When you hear sermons about Jesus (especially the ones that tell you to follow Him and imitate Him), how do you imagine Him? I usually remember stories from the Gospel and in my head, I see a picture of a man with kind eyes, all-forgiving, washing people's feet.
But recently, while thinking about Jesus, I realized one simple truth: a humble servant is only one of Jesus' characteristics. If you read the book of Revelation you will see, that He's also described as a glorified King!
Jesus is King
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Rev. 5:11-14, ESV)
Reading this in the context is even more captivating, but just imagine this picture: all creatures on earth and in heaven worshipped the Lamb (Jesus Christ). Myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands lift His name up in heaven!
And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Rev. 15:3-4, ESV)
The holiness of God, the royalty of Jesus - I feel like we don't talk about these concepts enough. Lately, people describe God as a kind and merciful shepherd, a close and caring friend, and a loving father. While this is all true, I think we still need to remember that He is first and foremost an almighty God, a holy King, the Lord of lords.
A book that opened my eyes to this idea was The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul.
Royal Family
If we are taught to imitate Christ in His humility and ministry, shouldn't we also follow Him in His royalty?
The Bible mentions us being the Kingdom or royalty a few times. One of them is written in the very beginning of Revelation: "Jesus Christ ... has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father" (Rev. 1:5-6)
The other one is written in one of Peter's letters where the author also gives us a practical application of this concept.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, that wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority (1 Pet. 2:9-13, NIV)
You can read further, it's very interesting, but look at this abstract! We are called a royal priesthood, we are called righteous and holy, thanks to Jesus' mercy and grace.
But how do we practically show it? Peter gives us clear directions: abstain from fleshly desires, live good lives (as in doing good things), and be submissive. Exactly what Jesus teaches us to do!
Moreover, if we avoid sin and demonstrate God's glory with our lives, the gentiles (aka unbelievers) will see it and glorify God. A little further in this chapter, Peter says that this is the will of God. This is what our mission and our royalty are about! To "declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light".
Royal Priesthood
I don't know how our royalty will be manifested when we're in eternity with Christ. But I know how I can show my "royal priesthood" when I'm at work, in school, or even at home.
Do I keep my soul from sin? Do I avoid places/people/websites that stir my fleshly desires? Can I say that I'm living a good life? Would I say that I do more good actions than bad ones? Can I be submissive - to my husband, my manager, and my parents?
And the main question is can people see God's glory through my life? Would they want to worship Him after talking to me?
May your life be filled with Christ and may you be His followers in His humility, ministry, love, and His royalty!
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