Would you turn with me to John,
chapter six? I've entitled this message. King
Jesus. I like that title. Let's read verses 14 and 15 of
John, chapter six. Then those men, when they had
seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth, that
prophet that should come into the world. When Jesus therefore
perceived that they would come and take him by force to make
him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself, alone. This world that you and I are
living in is a messed up, evil place. A seemingly hopeless war is going
on in the Middle East. Different countries doing whatever
they can to rise to power and have the preeminence over the
other. Poverty, disease, prejudice,
crime, abuse, perversions, broken homes, broken lives, loneliness,
isolation, corruption, corruption in government here and everywhere
else. Oh, the havoc that sin has made
of this place we're living. a truly good person was elected
king. What if this person had the power
to solve all of these problems I've just mentioned? Wouldn't that be wonderful? A truly good person Would that
describe Jesus of Nazareth? A truly good person. One who has the power to solve
all of our problems. Now in verse 14 of our text,
then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did,
they were eyewitnesses to this miracle. He brought food into
existence that was not there before. They saw this man has
the power. He has the ability to take care
of all of our problems. That's what they concluded from
that. When they saw the miracle that
he did, they made a proper conclusion. This is that prophet that Moses
spoke of. There's no doubt about this.
This is the coming prophet. This is the one God said he would
send. So far, so good. Verse 15. When Jesus therefore perceived
that they would come and take him by force to make him a king,
he left them. Now, they thought this is what's
going to get the world straightened out. We'll make him a king. But
he refused. He withdrew himself. Now, why?
Why did he reject this? Now, you know as well as I do
that he would be infinitely superior to any other king. That we could
vote him to office. You know, I would say I realize
what I say is people don't really understand who the Lord Jesus
Christ really is. But I would say we just had an
election Tuesday. If his name was on the ballot,
who do you reckon would have won? Now, you know, they don't. I
realize that people really knew who he was. They might not vote.
They wouldn't vote for it. But as far as what people think,
their conceptions of Jesus of Nazareth, if his name was on
the ballot for anything, he'd win. I have no doubt about that. Boy, you know he can take care
of our problems and so on. He went by landslide. But yet
he refused them making him king. Now I want to give you three
reasons as to why he refused this. Now here's the first reason,
because his kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. It's not the
kind of kingdom or government that you and I would think about.
Turn with me to John 18. Look at this. Verse 33 of John, Chapter 18. Then Pilate entered into the
judgment hall again and called Jesus and said unto him, Art
thou the king of the Jews? This is what they're saying of
you. Now, are you really the king of the Jews? Jesus answered
him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell thee
of me? Pilate answered, Am I Jew? Thine own nation and the chief
priests have delivered thee up. What is 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 thence. Now you listen
to me. All the political activism that's done in the name of religion
and Christ is foolishness. His kingdom is not of this world. And when someone is trying to
push His kingdom on this world in legislation and so on, all
they prove by that is they don't know anything of His kingdom.
Because His kingdom is not of this world. He refused their
election of Him into office. Now here's the second reason
he refused their election of him into office. Because if you
or me or anybody else can make him king, who's really running
the show? That would make us king makers. And really the king maker has
more authority than the king. The king is only king because
the king maker made him king. Now the idea of a mere man, making
him king, electing him into office, is insolent, arrogant, and plumb
stupid. I've heard preachers say, make
him the Lord of your life. It's too late. He is the Lord. He is The King God hath made
this same Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. You and
I do not make Him anything. He is. He said, I am that I am. And what you or I think doesn't
have any bearing on who He is. He said, if you believe not that
I am, you shall die in your sins. Now, a word. A worm, that's what
I said, a maggot of the dust, making him to be king. He doesn't
need our vote. He does not need our affirmation. When men think they can make
him anything, he's always going to depart. You and I cannot make
him king. Now, here's the third reason
that he rejected their election of him as king. He already was King. He already was King. King of Kings and Lord of Lords. About a year and two or three
months ago, maybe a little bit more than that, three or four
months ago, I went to a doctor up at the Cleveland Clinic. You
know what I'm talking about. Paul Walmsley got on the internet
and found out the expert on the particular disease that I had
to do that surgery for me. His name was Tom Rice, doctor
up at the Cleveland Clinic. And he's the authority at this
surgery that I had in the esophagectomy. He's the authority at it. Now
this man went to school. He studied hard. He went through his residency.
