‘Behold, the Lamb of God’
ide
o amnos tou theou
College Study
62nd teaching
2.3.2013
“God’s Majesty”
Mystery
Question: What
do you think makes the God of the Bible unique?
Project
Scriptura: God’s Invisibility
Review:
What was our subject last week? Is the fear of God
an attribute of God? It is a response to God. What is the fear of God for the
wicked? What is required to activate the terror of the wicked? How does the
terror of God motivate both the sinner and the saved? What is the fear of God
for the righteous? What does the term Numinous mean? How is it distinct from
other kinds of fear? In Hebrews 12, what
Old Testament story is referred to which illustrates the fear of God? The
closing verse in Hebrews 12 says
“Our God is a………”.
End
of Review
Sort of along the same line of thinking as our mystery
question, here's a picture I found earlier today whilst researching (on the internet, wink, wink). The
picture depicts an image of the God of the Bible and of the Greco-Roman god
Zeus. The captions indicate that there’s really no difference between the two
characters and their two relative religions: only that the one still has living
believers (Christianity) but that for the other, you’d be hard pressed to find
any adherent of the ancient pagan faith of Zeus.
Now I found this picture incredibly infuriating in its lack
of information and its baseless assumption. This is simply lazy atheism. This
is the kind of mob-mentality such as the web-shark, vlog-following
high-schooler promotes as the truth and the foundation of his or her
non-belief. But it’s so shallow! It’s so clearly a statement that was never
researched! And it is irresistible to show how wrong this is. Thus my heart
leapt at the exciting idea of explaining just how different these two really
are.
I can think of several differences. Theologically, God and
Zeus stand at a vast distance apart. God created all material things and
remains outside of and transcendent above all things, never being seen in His
essence. Further, God is eternal, having never been created.
Zeus, on the other hand, was created by his father Cronus,
who himself sprung from Chaos, the shapeless mass of materials that existed
prior to their formation into earth and heaven and sea. So Zeus was created by
his father who was created by eternal mass. Whereas the Christian God is
primary and all matter secondary, the Greeks believed that matter was primary
and their own gods secondary.
What’s more, there’s a tremendous difference between God
and Zeus in argumentation; there haven’t been any successful arguments for the
existence of Zeus. Nobody believes that there’s a man up on a mountain
literally throwing the lightning bolts at the earth during thunderstorms.
Whereas for God, there are several satisfactory arguments that we’ve looked at
for the existence of the biblical God: the cosmological, the teleological, the
moral, and some forms of the ontological arguments all suffice. While Zeus was
a “god of the gaps”, existing to fill up a void in the scientific understanding
of his age (namely how does lightning happen?), God exists wholly apart and
above scientific understanding, being Himself the source of intelligence,
order, rationality, logic and the study of science.
And there’s a
huge difference between God and Zeus as moral characters. The Bible explains
the doctrine of God’s impeccability and moral perfection; that God no only does
not sin but that He cannot sin. He
cannot lie. He cannot break promises. And so on. God is holy and just and
righteous.
But as for Zeus, it is a joke to refer to him as holy at
all. He is spiteful and selfish, begrudging and resenting, cheating on his own
wife, lustful and adulterous, hateful and deceptive. Wikipedia bore the
incriminating remark: “He is known for his erotic escapades”.
I recently purchased a book called Bulfinch’s Mythology, which contains the myths of the Greeks and
Romans, and the Arthurian legends. In it, I read this (pg.24, “Juno and her rivals”). Zeus was cheating
on his own wife with some hussie!
And while God loved a world of sinners enough to die on our
behalf, Zeus never did and probably would never even think of sacrificing
himself for mere mortals.
But there’s another major difference between these two
which shall take us into our study tonight. While Zeus was known as “the King
of the gods” who oversees the universe in the Greco-Roman pantheon of gods, and
while the Bible says in Revelation 19
that Jesus bears the title “King of kings and Lord of lords”…. there can be
only one King. Only one of these two, Jesus or Zeus, can occupy the throne over
the universe. And clearly, it ain’t Zeus.
