12/30/2010

Our Lord Jesus: the King of Glory

How little we will know our Saviour if our knowledge of Christ begins with the Gospel of Matthew and ends with the Gospel of John.


I've already linked to this sermon by Rev David Murray, which speaks of Christ the Creator. It really is worth hearing, and if you're able to at all, have a listen.


Then there's this sermon - I am Joseph, by Rev Joel Beeke. You looking for Christ in Genesis? Have a listen to this!


And here's one speaking of the appearance of the second Person of the Godhead in the Old Testament as a Theophany. It's called The Angel Did Wondrously, and it's taken from Judges 13:9.


This sermon takes us to the very end of Scripture. 'God's Final Invitation of Mercy, by Rev Gavin Beers, is preached on the words of Revelation 22:17 and is worth a listen.


My first minister, when I was newly converted, preached Christ constantly, and yet a look at the list of his sermon texts would have found him in the Old Testament just as regularly as in the New Testament. I 'grew up' spiritually listening to these sermons, and my memory of them is that they were full of Christ, Christ, Christ.


Christ in Genesis. Christ in the Passover. Christ through the wilderness in the rock and in the pillar of fire. Christ in the Levitical sacrifices. Christ in the Tabernacle. Christ in the prophets; in the well-known characters of our Bible 'stories'; in the Psalms.


We heard of Christ as the second Person of the Trinity, covenanting from all eternity to redeem those whom the Father gave Him.


We heard of Christ walking in the garden, communing with Adam. And then, coming to ask, 'Adam, where art thou?'.


We heard of how the Passover spoke of our Saviour: a lamb, without spot or blemish - the shed blood causing the Angel of death to pass by.... and we learned of so many aspects of the ceremonial law and how they spoke of Christ and His redemptive work.


I could go on and on, but for now, these memories are enough to make sure I am not tempted to think of my Saviour beginning in Matthew. He is so much more glorious and wonderful and mighty and awesome and majestic than that. 


"Behold I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee to the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him, and obey His voice, provoke Him not; for He will not pardon your transgressions: for My name is in Him" Exodus 23:20, 21. 


This doesn't sound like a 'Gentle Jesus, meek and mild', does it? If we do not want our view of our Lord Jesus Christ skewed, we must take the whole of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, and read all of what is written about our Lord.


I don't think Isaiah's impression was of a 'gentle' and 'mild' Jesus either, when, 


"In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.... Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone: because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." Isaiah 6:1, 2, 3, 5


And to one of my favourite passages of Scripture:

Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
and be lifted up, ye everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
even lift them up, ye everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts, 
He is the King of glory.
                                               Psalm 24:7-10

1 comment:

  1. I love the verses of Psalm 24 you posted. There is so much to know about Jesus, the Son of God, who would give so much because He loves us!

    ReplyDelete

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