May 12
28
Doctrinal Standard #26 (Week 1 of 3)
- Q. How is Christ a king?
- A. As a king, Christ brings us under His power, rules and defends us, and retrains and conquers all His and all our enemies.
Memory Verses
- “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32–33, ESV).
Scripture
- Study Passage: Acts 2:29-42
- Support Passages: Genesis 49:10; Numbers 24:17; II Samuel 7:16; Psalms 2, 45, 72, 110; Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7; Daniel 7:13-14; Micah 5:2; Zechariah 9:9; Luke 1:31-33; John 18:33-38; Revelation 1, 19:16, etc.
- Bible Story: Matthew 21:1-11 (Zechariah 9:9)
Thoughts
- Peter, in his sermon as recorded in Acts 2, contrasts King David with King Jesus. Peter reminds his audience that King David died, was buried, and his remains are in the ground. Jesus, being of the lineage of King David was crucified, buried, and then resurrected and is seated at the right hand of God forever ruling over His people.
- “In the Old Testament the king has authority to rule over the nation of Israel. In the New Testament, Jesus was born to be King of the Jews (Matt.2:2), but he refused any attempt by the people to try and make him an earthly king with earthly military and political power (John 6:15). He told Pilate, “My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might be handed over to the Jew; but my kingship is not from the world” (John 18:36). Nonetheless, Jesus did have a Kingdom whose arrival he announced in his preaching (Matt 4:17, 23; 12:28, et al.) He is in fact the true King of the new people of God. Thus, Jesus refused to rebuke his disciples who cried out at his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38; cf. vv.39-40; also Matt 21:5; John 1:49; Acts 17:7). [1]
Discussion Questions
- What type of king did most of the people of Jesus’ day expect Him to be?
- What makes Jesus like no other king?
- How does Christ bring us under His power?
- How does Christ rule and defend us?
- How will Christ conquer all of His and all our enemies?
[1] Grudem, Wayne (1994). Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA; Zondervan Publishing House.
