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King Of Kings - Your Kingdom Come! Series
Contributed by Dean Courtier on May 1, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: King Charles III may have his kingdom, Jesus is the king of a different kind of kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven.
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King of Kings - “Your kingdom come!”
Unless you have been hiding in a cave somewhere, you probably noticed that yesterday was the coronation of King Charles.
TV cameras captured the events of the day as across the country and around the world, there were many activities and parties to commemorate the day.
In London, there were crowds of people lining the streets and celebrating as the King passed by. I did not see any Palm branches being waved, or people throwing their coats on the ground in front of the royal procession but I was reminded of Palm Sunday and the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
While King Charles may have his kingdom, Jesus is the king of a different kind of kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus is a different kind of king; Jesus is the messiah king. Jesus is the King of kings.
For years the people of Israel were waiting for their Messiah King to arrive, and arrive He did, but not in the way they were expecting.
Jesus did not enter into Jerusalem the way people expected the Messiah to arrive. Instead of entering into Jerusalem as a conquering king riding on a fine horse, he arrived like a lowly servant riding on the back of a borrowed donkey.
I am sure none of us would imagine that instead of being part of the royal procession, King Charles should have got on a bus, or hitch-hiked his way to Westminster Abbey.
We have a certain expectation about how a king should conduct himself, don’t we?
One of King Charles's roles is the military's Commander-in-Chief and he has vowed to serve the UK and Commonwealth with "loyalty, respect and love".
For all the love Charles may express for the UK and Commonwealth, it is nothing compared to the love expressed by God to us.
John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
And listen to 1 John 3:16, “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us.”
Now I don’t know much about King Charles, but I think I am pretty accurate in saying he would not be willing to send one of his sons to die on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin.
I am also confident that while I believe that Charles is King, belief in King Charles will not give me eternal life.
The Bible is clear when it explains that the only way to eternal life is by repenting from our sins and accepting Jesus as our Lord, Saviour and King.
King Jesus is the only one who can save us, the only King that will enable us to experience the manifold blessings and grace of God in our lives.
If you watched the ceremony yesterday, you probably saw many people that the world would say are important or special – world leaders, bastions of industry, celebrities, and the great and so-called good of the world.
All of those people were invited to be there.
That got me thinking about another difference between King Charles and King Jesus. The only way to be in the presence of King Charles yesterday was by invitation, while King Jesus welcomes everyone with open arms.
To be in the presence of King Jesus is not something reserved or restricted to those with power, fame or position. A place is available for all who call Jesus Lord and Saviour - the meek, the broken-hearted, the gentle, the persecuted, the forgotten, Jesus freely invites all to come to Him. Jesus is available for all of us because all of us need Jesus.
Is Jesus your King of kings, and Lord of lords?
Have you repented from your sin and accepted Jesus as Lord, Saviour and King of your life?
Are you part of the Kingdom of God?
You have probably read the Sermon on the Mount. - many people had gathered to listen to Jesus, during the sermon, Jesus taught His disciples what has become known as the Lord's prayer.
The second petition of that prayer is “Thy kingdom come.” or in modern English ‘Your kingdom come”.
While every king has some kind of kingdom, the “Thy or Your” in the Lord's prayer calls our attention to the nature of the kingdom — it is the kingdom that belongs to and comes from God.
It is to our heavenly Father that we pray, “Your kingdom come.”
The “kingdom” of God is the dynamic reign of God as King.
Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God existing in both the present and the future. In Luke 17:21 Jesus affirmed to His disciples, “You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”