The High King of Heaven and the Kingdoms of Men

THE HIGH KING OF HEAVEN AND THE KINGDOMS OF MEN

A Message to Equip Believers to Think Biblically about Government

between July 4th and Election Day

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: July 7, 2024

Series: Special Occasions

Note: Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard   Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

It seems good to me this morning to deliver a special message in view of two things: first, in view of Independence Day, which our country just celebrated this past Thursday; and second, in view of the fact that 2024 is a presidential election year in these United States of America. With these two realities in view – looking back just a few days to the Fourth of July, and looking ahead four months to the Fifth of November – and knowing also that we will celebrate Communion this morning, I would like to share some biblical thoughts on government and politics.

As Christians, our view of the entire world must be shaped by Scripture. Since God is the Creator and Sustainer, the sovereign King and supreme Judge, of all created things, we must do our very best to understand God’s perspective on everything. At the beginning of the Book of Proverbs, we are taught:

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

Fearing the Lord involves taking the Lord seriously, standing in awe of Him, being gripped by His splendor and majesty, and trembling at His words. This humble disposition of fearing the Lord is the starting point of true knowledge, true wisdom, and true insight (see also Proverbs 9:10). We will either have true knowledge and wisdom regarding how government is supposed to work, or we won’t have it. And whether or not we will have this knowledge depends on whether we fear the Lord and cherish His words. Therefore, now as always, we must search the Scriptures for its divinely inspired and authoritative instruction on the topic at hand, which are sufficient to steady our hearts and shape our minds with a godly outlook as we live in a politically charged world.

I. GOD IS THE AUTHOR, DESIGNER, AND RULER OF ALL GOVERNMENT

First, God is the author, designer, and ruler of all proper government that is exercised among human beings. I am using the word ‘government’ as shorthand for civil government, for the political organization and administration of the state. The word government may also be used in other areas: God has a plan for the government within the home and for the government within the church.

But my focus in this particular sermon is the civil government, which is the entity that seeks to preserve law, social order, and physical safety within recognized borders. The administration of public justice, the preservation of peace and order in our neighborhoods and townships, and the maintenance of national defense and border integrity, is the domain of the state – the civil government, the governing authorities.

One well-known text that teaches us that God is the author, designer, and ruler of civil government is Romans 13, which begins:

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” (Romans 13:1-2)

Whether the governing authorities in a particular time and place are just or unjust, honorable or abusive, restrained or reckless in their use of force, they are there at God’s appointment, God being completely sovereign over the affairs of men. The fact that the governing authorities are there at God’s appointment doesn’t mean that He is necessarily pleased with their conduct. The Holy One is often appalled and disgusted at the conduct of the state. But the official authority of the state, and the office-holders who exercise this authority, are there by God’s design, and on God’s behalf.

When the prophet Daniel was given a vision of four pagan kingdoms being shattered to pieces, and an eternal kingdom rising in its place, he praised God in view of God’s sovereignty over all political realities. Daniel declared:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:20-21).

“[The] God of heaven” gave “the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory” to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:37). And yet, Nebuchadnezzar didn’t glorify the Lord but instead glorified himself, and as a result the Lord removed him from his throne for a time (Daniel 4:28-33). The fundamental truth that the Lord wanted Nebuchadnezzar to learn is that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will” (Daniel 4:32). When Nebuchadnezzar was humbled, he finally honored the Lord and praised the Lord by saying that “his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation” (Daniel 4:34).

Sometime later, God judged Nebuchadnezzar’s descendant King Belshazzar and tore him from his throne, and the kingdom of Babylon was transferred to Darius the Mede (Daniel 5:1-31). In Genesis, God made Joseph the ruler of Egypt. In Exodus, the Lord raised up Pharaoh. In 1-2 Samuel, the Lord anointed Saul but later tore the kingdom from him, and subsequently entrusted the kingdom to David the son of Jesse. In Isaiah, the Lord appointed Cyrus the king of Persia. In John 19, Pontius Pilate’s authority “had been given [him] from above” (John 19:11). Although “Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel” conspired against Jesus, they nevertheless “[did] whatever [the Lord’s hand] and [the Lord’s plan] had predestined to take place” (Acts 4:27, 28).

