Turn with me now to Hebrews chapter four. Hebrews four. Last Wednesday night from verses one to 11, we looked at Christ, our rest, And all day today, we've been seeing why Christ is our rest. From verses 12 and 13 this morning, we saw that it's because Christ is our prophet. From verses 14 and 15, we saw that it's because Christ is our priest. And tonight from verse 16, we're gonna see that it's because Christ is our king.

prophet, priest, and king. When our Lord Jesus Christ came into this world, that's what he came as, because that's what he is. We needed the word of our prophet, and that's why Christ came. We needed the sacrifice of our priest, that's why Christ came. And we need the reigning authority of our king. We need that. Don't you love, doesn't it bring you great comfort knowing that our king sovereignly reigns? We need that, and that's why Christ came to us. He came to fulfill everything that we needed in him being our prophet, our priest, and our king.

And now let's end our day today by focusing one minute on Christ our King. Verse 16, it says, Hebrews 4 verse 16, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. The throne of grace, the throne of our king.

Now what is a king? What is a king? We started this morning, what is a prophet? And then we ask, what is a priest? Well, what is a king? And not just what do we think a king is in our mind, What does God's word say a king is? Turn with me over to Deuteronomy 17. Deuteronomy 17. The heading at the top of my page above verse 14 says that this ending portion is the duty of a king. These are the requirements, the commandments for a king.

Deuteronomy 17 verse 14, it says, when thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me, thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose. One from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee. Thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother, but he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to the end that he should multiply horses. For as much as the Lord hath said unto you, you shall henceforth return no more that way. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself that his heart turn not away, neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

And it shall be when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests, the Levites, and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes to do them, that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand or to the left, to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.

God said, this is what I require of my true king. Number one, he must be chosen of God. Number two, he must be chosen out of his brethren, one from among his brethren. Number three, he cannot live for himself. He must live for his people. Number four, he must faithfully be the husband of one wife, one bride. Number five, he must hold God's law in his hand and he must read it every day in order to fear the Lord and to keep every single word that is written in this law to do him. Number six, his heart cannot be lifted up above his brethren. He must be meek and lowly in heart. In number seven, he cannot change from this commandment. He cannot turn to the right hand or to the left. He must be the same yesterday, today, and for all of his days that God gives to him.

Those were the requirements that God gave. And those requirements describe no king, but one. No king but one.

Turn with me to Proverbs 29. Proverbs 29 verse 14, it says, the king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established forever. He has to faithfully judge the poor, righteously, rightly. That describes no king but one. No king but one.

Look with me at Isaiah 9. Isaiah chapter 9. Verse 6. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."

That's a wonderful announcement. You know, Romans 10 talks about men and women who have a zeal of God, but it's not according to knowledge. Well, he has it according to knowledge, and you've never seen zeal like this. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this. His government, His peace, His kingdom, it's the only one that will stand from henceforth even forever.

And who is this king? Who is this great king? It's this child that was born, born of a virgin, born into Bethlehem. He is the great king. He is the great king. He is the prophet. He is the priest. He is the king.

Now let's acknowledge four things concerning Christ, our great king. All right, four things.

Number one, turn with me to Matthew chapter two. Matthew 2 verse 1, it says, now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem saying, where is he that is born king of the Jews? Verse one says, Herod was the lowercase K King. But these very wise men wanted to know where is he that is born capital K King?

Here's the first thing I want to acknowledge. This king of kings was born king. He was born king. He came into this world already king. Already king.

Years ago, many, many years ago now, Doris Mahan used to teach the kindergarten Bible class, kindergarten Sunday school class, that preschool age. And they were studying the scripture where the people tried to lay hold on the Lord to make him their king. They decided they were gonna make him their king. And they tried to lay hold of him and the Lord just passed right through him and went on about his way. And Doris asked the kids, Why wouldn't the Lord allow them to make him to be king? And a six-year-old Todd Nybert said, because he already was king. And she said, that's right. He already was king. We don't make him Lord, he already is Lord. He was born king. He was born Lord and king, king of kings and Lord of lords. He left his kingdom to be born into this world. King of heaven, king of earth. He was born that way. Born king.

Turn with me now to John 18. John 18, verse 33, it says, Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again and called Jesus and said unto him, Art thou the king of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priest have delivered thee unto me. What hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Chapter 19, verse 1, then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him, and the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe and said, Hail, King of the Jews. And they smote him with their hands. Verse 14, and it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour, And Pilate said unto the Jews, behold your king. Verse 19, and Pilate wrote a title and put it on a cross, and the writing was Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. Verse 30 says, when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished, and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.

Our Lord was born king and he died king. He died king. Back in chapter 18 he said, to this end was I born and for this cause came I into the world. He was born king to die king.

And you think about this, I really did have a moment to enter into this, you think about the fact that it took the death of the King of Heaven to save us from our sins. You think about what it took. If there would have been any lesser way, that way would have been done, but there was no other way. There was only one way. There was only one way to redeem God's people from their sins. It took the royal blood of God, the kingly blood of God Almighty to redeem us from our ruin. That ought to tell us something of how wicked we truly are in this flesh. That's what it took. The very king himself had to die to deliver us from our condemnation. And He did deliver us from our condemnation. The death of Christ our King was a successful, victorious death that accomplished the redemption that it was purposed for.

How do we know that? Turn over about two pages to Acts chapter two. Maybe three pages. Acts chapter two. Verse 22. You men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know, Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Verse 32. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which you now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens, but he saith himself, the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ. How do we know that our king's death was an accomplishing, saving, victorious death for his people? It's because he arose king. He ascended king and he sat down on his throne king.

Turn with me over to Hebrews chapter 1. Verse one says, God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by son, his is in italics, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, he sat down on the right hand of the majesty.

The right hand of the majesty means the seat of honor, the seat of authority, the seat of kingship. It does not mean next to the seat of kingship. It means the very seat of the throne itself. That's where he sat down. Our Lord Jesus Christ was born king. He died king. He arose and ascended king, and thank God he ever lives and reigns king.

Look right here in Hebrews 1 at verse 8. But unto the Son, the Father saith, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. There will never come a time when he will not live and reign king. There will never come a time.

Revelation 19 verse 6 says, Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. He reigneth. He did, he does, he forever will. He reigns. I love how as a picture of Christ, the Queen of Sheba told Solomon, she said, because the Lord loved Israel forever, he made you to be the king. And that will forever be declared concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what all of us will be saying forever because God loved Israel forever. He made you to be the king.

Now unto the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God be honor and glory forever, forever and ever. And I'll leave us with this. Because Christ was born into this world, King, and died in this world, King, and arose and ascended, King, and ever lives and reigns King. Because of that, our text, which is just one page over in my Bible, Hebrews 4 verse 16 says, let us therefore come boldly with all confidence. That doesn't mean with arrogance, that means with all confidence. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need for anything that we need.

Anytime that we have a need, we have a king that we can go to. We have a king that we can go to who is willing and able to supply that need. He supplied our eternal need of mercy and grace and forgiveness in his own blood, and he's able to supply every other need that we have. every other need that we could possibly have.

Christ is our prophet, Christ is our priest, and Christ is our king. And for that reason, Christ is our rest. He's our rest. I pray the Lord will truly let us do that. You know, we're about to have these holidays and everybody You're gonna work, work, work like crazy up until it's time to get on the couch and sit there for a few minutes. And I do pray that we can rest in him. I do, I pray that we'll have a moment of physical rest, but I pray God will give us a spiritual rest in the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is our holy day. He is our celebration. He is our gift. And I pray God will give us rest in him.