His thunderbolts have been explained away and we as humans
have soared higher than Mount Olympus his abode. But God has never been
explained away. God predicts the future coming of His earthly kingdom. And God
reigns in a very real way in the lives of believers and over the universe by
sustaining it and holding it together.
So of the two, God is clearly the real thing. God has
authority over His universe He made. He has the real majesty as the King of all
creation. Zeus is just a little poser playing at divinity.
Tonight’s study is entitled: “God’s Majesty: Lord of the
Highest Rank”.
1.
A Matter of Kingdoms
Turn to Daniel 7.
A little background, if you please. The book of Daniel
takes place during the exile of the Jewish people from the land of Israel. They
had lived for generations in near total disobedience to God and so as God had
promised them in the Law, they were defeated by their enemies, by the Assyrians
and the Babylonians, and carried away captive into a foreign land. The young
man Daniel was one such person who was exiled from the Promised Land and taken
away to Babylon to serve the king Nebuchadnezzar.
Psalm 137 gives
some rare insight into what this exile was like. It says “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we
remember Zion. We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it. For there
those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, and those who plundered
us requested mirth, saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’ How shall we
sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my
right hand forget its skill! If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to
the roof of my mouth—if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.”
And so it was a time of solemn reflection and lamentation
for the judgment of God upon the children of Israel and the loss of their
homeland. So it is during this exile that the book of Daniel takes place.
Daniel himself became a statesman in Babylon. He was
trained to serve the king as his servant. But Daniel never forgot God, from his
youth even to his old age. Also, Daniel was renowned for interpreting dreams
and he experienced prophetic visions later in his life. His book, the book of
Daniel, is one of the books of the prophets.
Daniel 7
contains a great example of Daniel’s prophetic experiences: a two-part vision
complete with a handy interpretation. Here’s an easy outline for the chapter: verses 1-8 is the vision of the four
beasts; verses 9-14 is the vision of
God as the Ancient of days; verses 15-28
is the interpretation of the visions.
Daniel 7:1, “In the first year of Belshazzar [that’s
the last king of Babylon; he famously saw the writing on the wall] king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and
visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the
main facts. Daniel spoke, saying, ‘I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the
four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came
up from the sea, each different from the other.
“The first
was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked
off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a
man, and a man’s heart was given to it. And suddenly another beast, a second,
like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth
between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’ After
this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back
four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to
it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful
and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring,
breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different
from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I was considering
the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up from them,
before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there,
in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous
words.”
Creepy, yes? This is the first of the two visions. We’ll
have to wait for the interpretation though. Next comes the second vision:
Daniel 7:9, “I watched till thrones were put in place,
and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair
of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a
burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand
thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated, and the books were opened.
“I watched
then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I
watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the
burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken
away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. I was watching in
the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds
of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before
Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples,
nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be
destroyed.”
Amazing! So here we have these visions: the four beasts
rising from the sea, the fourth beast being the worst, the horn rising up from
the fourth beast and speaking pompous, that is great and arrogant, words, and
then this scene in heaven with the Ancient of Days giving authority and
dominion to this figure identified as One like the Son of Man. So what does it
all mean?
We need not over-speculate. Remember that Scripture
interprets Scripture. So there’s a built in interpretation.
Daniel 7:15, “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within
my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near to one of those
who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known
to me the interpretation of these things: ‘Those great beasts, which are four,
are four kings [note: and their representative kingdoms] which arise out of the earth. But the saints
of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever,
even forever and ever.’
“Then I
wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all
the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of
bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its
feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up,
before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which
spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows. I was
watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing
against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor
of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the
kingdom. Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole
earth, trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings who shall
arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be
different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak
pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most
High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given
into his hand for a time and times and half a time.
“But the
court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and
destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the
kingdoms under the whole of heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of
the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall
serve and obey Him.’ This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my
thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I kept the matter
in my heart.”
What a chapter! Of course we could spend weeks studying all
the intricate details and the prophecies of the end times and all the history
in this passage, but we read the whole chapter so that we would focus not on
the details but on the whole picture.
Whatever the four beasts represent as four kings, the whole
picture shows us that there is a King above even the greatest human authorities
that ever lived. The Ancient of Days, God Himself, sits upon a throne in heaven
that is highly exalted above any kingdom of the earth. And He rules with
greater Majesty than any of the kings of the earth.
