Christ’s Everlasting Kingdom
Philippians 2:10-11 ,,,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NKJ)
Revelation 17:14 “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”
The Kingdom now is upheld while we are on this earth. King Jesus wants us to do His work with justice, righteousness, and zeal. That is how our King wants us to be His hands and His feet. When we see evil occur, we are to be people who take a stand for righteousness in an unrighteous world. Zeal by the power of His Holy Spirit involves persistence.
If you were to ask the man on the street what church is about, the answer would hardly be a zeal for righteousness. We have far too many church leaders who live in ongoing sin and disrespect Jesus whom they say they serve. There are people drawn to get rich and misrepresent the church for their own material gain. That isn’t a zeal for righteousness.
We live in hope when Christ’s heavenly Kingdom will have all the wrongs righted and there will be justice for those who have been victims.
Advent is a joyous time of expectation celebrated at Christmas. The second advent will be a very solemn time for the last judgment. Being more or less like children, we love the former, but if we are to be true to the gospel, we must also heed the latter.
The kingdom is upheld as we live and speak the life and words of Jesus on earth, each of us with our own gifts and talents, but with Christ being the head. We serve Him by serving others. We declare truth in love even when it hurts.
Juan Ortiz, an Argentine pastor further illustrated this in his book, “Disciple”. He asked a man why he works? To eat? But the purpose of work is for the kingdom of Jesus. Go and make disciples of all nations. Students of Jesus don’t go to get their degree. They are to be members of Christ’s kingdom, doing kingdom business, and happen to be getting a degree along the way.
One does not work for IBM, but he is there to be Christ soldier against the Kingdom of Satan and the owner of IBM happens to be paying his support while he is living for Jesus and being His witness to that group of men and women. As Mother Teresa said, “Your vocation is not your work, it is to belong to Jesus while you work. It is not to study, but belonging to Jesus while you study.”
Christmas, we recognized the humanity of the Christ child who was born among us. We celebrate that the Son that was given. We see that He is “Wonderful” in His life and in His wisdom. He is a “ Wonderful Counselor”, always knowing our need, knowing our hearts, and our future. Unlike all other men and women, He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is always available and, if we are serious, we will be confronted with truth and then must ask, “What are we going to do about that?”.
He is the “mighty God”. There is nothing that He cannot do. He will accomplish His will and, as we know Him, we will praise Him in awe and wonder of His marvelous deeds.
He is “Everlasting Father”. His personal relationship with us is as His children and will never end. WE are part of His forever family. And He is the “Prince of Peace” that provides reconciliation with God, with ourselves, and with others.
Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He rules in glory that will not end.