He went through many years of this practice where he became
an expert at this and he is the authority at this particular
surgery. What if I came up to him and
said, I'm going to make you a doctor. How do you reckon he'd respond
to me? I already am a doctor. He already is king. What is a king? He is the one
who rules. He is the one who reigns. He is the one who is in control. Now, I want to try to say some
things that the Bible teaches about the kingship of Jesus Christ. This is no empty title. He is the King. I love this. You know, there's
some things I love to say. Here's one thing I love to say.
King Jesus. Don't you like saying that? King
Jesus. He is the King. He's not running
for office. He doesn't have to wait to see
if you or I will make Him King. He is King. Now, he's king, first of all,
by virtue of who he is. I'm going to read a passage of
Scripture from 1 Timothy, chapter 1, verse 17. You can look at
this if you want. 1 Timothy 1, 17. Paul says, Now
unto the king, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God. That's who our King is. He who
is eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God. Jesus Christ is the only wise
God. He is King Jesus, the only wise
God. Listen to this scripture from
Revelation 17, 14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the
Lamb shall overcome them. They can't defeat Him. He is
Lord of Lords and King of Kings. That's who He is. Now the excellency,
the glory and the dignity of His person is such that He is
King without us making Him King. His authority is such that he
makes himself king, and he doesn't pause to ask us whether we agree
or not. Listen to this scripture. This
is found in John, where they made this accusation
against him. And I have to say that this accusation
was accurate when they accused him of this. Whosoever maketh
himself a king speaketh against Caesar. You know, he made himself
king. His authority is such that he can make himself king, and
he is king. Caesar was nothing more than
a puppet to the king of kings. I love that passage of Scripture
where Pilate said to him, Speakest thou not to me? Knowest thou
not that I have power to crucify thee, and I have power to let
thee go? Our Lord looked at him and said,
thou couldst have no power at all over me, except it be given
thee from above." You've got no power. He is the absolute, the absolute,
the only King. Would you turn with me to 1 Timothy
chapter Verse 15, which in his times, talking about
the Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Timothy 6, 15, which is in his times,
he shall show who is the blessed and only potentate, the King
of kings and the Lord of lords. Now, he is the absolute and the
only potentate. You know what a potentate is?
That's a word that we don't use much, Dave, but what it means
is absolute authority. He is the only authority. He's not the highest authority.
He is the only authority. What this is speaking of is His
sovereignty. We speak of the sovereignty of
the Lord Jesus Christ, His authority. He's the only potentate. You
know what that means? That means that He is the one
who is absolutely running everything. He doesn't just have the right
to run everything. He's running everything. He's
in control. He's the first cause behind everything. That's what we're talking about
or what the Bible is talking about when we talk about him
being a potentate. His absolute authority, his sovereignty, his
will. He's got a will. There is such a thing as the
will of Jesus Christ. He's got a will. He's got the
power to make sure his will comes to pass. He's got the right to
make sure his will come to pass. And bless his holy name, he does
make his will come to pass. He doeth according to His will
in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth,
and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou?
Give an account for yourself. He doesn't answer to us. He is
the absolute sovereign King. He's ruling and reigning right
now as the blessed and only potentate. The King of Kings and the Lord
of Lords. Boy, I like that. I love it. It just makes me feel
good. He reigns. He reigns over the
physical creation. They said, what manner of man
is this that even the winds and sea obey him? He reigns over demons and devils. You know, the devil's God's devil.
