Some passages it appears like the kingdom of God is in the future. And some passages it seems like the kingdom of God is now. And I can get into arguments with some of my theological friends about the kingdom of God. Is it now or is it then? I think the confusion clears up when we remember the sequence of the two comingings of Christ.
Jesus came the first time as a redeeming king and he is coming the second time as a reigning king. He came the first time to establish a spiritual kingdom, his church to take the gospel to the world. And when he comes again, he will establish a political and a governmental kingdom to oversee the world for a thousand years.
The kingdom was inaugurated when he came the first time. It will be consummated when he comes again. He is the king of kings and the lord of lords. And he is my king. He’s the king whose power is absolute, whose reign is infinite, whose throne is inconquerable. He’s an indescribable king. For he eternally reigns without beginning of days or ending of life.
Yet he is said to have been born a king, and he died a king. He is the epitome of humility. And the Bible calls him the ruler over the kings of the earth. He’s our Messiah. He’s our intercessor, the compassionate servant, the humble teacher, the selfless savior. But never forget, along with all those relational terms, he is the king.
Without his supreme and sovereign rule, our lives would sink into chaos. Nothing can stabilize our emotions like remembering his royal reign. He commands and he controls and nothing is exempt from his preeminent power. And that’s why so many people find him the anchor of their soul. He is the king of kings.
He’s the lord of lords. He is the sovereign of all the earth. And today as we look into his royalty, we’re going to examine it in two ways. First of all, we’re going to talk about five of his royal titles and then we’re going to look into his regal throne. First of all, he is called the king of the Jews.
He is called the king of the Jews. Let’s begin with our Lord’s unusual title. There are two periods in the life of Jesus when he is referred to as the king of the Jews. Hardly any time in between those two periods and never in the Old Testament. He has called the king of the Jews at his birth. Matthew says, “And after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men came from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” Local rabbis told them about Micah’s prophecy of Bethlehem as the birthplace
