************ Sermon on Heidelberg Catechism Q & A 50-51 ************
Doctrine: The Apostles' Creed, "He is seated at God's right hand"
By: Rev. Adrian Dieleman
This sermon was preached on October 15, 2000
Q & A 50-51
Ephesians 1:18-23; 4:7-13
"Jesus Crowned as King"
Introduction
Topic: Christ
Subtopic: Authority of
Index: 710
Date:
Title:
In the years 1014-1035 there ruled over England a Danish king named Canute. King Canute tired of hearing his retainers flatter him with extravagant praises of his greatness, power and invincibility. He ordered his chair to be set down on the seashore, where he commanded the waves not to come in and wet him. No matter how forcefully he ordered the tide not to come in, however, his order was not obeyed. Soon the waves lapped around his chair. One historian tells us that, therefore, he never wore his crown again, but hung it on a statue of the crucified Christ.
I want to tell you, Jesus can do what Canute could not do. Why? Because His is kingdom, power, and authority.
Today, we continue our study of the Apostles' Creed. We confess not only that Jesus Christ "ascended into heaven," but also that He "is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty."
When we look at this, do you know what we are discussing? We are discussing the rule of King Jesus.
For forty days after His resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared to His disciples and remained on this earth. After that, according to Paul in Ephesians, He ascended into heaven where God "seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms" (Eph 1:20).
To be seated at the right hand of another has from ancient times been a mark of honor. For instance, when Bathsheba came to her son Solomon after his ascension to the throne, he stood up to meet her, bowed down to her, and had her seated at his right hand (1 K 2:19). The mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus and made this request of the Lord:
(Mt 20:21) Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.
Jesus, the God-man, was seated at the right hand of God. God's right hand signifies highest power and strength, His omnipotence (cf Ex 15:6; Ps 118:16); it also signifies highest dignity and honor, the majesty of God.
After He ascended into heaven, Jesus was seated and remains seated at God's right hand. His, then, is the power, strength, and omnipotence of God; His is the dignity, honor, and majesty of God. His is kingdom, power, glory. The kingship of Jesus Christ is now a reality. Today Christ rules over His own people and all the universe.
In discussing the present-day rule of Christ, we, like the Catechism, must distinguish between His spiritual and His universal kingship. He is both the head of the church and the Father rules all things through Him.
Now, don't forget, we are talking about true faith, about saving faith. In order to be saved, in order to be washed and cleansed and redeemed and forgiven by the blood of Christ, in order to be called God's child, in order to have a place in the new heaven and new earth, we need to believe that Jesus "is seated at the right hand of God." Have you ever thought of it this way? Have you ever thought that you need to believe Jesus is King in order to be saved?
I The Spiritual Kingship of Christ
A According to the Catechism the words "and is seated at the right hand of God" tells us that Jesus, the God-man, is "head of ... (the) church." Here we see Christ's spiritual kingship, His royal rule, over His people the church. By "spiritual rule" we mean that it is the rule of Christ over a spiritual kingdom, by spiritual means, with a spiritual goal, and a spiritual expression.
It is the rule of Christ in the hearts and lives of His people. Only the redeemed, those for whom Christ died, those who have been born again by the blood and Spirit of Christ, are part of this kingdom. And, the citizens of this kingdom receive their marching orders from Christ by means of the Word and Spirit. The goal of this rule of Christ is the salvation of His people. And, this rule is visible wherever we see the ingathering, government, protection, and perfection of the church.
With the church of all ages we confess this spiritual kingship of Christ. "He ascended into heaven," we say, "and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty." He ascended into heaven and is now the head of the church.
B When Christ ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of God the Father He publicly assumed His throne and publicly exercised His kingship. But this does not mean that before this time He was not king and that before this time His was not kingdom, power, and glory. During the Old Testament era, for instance, Christ carried on His work as spiritual king through the judges and kings of Israel. In fact, Christ began to function in this office immediately after the Fall into sin though He had not yet taken on human flesh.
Furthermore, this spiritual kingship of Christ over His church will continue everlastingly. According to Hebrews 1:8 God says about the Son:
Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
Though this spiritual rule of Christ will go on forever, it will undergo significant changes at the end of time.
C How quick we are to forget this spiritual kingship of Christ. Too often ministers may act like or members may treat them like they are the head of the church – but Christ alone is her head and king. And, too often when speaking of the church to which we belong we say "my church"; or, when speaking of another church, we say "So & So's church." But even our language and speech must reflect that the church belongs to Christ, that He is her head and king.
Because Jesus is the head and king of the church, the church must be managed according to His will. The church in all her ways must submit to the Lord. She must preach the pure doctrine of the Gospel of Christ both to those within and without her walls. She must conduct the sacraments as they were instituted by Christ. As Jesus commands, she must exercise church discipline in the punishment of sin. And, in obedience to Jesus' command just before He ascended into heaven, the church must be faithful and persistent in outreach, evangelism, and missions.
D In telling us about this spiritual kingship of Christ, His rule over and on behalf of the church, it is not the Catechism's intent to lecture us on doctrine. Rather, the Catechism wants to tell us how this kingship benefits us. It wants to tell us the advantage or comfort we gain from the fact that Christ ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God, and right now is head of the church. Don't forget what the Catechism said earlier:
That Christ,
while his disciples watched,
was lifted up from the earth into heaven
and will be there for our good.
So now the Catechism is interested in the good of Christ being spiritual king.
So what is the good that results from Christ being spiritual king? According to the Catechism Christ "pours out his gifts from heaven upon us his members." He does this as the head of the church. He does this through His Spirit Whom He sent once He was seated at God's right hand. In our Scripture passage the apostle Paul says,
(Eph 4:11) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers.
