Sermon Tone Analysis

Jesus is King

When we look at our world, and especially when it comes to human government, we see a lot of things that are messed up.

We see the Russian leader ordering an invasion on Ukraine out of a “grand vision” for recovering a bygone era; we see North Korea sending swaths of its own people to concentration camps for stepping out of line with their “grand leader”.

Not to mention the mass genocides, persecutions, corruption, propaganda, cover-ups, lies, deception, the list goes on … in every government.

It’s not just been like this in our century, but in the kings and rulership throughout the ages.

The thing stopping mankind from accomplishing truly great feats and works is the failure of humans in positions of leadership.

It’s the sinful choices that they make which lead to their people’s destruction.

And if you think you could rule the country better, you may be right to a degree.

But you’re not going to avoid the sin that spews out from your soul, and the harmful effects that it will have upon the people you lead.

Even the best kings recorded in history (I’m thinking King David, Solomon, Hezekiah, so on and so forth) who lived for the Lord all fell to moral sins.

So even the BEST kings and rulers we put forth will still lead to the downfall of a people and a nation.

Maybe not immediately, but in time.

And thinking of all of this, of mankind’s depravity, the fruitlessness of trying to solve all of the world’s problems because humans are incapable of solving them because of sin, all of this might seem doomed.

You could drown in the misery that the state of man is in, idealistic but incapable of progressing beyond anything else because they are enslaved.

But there is one hope, one message that I want you to walk away with this morning: Jesus is King.

Jesus is King.

It’s a message that everyone, everywhere, needs to hear.

Because Jesus isn’t just a king.

He is THE King.

The King of kings.

What he says goes.

All power and authority in heaven and under heaven (that is, on the earth) has been given to him.

The world continues because he is King.

There are good things that are happening in the world because he is king.

He has limited the power of his enemies.

He has called people out of the darkness of sin into good works because he is king.

He’s not just an all-powerful king, but a good king.

One who is without sin and thus the only one, the only human, worthy of ruling human issues and problems perfectly.

He can make the perfect moral and civil choices for society.

Where even the best of our leaders fall, he remains steadfast.

So you may look at the world and think that all seems hopeless, that we may just be entering a third world war and making the mistakes of the past all over again.

And if we didn’t have a greater message from God, that’s all the outlook would be for humanity- death and destruction.

But because Jesus is King, because he has lived the perfect life and has ascended into heaven and presides in the place of power and authority at the right hand of God, there is hope of a true king.

Of a lasting kingdom.

Of the progress of mankind, that we as a race will continue as a society unto eternity, without threat of extinction or mismanagement of resources.

Jesus is the magistrate that can make that happen.

He is our King.

Marcus and I have worked hard to craft a statement that seeks to capture the Biblical picture of Christ as king.

There is so much support for it from scripture that it would be impossible to cover it all right now.

But we narrowed the concepts down into these three simple sentences so that our church can express a Biblical belief in who Jesus is as King.

Here goes:

As our King, he defeated sin and death and stripped his enemies of power.

He is at the right hand of God reigning over his kingdom and ruling his church.

One day he will return in power and glory to bring judgment and reward.

Let us pray, and then we dig deeper into understanding Christ our King.

(pray)

Victorious and Mighty King

As our King, he defeated sin and death and stripped his enemies of power.

Reigning and Ruling King

As our King, he defeated sin and death and stripped his enemies of power.

He is at the right hand of God reigning over his kingdom and ruling his church.

Glorious and Just King

As our King, he defeated sin and death and stripped his enemies of power.

He is at the right hand of God reigning over his kingdom and ruling his church.

One day he will return in power and glory to bring judgment and reward.

Breathe in the King’s Victory

Live faithfully for your King

“For 86 years I have been Christ’s servant and he has done no wrong.

How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” -Polycarp, AD 155

“I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus … to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time— he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,” 1 Timothy 6:13-15