In the matter of kingdoms, His Divine Majesty rules above
all.
In order to appreciate that statement, let’s examine what
the word Majesty means specifically:
2.
Defining Majesty
Sometimes I worry that theology will never escape sunsets and
sunrises. What do I mean?
Well in the past we’ve studied such attributes of God as
His transcendence, His omnipresence, His love, His perfection, His goodness,
His glory, His light, His grace and more recently His beauty. Each of these are
unique properties of God and they help us to understand this absolutely huge
picture of what God is like. But one thing that each of these attributes has in
common is that if you type them into the Google search engine, you’ll get image
results of sunsets and sunrises, stars and galaxies and pretty sunlight
filtered through cloud all covered with cutesy fonts, the cursive kind that
spell out the words of interest.
Why? Whatever for? A simple picture of beauty in nature
nowhere near explains the distinctiveness of each of these attributes as
separate descriptions of the marvelous God. How could one kind of image come to
be so commonly associated with the different attributes of God?
It’s simply not enough thought put into it. We’ve seen how perfection
is different from love is different from grace. We’ve seen how glory is
distinct from light is distinct from beauty. These are separate statements. If
you don’t believe me, go back and read the notes and do the research. It is
positively a lack of research and understanding which leaves theology almost
entirely in the realm of feel-good fluffy photographs of sunsets and sunrises.
May theology escape all that so we can see the real meaning of these truths!
But when we come to the subject of God’s Majesty, we find
that it is no exception to the norm. It is just as plagued by the simple
photograph of sunlight just the same. And I at first thought I’d skip it. It
didn’t seem much different from sovereignty and beauty, or a combination of the
two.
Yet once you see the difference, you’ll also see why this
is a unique statement about God.
So what does Majesty mean?
Well, it was a word originally used by the Roman republic.
Their original word was maiestas. It
literally means greatness. It was a
legal term for the supreme status and dignity of the state which was to be
respected above everything else. If you had a party during a day of public
mourning or showed contempt for the various rites of the state or said or did
anything disloyal to the state you would be punished for crimes against the
majesty, the greatness and dignity of the republic.
Even when Rome changed from a republic to an empire,
majesty came to be applied to the dignity of the Emperor. The term majesty was
meant to encompass the greatness, the awe and the splendor, the magnificence
and the eminence of the Emperor of Rome.
Here’s a bit of historical trivia: Charles V, Holy Roman
Emperor, King of Germany and Italy (the same Emperor who would call Martin
Luther to present theses before him in 1521), was the first to adopt the title
of “Majesty” personally in 1519. He apparently thought he should be addressed
with a title greater than “Your Highness”, and so the royal title of “Your
Majesty” was born. “Your Majesty” is meant to be the form of address for the
highest monarch rank possible. And with a chin as majestic as Charles’, there’s
no other title appropriate.
How fitting that more than merely being a form of address
for human kings and queens, that Majesty is a characteristic for God, the
Highest King of them all. We don’t just call God “Majesty”, rather it really is
one of His properties.
So from a human perspective, Majesty represents all the dignity, awe, splendor and greatness of
the highest authority in any government. And so when applied to God, we discover
that He is the highest authority of them all, with all the dignity, awe,
splendor and greatness that comes with such a position.
*There are several biblical words which convey this concept
of majesty or majestic. There are several Hebrew words but only two Greek words
employed by the New Testament, so let’s take a brief look at those.
They are megaleiotes and
megalosune. They are translated as splendor, magnificence, greatness and majesty.
Christian author Norman Geisler writes: “From the way the
words for majesty are used of God, a definition can be formulated: God’s
majesty consists of unsurpassed greatness, highest eminence, unparalleled
exaltation, and unmatched glory.”
And of course we remember the proper response to God’s
majesty. We studied it last week. The proper response is fear. I mean imagine
walking into the throne room and the presence of the Roman Emperor. Most of the
emperors were madmen, so that can’t much help your nerves. If you’re nervous
and jittery during job interviews, imagine that feeling compounded in the
presence of the boss of the Empire who could have you mutilated if he didn’t
like you.