He can't make a move without the very permission of God. He's
on God's chain, and He's under God's thumb. You know, the demons,
they couldn't even move from one place to another without
first asking permission of the Lord Jesus Christ. Suffer us
to go into this herd of swine. We can't go unless you give us
the permission. He reigns over angels. They're His ministers
doing His will. He reigns over wicked men. They can't make a move without
His sovereign, determinate control. He reigns over believers. He's
our King. Thou hast given Him power over
all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou
hast given Him. You know, God the Father testifies
of His kingship. I read about it in Psalm 45,
but turn to Psalm 2, if you would. Psalm 2. Beginning in verse 1. Why did the heathen rage and
the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers took counsel there together against the Lord and
against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands of sundry
and cast away their courts from us. We're not going to have Him
reign over us. He that sitteth in the heavens
shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision,
then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in
his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my
holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree the
Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my son. This day have I begotten
thee. Ask of me, and I will give thee
the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the
earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a
rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's
vessel. Be wise, therefore, O ye kings, be instructed, ye judges
of the earth, serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, this mighty King,
lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way when his wrath is
kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust
in him." Turn over to Hebrews 1. This is a quotation of that
psalm I read in Psalm 45. Verse 8, Hebrews 1, verse 8, But unto
the Son he saith, God saith, this is what God the Father says
to God the Son, Thy throne, O God. Who steps on a throne? A king. Thy throne, O God, endureth forever. A scepter of righteousness is
the scepter of Thou hast loved righteous and hated iniquity,
therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil
of gladness above thy fellows." Now, this is how God the Father
sees him. He sees him as equal with himself,
the mighty King. And God the Father says to God
the Son, Thy throne, O God, is forever. He lived as a king. When he took
on human flesh, when he wore the peasant's garb, he never
laid aside his kingship. When he entered Jerusalem on
that donkey, he did so as a king. Behold, thy king cometh to thee,
meek, sitting on an ass, and a colt, the foal of an ass, and
He performed His miracles in kingly authority. And what comes
to my mind when I think about that, I think of that leper coming
into His presence, falling down before Him and saying, Lord,
if You will, if You will, I've got nothing I can do about this.
I'm totally in Your hands. If You will, You can make me
clean. And listen to the authority of
His Word. will be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was
cleansed. He lived a perfect life before
the law of God as God's holy king with a scepter of righteousness,
loving righteousness and hating iniquity. And he died. He lived as a mighty king and
he died as a mighty king. Do you remember the prophecy
concerning Israel? You can read this in Numbers
chapter 23, verse 21. He hath not beheld iniquity in
Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel. The Lord his God is
with him, and the shout of a king is among them. Now, hold that
thought, and I want you to think about the Lord hanging on the
cross. And what was the accusation against
him? What was written over his head?
Jesus of Nazareth, the what? King of the Jews. That's why they crucified him.
They didn't crucify him as a prophet. They'll take his teaching. You
know, as long as he teaches us and informs us of stuff. They
didn't crucify him as a priest. I mean, he can help us out as
a priest. He's OK. Why did they crucify him? As
a king. We will not have this man to
reign over us is the universal hiss of humanity. You know what? You don't have
any choice. He is the king and reign he does. Now, what was the shout of the
king as he died? Remember, it says the shout of
a king is among them. What was the shout of the king
as he died? What was it that he cried out? Here's the shout
of the king. It is finished. The salvation of everybody he
died for That's why He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, nor
perverseness in Israel. He put it away by His death.
He died as a mighty King. You see, here's the point of
His death. It's who died. It's the King of Kings who died.
That's why everybody He died for must be saved. I can't be anything but completely
saved. If the King died for me, that's
the issue. Who died? It's King Jesus that
died. Can he possibly fail? Can he
not get his will done? You know better than that. He
died as a mighty king. It was as the king of kings that
he walked out of that tomb. And as the Almighty Victorious
King, He ascends back to His Father. Listen to this scripture,
Psalm 24, 7-10, the Ascension Psalm. We read, Lift up your
heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors,
and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord Strong and Mighty. The
Lord Mighty in battle. Who is the King of Glory? The
Lord of Hosts. He is the King of Glory, and
He is right now ruling and reigning. King Melchizedek, King of Salem,
Priest of the Most High God, which being interpreted is King
of Righteousness, the Scripture says in Hebrews 7, and King of
Peace. And what a righteous Peaceful
kingdom is his kingdom. And he'll one day return as the
mighty king, as the prince of the kings of the earth, and in
the final judgment, he'll be judging as a mighty king. Turn
with me to Matthew 25. I love this passage of scripture.
