s start by look at Hebrews 1:2-13. Instead of reading it all at once, I want to break it up into digestible portions.
So let’s start by reading Hebrews 1:2-3.
Hebrews 1:2-3 pic.
People have believed that this portion of Scripture comes from ancient hymnic material.
This passage talks about the Son, and we know that the Son is Jesus—The Son is the exact representation of God.
When we hear about representation, what do we think about?
I know that I have been saying this pretty often, but I think it’s central to the kingdom theme.
Representation goes with this other word that we briefly talked about last week.
It goes with the a word we spoke about when we first met.
Representation should remind us of image.
Being God’s exact representation is to fulfill what it means to be an image-bearer.
And, the Son, did that.
Adam and Eve, humans since them, while they were supposed to represent God to the world, have failed.
But Jesus, as this verse shows, is the exact representation of God.
And as God’s exact representation, the Son sustains all things by his powerful word.
Because he was the perfect representation of God, after he died a sacrificial death, the Son sat down at the right hand of Majesty.
This image of the Son sitting at the right of the Father is a prominent theme within the New Testament, and we should be comfortable using biblical language to describe these scenes, though I believe no words are sufficient to describe the relationship between God and the Son, but we must affirm what the Scriptures affirm.
From this scene, we should understand that the Son is in a place of power.
Let’s go to the next verse.
So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
What is this name?
I want to argue that the name that the author is talking about here is “Son.”
This is the name that is being spoken here because the name of Jesus has not been mentioned.
Yes, we can look at other passages, like Philippians 2, but it’s not always a good idea to go from passage to passage. Let’s read Hebrews from the perspective of Hebrews, not from the perspective of Philippians.
Here is why I think that Paul is talking the name being “Son” here.
Son name pic
The name “Son” could make sense.
And it makes sense since this name is much superior to the names of the angels.
This name show intimacy, an familial type of relationship that angels don’t have. They don’t have the type of relationship where they call God father, but the Son does.
No angel was ever named “Son.” But Jesus was.
Look at the following verses.. It supports the idea of the name being the “Son.” That this was in mind of the author.
Pic Heb 1 5
The first a quote from a Psalm. This was a royal Psalm that the Israelites would use to talk about the Messianic King.
It comes from the second quote, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.
This is a quote that we have read about before.
Think back when we spoke about King David.
There was a time when God told King David that he will have a son who would be God’s Son and God will be a his father.
Comparison slide
The father-son relationship that God had promised David is fulfilled with Jesus.
Jesus has a father-son relationship with God. God is the Father, and Jesus is His Son. And they have a beautiful relationship.
And while angels are close to God, no angel can say they have the type of relationship the Son had with the Father.
Let’s continue to see how the author of Hebrews further elaborates on the Son.
And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
In speaking of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels spirits,
and his servants flames of fire.”
But about the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
All of the angels worship the Son.
and of the Son, Hebrew quotes the Psalms, and says that
The Son is God.
The Son is the God of the Old Testament, the Davidic King, and Yahweh himself.
And his rule is forever.
He has a scepter of justice.
This focuses on the Son’s rule—type of rule he has.
His rule is right—it’s just.
He upholds justice and rejects injustice.
And
Those who are under the rule of the Son have no alternative but to hate lawlessness
As their king has demonstrated.
Let’s end our time in Hebrews with Heb. 1:10-13
He also says,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.”
To which of the angels did God ever say,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet”?
The Son is greater than any angel because no son sits at God’s right hand
This idea of sitting at the right hand of God, as we saw earlier in the chapter, is a big deal within the New Testament.
The main idea with this saying is that Jesus is enthroned. He is king.
He is superior.
God has appointed Jesus both Lord and Christ.
Jesus is supreme.
He is the only human who God saw as the one who should be seated next to him.
I like what Photius, a Patriarch of the church, who lived in the 800s, I like what he says,
He lifted up the first offering of our nature to the Father, and the Father marveled at this offering. And because of the high esteem of the one who offered it and because of the purity of the offering, he, as the father of the household shows him with his hand the place close to himself and also places the offering nearby and says, “sit at my right hand.”
Jesus is the human who has ascended, offered himself, and now sits at the right hand of the Father.
Humans were supposed to rule like Jesus, but they all failed. Jesus didn’t fail—he obeyed to point of death, even dying on a cross—that’s why he is enthroned today.