But we come before a Sovereign greater than the Roman
Emperor. And God’s majesty, His exaltation and greatness, deserves the utmost
respect, reverence, awe and even fear or terror as we saw last week.
For a perfect picture of somebody reacting to God’s
majesty, turn to Revelation 1:12-17.
John the apostle writes: “Then I turned
to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden
lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man,
clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest a golden
band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes
like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a
furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand
seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance
was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His
feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be
afraid; I am the First and the Last.’”
Incredible that this was the same John who walked with
Jesus, talked with Jesus for three years. Now that He sees the glory of this
same Jesus, now risen from the dead, his reaction is profound. John saw the
majesty of Christ and fell over like a dead man it was so overwhelming.
I think it might be just the same thing when we get our
first glimpse of His Divine Majesty.
3.
Majesty and Attributes
Earlier I had mentioned on the fly that God’s attributes
are each distinct statements and that it is a shame to represent them all with
the mere picture of a sunset. This is true of God’s Majesty also. It is a
unique attribute in its own right and a unique statement about God.
But how so?
Consider how His majesty is distinct from His infinity,
sovereignty, glory and beauty. Some of these can seem pretty similar, but a
deeper inspection shows that they reveal significantly different facets of the
Divine.
a. Infinity
Note that infinity provides the foundation for His majesty.
One of the things in nature that I personally find majestic is the ocean. I
grew up around the ocean and it has always held a kind of Numinous fascination
and fear, a kind of awe and mystery for me. In Hawaii they always tell you to
respect the ocean, for one because it is dangerous.
Now why though is the ocean so majestic? Why is a mountain
so majestic? Because they are so vast. A mountain is many, many times bigger
than you or I. And the ocean is even bigger than that. In this sense, it is the
sheer size and significance and grandness of these things which make them
majestic.
And so, how big is God? Well, He is infinite. That’s a lot
bigger than a mountain and still a lot bigger than the ocean. Heck, it’s even
bigger than the measurable universe. So infinity, the sheer size of God,
provides a foundation for His majesty. Thus they are distinct statements of
God.
b. Sovereignty
Here’s one that I wrestled with. What’s the difference
between majesty and sovereignty. They both involve God’s authority and
rulership. Think of it this way: Sovereignty is the function of His majesty.
Because God is rules as the Divine Majesty, He acts with sovereign authority
over the universe. Sovereignty is acting Majesty.
c. Glory
Glory is the splendor aspect of His majesty. As the highest
Ruler of all, God holds the most glory and deserves the most glory. Human
monarchs are always bedecked with jewels and silver and gold and the finest
robes, but God is clothed with Light and Righteousness. Glory is the splendor
of His greatness, His majesty, and the praising of that worthy splendor.
d. Beauty
Beauty exists as a result of His majesty. Not all beautiful
things are majestic, but all majestic things are beautiful. A music box is a
beautiful instrument, but you wouldn’t necessarily call its tinny chimes
majestic. However, the ocean is certainly majestic and it is beautiful because of it. If you drew up a bit of the
ocean in a cup, it’s not very beautiful, or majestic. But seen as this massive
scenic view, the ocean becomes majestic and also beautiful. God’s majesty is
the thing from which His beauty stems, at least the beauty of His essence.
*So we find that God’s majesty stands distinct from some of
His other closely related attributes. He is infinite and therefore majestic,
and being majestic He rules with sovereignty, and being majestic He has glory
which we perceive as beauty. God’s majesty slightly overlaps some of His other
attributes, but as we’ve said in the past, there is a perfect blend and harmony
in the nature of God.
4. Biblical Basis
for God’s Majesty
Isaiah 2:10, “Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, from the terror of the LORD
and the glory of His majesty.”
Job 37:22, “He comes from the north as golden splendor;
with God is awesome majesty”. Another version says “terrifying majesty”. Awesome,
literally.
5.
God the Monarch
Through history, various monarchs and heads of state have
accepted variations of the address “Your Majesty”. Spain has used “Catholic
Majesty” and the United Kingdom has used “Britannic Majesty” or sometimes the
full “Your Most Gracious Majesty”. The head of an empire uses “Imperial
Majesty”.
