Tag Archives: Terrifies

JESUS, THE GOD-MAN

Bible Study, ,

THE GOD-MAN – THE KING

Psalms 2:4-6 NIV
[4] “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. [5] He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, [6] “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”

Despite His lowly birth and humble upbringing, Jesus, the God-man, was born to be king. It was left to Matthew, possibly of the priestly tribe of Levi, to tell the story of this king, a strange mixture of majesty and humility, of authority and submission, of glory and suffering. He was born of a village teenager, in an ordinary village inn, His first crib an animal feed trough, His first baby garments strips of cloth… yet proclaimed by angels from heaven, and worshipped by shepherds from the hills around Bethlehem.

He had no human father, branded an illegitimate child by those who knew no better… but God was His father, not by biology but by relationship.

Psalms 2:7 NIV
[7] “I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.”

He was conceived by the Holy Spirit but yet truly human, a descendant of Israel’s kings.

Matthew 1:1 NLT
[1] This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:”

To Joseph, who was shocked at Mary’s pregnancy and considered breaking his engagement with her because of her perceived unfaithfulness, came the angel’s assurance,

Matthew 1:20 NLT
[20] “As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.”

Sages from a land in the East, read the stars. They came from a great distance, taking at least two years to travel to Israel, to pay homage to this new king. Where did they find Him? Not where He was born but perhaps in a rented house in the village of Bethlehem, where the little family had settled down to live and to make make a living.

So, how did this king of Israel make His presence and royal status known to His people? Unlike the kings of the earth who make as much mileage as they can out of their temporary, earthly office, who live in lavish pomp, and who are served by force and power, this king came disguised as a servant. He wore the robe of a wealthy man, but in His chest beat the heart of slave.

Whom did this “King of the Jews” serve? Let’s get this straight! He did not come to serve people. He came to serve the Father. Had He come to serve His people, He would have been subject to their will. Before He ever set foot on the earth, this king was submitted to one thing…

Psalms 40:7-10 NLT
[7] “Then I said, “Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: [8] I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.” [9] I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lord, well know. [10] I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.”

Jesus’ mission was to serve the Father and to make Him known. He steadfastly kept His heart and mind on this one thing, and testified to His own faithfulness and obedience to the Father despite the most vicious and cruel of opposition. He refused to submit to the political and religious bullies who hounded Him throughout His life, from Herod who tried to eliminate Him as toddler to the Pharisees and religious leaders who had Him executed on a trumped-up charge of blasphemy and treason.

In His earthly life, this king had no palace and no throne. His crown was a ring of thorns carelessly jammed on His brow, His royal robes, the shame and humiliation of a naked body clothed only in His own blood. His throne was a rough wooden torture stake and His attendants two guilty criminals hanging beside Him, a few Roman soldiers who guarded Him, and a group of mocking Jews who thought that they had finally beaten Him at His own game.

How wrong they were! How soon the tables would be turned. After three days in the tomb, as dead as any human can be, His divine life exploded into action, a bolt of supernatural power, His body transformed in an instant, this dead servant was raised from the stone shelf in a borrowed tomb to take His rightful throne, authorised and crowned by the Father Himself.

Philippians 2:9-11 NLT
[9] “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

This same king, who hung naked and helpless on a Roman cross, now reigning in glory, is coming again to set up His kingdom on earth. He will raise His followers in the likeness of His own resurrected body. He will dispatch all His enemies to where they must go, and restore all of creation to its original perfection and function.

This is the king in whom we, who love and believe in Him, put our trust, and wait, with baited breath, for His return. He will vindicate those who dared to trust Him through thick and thin. He will come in fiery judgment, to pronounce sentence on all who have rained injustice on His people and to elevate His own to glory and honour.

We may be with Him in His earthly suffering but the day is coming when…

2 Thessalonians 1:5, 7-9 NLT
[5] “God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.
[6] In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.
[7] And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, [8] in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. [9] They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.”

Yes, beloved children of God, payback time is coming. We have every reason to lean all our weight on this king. He is infinitely qualified to carry us, through the flames of judgment and vengeance, to the place of our eternal rest.

