Our King

Rex, a photo by XcBiker on Flickr.

Last week we talked about the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus did talk about the "church" while He was here on earth, but spoke much more about a "kingdom", or "government" of God. He was not destined before the beginning of time to establish a church, but a Kingdom. Luke 17:21 says that the Kingdom is right here among or within us. How could Jesus say that the Kingdom was there in the present tense? As of Acts 1 the disciples are still looking for the kingdom to come. The answer is that where the King was, there was the kingdom. If you don't have a king then you don't have a kingdom, but if the king is present then the kingdom is present too. As we consider that the kingdom is here today, let's consider that concept of a king. I encourage you to fully grasp this concept, as it can change the way you think of yourself being a Christian!

1. How many of you have decided to be a king? Regular people don't just declare their kingship--unless they want to be scorned and put in a madhouse. There are many kings in this world, but none aspired to the position, they were born into it. Jesus is a king by right of birth; the kingdom was not given to him by the people. Isaiah 9:7 speaks of a coming king, and that prophet also spoke of the virgin birth, which is very important as it concerns Jesus' birthright as king of the world; Jesus was the second instance of God creating man from  practically nothing. We don't choose to make Jesus our Lord and King, he is Lord and King. We choose whether we want to submit to that or rebel against it. In John 18:37 Jesus is saying, "I was born for this." Jesus being a king is no new idea; the King of Heaven has always been in existence as the Israelites rejected Him in favor of Saul (1 Samuel 12:12). Jesus is the "successor" to that lineage. A king cannot be removed from Kingship, as he is born into it; he either dies or reigns forever. Jesus did both (Revelation 11:15)! We might do well to call him "King Jesus" more than we do. This is going against the grain for someone in a Western democratic republic.
2. The king's authority is absolute; his word is law. He confers with no one and is not accountable to anyone (God is like this in that He swears by Himself as the highest thing). It is not a good idea to rebel against the king. Our King does not rule with an iron fist, but his law is iron; there are no committees to petition, no red tape--His word goes. All authority is his, it is not split up among the Trinity (Matthew 28:18).
3. The king personally owns everything in his domain (Psalm 24:1). There is no private property in a kingdom. What are we to do in a world where we can hold deeds and titles of ownership, and yet we are simultaneously citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven? We are stewards and caretakers. Your children, your home, your land all belong to the king! This sheds a new light on a few parables. Take the story of the workers in the vineyard, for instance. This is not an egalitarian system. Also see Matthew 13 for the parable of the talents. If you've ever envied another Christian because they were more blessed than you were, maybe they were working with a Kingdom mentality, using their skills for the Lord, and we need to do that too. At any time God could ask us to give our most precious possessions to him; all that we have is at the disposal of our King. Are we listening for your king to tell you these things, to demand these things? Are you training your ears to hear these kinds of demands from your Lord and King?
4. Kings choose their citizenry. We don't choose to get into the Kingdom, we don't choose to have our citizenship transferred. King Jesus speaks, He chooses us; it's His prerogative (John 15:15-18). We're not here by accident! In a kingdom the citizens are a direct reflection of the king and he is judged by the citizens of his kingdom. We are the King's reflection, and the more citizens there are in His Kingdom, the more glorious is the King. Father God wants to see His son glorified on His throne. As He blesses us with love and joy, we have more to give back to Him, so that He can bless us, etc. etc. Think of how God bragged on Job; we should long to have Him find such pleasure in us, His chosen citizens.

We will never grasp the true joy of living until we realize that we are living in a kingdom under the King of Kings. Begin thinking of yourself as a citizen of a kingdom instead of a member of a church or part of a democracy. 

Announcements:

• This week's Wednesday night service will be held at Sandy's house.
• As Superbowl Sunday is next week there will be no potluck after church.
• On Sunday, February 12, 5-7 PM there will be an all-you-can-eat Cajun dinner fundraiser at Harbor House (again, no potluck); all funds will benefit the Sulphur Springs' 4th of July Fireworks! The price per ticket is $10 (family price available); call (479) 298-3033 for more information. The menu will include various appetizers, jambalaya, gumbo, Shrimp Étouffée, shrimp and grits, dessert & a beverage. Tell your friends! Dwayne will make shrimp gumbo and the rest of us will make the rest of the dishes (call Vivian to be assigned a dish). We should be at Harbor House by 1 or 1:30 that afternoon to help set things up, then stay afterwards to clean up. 

Updates:

• Mary has been taken off of physical therapy because she's not responding to the treatment. She's now on restorative care, and if she shows enough progress in that then she can get back on physical therapy. She'll be evaluated on February 15, so please be praying for her as she builds up to that day. 
• Robin Fine is getting some good reports from her doctors!
• Katherine is doing well, walking more and more without her cane.
• Elaine is no longer using a brace for her ribs.
• Dwayne is feeling more like himself.

Praise Reports:

• Ron played the movie Courageous for 82 prisoners, and some of them were greatly affected
• Vernon and Nellie had great trip to Florida, visiting family
• Sharon is still working!
• Gayle's biopsies were all good; there were 16 polyps and 2 severe ulcers but no cancer.
• Abby finished her first semester of college, so only 3 more to go.
• Thanks be to God that He has chosen us to be citizens of His Kingdom! May we reflect His glory.

Prayer Requests:

• Larry and family--may God minister to their needs
• Byron--grant him peace, may he know he is not alone, and grant him the desires of his heart
• Mary Clough's brother Eugene--hospitalized
• Something to think on: cancer is not so much a disease as it is a rebellion inside our own body. David was reminded of the story in Mark 11 of Jesus making a fig tree wither. Did Jesus curse a tree because he wanted his disciples to go around cursing trees? No. He did it to teach us that when something was created to produce good fruit and it doesn't, we are to curse it! We can do that for cancer. Instead of praying for healing, we can curse it because it is the product of cells working outside of the will of God (a fig tree should bear figs, cells should reproduce perfectly). We can say, "Cancer, may you never bear fruit again, in the name of Jesus." We don't need to get on a "cursing bandwagon", but let's listen to what Jesus is teaching us in Mark 11.
• Julie's brother-in-law, Frank--has had multiple myloma and is now diagnosed with acute leukemia. Doctors have given him 6 months to a year to live, with treatment.
• Cancer list: Dwayne, Frank, Robin, Mark, Ray, Jimmy
• John and Hannah--John has signed a two-year contract as a truck driver. This means that he will be away from home for two and a half solid months, after which his schedule will be on for 14 days, off for 3, etc. Check with Roy and Julie or Hannah to see if you can help with her needs.
• Ruby--had a bad fall and has been at Concordia. She's having issues with her medication.
• June's sister Norma--losing strength in her arms and hands and falling often; they don't know what is wrong 
• Sherri--Sharon's coworker was diagnosed with hepatitis C
• God, bless America
• Nellie's father--may he be healed from the aftereffects of stroke and be able to go home