Historical Posts
King Jesus – Audio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Do you call him King Jesus?
Is Jesus a king? This is a question that many people have different views on. For example, a multitude accused Jesus of calling Himself a King. Pilate then asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “It is as you say (Luke 23:1-4).” He then explained that His kingdom is not of this world. Pilate asked Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus replied, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice (John 18:36-37).” Of course, Pilate could find no fault in Him, even in King Jesus.
“JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” These words were written by Pilate upon the cross of Jesus recognized Him as King Jesus, much to the dismay of the Jews. The chief priests said to him, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’’” Pilate responded, “What I have written, I have written (John 19:19-22).” The Jews were not happy with this gesture. After all, they adamantly said they had no king but Caesar (John 19:12-15) and had no desire to recognize King Jesus.
Jesus was not accepted by the Jews to be their King. However, He must be accepted as our King to be our Saviour! He is the “King of Kings (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16).” He is the King Eternal (1 Timothy 1:17; Psalm 10:16; 29:10).
He wants to be King of your life! Will you let Him? Put Him on in baptism, and begin to live the life He has called you to live.
Salvation: Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully
Content by Richard Dillon
Return to the Home Page
Luke 06:46-49 – Lord, Lord – audio
Old - G E L N D J J R 1S 2S 1K 2K 1C 2C E N E J P P E S I J L E D H J A O J M N H Z H Z MNew - M M L J A R 1C 2C G E P C 1Th 2Th 1T 2T T P H J 1P 2P 1J 2J 3J J R - Topical - All - Archive
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Text: Luke 6:46-49
Introduction
A. Who is Lord of your life?
1) Do you call all the shots?
2) Do your parents always tell you what to do?
3) Is there someone else that rules your life?
B. Only Jesus should be Lord of your life!
Body
I. Jesus Christ is Lord!
A. There is one Lord (Ephesians 4:5).
B. God made Jesus both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).
C. Jesus is Lord of:
1) lords (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16).
2) Jews and Gentiles (Romans 10:12).
3) dead and living (Romans 14:9).
4) all (Acts 10:36).
D. Saul of Tarsus did not know the Lord (Acts 9:4-6).
E. Everyone will know the Lord (Hebrews 8:11).
F. We can only serve one Lord (Luke 16:13).
G. If Jesus Christ is our Lord, we must do to others as He did for us (John 13:13-17).
II. We must do what the Lord says!
A. As a servant honors his mater, we owe honor and reverence to the Lord (Malachi 1:6).
B. Simply saying, “Lord, Lord” will not give us access into the kingdom of heaven; rather, we must do His will (Matthew 7:21-23).
C. The doers of the Lord’s will, not the hearers, will be blessed (James 1:22-25).
Conclusion
A. We must give the more earnest heed to what the Lord has to say (Hebrews 2:1-3).
B. We must confess Jesus is Lord in order to be saved (Romans 10:9ff.).
C. There will be a time in which everyone shall confess Jesus as Lord; for some, it will be too late (Philippians 2:9-11).
D. Christ is Lord of our lives when we put on Christ in baptism and live for Him, and Him alone (Galatians 3:27).
Content by Richard Dillon
Return to the Home Page
Christ and His Kingdom
Not of this world
“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world” (John 18:36).
The kingdom of Christ is one of the most misunderstood concepts in the New Testament. Literally millions of people are expecting the return of the Lord to establish His kingdom upon the throne of David in Israel. This, they argue, will begin His millennial reign upon the earth, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Jesus reject an earthly kingdom
It is usually argued that because the Jews rejected Him as king our Lord’s plans for the kingdom were delayed and the church was substituted until God’s plan for the kingdom could be carried out. But, the fact is that the Jews did not reject Him as an earthly king. John says they (the Jewish people) sought to take Him by force and make Him a king, but Jesus rejected their efforts (John 6:15). It was Jesus, not the Jews, who rejected the concept of an earthly kingdom. In a passage which many people apparently have overlooked our Lord said specifically that His kingdom was not “of this world” (John 18:36).
