THE KINGSHIP OF JESUS OVER OUR LIVES.( YOUTHS)
The word king and kingship are common Biblical words occurring over 2500 times in the OT, and 275times in the OT. The term is not only applicable to human ruler but also to God.
A king is a person invested with supreme authority over a nation, tribe or country , whether extensive or limited .
– Kingship is the position, office or dignity of a king . Is the personality of a king. Is a government by a king .(Luke 1:32-33)[ESV] 32″ He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
– 2kings 19:15 [ESV] 15″ And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.”
1 Timothy 6 [ESV] 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession,14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
-If we could understand how impossible our situation is, we would grow in reverence for the kingship of Christ.
What does the kingship of JESUS Christ mean? Or what does Jesus the king of my life mean?
1. It means His throne is established in your life and His Kingdom rules or reigns over every area of your life. ( psalms 102:152 ” But you , Lord are enthroned forever , your fame endures to all generation .
Psalms 113:5 Who is like the Lord our God the one enthroned on high
-Ephesians 3 [ESV] 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
-Revelation 3:20″ Behold , I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door , I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with me.
-1John 3:24 ” The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him we know by this that He abides in us , by the spirit whom He has given us.
2. It means allowing Jesus Christ to have the ownership of your life in reality and in totality. Which means ( 1) He is the God of your life. 2) He is the Savior of your life. 3) He is the All of your life! –
– Ps.7:2 “For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.”
– Ps.95:3 “For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods.”
It is not allowing your life to be controlled by yourself. He own life , time and resources. When a person says, ‘I own my life; I will live my life the way I want it. Don’t tell me what to do with my life’, it means such a person there is no kingship of Christ in his or her life.
3. It means allowing Christ to dictate the direction of your life.( So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. Genesis 12:4.)
When God dictates the direction of your life, you do not do things as you want but as He wants .
4. It means allowing God to have the final say over the issues of your life. For example work, marriage, business, carriers , education , relationships etc.( . He is the source of life (Read Colossians 1:15-18).
# The creator, The sustainer,The giver of life, In him is life (John 5:26 – “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself”).
5. It means sacrificing your personal agenda on the altar of consecration and relationship with Christ Jesus.
This means, you only do what God wants you to do. You will not do what is not in God’s agenda for your life.( Luke . 1:38 ” Mary responded , I am the Lord’s servant . May everything you have said about me come true ” And then the angel left her.)
( Galatians 2:20 ” I have been crucified with Christ ; It’s no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God , who loved me and gave Himself for me.
– Christianity is rooted in a deep belief in the universal reign of God through Christ. To be a disciple is to acknowledge the reign and to embrace the lifelong journey of submitting more and more of every aspect of your life to His good ,just and peaceable reign, as well as alerting others to God’s kingship by both words and deeds.
LIFE LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM KING JOSIAH!!
Wisdom 1 The Word of God left us some valuable lessons we could learn from those who came before us. God looked out for us by giving us his word in-spite of what happened in the Garden of Eden thousands of years ago. King Josiah whose story is told in 2 Kings chapter twenty two and twenty three is someone we all can truly learn from. Here are four quick facts about King Josiah who became king at the young age of 8 that we could learn from.
1. When he heard the Word of God his heart was convicted.
2 Kings 22:11 New International Version
11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes.
2. He shared God’s word after hearing it showing true leadership as a King.
2 Kings 23:2-3 New International Version
2 He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 3 The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book.
3. His people followed his leadership because he was willing to lead by example.
2 Kings 23:3 Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.
4. He got rid of anything that was against God’s will
2 Kings 23:4-7 New International Version
4 The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in rank and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the Lord all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel. 5 He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts. 6 He took the Asherah pole from the temple of the Lord to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem
and burned it there. He ground it to powder and scattered the dust over the graves of the common people. 7 He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes that were in the temple of the Lord, the quarters where women did weaving for Asherah.
I) JOSIAH WAS KING OF JUDAH IN A MOST TUMULTOUS TIME
A) He Was Great Grandchild Of Hezekiah. Similarities:
1) Both had close personal relationships with God
2) Both possessed passion for reformation of God’s people
B) Both Had Made God’s “Short List” of “Good Kings” cf David
1) Most of the others were easily swayed by the nations
2) Of Josiah it is recorded, “Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.” II Kings 23:25
II) JOSIAH BECAME KING AT AGE EIGHT(not too young to follow)
A) He had lots of help from Hilkiah and others. Good influences.
1) Step One: “And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” II Kings 22:1,2
(a) To “do right” = “to walk a straight road.” (op. “being crooked.”
(b) He sought good counsel, followed the godly example of David and Hezekiah and practiced obedience to God.
(c) This is a good start. Have you made that decision: “Lord, I do not know what is involved, but I wish to follow you. Help me to learn and grow.”
III) WHEN HE WAS SIXTEEN JOSIAH BEGAN SEEKING THE LORD
A) Step Two: Josiah Becomes A True Seeker After God.
1) He understood there was sickness in the land.
2) To seek= “to tread frequently before.” He would now be praying often, recalling good influences and learning.
3) The worst of time- “There is none who seeks for God”
4) The best of times- “But from there (among idols) who will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him, if you search for him with all your heart and all your soul.”- Deut. 4:28,29
B) This Is Growth; from walking to seeking. It is expected and natural.
1) As you look over your Christian life are you happy with your maturity level?
2) With no reference to anyone here, I say, one can attend worship for many years and never know much about God and the Bible.
(a) It is lack of seeking Him? Commitment to walk with Him?
IV) JOSIAH BEGAN PURGING HIS KINGDOM sin explored not ignored
A) Step Three: “In the twelfth year(20 years old) he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and metal Images” (II Chron. 34:3)
B) The church today must beware of the same kind of spiritual decay. Do building, budgets and program make us feel good because other people do them? Is there evidence of true holiness in our lives and worship? Do we frame what we do in Bible terms or those gleaned from corporations?
V) THE PURGING CONTINUED WITH A POSITIVE STEP- Temple Restoration. Age 26
A) Step Four: “Now in the eighteenth year of his reign. When he had cleansed the land and the house, he sent Shapan….to repair the house of the Lord his God” II Chron. 34:8
B) Just as in the first step, Josiah wanted to “go straight,” so he is calling attention to those around him to put God and his worship back as number one.
1) Honestly, how far have we slipped from such dedication?
2) Which of you, when asked to do something or make an important decision, first says, “Let me talk to God about this?
3) Who questions whether his/her decision will lead closer to God or away from Him?
4) Does it matter to others if you God is not #1 in your life?
VI) TEMPLE RESTORATION BROUGHT A BEAUTIFUL BONUS-the book of the law is found.
A) The Nation Of Israel Had Been Built On The Book Of God
1) Deut. 6:4-9-each man, woman and child had it at the core.
2) God, from His Word, was at the centre of all things. Voices from outside were rejected or compared to His Word.
B) Our Nation Were Built On The Book Of God
1) What have we allowed to happen? Even in the church???
2) Churches are under attack from a subtle enemy.
(c) Try our worldly mold, we are good people!
3) “What does the Bible say?” is still a valid reply
C) The Good King Who Always “Walked With God” Responds:
1) He is reminded of the consequence of disobedience
2) He tears his clothes and asks for more information.
By Apostle Gift Sira. 