1 Corinthians 15:22-25 NLT
[22] Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. [23] But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. [24] After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. [25] For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.”

To be continued…

THINGS THAT DAVID SAID – 5

Devotion,

GOD LAUGHS!

Psalm 2…one of my favourite psalms. Why? I love it because it puts the world, my world, into the right perspective.

David looked out on his world. It seemed topsy-turvey compared with his understanding of God. Where was God in the mess he saw around him? Even in his day, and against the background of his own love and pursuit of God, people around him didn’t seem to care about God. He saw wickedness and unbelief flourishing. The surrounding nations were bent on destroying his own people. Even as a young lad, he was pulled into the conflict between his people and the neighbouring Philistines. He had a giant to kill, which he did in God’s name. Israel was in a never-ending struggle for survival.

Does this sound familiar?

When David stopped long enough to factor God into the picture, his understanding changed. He realised, despite all appearances, that God was really in charge.

This mob of godless rulers who were trying to unseat God were a joke. Really! Did they really think they could tip Him off His throne by their antics?

Psalms 2:2-3 NIV
[2] “The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, [3] “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”

Like a mouse shaking its fist against an elephant!

God chuckled at their foolishness. Then… He laughed at their stupidity. Then… furious at their defiance, He announced His solution.

Psalms 2:5-6 NIV
[5] “He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, [6] “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”

Wow! This doesn’t sound much of a solution, does it? What? No military might? No nuclear bombs? No drones or stealth bombers? Just a new king?

Yes, just a new king, but…look who this New King is. It’s Jesus, God’s own Son! When He takes the throne, things look very different.

Who is this king?

Revelation 19:11-16 NIV
[11] “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. [12] His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. [13] He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. [14] The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. [15] Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. [16] On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.”

There is no doubt about the identity of this warrior-king, the same one John wrote about in his gospel but was now unveiled in all His glory.

John 1:1-2, 14 NIV
[1]” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning…
[14] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The Word… the Son… Jesus! That’s who God’s king is, whom He has installed on His throne in Zion, His seat of government.

It’s this king who makes all the difference. He has the authority to govern and the power to overthrow all opposition. Why? He owns the nations. God gave Him the nations as a coronation gift.

Psalms 2:7-8 NIV
[7] “I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. [8] Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.”

God gave His Son, His king, the mandate to rule the nations. His God-man-king set up the standard for humans to please God, lived as a human according to His own rules, was unjustly punished as a criminal for allegedly breaking His own laws, and then confirmed His own innocence by defying death and coming back to life again.

So, He is infinitely qualified to apply His rule to the nations. As God, the second Person in the Trinity, He has the power to control the nations and to guide them towards His desired end.

What are the standards by which He rules? First, His standards are inflexible. He never flip-flops from one policy to another to find out which ones work!

Psalms 2:9 NIV
[9] “You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

Jesus is not capricious like earthly rulers. Although this sounds like despotic rule, another look at the original Hebrew words gives the sense that He will shatter the evil to reshape the nations with His rod or sceptre of authority, like a potter who works on clay, removing the impurities and creating a vessel to His serve purposes (understood).

His standards are those of a perfect government which are… justice, righteousness and peace.

Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV
[6] “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. [7] Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

God set the standard for earthly government…two requirements, to punish wrongdoing and to reward those who do right.

Romans 13:1, 3-4, 6 NIV
[1] “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God…
[3] For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. [4] For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer…
[6] This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.”

Human government, however imperfect, should be a reflection of the government of God’s kingdom.

However, even if it fails, and even if people are oppressed by wicked and despotic rulers, of one thing we can be absolutely sure. Jesus rules over the nations now. He is moving all history towards His intended end. He is coming again to shatter all evil and to establish His eternal kingdom of righteousness, justice, and peace.

Romans 14:17 NIV
[17] “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”…

So, don’t despair. Jesus is here. Jesus is in charge. Jesus is coming again. You see, God has already set up His throne in Zion and crowned His king to rule over the nations and, what’s more, He has given His people the honour of ruling with Him when He comes.