There’s so much more packed in Hebrews, but now, let’s learn about horizontal living.
horizontal and vertical
We have focused vertically by looking Hebrews first chapter and directing our gaze to Christ the King, but now let’s look at living horizontally—let’s look at how the people of the king by spending some time in the book of James.
The book of James is very similar to the wisdom literature of the Hebrew Scriptures, in the sense that it focuses on the life in the kingdom.
Here’s a question that I have been asking you guys to consider.
How are people supposed to live now that the king has come?
Recognize the lordship of Jesus.
Look at how James recognized the Lordship of Jesus.
James Lord
we may work hard but we need to recognize Jesus as lord if we are really going to live under the king
A lot of people do good work, but kingdom work requires a recognition of Jesus’ lordship.
No person can do true kingdom work without recognizing Jesus as Lord.
If you go out, without recognizing the lordship of the Christ, and do good work, that’s good.
But it’s not kingdom work.
To work to expand the reign of Christ, you must recognize Jesus as Lord.
According to the Bible, righteous living—kingdom living, includes recognizing our God and his Christ—Jesus Christ. And that’s part of the reason why we started today’s sermon by looking Hebrew’s view of Jesus.
2. Wisdom comes through living a new life where fighting does not define relationships.
There are some relationships, whether it was with a partner or with a friend, that if you were going to define that relationship, you would say that it is full of fights.
But James saw that kingdom relationship are not defined by fights.
Look at
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Maybe we fight because we want our friend, our partner, because we desire. It might be because we desire something in life, maybe we want peace, so we look for peace in relationships.
But we don’t find peace in our friendships and relationships.
Maybe we desire our partner to act in a certain way, but they’re imperfect, so our expectations are let down, but we might fight and quarrel.
But here, James tells us we should not rely on relationships to satisfy our desires or needs.
No,
We shouldn’t rely on people for fulfillment, but we should rely on God.
But you are like, God has not given me what I needed.
Let ask you this,
Have you considered that you do not have because you do not ask God?
I like what one person said (Peter H. Davids),
Rather than this useless fighting, arguing, competing, one ought simply to ask God for what one needs.
Just ask,
But okay,
Let’s be honest.
You probably have asked.
But that why James also said
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
So don’t just consider if you have asked…
But also consider whether you have asked with the right motives.
Augustine, probably the brightest Christian of the first millennia after Paul, said this:
If someone intends to misuse what he receives, he will not receive it.
So, trust in God.
Ask him your desires, but also check your motives.
Are motives wrong?
Are the reasons you desire a certain person to act specific way a personal desire?
Are the reasons you want a specific job, influence, fame, or power founded on a good motive?
Consider what your motives are.
Are you going to misuse what you are asking from God.
At any rate, rely on God, instead of trying to find fulfillment in people, because if you do try to find fulfillment in relationships, you will find yourself in many fights and quarrels that you had no business being in—that could’ve been avoided if you relied on God.
3. Speech is used to heal and not divide.
I am sure we have been circles where we heard people slander other people.
Maybe we have been the target of slander from people, because of how we talk, we look, we praise—our mannerisms.
Or, maybe we were the ones who slandered other people.
I have found myself on both ends.
Slander, however, is not the way of the kingdom.
Look at
Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.
The tongue has power.
It sets things on fire.
fire
A little spark can cause a large fire.
Here in California, we know about fires.
It feels like every summer, there are large fires taking place.
There was this story about the El Dorado’s fires that sparked my interest.
This fire that encompassed 10,000 acres all started… because of a spark… that came because of a gender reveal smoke machine.
A spark started a fire.
And there are many other fires that have started because there is a lit cigarette thrown out to dry grass.
A small spark wreaks havoc.
And likewise, our tongue, something so small, wreaks havoc.
It can burn the life of person.
I have read that about
77% of all students have been bullied verbally. (bullyingstatistics.org)
Some of those who have been bullied have experienced self-esteem, depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts.
Yes, we are out of high school, but I cite this stat to show, our tongue has power.
Our words continue to have power today.
And as Christians
Our tongue should give life; our tongue should not kill.
Controlling our tongue is a hard thing.
It’s like an untamed poisonous snake.
But it is capable of good.
We can praise our Lord and Father with our tongue—and we should.
But the tongue can also kill fellow human beings—humans who have been made in God’s likeness.