The kingdom is a reality now
When the New Testament came to a close the kingdom was a reality, not a distant event. Jesus was the “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). To be a king one must have a kingdom. Christians were delivered from the power of darkness and translated “into the kingdom” of God’s dear Son (Colossians 1:13). One cannot be translated into something unless that thing exists. Furthermore, the epistle to the Hebrews speaks of the early disciples “receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved” (Hebrews 12:28). Obviously, these New Testament writers understood the kingdom to be a reality, not a future promise.
The Church and the kingdom are the same
Jesus taught that the church and the kingdom were the same (Matthew 16:18-19). The church, the kingdom, and the body of Christ are all synonymous terms for God’s spiritual family. Citizens of the kingdom and members of the body wear the name “Christian” (Acts 11:26).
Jesus next coming is to judge, not establish the kingdom
Those expecting Christ to come to establish His kingdom in Israel are going to be sadly disappointed. Jesus is coming again. We know not when, but we do know why. It will be to judge the world in righteousness, not to establish His kingdom (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). If we are not citizens of His kingdom when He comes, we never will be!
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
Return to the Home Page
Psalm 104:01-07 O Worship The King – audio
Old - G E L N D J J R 1S 2S 1K 2K 1C 2C E N E J P P E S I J L E D H J A O J M N H Z H Z MNew - M M L J A R 1C 2C G E P C 1Th 2Th 1T 2T T P H J 1P 2P 1J 2J 3J J R - Topical - All - Archive
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
“O Worship the King” draws upon the splendor of 19th-century monarchy as a metaphor for the magnificence of the Almighty. Attributes of an earthly monarch are magnified to communicate the characteristics of the King of kings. One who by nature cannot be described.
The hymn is based primarily on the rich imagery of Psalm 104:1-7:
“Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty, Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.
He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.
You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever, You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters stood above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled; At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.”
The author deftly combines additional biblical images with the splendor of a ruling monarch to paint an image of God as King in earthly terms.
Stanza One
The monarch’s role of protector of the realm is captured in “Our Shield and Defender.” Psalm 84:9 is one of many passages referring to God as our Shield: “Behold, O God our Shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.”
“The Ancient of Days” parallels the lineage of an earthly monarch, the family line that leads to the throne. References to God as “Ancient of Days” are found in Daniel 7:9, 13 and 22:
“As I watched, thrones were set in place, and an Ancient One took his throne, his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and its wheels were burning fire” (Daniel 7:9).
Stanza Two
This identifies this monarch as the sovereign of all created order, “whose canopy [is] space” and whose “chariots of wrath” form “deep thunderclouds.” Following the narrative of Psalm 104:8-32.
Stanzas Three and Four
These detail God’s earthly handiwork in the natural world.
The Fifth Stanza
This last stanza turns to humanity as a part of creation: “Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail. . . .”
In antithesis to the majesty and all-powerful nature of the Almighty described in earlier stanzas, we find a monarch that manifests “mercies how tender, how firm to the end…”
Unlike earthly kings, the unique nature of this ruler is captured in the final line of the hymn: “Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.”
Hence, this hymn captures in 19th-century terms the fuller nature of God’s relationship to humanity.
Composer Sir Robert Grant (1779-1838) was born and died in India
India by this time had long played a major role in the British Empire.
He was a public servant distinguishing himself in law, serving as a Member of Parliament, judge advocate general and governor of Bombay (now Mumbai).
Despite his Scottish roots, Grant was Anglican, not Presbyterian. His father Charles was a leader in the evangelical wing of the Church of England and also played an active civic role with William Wilberforce in the emancipation of African slaves in the British Empire.
Robert was born in India when his father went there to negotiate an end to barriers set up against missions by the British East India Company.
Content by Donald W. Treadway
Return to the Home Page
