GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY TO ALL PEOPLE: THE KING OF KINGS IS BORN As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, it is important to reflect upon the message of the angel of the Lord who spoke to the shepherds, as recorded in LUKE 2:10-11, Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Yes! A Savior is born who saves us from our sins (MATTHEW 1:21). However, it is equally important to note that, Jesus Christ is not only The Savior, but He is also The King of kings and The Lord of lords (1 TIMOTHY 6:14-15; REVELATION 19:16; LUKE 1:31-33; MATTHEW 2:1-2; JOHN 18:37; 13:13). Concurrent with accepting Jesus Christ as our Personal Savior who saves us from our sins, we also receive Him as our Lord who has authority over our lives, whose Word must be obeyed (LUKE 6:46); and acknowledge Him as our King who protects and provides for us. In this message, we want to consider the meaning of Jesus Christ, The King of kings. In Biblical times, kings were far more powerful than our present monarchs. Some of the kings claimed to be all powerful, and bragged endlessly about their power to do whatever they wanted. Do you remember the story of king Herod who reigned during the time of Jesus earthly ministry? Herod swore to Herodias daughter that he had the ability to give her whatever she could ask him. The Bible gives an account of the story in MARK 6:22-23, And when Herodias’ daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, “ASK ME WHATEVER YOU WANT, AND I WILL GIVE IT TO YOU.” HE ALSO SWORE TO HER, “WHATEVER YOU ASK ME, I WILL GIVE YOU, up to half my kingdom. (NKJV - emphasis mine). Moments later when the girl asked the king to give her at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter, immediately Herod sent an executioner who beheaded John the Baptist, who was in prison, and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl (MARK 6:24-28). This is how the kings in Biblical times showed how powerful they were! However, these kings were not all powerful as some of them claimed to be. They had no power to do WHATEVER they wanted to do. Despite the fact that they were more powerful than our present day monarchs, THEIR POWER HAD LIMITATIONS. Actually, king Herod had no power to give the girl WHATEVER she wanted or whatever she could have asked of him. In this particular case, Herod merely played politics, bearing in mind that Herods family hated John the Baptist because John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brothers wife, and his wife Herodias, wanted to kill John but she couldnt due to Herods fear of the public; considering that John was a just and holy man and all the people were persuaded that he was a prophet (LUKE 20:1-7). THEN AN OPPORTUNE DAY CAME (MARK 6:17-20). Yes! The power of these kings had limitations. Do you remember Naamans leprosy case in 2 KINGS 5:1-7? Naaman was the Commander of the army of the king of Syria. He was a great and honorable man in the eyes of the king, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, BUT A LEPER! The king of Syria had no power at all to heal his right-hand man! As a further effort to heal Naaman of his leprosy, the king wrote a letter to the king of Israel requesting His Excellency to help him heal Naaman. The letter said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, THAT YOU MAY HEAL HIM OF HIS LEPROSY. You know what happened next? When the king of Israel read the letter he tore his clothes and said, Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and SEE HOW HE SEEKS A QUARREL WITH ME. The king of Israel also had no power to help! In another incidence, during a great famine in the land of Israel, a woman went to the king to seek help from him, and the king said to her, If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress? (2 KINGS 6:24-30). Yes! The power of these kings had limitations! Then a chain of prophecies concerning the coming of The Messianic King were fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ, The King of kings. Later, when Pilate asked Jesus if He was a King, Jesus said he was right! The Bible says in JOHN 18:37, Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world… Jesus Christ was the real All powerful King who had come into the world. The King of kings proclaimed to all the people, the following invitation, as recorded in MATTHEW 11:28, COME TO ME, ALL YOU WHO LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST (NKJV - emphasis mine). No Pharaoh, no Herod, no Nebuchadnezzar, no Belshazzar, no Darius, no king whatsoever could ever dare to proclaim such an invitation to the people of his kingdom. Only Jesus, The only Potentate, Omnipotent King of kings and Lord of lords (1 TIMOTHY 6:16; REVELATION 19:6), could do that! Jesus further proclaimed the following truth as recorded in JOHN 14:13-14, And WHATEVER YOU ASK in My name, THAT I WILL DO, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. IF YOU ASK ANYTHING IN MY NAME, I WILL DO IT. (NKJV - emphasis mine). And you know what! These words of Jesus were totally fulfilled! The lepers who couldnt get any help from king Herod or any other king, were cleansed immediately after a simple word of The King of kings, I am willing; be cleansed. They brought to Him many who were demon-possessed, And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick (MATTHEW 8:16). The blind, deaf, dumb, paralytic, and what have you; were all set free. Even the King of kings raised Lazarus and other people from the dead. Death was swallowed up in victory as The King Jesus Himself rose from the dead as He said earlier (MATTHEW 28:5-8). Other kings were both dead and buried, and none of them ever rose from the dead (ACTS 2:29). There was no problem that Jesus couldnt solve. As a result, the people lost interest in Herod their king, so they planned to come and take Jesus by force and make Him King, but He departed to the mountain by Himself alone (JOHN 6:15). These people didnt know that His Kingdom was not of this world (JOHN 18:36). The Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The King of kings is a spiritual Kingdom, not a civil and physical organization. When we accept Jesus in our hearts as our Personal Savior, we are immediately translated into His spiritual Kingdom. The Bible says in COLOSSIANS 1:13, Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son. Jesus is our King who reigns in our hearts! (ROMANS 10:8-10). Is Jesus Christ your King? If Yes, then as you celebrate Christ this Christmas Season, and even after the Holidays; always come boldly to your King, as a citizen of His Kingdom, and ask Him anything, casting all your care upon Him, for The King cares for you (1 PETER 5:7). Our King is always there to protect and provide for the citizens of His Kingdom. Glory to The King of kings who is born, for us! Enjoy, and have lots and lots of fun as you celebrate Christ, The King of kings, this Christmas Season! To get more Christmas messages follow this link: bishopzacharykakobe.org/en/component/content/article/16-french/148-christmas
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 15:43:55 +0000
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