The Coronation of King Jesus

Jesus had a traveling sermon that he preached everywhere he went.  We find the outline of that sermon in Mark 1:14-15, “…Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'”

We tend to think of the gospel as the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, and it is, but the gospel is NOT limited to those three truths we celebrated last week.  The gospel is connected to the King and the Kingdom of God.  Jesus is THE King, the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords.

King Jesus received his crown on the cross both literally, in the crown of thorns, and figuratively.  But, his coronation as King actually happens forty days later.  What is amazing about the coronation of King Jesus is that we actually get to see two perspectives of this event.  We see earth’s view in Acts 1 and Daniel prophetically gave us heaven’s view in Daniel 7.  Let me show you…

Acts 1:9, “And when he (Jesus) said these things, as they (the apostles) were looking on, he was lifted up, and cloud took him out of their sight.”   Can you imagine what it would have been like to witness the ascension of Jesus Christ?  It is so incredible to the apostles that they do not even recognize that two angels have appeared.  Those angelic messengers remind the disciples, as they stand gazing into heaven, that Jesus is going to return in the same way they saw him go.

Now, look at Daniel 7:13-14, “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.  And 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 one that shall not be destroyed.”

The cloud that took him out of the sight of the apostles, took him to the Ancient of Days (a metaphor for God the Father) where he was given dominion, glory and a KINGDOM.  What a picture…what a KING!  As our King, he has all authority, all dominion, and whether people on Earth choose to give it to him or not he still has all glory.  Those who refuse to give him that glory now, will still bow and confess at the end of all things that he is the one and only King.

Look at one more passage with me…1 Corinthians 15:24, “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.”  This kingdom that Jesus has been given will one day be given back to the Ancient of Days and Paul says that God will be ALL in ALL.  I can’t even begin to imagine what that will look like.  But I am going to live my life in subjection, willing subjection, to King Jesus so that I can be there when that happens.

Subjection to this King is not difficult.  He is all powerful, all knowing, all present, and all loving.  He is good.  He is gracious.  Praise the Ancient of Days he is gracious.  He has walked where I have walked, experienced everything I have experienced and more.  Satan thought that by killing the King it would all be over, but ironically, it was in his death and resurrection that Jesus becomes victorious and crushes the head of the enemy.

So, while I am a citizen of this great country and do my best to honor its laws, as God would have me, my allegiance is NOT here, my allegiance lies with King Jesus.  I will seek him first above all else.  I will live for his agenda, not mine or anyone else’s for that matter.  I will obey his commands and I will, day by day, try to be more like my amazing King.  I will honor him, glorify him, and worship him with all that I have because this King is worthy.  He is unlike any other king in the history of the world.

Where does your allegiance lie?