But, what of God? We could call Him “Your Absolute and
Universal Majesty”. Quite a mouthful. It points out that He is the ultimate and
absolute ruler and that He rules over the universe. Aren’t you glad though that
He prefers us to address Him as ‘Father’?
That’s crazy! That the King of the Universe would want us
to relate to Him as His own children and call Him ‘Father’! Psalm 8 says “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and
the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him,
and the son of man that You care for him?”
Do you know that the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, lives
blissfully unaware and not only
unaware but uncaring of your existence. My wife and I have recently viewed some
documentaries about her and she’s a fascinating and respectable figure, but,
guys, she doesn’t care for you. She doesn’t even know you exist. I’d love to
have tea with the Queen, but it’s not her business to know who I am.
So when we come to the far greater King of the Universe, do
you realize what a privilege it is to call Him your Father? Do you know how
astonishing and shocking it is that He even knows you exist and that He loves
you and wants to be your Father? Even more astounding: that God knows who you
are and still loves you.
It is certainly an exception to the usual rule. Monarchs
are normally addressed by important titles and styles befitting their position.
But God wants to be a Father to you, not just
your King.
Since God is Monarch over all, note three things involved
in His Majesty: He is Ruler, He has a Realm, and He has a Reign. Ruler, Realm,
Reign… three ingredients necessary for any monarch.
a. God as Ruler
The Bible uses several titles that speak of God as majestic
Ruler. One such title which clearly identifies Jesus as Ruler is found in Revelation 5:5. There Jesus is called
“the Lion of the tribe of Judah”. The tribe of Judah has as its emblem the
image of the lion. Even the emblem of Jerusalem, where the throne of David sat,
contained the image of the lion.
The tribe of Judah was the bloodline in Israel through
which came King David and his royal descendants. Jesus Himself is descended in
the flesh from the kingly line of David.
And what better animal to represent the kingliness of
Judah’s tribe and of Jesus the King of kings than the lion, the king of beasts?
So God has a title as majestic Ruler: the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
b. God has a Realm
What do you get if you take the king away from kingdom?
Just dumb.
As King, God has a kingdom. As King, God rules over His
Realm.
The kingdom of God is an important concept woven throughout
Scripture. And in the Old Testament, the book of Daniel, though short (only 12
chapters), mentions the kingdom of God more times than any other Old Testament
book. And indeed we saw how the concept of the kingdom of God was central to
the visions Daniel saw there in chapter 7.
God’s Realm is simply the place where God reigns. So where
does God the Ruler have His Realm where He Reigns:
c. God Reigns
The Reign of God, the place of His authority is threefold:
God rules over the universe which He sustains; God rules over the lives of the
believers that obey His Word; and God will rule over the future messianic
kingdom, the time when Jesus Christ will come and set up His throne on earth
and rule over the earth Himself.
That future kingdom of the Messiah is also known as the
Millennial Reign, since it will last for a thousand years. It will be a time of
justice, of peace and all the pains of the world will be set right.
Zechariah 14:9
says, “And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will
be the only one, and His name the only one.”
Isaiah 2:4, “He shall judge between the nations, and
rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their
spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn way anymore.”
If you’re not looking forward to His kingdom finally
coming, I’m not sure what’s wrong with you.
So God is the ultimate Monarch. He is the Ruler of all,
whose Realm is the place where He Reigns: the universe, the hearts of believers
and the coming kingdom of Christ.
6. The
Suffering Sovereign
The story is told of the monarch I mentioned earlier,
Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, that he was moved by Martin Luther’s words
about the grace of God, the righteousness of God and the gospel. Charles was so
moved in fact, that he became a changed man, even to his dying day, which
turned out to be exceptional.
Later in his life, Charles was nearly assassinated. A
low-bred criminal with a record of rebellion and dissension named Leonardus
Bertold attempted to kill the Emperor and his son while they traveled from the
capital to one of the outlying lands. Leonardus had disguised himself as one of
the guards and planned on murdering the Emperor and his son when they
disembarked at their destination, only he was found out and caught.
Over his trial, the Emperor himself presided. The judgment
came down from the high justice. It was high treason! The penalty was forty
lashes and then to be drawn and quartered.
