Sermon Tone Analysis

The story of Christmas begins long before the manger in Bethlehem or the shepherds in the field.

It is a story that begins before the foundation of the universe, before even time was marked.

In the court of heaven God desired to have a people, human people, with whom He could fellowship, with whom He could lead in an everlasting reign of justice and righteousness.

In the foolishness of God, which is wiser than man, He chose for Himself to create people and give them the freedom to choose Him.

He chose not robots, for though the creation would have been perfect, the fellowship would have not been sweet.

He would have seen their obedience but not felt their love and adoration.

Only the choice to love and serve would ever render true love and service.

So this freedom to choose would have to be full and free.

If there were any limitations then adoration would be limited and God knew this.

But to give anyone or anything full freedom is full of risk.

As humans we sometimes fear that risk of allowing another to choose to love.

At its extreme some people become controlling of another person because they are afraid that given the freedom the other person might not choose to love and serve.

So the relationship is filled with limits, emotional and sometimes physical abuse, all done out of a fear that love might not be freely given.

But God did not choose this path; He chose for us freedom, freedom to worship Him or not, freedom to love Him or not.

But in all this freedom God gave He did reserve unto Himself one thing.

In granting to His first created humans the freedom to obey or disobey God reserved one stipulation, one caveat of the relationship between Himself and the created race of humans; He chose to remain holy.

His realm, His kingdom would not be a place for disobedience, also known as sin.

He would give each person the choice to worship Him, but should that person choose not then such a one would be excluded from the kingdom of righteousness.

God kept this stipulation not because He was unloving but because He loves, not because He feared change but because He is unchangeable.

And not because God did not want mankind but because He knew what was best for His creation; a glorious kingdom of justice, righteousness and truth.

So God gave us choice and since the Garden of Eden we have been making choices every since.

The problem: we choose ourselves, not God.

We are excluded from the kingdom and its King by our very nature.

Yet God knew this.

So before man was ever created or the first rock ever slung into space, God chose (He too had a choice) to send His Son in the likeness of man to provide for mankind a Savior, a Savior who is the King.

What makes Jesus different is that He is the King of Glory, the King of the Righteous Kingdom of God.

To fail to see that is to instead see the babe in the manger as an infant with a dire ending to His life story.

It is to see Jesus as a prophet, a good teacher, a victim of cruelty, and a martyr.

But He is so much more than that.

He was, is and always will be the King.

That child came as a king, even the Persian Wise Men knew that.

And so did the Old Testament.

As we look at Psalm 72:1-4 I want us to consider for a few moments that Christ Jesus was and is the coming King.

\\ I.       His Gifts (72:1)

A.     The king here was David.

§  The son, Solomon.

§  God had given David His own just decisions “judgments” and overruled the tumult of his family.

B.     One thing to receive the throne of a king, another to receive the thoughts of a king.

§  Solomon desired to have the wisdom to lead.

§  He desired judgment and righteousness.

§  In his early days he exhibited that wisdom; it became proverbial and widely known.

§  But judgment and righteousness gave way to Solomon’s flesh.

§  Lust and oppression took over.

C.     Thus his prayer really relates to the coming King.

§  He who alone of all the sons of men, will have the gifts of justice and righteousness.

II.

His Grace (72:2)

A.     The poor never have had a square deal.

§  Neither capitalism, colonialism, nor communism has met the needs of the poor.

§  Nor did the Wisdom of Solomon result in the poor have a fair shake.

B.     There is coming a king who will do what Solomon failed to do.

§  He will give the poor a fair share of the wealth of the world.

§  Solomon began with optimism, ended with oppression.

§  Not so with the reign of Christ.

These were “Thy poor.”

§  God had a special interest in the poor of this world.

III.

His Glory (72:3-4)

A.     Solomon began with good intentions.

§  He desired to build the temple and fulfill the pledge of his father David.

§  It would become one of the wonders of the world.

§  He put all his talents and resources into the project and yielded a great testament to God.

B.     But Solomon then turned to building for himself a great palace, stables, homes.

§  Oppression physically and through taxation yielded a burdened people.

§  While everyone wanted the temple, Solomon exercised might to conscript workers for his palaces.

C.     Thus the Psalm speaks of an ideal kingdom.

§  Not one of oppression, but of fellowship with the King.

§  Not one where the poor are left outside the gates, but where all have dwelling places in the palace.

§  The coming King is a King of glory.

§  *Psalm 24:8* Who /is /this King of glory?

The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle.

§  *Deuteronomy 10:17* "For the LORD your God /is /God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.

§  *1 Timothy 6:13* I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and /before /Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep /this /commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, 15 which He will manifest in His own time, /He who is /the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

§   16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom /be /honor and everlasting power.

Amen.