The Presiding Reign of Christ

This is the final sermon in this short series on the deity of Christ. We have discussed the promise of the coming Christ as well as the presence and the presented work of Christ. We have discussed how important it is to fully understand the deity of Christ in order to evangelize our world properly as well as combat the false teachings out there.

Today we are going to come to climax of the Scriptures. We are going to discuss the presiding reign of Christ. Christ came as a servant and humbly during his incarnation. Yet His second coming will look much differently as we are about to discuss. The humble Christ is now exalted, and His name and renown will be known throughout the earth. No one will be able to stand against Him. All glory and honor and majesty is to be given unto Him.

Prayer

There are many Scriptures that we could hit when discussing the presiding reign of Christ. However, I want us to focus on three key sections of Scripture that help give us a good picture of Christ’s reign.

I. The Christ Hymn (Philippians 2:6-11)

Philippians 2:6–11 ESV

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

a. This is a great foundational Scripture when studying the presiding reign of Christ. We see both his humility in His first coming and His exaltation that will be seen at his second coming.

i. Verse 6 magnifies Christ’s humility as we see Christ not take the authority that is rightfully His. He is God but He does not take His rightful reign at this point.

1. We see the phrase here ‘form of God.’ This is a hotly debated phrase among scholars. However, it appears clear in context that this means that He is by nature God. The Scriptures are clear that He is not a type of God. He is God made flesh. Difficult phrases such as these need to be taken in their immediate context as well in the context of the entirety of Scripture.

ii. He humbles Himself and verse 7 goes even further showing that He made Himself a servant! The same God who created the heavens and the earth and that deserves all the glory and honor and praise makes Himself a servant to mankind! My friends, do not miss how big of a deal this is.

iii. Verse 8 continues that He humbled Himself to the point of death – death on a cross. Jesus had the power to remove Himself from the horrible punishment that He received at the hands of man. Even Satan knew this.

1. Matt 4:6 – we see Satan tempt Jesus to throw Himself off of the pinnacle of the temple. Satan knew that Jesus had the power to step in and save Himself. He knew Jesus had the power to call a host of angels to save Him.

iv. Praise God that verse 9-11 come as well. We do not just worship a humble Savior who came as a servant and died in our place. We have a Savior who is mighty and powerful and exalted. Jesus has been highly exalted by the Father and one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

1. Brothers and sisters – have you confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord? I do not mean to be so forward here but whether you have or not, you will. One day all will bow down to Christ. The real question is are you going to do it willingly or is it going to be forced? Jesus Christ is God. He is the Savior and Ruler over all. Those who acknowledge His Lordship, repent of their sins, and put their trust in Him for salvation will rejoice in the final reigning of Christ. Those who reject Christ during this life will be rejected in the end. They will be humbled, and they will suffer eternity apart from God in the Lake of Fire were there is torment for all time.

2. Please consider the free gift of eternal life through Jesus. I pray that you can truly rejoice when Christ reigns. Jesus is a wonderful Savior.

v. We have seen the reigning Christ in relation to the Christ Hymn and now we will see the reigning Christ in His judgment.

II. The Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15)

Revelation 20:11–12 ESV

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

Revelation 20:13–15 ESV

13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

a. Here we come to the Great White Throne Judgment. This is one of the most terrifying thoughts that one can have – appearing before God without their sins covered by the blood of the lamb. This powerful God – namely Christ – is so powerful that John states that the earth and sky fled from His Presence for there was no room for them! Whether this is literal or symbolic, it is clear that John is showing the incredible power and majesty of God. I tend to believe this is the literal uncreation of the world. The same God that created the world will uncreate it and make it new again. He will remove the sin-stained world and replace it with a new created heaven.

b. Then we see the books opened. There is the book of life which is the book that has all of the believers listed. These believers will not face the Great White Throne Judgment as their sins are covered by the blood of the lamb. Yet the books of the deeds of those not covered by Jesus’ blood will be judged based on their deeds.

i. There appears to be levels of judgment mentioned here in this section. The following sections of Scripture also point to a level of judgment based on sins. However, one should not feel peace about this. Hell will be a terrible place for all who go there. There will be eternal torment.

1. Matthew 10:14-15

2. Luke 12:47-48

3. Hebrews 10:29

c. Finally we see the Lake of Fire, namely Hell. We see that the beast and the false prophet are the first to be thrown into Hell back in Revelation 19. Then Satan was cast into Hell in Revelation 20:10. Now we see the second death occurring to all who are not believers. They are all cast into Hell in order to spend eternity in torment.

i. Brothers and sisters – Hell is a real place. It is a place of great torment and unrelenting pain. God does not delight in the destruction of unbelievers. He desires that all come to a saving knowledge of Him (1 Timothy 2:4). Please heed this warning given by John here. Christ will reign through judgment and all evil will be removed and cast into the Lake of fire.

d. Christ will reign despite His humble first appearing. Christ will reign in judgment. And finally – Christ will reign in majesty, glory, and peace.

III. The Eternal Presence (Revelation 21:1-4)

Revelation 21:1–2 ESV

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:3–4 ESV

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

a. Christ will reign in His created New Heaven and New Earth. The old has been uncreated. It has passed away. The new has come. The sea that took so many lives over the history of the world is now no more. There is no fear of drowning or death. There is no mystery any longer in the depths of the sea. There is only peace and joy. The New Jerusalem is prepared as a bride is prepared.

b. God is set to dwell with man and man with God. God has come to dwell in an intimate relationship with man for all eternity. There is no more pain or sickness. There is no more anxiety or depression. No more worry or fear. Christ will wipe away every tear from every eye! There is no more mourning.

c. How beautiful is this eternal presence of Christ. We who are believers will reign with Christ for all eternity. We will be able to enjoy the unbridled Presence of God forever!

Conclusion:

Today we have discussed the eternal reigning of Jesus Christ. This series has focused in on the unmistakable deity of Christ. The Scriptures are clear that Jesus Christ has always been God and always will be God. I pray that as we move forward in our walk with Christ that we can fall even more deeply in love with Him. Let us be quick to share to good news of the Gospel with all of those around Him. As we consider His reigning Presence, I pray that our hearts break for those who have and who will reject Him. The consequences of sin are definite and will be swift. Proclaim the Gospel, my friends. Proclaim the Gospel.