But those are not the only gifts that Christ gave to the church. He also gave: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, the ability to distinguish between spirits, the ability to speak in tongues, the interpretation of tongues, etc (1 Cor 12:8-10; cf 1 Cor 14:1-15; Rom 12:6-8).
Why does the Lord give these gifts? In our Scripture passage the apostle tells us the Lord gives these gifts,
(Eph 4:12-13) to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (13) until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Christ gives us the gifts because He wants us to grow up, to become mature, to be like Him. The ascended Lord, seated at the right hand of God, gives these gifts to the church so that members can serve each other and build each other up in the faith.
With the church of all ages, then, we confess the spiritual kingship of Christ. "He ascended into heaven," we say, "and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty." "He ascended into heaven," we say, "and there is head of the church." "He ascended into heaven" and from there He "pours out his gifts ... upon us his members."
II The Universal Kingship of Christ
A According to the Catechism the words "and is seated at the right hand of God" not only tells us that Jesus is "head of his church," but also that "the Father rules all things through him." Here we see Christ's universal kingship, His rule and dominion over the universe.
Of course, His exaltation at the right hand of God did not give Christ any power or authority which He did not already possess as the Son of God. For, as the Second Person in the Holy Trinity, the eternal Son, Christ naturally shares in the dominion of God over all His creatures.
However, when Jesus was exalted at the right hand of God, the God-man, the Mediator, was given this authority, and His human nature was made to share in the glory of His dominion and power.
Our Scripture reading from Ephesians speaks of this universal kingship of Jesus. According to Paul, God seated Christ,
(Eph 1:20-22) ... at his right hand in the heavenly realms, (21) far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (22) And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything ... (cf Phil 2:9-11)
It becomes clear from Scripture that when He was exalted to God's right hand, Christ was given all authority, dominion, power, glory, and might. He is King of everything.
B This universal kingship of Christ, the God-man, began when He ascended and was seated at the right hand of God. But, it is not an eternal kingship. According to 1 Corinthians 15 Jesus will
(1 Cor 15:24-26) ... hand over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. (25) For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. (26) The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
This universal kingship of Christ, in other words, will only last until the victory over all enemies is complete and even death has been abolished. And,
(1 Cor 15:28) When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
Once the last anti-God power has been abolished, the work of Christ in heaven will finally be complete. He has already accomplished His earthly ministry; He must also finish His heavenly ministry. Only then will the work of Jesus as Mediator finally be accomplished. When all things belong to God again, when the Father's will is done on earth as it is in heaven, and when God is all in all, then Jesus can say for the second and final time, "It is finished" (Jn 19:30; Rev 21:6).
C What is the good of this universal kingship of Christ? What advantage, what benefit, what comfort, do we get from it?
Did you notice what our Scripture reading from Ephesians 1 says?
God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.
Did you catch that? Christ's universal kingship is for the church; it is subservient to His spiritual kingship. World history, in other words, is subordinate to church history.
Christ rules the destinies of individuals and nations, says the Catechism, in order to "defend us and keep us safe from all enemies." And, as you know, the enemies of the church are legion. The devil and his hosts, the world, even our very own flesh, all conspire to attack us, defeat us, and lure us away from the faith.
As head of the church, it is the task of Christ to govern and protect her in a world which is under the power of sin and is bent on thwarting His will. If that world were beyond His control, it might easily frustrate all His efforts. Therefore God invested Jesus with all authority so that He is able to control all powers and forces and movements in the world, and can thus protect His own against all the powers of darkness. We have the confidence that these can never thwart Christ's purposes.
This does not mean that we will be spared trials, pains, heartache, and anguish. But in all these we can see the tremendous power of the Lord. Sometimes, like Peter and Paul, God's people can see that power when it breaks the chains and opens the doors of prison (Acts 12:7-11, 16:26). Other times, like Stephen, God's people can see that power when they die the martyr's death and get a glimpse of the Son of Man in glory at the right hand of the Father (Acts 7:56). Nevertheless, we have this confidence: many powers threaten to destroy the church, but it will endure forever because her head is also the ruler of the universe; many powers threaten to destroy the church, but it will endure forever because her head has all dominion, power, glory, and authority.
We discovered the truth of this in both the former Soviet Union and China. For years the church there was oppressed and cruelly persecuted. The atheistic, communistic governments of the U.S.S.R. and China tried to stamp out the church. But they couldn't and they didn't. Why not? Because the Ruler of the universe would not let them.
Conclusion
With the church of all ages, what do we confess? We confess the spiritual and universal kingship of Christ. We confess Christ is King now; He rules now; His is power, glory, authority, and kingdom now. "He ascended into heaven," we say, "and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty." He ascended into heaven and is now the head of the church. He ascended into heaven where the Father rules all things through Him.
And, we confess that Christ is King for our good. He ascended into heaven, sat down on the throne, and "pours out his gifts ... upon us his members." He ascended into heaven, sat down on the throne, and "by his power he defends us and keeps us safe from all enemies."
It is not enough to confess this. We must also live it. In our lives it must be made evident that Jesus is King. Even as the earth revolves around the sun, so our hearts and lives must revolve around the Son of God, seated at God's right hand with kingdom, power, and glory.
Topic: Christ
Subtopic: Lordship of
Index: 715
Date:
Title:
When Queen Victoria had just ascended her throne she went, as is the custom of Royalty, to hear The Messiah rendered. She had been instructed as to her conduct by those who knew, and was told that she must not rise when the others stood at the singing of the Hallelujah Chorus. When that magnificent chorus was being sung and the singers were shouting "Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth," she sat with great difficulty. It seemed as if she would rise in spite of the custom of kings and queens, but finally when they came to that part of the chorus where with a shout they proclaim Him King of kings suddenly the young queen rose and stood with bowed head, as if she would take her own crown from off her head and cast it at His feet.