Whether the ruler at any given time and place is more like Joseph the son of Jacob or more like Joseph Stalin (that vast majority falling well in the middle of those two radical extremes), whether the ruler at any given time and place has the wisdom of Solomon or the folly of his son Rehoboam, “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” (Daniel 4:32) Despite their many significant differences, Joe Biden and Donald Trump have this in common: neither Biden nor Trump is essential to God’s rule over the kingdom of men, and neither Biden nor Trump is a threat to God’s rule over the kingdom of men.

Let God’s sovereign rule steady your soul

The truth of God’s sovereign rule over all earthly kingdoms should comfort our hearts and steady our souls. No human governor, president, judge, legislative body, or bureaucratic office can bring you salvation, and none of them can keep you from the salvation that God gives to His people:

“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.” (Psalm 146:3-9)

It is good and right to be a well-informed populace that votes intelligently. Consider and weigh presidential, congressional, and local candidates, but do not fix your hope or despair upon them or upon the punditry about them. Instead, fix your gaze upon the Lord, and trust Him to bring about His good purposes in His own time. Too often we get overly excited about our own short-term comforts and short-term fears, which politicians routinely play upon, but we must remember that the Lord is much more interested in advancing the gospel, growing the church, and transforming the character of His people. He often uses surprising means, such as crises and persecutions, to accomplish these noble ends. Keep your eye on the ball, and trust the Lord: He is the author, designer, and ruler of all government.

II. THE GOVERNING AUTHORITIES OUGHT TO HONOR GOD AS THEY CARRY OUT THEIR GOVERNMENTAL DUTIES

Now let me move to the second point: the governing authorities ought to honor God as they carry out their governmental duties. I didn’t say that many do or are likely to do what they ought to do, I only stated what they ought to do. What they ought to do is honor God and His Word.

I am mystified as to why anyone with knowledge of Scripture would think that governors, kings, prime ministers, mayors, presidents and presidential administrations, judges and high courts, legislators and legislative bodies – I am mystified as to why anyone with knowledge of Scripture would conclude that such office-holders should be religiously and ethically neutral in their governmental work. For jumping off the pages of Scripture like bright flashing lights, it is inescapable that the first duty of government officials is to honor the God at whose pleasure they serve. Let me briefly touch on some of these reasons.

Honor the Creator

First, since the governing authorities “that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1), their first job is to honor the God who instituted them. When human governing authorities refuse to honor the divine Governor of the world, they are falling into the Romans 1:18-32 sin pattern in which human creatures refuse to acknowledge God, honor Him, and give thanks to Him, but instead make idols out of created things. When the state refuses to humbly acknowledge the God who stands over it, and when the state devotes itself first and foremost to itself or to its own agenda and power or to the people, then the state is committing gross idolatry, putting created things in God’s place.

Be a faithful servant of God

Second, since these governing authorities are referred to as “God’s servant for your good” (Romans 13:4), they must strive to be faithful as God’s servant. Every servant of God is either a faithful servant or an unfaithful servant. Governing authorities must strive to be faithful servants who understand and honor the mind and will of their Master. It was insane for Nebuchadnezzar to think and speak as if his kingdom was built by his strength for his glory. Then he was judged with a more severe form of insanity, having the mind of a beast. But when his reason was restored, he honored the God of heaven. We are told in the Book of Revelation that Jesus is “the ruler of kings on earth” (Revelation 1:5) – not future ruler, but present ruler. Every sane government executive recognizes that Jesus is King and governs accordingly. Those who do not acknowledge the Lordship of Christ, those who do not acknowledge that Jesus Christ has been installed as High King “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21) – people who don’t acknowledge the exaltation of Jesus are out of touch with reality. They are full of themselves, full of their own ego, full of their own agenda, full of their political party, drunk on greed and power. If for no other reason than that we don’t want these government officials to end up in hell, we should want them to repent of their sins, confess that Jesus is Lord, and then proceed to do everything that they do “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17), which is the 24/7 call upon all Christians in every sphere of life.

