Imagine a world ruled by Jesus!
“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.” (Isaiah 9:7)
We all desire to live in a world without war, disparity, injustice and corruption. Likewise, we all anticipate a day when we can trust our political leaders to do what is right for all and not be swayed by special interest groups; where morality, decency and righteousness are the standards for society. This may seem like an impossible dream, but the word of God is clear and true…this day will come! There will be a society of righteousness, peace and joy. Indeed, there already is…it’s called the Kingdom of God and it manifests itself through the church (Rom. 14:17).
As the Book of Revelation declares: ‘The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and He will reign for ever and ever.’ (Rev. 11:15). This is the central message of the Bible: God will set up His reign by giving His Son the Kingdom, and He will rule once and for all. That was the Lord’s original design by giving dominion to us in the Garden (Gen. 1:28). Because of our disobedience to God and rejection of His rule in the Garden, our dominion was relinquished to our adversary, even Satan. But God had a plan! He would regain control for us through our Savior, Redeemer, Restorer and Righteous Ruler. The Lord prophesied it through Jacob, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until He to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be His” (Gen. 49:10). Fast Forward a thousand years, and we have this incredible prophecy to David, and the Son of David, “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” (Take a moment and read the Davidic Covenant found in 2Sam. 7:11b-16). The psalmist (Solomon) prophecies, “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth” (Psa. 72:8 NKJ – take time to read the whole psalm describing the Messiah’s rule.) Psalm 2 is another psalm about God installing His Son as King, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain… Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.” (Take a moment to read this incredible psalm). There are numerous scriptures that can be cited to prove the coming rule of Messiah and His Kingdom.
When we get to the New Testament, it is a different story! The King and His Kingdom have arrived (Luke 17:20-21) and other kings fear Him (Luke 2:1-18; John 18:36-37). God has started to transfer rule to His Son: “All things have been handed over to me by my Father” (Matt. 11:27; John 3:35). At the end of His ministry, after He had defeated satan at the cross, all authority is given to Jesus (Matt. 28:18).
Jesus Christ is already ruling and reigning, having become King by destroying the works of satan through His cross and resurrection (1John 3:8). The Apostle Paul writes this amazing passage demonstrating the Messiah’s kingship: “That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.! (Ephesians 1:20–22). This incredible passage has a very precise, unique application for us as the church.
We do not yet see fully the rule of King Jesus on Planet earth. His invisible kingdom is obviously not yet at the point where every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord. But, there is one place where His kingdom rule and government can be seen, and that is in the church! Jesus is king of the church, and hopefully king of everyone of His followers. If there is any place where Jesus ought to be King, and His kingdom seen, it is in the church, where righteousness, peace and joy are the evidence of His rule (Rom. 14:17). Likewise, there should be evidence in signs and wonders demonstrating the Kingdom of God is real (Matt. 12:28). We as followers of Jesus have been transferred from our last residence, the kingdom of darkness, to our new home, the kingdom of the Son of God (Col. 1:13). It is a sad thing that the church is not living up to her full potential as members of the Kingdom of God, with King Jesus on the throne. We as followers of Jesus, who call Him Lord, have been given the keys of the kingdom, with the power to bind and loose (Matt 16:19; Matt. 18:18). Jesus did it all to restore the kingdom back to us, the least we should do is receive it and live it loudly! From church governance, to ministering to the needy among us, the Church of Jesus Christ has an incredible opportunity to demonstrate the Kingdom of God to the world, thus proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom and the King to a dying, sinful world. That is our mission as followers of Jesus.
Individually, we have the opportunity to demonstrate the kingdom of God by making Jesus King of our home, even our very lives. We allow this by allowing the instructions of the New Testament writers to be implemented into our daily living (Matt. 5-7; Colossians 3:15-17). It starts individually by allowing Jesus to be ‘King of my heart’… Is He? We cannot really imagine a world ruled by Jesus, until we allow Jesus to rule “our” world. May that be our goal for 2023! Live your life like Jesus is King and you are ruling with Him (2Tim 2:11-12). I will leave you with a passage for you to meditate on this week:
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called—His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is His body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. (Eph. 1:18-23 NLT)
For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:2-7 NLT)
Have a super-blessed week!
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