Jul 24
21
Baptist Catechism 29
Q. 29. How doth Christ execute the office of a king?
A. Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to Himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all His and our enemies. (Ps. 110:3; Matt. 2:6; 1 Cor. 15:25)
Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1–6
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:1–6, ESV)
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Brothers and sisters, I’ll begin by reminding you that we are considering the work of Christ in this portion of our catechism. It was in Baptist Catechism questions 24-25 that we considered the person and natures of Christ. In other words, those questions and answers addressed the questions, who and what is Jesus? The question behind Baptist Catechism questions 26-31 is, what is the work that Christ has done to redeem us from our sin and misery? As you probably know by now, our catechism presents the work of Christ by considering the offices he has fulfilled. An office is a work to be done. Jesus Christ, the only redeemer of God’s elect, has fulfilled three offices. We have considered his prophetic and priestly offices. Today we will consider his kingly office.
Consider, briefly, four things about Christ the Redeemer and his kingly office:
One, Jesus Christ was not the first king of God’s people.
Under the Old Mosaic Covenant, many kings were appointed to rule within Israel. To learn about Israel’s kings, you may read 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. The history of Israel’s kings is rather sad. It did not begin well with the choosing of Saul. Israel wanted a king like all the other nations. God allowed them to have Saul. He was a disaster because he was worldly and faithless (see 1 Samuel 15:23). Afterwards, David was anointed king. David was far from perfect, but he was a man after God’s heart (see 1 Samuel 13:14). This means he was a man of faith. This also means that he understood the kings of Israel were to rule under God’s supreme authority. David was the greatest of the kings of Israel. The nation was settled and well-established under his rule. His son Solomon enjoyed the fruits of that, but he turned his back on the LORD. Of all the kings that descended from David and Solomon, some were faithful, but most were unfaithful. When you read the story of Israel’s kings, you will notice this theme: As goes the king, so goes the kingdom. Kings are to protect the citizens of their kingdom. They are to rule over them justly. They are to lead. When the kings of Israel (and later Judah) honored the Lord, the nation was blessed. When they dishonored the Lord, the nation was cursed.
The second thing I would like you to consider is that long ago it was promised that a great King would arise in the line of David.
2 Samuel 7 is a very important Scripture text. In it, we find a record of what is called the Davidic Covenant. There God promises many things to King David as it pertains to his kingdom. Listen to verses 12-13. There the Lord promises David, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12–13, ESV). In verse 16 the Lord says, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16, ESV).
So, God promised to raise up a son from David who would rule over his kingdom forever. This should sound familiar. Just as God promised that the Messiah would be a priest who served forever, God also promised that David would have a son who would rule and reign forever.
This combination of the priestly and kingly offices is also observed in Psalm 110 which we read earlier. Here is again: “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek’” (Psalm 110:1–4, ESV).
Notice a few things about this very important text: One, this king who would be David’s son would also be David’s Lord. That is why David said, “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand…” etc. The first LORD mentioned is God. And who is the second Lord mentioned? He is the king who would descend from David. So, David’s son would be greater than him. Jesus makes much of this in Luke 20:41-44. Two, this great king would be invited to sit, not on an earthly throne, but at God’s right hand in heaven. Three, this king would sit there until all his enemies were subdued. Four, many will be judged by this king, being placed under his feet. Five, his people would offer themselves freely on the day of his power. In other words, many would bow the knee to him freely and surrender to him as Lord. It is no wonder that many were eagerly awaiting the arrival of this Anointed King or Messiah.
This leads to our third consideration concerning Christ’s kingly office. Though Jesus Christ was not the first king, he is by far the greatest King. He is the King of Psalm 110. He is the King of 2 Samuel 7. He is the King who descended from David. He is the King who rules and reigns forever over God’s eternal kingdom. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords (see Revelation 19:16).
The New Testament Scriptures teach this in many different ways. Listen to the very first verse of the New Testament. Matthew 1:1 says, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Matthew begins his gospel by telling us that Jesus Christ is the son that was promised to David as recorded in 2 Samuel 7.
When the angel Gabriel came to make the announcement to the virgin Mary that she would conceive and give birth to a son, he said, among other things, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31–33, ESV).
Many other proofs could be piled up in support of the claim that Jesus is the Anointed son of David, the King of God’s eternal kingdom. I’ll present one more passage to you from the book of Revelation. Here we find a picture of the return of Christ and the final judgment. In Revelation 19:11 we read, “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:11–16, ESV).
The fourth and final thing I would like you to consider about Christ’s kingly work is that in this office, Christ the Redeemer meets our needs.
What needs does Christ meet as our king? One, subduing us to himself. We need him to do this because we are by nature rebels and enemies of God. Two, he rules over us. Those who have Jesus as Savior also have him as Lord (see Romans 10:9). Lords rule over their people! Christ is a most merciful and kind ruler. Three, Christ defends his people. Listen to the words of Christ in John 10:25: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one” (John 10:27–30, ESV). Four, Christ restrains all of his and our enemies (see Revelation 20:1-3). Five, Christ conquers all of his and our enemies, the last enemy to be conquered is death. You can hear echoes of Psalm 110 in 1 Corinthians 15:25-27. There Paul writes about Christ, saying, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For ‘God has put all things in subjection under his feet’” (1 Corinthians 15:25–27, ESV).
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I would like to conclude this little sermon by reading Second London Confession chapter 8 paragraphs 9 and 10 to you. This will serve as a nice conclusion to this sermon and to this section of our catechism.
Paragraph 9. This office of mediator between God and man is proper only to Christ, who is the prophet, priest, and king of the church of God; and may not be either in whole, or any part thereof, transferred from him to any other. (1 Timothy 2:5)
Paragraph 10. This number and order of offices is necessary; for in respect of our ignorance, we stand in need of his prophetical office; and in respect of our alienation from God, and imperfection of the best of our services, we need his priestly office to reconcile us and present us acceptable unto God; and in respect to our averseness and utter inability to return to God, and for our rescue and security from our spiritual adversaries, we need his kingly office to convince, subdue, draw, uphold, deliver, and preserve us to his heavenly kingdom. (John 1:18; Colossians 1:21; Galatians 5:17; John 16:8; Psalms 110:3; Luke 1:74, 75)
