39. Christ’s Everlasting Reign (1)

Hymn: RHC 30 When This Passing World Is Done 543 Face to Face 549 When We All Get to Heaven

Isaiah 9:6-7

⁶ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. 

Christ’s Everlasting Reign

OUTLINE

(1) Provision and Appropriating Life in Christ’s Kingdom (v6)

(2) Life in Christ’s Everlasting Kingdom (v7)

INTRODUCTION

Meditating upon Christ and His everlasting reign brings stability and sobriety to the people of God in the midst of seeming confusion and chaos in the world around them. And the thought for our consideration is in His reign in human history both in His first coming and in His second coming. It brings perspective in our view of understanding of human suffering in a decadent world, especially in the lives of God’s people. He learns how to relate to life vis a vis his life with God in Christ. 

As a late pastor well puts it “We’re not citizens of earth trying to get to heaven. We’re citizens of heaven sojourning on earth. This earth is not our home.”

It behoves the question to God’s people, “Are you living for the pleasures of the flesh or the joy of the Spirit? Are you living for the praise of men or for the glory of God? Are you living for today? Or are you living for eternity? Are you living for the things that can be seen or the things that cannot be seen?”

Truly, as is well observed, “one of these days, this old world and all of its vaulted culture, proud philosophies, egocentric intellectualism, and godless materialism is going to be forgotten. But he that “doeth the will of God abideth forever.”

1 John 2:16-17 (KJV) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

A perspective of life is given by the prophet Isaiah to bring our focus to Christ and His Kingdom. This is everlasting whereas all else will fade away.

The Apostle Peter well puts it for our learning when he said in 1 Peter 1:13-25 (KJV) Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 

See this decaying world and its pomp and glory in the light of Christ and His everlasting kingdom. This is the true reality and the correct perspective to view life.

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 

God’s perspective of judging life must be embraced for us to live it profitably, meaningfully and acceptably.

And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

The Apostle Peter speaks of a judgment to come in which how this life is lived is judged with respect to these things!

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 

Here is given to us perspective when Isaiah prophesied the first coming of Christ how He will enter human history as a baby in a manger from the womb of a virgin woman (Isaiah 7:14) – “For unto us a child is born”, and He is the Judge of all things for the government shall be upon His shoulders.

Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, 

“Unto us a son is given” – The everlasting Son of God is with the Father before His incarnation – “John 1:1-5 (KJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

The key to understanding life is therefore to understand the concept of God’s kingdom and how coming to understand and be a part of it brings a fullness, completeness to our life.

.. but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

In the midst of sin and all the ensuing effects of it in full perspective, the prophet Isaiah brought the people to see the light in the midst of darkness, to see Christ and His everlasting kingdom. This is truly the life for our living!

Isaiah 9:1-2 (KJV) Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.  

God raised the nation of Israel so that Christ may come out of her loins, the only Saviour of the world! In the fullness of time 

 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 

God’s people with Christ in our hearts, possess God’s love, a love to point others to Christ and to be recipients and possessors of His kingdom privileges in the new birth and to live and abide in His Word to gain perspective of everlasting life that God promises to all who will come to Him in repentance and contrition of heart.

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 

Jesus gave the formula when He said in the Sermon on the Mount to dispel of the curse of sin for that is the last word of the Old Testament “curse” in Malachi 4:6 and receive manifold blessings in Christ as Jesus declared in Matthew 5:3-6 (KJV) Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 

To understand and triumph over this decaying world and its “temporalness” or temporal nature of life on earth, we must imbibe the everlasting Word of God and find everlasting life in Christ’s kingdom.

But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Isaiah was preaching the gospel reaching out to us so that we may understand the righteousness and justice of God – ⁷ to establish it with judgment and with justice …

How do we understand the kindling of God’s wrath upon Israel when they sinned against Him?

Here we learn the moral attribute of God that is emphasized in the Bible – the righteousness and the justice of God.

Dr Martyn-Lloyd Jones said well, “Righteousness, follows inescapably, from the holiness of God. What is righteousness? It is holiness manifested in God’s dealings with us. It is that quality in God that always reveals God as doing that which is right. It is that in God which makes Him incapable of doing anything that is wrong. Righteousness and justice are the carrying out of God’s holiness and the expression of it in the government of the world. 

A further definition still is that the righteousness of God is God’s love of holiness, and the justice of God is God’s abomination of sin.

The wrath of God is taught in both the Old and New Testaments. Our Lord Himself taught it; one of the cardinal doctrines of the whole Bible is that God has a hatred of sin, which He expresses in His wrath. If anyone does not believe, says John, then “the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). We are all by nature, says Paul, “the children of wrath.” (Ephesians 2:3).

But God’s righteousness and justice are not only manifested in His wrath. He reveals the same qualities in forgiving our sins. Having prepared the way of forgiveness, if we conform to it, the justice of God comes in, and by His justice God forgives us. And God prepared the way of forgiveness by providing propitiation for our sins – and this is the most remarkable thing of all.”

Our text tells us about the withholding of rain, the basic means of sustenance! However, God always provided a way out when they would repent of their sins and turn back to God. They shall find forgiveness and restoration.

¹⁷ And then the LORD’S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.

There is repeated throughout Israel’s history as we traced the consistency in which God’s righteousness and God’s justice was meted out. 

Deuteronomy 6:14-15 (KJV) Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 30:17-18 (KJV) But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

The second deportation of Israel out of the land after the first in 587 B.C. was A.D. 70, about 40 years after they crucified their Messiah. The first by the Babylonians and the second by the Romans. 

The withholding of rain was just the first step if they would not repent, more of God’s judgment will come.

Deuteronomy 28:23-24 (KJV) And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

During the time of Elijah when idolatry was rampant in Israel, the heaven was shut up!

1 Kings 8:35 (KJV) When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them:

1 Kings 8:36 (KJV) Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.

1 Kings 8:37-39 (KJV) If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)

1 Kings 17:1 (KJV) And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

2 Chronicles 6:26-27 (KJV) When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them; Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (KJV) If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

(1) Provision and Appropriating Life in Christ’s Kingdom (v6)

⁶ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

With Christ reigning and ruling in our lives, there is an abundance of life. He takes care of us most wonderfully. First, by saving us from sin by the sacrifice of Himself as the once for all sacrifice for the sin of Himself. Secondly, by His intercession as our Great High Priest, on our behalf at the right hand of the Father in heaven. With Christ, we can never be lost.

Hebrews 7:25 (KJV) Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 7:26-28 (KJV) For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

Christ is Wonderful because He is Saviour and He is Intercessor!

We can come to Him with all our cares and He bears them upon His shoulders on our behalf just as it was with the high priest in Israel. The names of the tribes are engraved on the two shoulder plates of the ephod! And upon His breast, His bosom is engraved the twelve precious stones representing all the tribes of Israel, God’s people.

1 Peter 5:7 (KJV) Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Psalm 55:16-18 (KJV) As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.

Psalm 55:22 (KJV) Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

The LORD is Counsellor. He guides us with His Word through the Holy Spirit!

Truly, Proverbs 3:13 (KJV) Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

He is the Everlasting Father we are begotten of Him for He imparts life to us – John 1:9 (KJV) That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

In Christ, is peace, being the Prince of Peace, the word “shalom” speaks of quietness and fullness and completeness, a blessed restfulness.

To be continued…