Submit to God’s standard of right and wrong

Third, God has appointed the governing authorities as ministers of justice “who [carry] out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” (Romans 13:4) Likewise, governments are supposed “to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.” (1 Peter 2:14) The only way governments can faithfully carry out their assigned purpose is to be submitted to God’s standard of right and wrong and God’s standard of good and evil – which are so clearly written down in Holy Scripture. If a government punishes faithful churchgoers and praises loyal communists, if a government discredits pro-life advocates and praises abortionists, if a government makes war against the family and props up unrestrained individual rights, then it is not doing its job.

Righteousness is necessary in order for a nation to flourish

Fourth, it is foolhardy to believe that a nation can flourish over the long haul if it is violating God’s law. We are told in Proverbs 16: “It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness.” (Proverbs 16:12) Political authority is established, rendered firm, and made strong by righteousness, by justice. Any governmental ruler who wants to see his or her nation flourish with the blessing of the Lord, will be a champion of righteousness. And why? Because: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)

God judges nations for their sins

Fifth, God holds nations accountable for their sins. Significant sections in the prophets – in Isaiah, in Jeremiah, in Ezekiel, in Daniel, in Amos, in Obadiah, in Nahum, in Habakkuk, in Zephaniah – and in earlier books such as Exodus and Joshua, are devoted to judgments against the nations because of their sin. That should weigh on every governmental leader. Are they leading the people toward the principles of righteousness or away from the principles of righteousness? Godless governments, instead of carrying out justice against wrongdoers, are themselves on a collision course with God’s wrath. Every government official should respond to the authority of God’s Word the way that the king and nobles of Nineveh responded when Jonah preached in their midst: they repented and called upon the whole city to repent.

The single most important duty of government office-holders is to honor God at whose pleasure they serve – honor God, honor God’s Word, and honor God’s Son (see Psalm 2:10-12).

III. GOOD GOVERNANCE, AND SUPPORTING GOOD GOVERNANCE, IS ONE WAY TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

Now to the third point: good governance, and supporting good governance, is one important way to demonstrate love to your neighbor.

Listen to Romans 13:3-4 –

“For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” (Romans 13:3-4)

It is rather obvious that human rulers frequently do not live up to this standard. All too often rulers make themselves a terror to good conduct and they carry out the devil’s hate on those who do what is right. All too often human rulers are anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-God’s law, anti-righteousness. However, it is important to ponder the ideal that Paul sets forth in Romans 13:3-4.

Ponder the benefits of good laws

When legislators put laws on the books that reflect God’s standards of right and wrong, and when executive officials enforce good laws and seek to protect their communities from bad actors, criminals, and wrongdoers, and when judges uphold and confirm just laws and their wise application to specific cases, the general population is blessed. The general population is blessed when rulers are a terror to bad conduct. Sane people want bad conduct to be strongly disincentivized, actively discouraged, and promptly punished, so that good conduct is normative in the neighborhood. And what constitutes bad conduct must be defined by God’s standard, not by political ideologies or interest groups.

The law functions to teach, to incentivize, to deter, and to keep people safe. To take a non-controversial example, consider laws against driving while intoxicated. Such laws teach – they bring to your attention and form a certain mindset about what is acceptable and unacceptable. They incentivize sobriety, or having a designated driver, or calling for a ride. They incentivize planning ahead. They deter getting behind the wheel while inebriated. And by doing all this, they keep people safe: not only the person who has drunk too much, but the people who would be put at risk by an unsafe driver. The law has teeth, that is, severe penalties for violating the law, which are able to be enforced upon discovery.

Laws against driving while intoxicated are good laws. Drunkenness itself is a sin, but drunkenness itself – in the privacy of one’s home or among a close circle of friends – need not be regarded as a crime. Public drunkenness is a different issue, because it degrades public morals and poses a risk to the well-being of other people. Operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated ramps up the risk factor, and the law adjusts accordingly.

Sane people want the law to teach right from wrong, incentivize good conduct, deter bad conduct, have the teeth of enforceability which is the fear of punishment, and keep law-abiding people safe.