Douglas J. Moo, a professor of the New Testament at Wheaton College in Chicago, wrote this:
We may never reach the point where the tongue is perfectly controlled; but we can surely advance a long way in using our speech to glorify God.
Let’s strive to glorify God with our tongue.
4. In God’s kingdom-community, there is no partiality shown.
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
The main point of what we read is to not discriminate.
James talks about a poor man and rich man walking into one of our church services.
A church member, who is selective, may say, sit here at the good seat.
But for the poor man, they might say stand over there.
About two years ago, a pastor did this social experiment.
Here’s a picture of him.
This pastor dressed up as a homeless man and panhandled by his church.
He pastored a large church
He noted that there were people who walked away to avoid him.
But fortunately, there were people who gave him food, said hello, prayed for him.
Here’s what he said, and I think it’s true:
If we're gonna love like our Father in Heaven loves, we don't get to play favorites.
We don’t get to play favorites.
Look, God chooses the poor to be rich.
He has different eyes than the world has.
He sees the poor to be rich in faith.
In the kingdom, we must follow the royal law: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
And it doesn’t matter who our neighbor is. Our neighbor could be just like us. She could be our age. Or he could be from the other side of the world.
It does not matter. Don’t discriminate; instead, show God’s love to all.
Let’s represent him.
5. Citizens of the kingdom are hearers and doers of the word.
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
We must be a community that listens.
So much of the world just wants to say what they are thinking.
Look at social media.
Social media is so prominent because we just want to quick to say something.
But as we see here: instead of applauding those who are quick to give an answer, we should applaud those are who quick to listen.
The loudest is not the one who is right.
No,
We must be a community that listens.
We must be quick to listen.
Quick to listen to God’s Word.
Listen in church.
Listen to the Bible reading.
Listen to other godly teachers online.
And I also think we need to listen to people who do not believe the same thing.
Don’t be so quick to debate, but listen.
Slow to speak.
And… slow to anger.
We may feel righteous when we get angry.
We might think, “I’m going to make things right.”
But, really, when you act in anger, you are not producing the righteousness that God desires.
Instead of getting angry, be humble.
Quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger, and humble.
These sound like good things.
But, I’ve said this before:
I am not here to make you guys just smarter
Or make you hear good things.
No, I pray, that you would not just listen to the word.
No, be doers of the Word.
Do what the Word teaches.
Sometime you forget what the Bible says because you don’t put it into practice.
We must be a community that listens and acts.
And I close with this point:
6. Kingdom citizens see the difficulties of the present life as preparation for the crown of life.
It has been said, Christianity is not a field of roses.
No, you will face challenges.
You will face problems, even if you practice all of the wise sayings that we have covered today.
But we should have a different attitude than those who live outside of the kingdom.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Consider it pure joy.
This is a hard things to say.
I’ve seen some hard stuff, especially when I volunteered as a hospital spiritual care volunteer.
But yet we are supposed to consider it pure joy.
Pure joy.
It’s very likely that James wrote this, wrote about considering it pure joy amid trials, he probably wrote this because his readers were facing trials. They were probably facing persecution.
Brothers and sisters in Christ suffered just because of what they believed.
Yet, James said, consider it pure joy.
Man,
I just think about this, and if I am honest,
I’m like, James, you’re insensitive.
But, actually, James is not insensitive.
He understand the sorrow, the trials, that people go through.
But he also understands that God may allow trials to arise for a reason.
There is a purpose for trials.
God is in control.
God has a plan.
And part of the plan, is, yes, that through a trial, your faith produces perseverance.
No longer will you be tossed from here or there. But instead, you will cling to our king.
I can assure you that the Christians who underwent the trial of persecution have a faith produces perseverance.
And while part of the reason we may suffer is for perseverance, we will never understand it all.
But we can know this:
God is in control and he wants the best for his people.
So let’s have pure joy.
It’s not a forced joy—a superficial joy. A joy just because
No, it’s a joy that stems from knowing that God is in control and that he uses trials to perfect our faith and make us stranger.
I end with this verse.
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
Our king is a good king, partially because he is fair.
He sees you who are suffering.
He sees that you are persevering, keeping the faith, bowing down to king Jesus, even if it’s so hard.
Jesus sees it.
And have hope, you are blessed.
If you endure these trials with faith and commitment to God, you will receive a crown of life.
Not in this life, but in the afterlife—for all of eternity.
This week, let’s persevere to serve our king Jesus and represent him on this earth, for our king will reward us accordingly.