If you don’t know what being drawn and quartered is, it’s
where they would take the guilty and drag them behind a horse to the place of
their execution, then hang them almost to the point of death, which occurred
during emasculating, disemboweling and beheading, after which the body was
chopped into four pieces. The remains of the guilty would then be displayed
across the country.
So this was the fate of Leonardus, the criminal who tried
to murder the Holy Roman Emperor. But remember, Charles had become a changed
man, and it was when he stood with slow gravity from his throne, wielding all
the fate of a man’s life in his raised hand, that he took the crown off his
regal head, undid the clasp of his royal robes, letting the train fall behind
him, and set down the scepter he carried, and said: “Unhappy soul, I shall die
in your place”.
How the courts roared disapproval. How the Emperor’s
companions and advisors clamored that he had gone mad. Charles’ own family wept
bitterly. His wife begged that he reconsider as his son Ferdinand clutched
desperately to him. But the Emperor strode with careful determination down the
steps before his throne and commanded that it be done to him as he had spoken,
further commanding that the criminal Leonardus execute the judgment himself,
that he raise the whip that would scourge the royal flesh from Charles’ back,
that he bind the king’s legs to the horse that would drag him to his execution,
that he himself raise the blade that was due his own name.
Now, this story never happened and Charles the Emperor did
not die in this fashion, but it illustrates the magnitude of the crucifixion of
the King of Glory.
All night we’ve talked of the majesty of God, but He is no
distant Deity. He is no cold and uncaring Monarch. Rather, He saw the sinners
before Him, the rebels, the wicked, those who stoned His prophets and hated His
very words, and He looked upon them with such love that He took the very
penalty that His own holiness demanded they
be punished with, and died as the Suffering Sovereign, the only One in all of
history who died an excruciating death for the lowest and most hateful of His
subjects: you and me and the poor sinners of this world.
If this central truth of Christianity does not blow your
mind, then you are truly dead.
I present to you, ladies and gentlemen, in all this
teaching of theology, not a weak and frail, cutesy, cuddly waif of a Deity but
the very definition of Divine strength, God Almighty, Ruler of all things; nor
some cold and uncaring, aloof Lord who would forbid His subjects from entering
His Presence, but Jesus Christ, the King of kings, who descended from His
throne in heaven saying “Unhappy soul, I shall die in your place!” Behold, your
King!
How do we respond to this, to His Universal Majesty
forsaking the mantle of His glory and taking up our punishment in our place? It
seems we cannot even begin to respond.
But at the very least, any response to God’s Majesty
certainly begins with fear, with worship and with obedience.
Matthew 7:21-23
contains a sad indictment upon those who forget that the King’s word must be
obeyed: Jesus says, “‘Not everyone who
says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does
the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done
many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
That statement carries all the weight of the fear of His
Majesty. Don’t you feel its gravity?
It is not enough, Christian, that you merely address God as
Lord. Call Him ‘Lord’ all you want but the title is meaningless unless there is
obedience to back it up. It is not enough to verbally proclaim His Majesty, nor
is it enough to intellectually hold His Majesty… you must also practically obey
His Majesty.
Tragically, many will have lived their entire lives calling Jesus their Lord but living
entirely as if they ruled their own lives, doing whatever they please whether
it matches up with the words of the King or not, and they shall discover when
all is said and done and the time of Judgment arrives that God will say to them
“I never knew you” because they did not obey Him as their Lord at all.
My dear friends, I would be an immoral monster if I wished
that on anyone. And I certainly do not wish it upon you.
Maybe tonight needs to come as a stark warning to you that
we can call Jesus Christ our Lord, we can study this attribute of His Majesty,
but the title goes hand in hand with obedience. Lords are meant to be obeyed.
Is He not worthy of your obedience?
I’m not talking about failures. I’m talking about submitting
your life to His Lordship and purposing to do as He has said, rather than
merely going about your business as if there were no Lord above at all. The one
who believes will obey.
In closing, A.W. Tozer once said: “The true follower of Christ will not
ask, ‘If I embrace this truth, what will it cost me?’ Rather he will say, ‘This
is truth. God help me to walk in it,
let come what may!’”
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