Good governance honors God’s law

Sane people want the governing authorities to do nothing to impede human beings from fulfilling their obligation to worship God in accordance with His Word (thus honoring the foundational commandments, Exodus 20:3-11). God’s servant the state should not teach people that the state is not God’s servant; God’s servant the state should not teach people that the people are not accountable to God; God’s servant the state should not act as if it is okay for the state to deify itself.

Sane people want the law to recognize the centrality of the family as God designed it, built around the marriage of one man and one woman and their parental responsibilities toward their offspring (thus honoring commandments five and seven, Exodus 20:12, 14). Since God has made humanity male and female, and has established marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and has commissioned parents to be the primary nurturers and instructors of their children, God’s servant the state doesn’t have the right to twist or redefine these objective realities, but must rather to submit to the Lord’s design. The law should deter murder as well as physical assault, and should protect unborn human life (thus honoring commandment six, Exodus 20:13). The law should deter adultery, and the law should make it difficult to obtain a divorce unless there are legitimate grounds for it (also in honor of commandment seven, Exodus 20:14). The law should deter theft (thus honoring commandment eight, Exodus 20:15). And the law should deter false witness, slander, and libel (thus honoring commandment nine, Exodus 20:16). In these matters, I am simply unpacking the basic idea that government rulers should be a terror to bad conduct, according to God’s standard of right and wrong. That last bit is really important: if the state is a god unto itself and defines good and bad on its own terms, then it will criminalize obedience to God and encourage people to disobey God. That is what the state often does, but it is acting unfaithfully when it does this. God’s servant the state must honor God’s standards, otherwise the state will care only about its own power and prestige, and it will persecute those who stand in its way. And the people who stand in its way are the people who know that Jesus is Lord, and therefore who know that the state is not god, Caesar is not god, and Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image is not worthy of our worship.

Good governance, and supporting good governance through public participation, intelligent voting, peaceful protest, letters to the editor, and serving on town councils or boards of education, running for office or helping someone else do so, shows love to your neighbor by promoting an orderly, peaceful, and physically safe society in which your neighbors are unhindered in their attempt to walk with God and worship Him in accordance with His Word.

The problem of bad governance

Where there is bad governance, the state puts itself or some other thing in God’s place, and over the long haul facilitates conditions that are disorderly, fearful, and unsafe, and in which rightminded people do not flourish. “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America” testifies to this reality when it acknowledges that there are times when a particular government “becomes destructive of these ends” – these ends being the safeguarding of the “unalienable Rights” bestowed upon human beings by the Creator, especially the rights of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” (phrases in quotation marks from the Declaration of Independence). And when the government has become destructive of these ends, it is doing the opposite of love, but is instead making it difficult for people to flourish.

Good governance aims at the flourishing of the whole community

It is important to note that people do not flourish because they have the unbridled freedom to do whatever they want to do. The rights of the individual are never to be enshrined as divine or ultimate. Instead, individual freedoms must be held in balance with the flourishing of the whole community, all of which must be in step with God’s moral design – otherwise the whole thing collapses. The Preamble of our Constitution gets at this balance:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

This is a grand and noble vision, but it cannot be achieved and sustained apart from virtuous citizens who live within God’s more framework.

A nation and its citizens must reckon with God and His law

While we believe in the separation of the state’s authority from the church’s authority, we do not believe in the separation of the state’s authority from God’s authority, and we do not believe in the separation of the state’s authority from the authority of God’s moral law, and we do not believe in the separation of citizens from their accountability to God’s moral law. No person in South Paris should fear that South Paris Baptist Church wants to take over the reins of government, because that is not part of the mission that our Lord has assigned to His church. But every person in South Paris should reckon with the fact that Jesus is Lord, that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him, that His law is good, and that He has the right to the allegiance of every person and of every government official in South Paris. God “commands all people” – including all federal, state, and local officials – God “commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31). Don’t wait until the day of judgment to learn the principles of righteousness, lest they testify against you to your ruin. Instead, learn the principles of righteousness now, and apply these principles to your life and home and official duties, and let them prepare you for the great and terrible judgment of the last day.

