November 24, 2012

Jesus Is King Without Equal!

Last Sunday of End Time, Christ the King, 11/25/12
Daniel 7:13-14


Jesus Is King Without Equal!
I. Behold his divine glory.
II. Rejoice over his eternal rule.


Remember when you used to be able to look up to your leaders, to be proud of what they said and did, to be able to pattern your life after theirs? Is it just me, or does it seem as if that’s no longer the case? Maybe it’s the all-invasive media or the ever-present ability with the camera on your cell phone to capture a moment of indiscretion. Maybe it’s our culture’s insatiable thirst for the latest scoop, no matter how ugly it is.

Now we have the opportunity to see people as they really are, warts and all. If it’s not a four-star general, then it’s a nationally known figure at some corporation or university.

Then again, maybe our view of leaders from the past is simply tainted with a spirit of romanticism. We’re kidding ourselves if we think that the kings who used to rule over countries were above reproach. The truth is that, more often than not, their royal courts were centers of corruption and immorality. Hardly the kind of person you could admire. Absolute authority corrupts absolutely.

Unless that King is Jesus. How fitting that on this Last Sunday of the Church Year we celebrate Christ as King! And King he is, in the highest and holiest of ways!

That Christ is King is not the result of chance or good fortune. Our God in eternity planned it that way and in time he carried it out. In fact, he allowed his faithful prophet Daniel to catch a glimpse of the eternal rule of the Savior. Daniel’s words before us this morning provide the few details of that vision. In a world of international turmoil, the Lord wanted Daniel to be absolutely sure and certain of the rule of the King of kings. Jesus is King without equal! Today let’s take that truth to heart and receive the comfort and the confidence that it gives.

Part I.

I just mentioned that absolute power corrupts absolutely. One of the manifestations of that corruption is emperor worship. Rulers as far back as history extends became so drunk and delusional with their own power that they actually believed they were gods. In spite of the fact that their limitations were endless and there mortality was without question, they demanded that their subjects consider them to be gods and to be worshipped as such. Ridiculous!

And yet that’s exactly what we think and firmly believe about Jesus. How can we be sure? Listen to Daniel’s words, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.” This is not the description of a mere mortal entering the presence of God. No mortal was ever seen coming on the clouds. Throughout the Bible these words are used to describe the royal activity of the Son of God. The Ancient of Days is another name for God the Father. From Daniel’s description, Jesus’ presence with the Father is not unexpected or fearful, but expected and proper.

What Daniel saw lines up perfectly with what Jesus declared about his relationship with God the Father. He stated during his earthly ministry, “I and the Father are one” (Jn. 10:30). With that statement Jesus wasn’t claiming that he and the Father were the same person. He was stating that they were of the same divine essence. Everything that the Father is Jesus is. What the Father wants, Jesus wants and vice versa. They share the same almighty power and the same knowledge of all things. They are equally eternal and share the same divine glory.

And in that glory, Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of lords will return. There are countless billions of people on earth at this moment who refuse to recognize the divine glory that Jesus possesses. They mock him and his holy word. But they won’t on the Last Day. Then his glory as true God will be undeniable. Every world power will then be silenced. No longer will any power or any person be able to say a single thing against Jesus or his holy word. Resistance will be completely futile. Every person will recognize that there is no one that even comes close to Jesus.

Jesus is King without equal. Behold his divine glory!

The truth that every mouth will be silent before the divine glory of Jesus Christ gives us a measure of peace of mind. It’s comforting to know that then all the world will know that we were right about Jesus. But the divine glory of Jesus also makes us a bit uncomfortable right now. While we know that he is a King without equal, we have our daily doubts about his power in our lives. The truth that he possesses divine glory makes us shudder when we contemplate our sinfulness because our sinfulness will be all the more evident in the light of his holy glory. But that’s what his glory is all about. It’s about saving sinners. When the angels sang at his birth in all their glory, it was not to condemn sinners, but to lead them to go and see their Savior. When Jesus allowed his glory to shine forth on the Mt. of Transfiguration, he did so to convince the world that he is the Savior from sin. He shunned that glory when he went to the cross to sacrifice himself for our sins, but then he appeared in all glory after his resurrection to assure us that he had won forgiveness and eternal life for us. On the Last Day that’s what his glory will be all about—to glorify your body and bring you into glory with him. That makes him a King without equal. Behold his divine glory!

Part II.

The following oxymoron is true: As much as things change, they stay the same. Our world is changing at lightning speed. Today’s cutting edge technology is tomorrow’s recyclables. Culture and society shift relentlessly. Our methods and means are constantly evolving.

But history is still the record of man’s inhumanity to man. We can’t seem to placate the thirst for power and control. We shake our heads in disbelief over the results of unbridled greed.

Daniel had seen even worse. The Lord had just allowed him to see visions of four beasts. Each of those beasts represented an international power. One would succeed another, each worse than the last. All would bring harm to God’s chosen people, the Israelites. At the end of the visions Daniel tells us, “I…was deeply troubled, and my face turned pale” (Dn. 7:28).

But the Lord also allowed Daniel to see this: “He [Jesus] was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

Daniel saw God the Father hand all authority over all things to Jesus. That doesn’t mean that Jesus moves people around like pawns on a chess board. It means that Jesus has control over all things and uses all that happens to accomplish his saving plans and purposes. That may mean that he brings a particular form of evil to a sudden end. It may also mean that he allows a particular form of evil to persist, but places limits on it. Why would he allow it to persist? So that we don’t get so attached to this sinful world that we fail to long for his return. As bad as things may seem to be, Jesus still has all authority.

Ultimately all will worship him. Daniel saw and heard it. All people worshipping Jesus. How will that come true? On the Last Day all Christians will praise and thank Jesus for his wondrous salvation. They will do so in joy. Others will be forced to acknowledge that they were wrong about Jesus in this life. He is who he said he is: King of kings and Lord of lords. Paul said it like this, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11).

And then nothing more will ever change. Then will begin the rule of Jesus forever without any challenges to his power, person or glory. Daniel wrote, “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” By faith in Jesus you are a member of that eternal kingdom. In that kingdom nothing will ever change. You will live in perfect bliss and glory. No more stress, sorrow or strife. No more death or destruction. No more heartache or hatred. Just bliss. Eternally. How can we be sure? Jesus will make sure. The one who died for you and rose for you will make it so. Now, what other king, what other power, what other person, could ever come close to making sure that happens for you?

Jesus is King without equal! Rejoice over his eternal rule!

Today we struggle with the rule of Christ. Our sinful flesh wants nothing to do with his rule in our lives. Every one of our sins is a feeble attempt to unseat him. And then we look around us and we’re appalled at the evil in our world and rightly so. But do you ever consider that your sins have only supported that evil, not hindered it?

When we acknowledge our own sins and evil, then and only then do we have the answer to it: our Savior’s absolute rule over all things. He won that rule by his sacrifice for our sins on the cross and by his resurrection from the dead. He did that so that we could live under him in his kingdom forever. Daniel saw it. We’ll see it too with our own eyes when our Lord returns. Now what other ruler can do that? Jesus is King without equal! And by God’s grace he’s your King. Amen.