Reigning
We may not be what we want to be, but none of us have arrived. We should all be pressing toward to mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Unfortunately, we haven't reached that place yet, but thank God, we are not what we used to be! We should not be critical of ourselves. We should not judge ourselves by the way we picture others. Sure the Bible tells us in (1COR 11:31) to judge ourselves, But we should not judge ourselves by the way we perceive others to be. Or you could say, that we should not compare ourselves with others.
I. God created you to be a king. The very moment you receive Jesus as your Savior, you were made a KING & a PRIEST.
A. Something that I want to make it clear, is that Jesus is the KING of KINGS.
1. REV 17:14
a. Are you one of the “chosen”?
i. You might be able to say, “yes” to that question.
ii. If you have excepted Jesus as Lord & savior, you are one of the chosen.
b. But he goes on to say, “those with Him are called the chosen & the Faithful.”
i. We know that you are the chosen, but are you also the faithful?
ii. He said that the ones “WITH” Him are the chosen & the faithful.
2. Now in that same V it refers to Jesus as the King of kings.
a. Meaning that there are many kings, but Jesus is the Kings over those kings.
b. If you're wondering who these KINGS are. The answer is you & me.
i. You might be a king, but He is the King of Kings.
ii. God intends for all Christians to reign as kings.
B. ROM 5:17
1. The AMP of that V says, “For if, because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God's] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) & the free gift of righteousness (putting them into right standing with Himself) reign as kings in life through the One, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one.”
C. This V. makes 2 qualifying statements.
1. 1st of all in that V. it says that those who receive “ABUNDANCE OF GRACE” will reign as kings.
2. EPH 2:8‑9 The thing that I wanted you to see here is that when you got saved you received the grace of God.
3. Now turn with me to 1PET 1:2.
a. In Peter's opening to his letter he expresses his hope or his prayer that GRACE WOULD BE MULTIPLIED unto them.
b. That tells me that there are different degrees of the grace of God being upon someone. (The same thing goes for peace.)
c. Go back to ROM 5:17 If there is different degrees of Grace then how are we going to get that ABUNDANCE OF GRACE that (ROM 5:17) says that we need to reign as kings?
D. 2PET 1:2 Here Peter says that GRACE can be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God.
1. The NIV words it like this, “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (NIV)
2. One thing that I think is important is that we need to get to know our God.
a. Through prayer, reading the Word, fellowship with Him, worshipping Him.
b. That's one important area that we need to be diligent in, so we can reign as kings in this life.
E. Before I can go on to, We should look at what Grace is.
1. Some say that it's God's unmerited favor.
a. Everything that we receive from God is His unmerited favor.
2. Some have said that Grace is God's riches at Christ's expense.
a. Again everything that we receive from God is at Christ's expense.
3. Those things are true, but it's also God's power, God's Holy Spirit, God's ability.
a. Remember what Jesus said to Paul in (2COR 12:9) He said, “My grace is sufficient for thee:”
b. In other words, “My ability is sufficient for thee.”
II. Back in (ROM 5:17) it says, “They which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” (KJV)
A. We said that there are 2 qualifying statement given in that V for us to reign as kings.
1. The 1st was that you need to receive an abundance of grace in order to reign as kings in this life.
B. The 2nd qualifying statement is also found in (V 17) “Those which receive the gift of righteousness shall reign in life.” [As the AMP puts it “reign as kings in life”]
1. 2COR 5:17‑21 This V. tells us that we have God's righteousness.
a. But there was a time that we we're not so righteousness.
b. ISA 64:6
2. There was a time before we ever accepted Jesus, that our own righteousness was as filthy rags.
a. We we're the furthest thing from being righteousness in God's eyes.
b. Even though we might have tried to be righteous, we weren't.
3. PHIL 3:1‑9
a. Notice that Paul says, “not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law.”
b. I sure that you have heard of the phrase, “The letter of the law killeth.”
c. Trying to keep the letter of the law for salvation will produce death. Spiritual death, because you can't keep it.
i. (GAL 2:21) Says, “For if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
d. But Paul said that righteousness is found through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (PHIL 3:9)
e. In other words, We receive the righteousness that is needed to reign in this life as kings by receiving Jesus as our Lord & Savior, & putting our faith in Him that He is our righteousness & walking in that righteousness.
III. Some people say that we just have to hold out to the end, we may barely make it.
A. That's certainly not what (ROM 5:17) say. My Bible tells me that we should be reigning in life as kings through Jesus Christ.
1. What happens if we're in the midst of TRIALS?
a. Even in the midst of TRIALS you should be reigning as a king.
2. There are so many trials in life.
a. If I told you that you never will face a test or trial ever again, that would be a lie.
b. There are going to be those different situations, tests or trials; like:
i. TRIBULATIONS; UNCERTAINTIES OF LIFE; RAISING A FAMILY; PROBLEMS; CIRCUMSTANCES; BROKEN HOME; DIVORCE; DISAPPOINTMENTS.
B. You need to be so full of the Word of God, full of righteousness, full of grace & so informed of your rights in Christ that you REIGN AS A KING IN ALL SITUATIONS.
TFC January 17, 1990 & WOLCC 5/23/93 Sun AM