IV. THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE CIVIL GOVERNING IS DOING

The fourth and final thing I want to say is that the ministry of the church is of vital importance regardless of what the civil government is doing. The church’s ministry is vital regardless of how faithful or unfaithful the governing authorities are. And let’s be honest: the governing authorities are often unfaithful – sometimes egregiously so – in their exercise of authority. The governing authorities often have a god complex, often misrepresent the truth, and often devolve into harmful experimentations in power upon a fearful populace. The Bible itself testifies to nation after nation, government after government, and ruler after ruler that has brokered in wickedness and manipulated people on the basis of worldly fears.

God alone is our Refuge

However, as a Christian congregation, as Christian families, and as Christian individuals, we should in no way, shape, or form feel that our ultimate well-being depends on the character of our civil government. God alone is our Refuge, our Rock of Defense, our Shield and Defender. God alone is our Provider, who provides for our needs and sees to it that His good and holy purposes get worked out in our lives.

If a Joseph or Daniel ascends to a high place in government, we rejoice. If a William Wilberforce is a minority voice in parliament, calling for the abolition of the slave trade and laboring for better laws in the land, we rejoice. If a stubborn Pharaoh or a proud Nebuchadnezzar or an expedient Pilate or wicked Nero is in a place of power, we go on rejoicing, not on their account, but because the Lord is still King, and it is often through suffering that the gospel advances anyway. Pharaoh persecuted God’s people in Egypt. Pilate authorized the crucifixion of Jesus. Herod killed James and imprisoned Peter. The beastly state in Revelation makes war against the saints. A brief knowledge of history and of current events strongly suggests that the governing authorities are the most systematic idolaters, the most systematic persecutors, the most systematic enemies of righteousness, the most systematic liars, and the most systematic murderers in all the world. And that really comes as no surprise: when entrusted with the power of the sword and the right to use lethal force, corrupt office-holders will abuse it as a matter of course. But we rejoice because we have a gracious Father in heaven, and as for the wicked, we know that their day is coming.

The wonderful Gospel that we proclaim

With all that said, we don't believe for one minute that the laws of the land are sufficient to change the heart of a man. Every human being born into this world is born a sinner by nature and in due course every person expresses that sinful nature in a litany of actual transgressions. While the civil government goes about administrating public justice to the best of its ability, the church has the tremendous privilege of proclaiming the gospel of God’s grace. We bring good news to sinners weighed down with guilt and shame. As it is written:

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”” (Isaiah 52:7)

We proclaim a King whose kingdom is not of this world, a kingdom that doesn’t get built on the backs of slaves, a kingdom that doesn’t get secured by the weapons of the flesh, a kingdom that doesn’t advance through underhanded methods or clever tricks. We proclaim a King whose kingdom originates from outside of this world. This kingdom of heaven originates in the heavenly places, from the Father above, and yet this kingdom manifests itself in our present world. As Jesus proclaimed:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

The King of this heavenly kingdom is not an insecure man who craves the levers of political power so that he can make himself into something and win the applause of other men. The true King doesn’t climb the ladder of His own ambitions. Instead, He descends the ladder to obey the Father’s will. He comes down. His goings forth are from eternity, always existing in the form of God, sharing in the divine glory with the Father. But He didn’t consider this incomparably high position something to be used for His own advantage, or as a reason to keep Himself a comfortable distance from the sorrows and woes of humans on earth.

For us and for our salvation, the High King of heaven came down from heaven and became Man, having been conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, and being born in lowly circumstances, and living an ordinary human life in relative obscurity for thirty years before entering public life as a preacher. The God-Man who was destined to be exalted to the highest throne, at the Father’s right hand, and to rule over the world of men, entered public life as a preacher and teacher and mentor. He entered public life as the great physician of the soul, forgiving sins and cleansing the unclean and dignifying the little ordinary forgotten people. He entered public life as the light of the world who revealed the beauty of God’s glory in our midst by healing diseases, casting out demons, and multiplying the loaves and fishes. The One destined for the place of highest authority was a servant King who graciously stood forth as a safe place for the children, for women, for the outcasts, for the sick and disabled.