I love the imagery it gives to us. When the Son of Man shall come
in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He
sit upon the throne of His glory. And before Him shall be gathered
all nations, and He shall separate them one from another, as the
shepherd divided the sheep from the goats. And He shall set the
sheep on His right hand, but the goats on His Then shall the
King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world." It's the King who speaks from His throne. Throughout all eternity, He will
be worshipped, according to Revelation chapter 15, verse 3, as the King
of saints. And they sing the song of Moses,
the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and
marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are
thy ways, thou King of saints. Now, he is king. Us making king? That's offensive, isn't it? That's
ridiculous. He is King. And He's my King. David spoke
in Psalm 5 too, like this. My King. And my God. He is my King. You know, this is the preaching
actually that disturbs the world. What we're talking about right
now. This is where people have a hard time. Who He is. Listen to this scripture, Acts
17, verses 6-8. We read, These that have turned
the world upside down, or come hither also, whom Jason hath
received, and these do all contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying
that there is another king, one Jesus. And they troubled the
people and the rulers of the city when they heard these things.
Now, this is the preaching that troubles and disturbs people. He is King. Well, He is King. That's the
truth. What then? What then? How do we conclude? What now? He is the King. What
now? Here's the first thing. Bow. Bow before this mighty King. Now, You're going to have to
bow. You don't have any choice in
this. Scripture says that in the name of Jesus, every knee
is going to bow. And you're included in that.
You can bow now or you can bow later. The thing to do is bow
now. Because in the name of Jesus,
God has made sure that every knee is going to bow and every
tongue is going to confess that He is Lord to the glory of God
the Father. Bow down before this Almighty
King. And if you don't bow now, you
are in a world of trouble. And if you continue in that state,
you will be eternally damned. And that is what you richly deserve. If any man loved not the Lord
Jesus Christ, if any man loved not his kingship, his absolute
rule and reign, if any man loved not the Lord Jesus Christ, let
him be anathema maranatha. let him be damned upon the return
of the Lord." Now that's solemn language, but it's the truth.
He is the King. Bow down. You're in my heart
right now. The Lord knows whether I'm doing
it or not. I know I'm sinning. But in my heart right now, I'm in
the dirt at His feet, bowing at His mighty kingship. He's
the King. Bow down. Sue for mercy. You're in His hands. What's going
to happen to you is totally up to Him. You don't have any control
in this thing. Not a bit. Only one thing to
do is sue for mercy. The only hope you have is that
this Almighty King will extend mercy to you. Do you remember
Esther when she said, I can't go into his presence
and be accepted unless he just puts out the royal scepter and
accepts me. And if I'm not called into his
presence, I'm in trouble. I mean, the only way I can survive
is if he extends that royal scepter to me. And she said, well, I'm
going to perish if I don't go. I'm going. I'm going. If I perish, I perish. There's
nothing I can do about it. You know what the king did? He extended
to her that royal scepter of mercy. Sue for mercy. Right now. Ask Him to have mercy
on you. Obey His command. Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. What are we to
do? We're to obey the command of
the King. If He says believe, don't you
reckon you Better believe. Your right to believe comes with
his command. If he says believe, believe right
now. Don't worry about, well, what if I'm not going to elect?
Don't even worry about that. Believe is command. Now I want
to close by looking at a Psalm 44. Would you turn with me there? Verse 4, Psalm 44, verse 4. Thou art my king, O God. Command deliverances for Jacob. And that word, deliverances,
is the word that's generally translated salvation. Lord, you're the king. You're
my king. Would you command my salvation?
Would you command those deliverances in the plural? There's all kinds
of deliverances I need. Just a host of them. And there's
nothing I can do about any of them. Oh, as the great mighty
King, will you be pleased to command deliverances to this
Jacob, this sinful heel, this one who can't do anything for
himself? As my almighty King, would you
be pleased to command by almighty, invincible power, deliverances
for me? Now, that's my prayer. He's my
King. I'm glad he's my king, and I
say, Lord, as my king, command salvation, command deliverances
in whatever I need for me. Amen. Let's pray together.