One who would rule must first demonstrate gentleness and meekness of spirit, generosity and sacrificial service, genuine love and longsuffering, courage to speak truth when it is unpopular to do so. For this very reason He came, to bear witness to the truth, and not to fit into anyone else’s narrative. He came to draw human beings into the true story of the God who redeems sinners who are entirely unable to rescue themselves – the true story of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, grace and truth, embodied in the Word made flesh:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

The prophet Isaiah announced His coming beforehand:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

All the government and administration of God’s everlasting kingdom is upon the shoulder of the Lord Jesus Christ. What is remarkable to consider, however, is that the One who bears the government of God’s kingdom upon His shoulder is first of all the One who bears the sins of His people upon His shoulder. To speak of a kingdom, as Isaiah 9:6-7 does, implies that there are citizens in that kingdom. Scripture says: “In a multitude of people is the glory of a king, but without people a prince is ruined.” (Proverbs 14:28) Although Jesus doesn’t need us, the fact of the matter is that it is nonsense to speak of God’s great kingdom of peace, justice, and righteousness sweeping down and gathering up steam, influence, and increase forever, unless there are human beings who are joyful participants in it. The glory of the King is in some way connected to the magnitude and joy of the King’s people. And this is where things get interesting: no human being, except for Jesus Himself, is qualified to participate in God’s kingdom. We aren’t peaceable: the way of peace we have not known! We aren’t just: we stand condemned for our many sins. We aren’t righteous: we are unrighteous, each one of us going astray like a lost sheep. So, Jesus didn’t come to gather the naturally godly, naturally peaceable, naturally just, and naturally righteous people into His kingdom, for in that case He would have found no one to gather. Instead, He came to seek and save those who were lost. He came to bear the sins of His people, to carry their load of guilt and shame, to be exiled from God’s presence in their place, and to receive in His own flesh the punishment that we so richly deserved.

In the words of songwriter Matt Osgood:

“What kind of king is crowned with thorns
or robed in nakedness and shame?
So cruelly beaten, mocked and scorned,
he bears the weight of all our blame. 
What kind of king would stand condemned,
though innocent of every crime,
in silence, offer no defence
and take the place that should be mine?”[1]

What kind of king? The true King – the King whose kingdom is not of this world, the King who knows that the way of righteousness is not self-promotion but self-sacrifice, not getting ahead at the expense of others but expending yourself to get others ahead, not exalting yourself over people but humbly serving others for their everlasting good.

It is the privilege of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ to proclaim this glorious gospel of a sinless Savior who died for the sins of His people and who rose again to bring them into fellowship with the Father and to pour out the Holy Spirit upon us.

Our citizenship is in heaven

We are an outpost of God’s eternal kingdom in a world of tottering human kingdoms. We declare God’s righteousness and call the rulers and nations of the world to account. We know that it is not the state’s job to proclaim the gospel and make disciples. That is our job. And we know that sooner or later every human kingdom will falter. In the memorable words of Malcolm Muggeridge:

“As Christians we know that here we have no continuing city, that crowns roll in the dust and every earthly kingdom must sometime flounder, whereas we acknowledge a king men did not crown and cannot dethrone, as we are citizens of a city of God they did not build and cannot destroy.”[2]

And that’s a good place to end as we prepare to come to the Lord’s Table. Our fundamental identity, calling, and loyalty is all bound up with the King and His never-ending kingdom of grace. In the words of the apostle Paul:

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.” (Philippians 3:20-4:1). 

Regardless of what the state is doing, regardless of what the media reports today or tomorrow or the next day, regardless of what happens on November 5, regardless of all that, you stand firm in the Lord, and rejoice in your King.

ENDNOTES

[1] Matt Osgood, “What Kind of King (This is Jesus).” © Matt Osgood / Resound Worship, Administered by Jubilate Hymns Ltd. Available online: https://resoundworship.org/song/what_kind_of_king_this_is_jesus.

[2] Malcolm Muggeridge, The End of Christendom. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980: around p. 52.