Redefining Royalty

"For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” - Revelation 5:9-10

Did you read that Christian?  One day, if you play your cards right; if you endure till the end, you'll be wearing a crown, sporting a beautiful robe and eating on plates of gold set on fine linen.  And we'll be reigning baby!  We're talking some serious power here. Rubbing shoulders with the elite, the who's who in the Kingdom of God. Won't it be awesome!

Okay, slow down a minute there son!  I think you might be a just a tad bit confused about this whole royalty thing.

If that's that's your mental picture of royalty then you might be in for a bit of a shock when you learn what God really has in mind for those who will reign with Him.  Because it ain't at all what your thinking.

You shouldn't feel too bad. You wouldn't be the first to get it, well...all wrong.

In Matthew 20 the mother of two of Jesus' disciples, James and John, seemed to be under much the same delusion. She, desiring her sons get their share of the glory, came with them to Jesus to ask that they be granted to sit, one at Jesus right hand and one at Jesus left hand, in His Kingdom.  

Her image of what it means to rule seemed to be based on what she saw of the kings and rulers in the world around her.  Sitting on thrones, issuing edicts, demanding servitude, wielding power.  Jesus wastes no time here redefining for her what royalty really looks like.

In verse 22 He answers her, and her two sons, and says, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

They, James and John, said to Him, “We are able.”

So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”

Of course, they didn't know, at that point, what drinking of Jesus' cup entailed. It's certain that, as they looked back on this event later, they rolled their eyes at their stupidity and ignorance. They really had no idea the sacrifice, the willingness to suffer for others, that being a ruler required. 

Jesus goes on to spell it out for them and the other disciples.

Continuing in verse 24 we read, "And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to Himself and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Jesus is saying, "You want position, you want authority?  You want to sit as a King at my right hand? Then put on the shackles and chains. Roll up your sleeves, get in the trenches, and be a servant, a slave to all."

It's a little surprising the disciples even went here, given Jesus' oft criticism of the religious leaders of the day and their preoccupation with their own power, position and external displays of righteousness.

In Matthew 23 Jesus chides these religious leaders for, among other things, doing all of their work to be seen by men; putting too much emphasis on external appearances - the white garments, the broad phylacteries and other religious adornments; loving the best places at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues.  He calls these leaders whitewashed tombs which appear beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men's bones. Pretty brutal assessment, wouldn't you say?

Given Jesus disdain for the externally focused religion of these Scribes and Pharisees, I think it's a safe bet that there will be nothing of the sort in His Kingdom. I don't envision His kings and priests will spend a great deal of time sitting on thrones, polishing the jewels in their crowns or fluffing the trusses of their royal robes. Such pomp and circumstance couldn't be further from Jesus definition of royalty.  

Oh sure, we might don the occasional ceremonial garb.  But based on what I read here, it's hard to believe such occasions won't be the exception rather than the norm. We'll be getting or hands much too dirty for such finery.

To state it simply, Jesus wants those on His right hand and on His left who have his heart for service.  He wants a heart that is willing to sit down and rub shoulders with publicans and sinners.  He wants to rule with those who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get busy weeping with those who weep, mourning with those who mourn, healing the broken-hearted, visiting those who are in prison, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked - you get the idea. 

He wants, by His side, those who think like He thinks; those who reject the culture of this world that places much too high a value on the outward appearance, on status, on being somebody. He wants, at His side, those who understand what true holiness, pure religion, looks like; "to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." - James 1:27  

Want to reign with Christ? Get your mind off the external and start building a heart for people.  That's the stuff of true royalty.

Imperfect Me, Perfect God

"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. ...I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."
Revelation 3:12 - 21

Some incredible promises those!

A pillar in the temple. A seat next to God on His Throne. Amazing!

In return for what? Overcoming?

All of us who call ourselves His disciples, at one point in our lives, having embraced those promises, declared "Count me in!" and took up the life long goal of overcoming.

So, Christian, how's it going? If you were to put a list of all the possible areas of carnal nature to be overcome, how many have you checked off since beginning this walk?

Not sure? Well, let's narrow down the list to the ten basic commands God gave us. How we doing on those?

Which ones have you mastered?

Have you mastered the ability to not put any other gods before God in your heart? Your career, your desire for money, for attention, for validation. Anything?

How about honoring God's name, not taking it in vain. Have you perfectly reverenced His name not only from your lips but in your heart and mind?

Do you perfectly honor God in His Sabbath? Sure you keep it, but do you always sanctify it, perfectly?

Do you perfectly honor your father and mother, not only in your actions, but in attitude and heart?

Have you killed anyone lately, not literally of course, but by hating them in your heart?

Adultery? How are you doing on the lust thing. Men, have you looked on a woman, other than your wife, and entertained lustful thoughts?

Have you stolen anything lately? Downloaded pirated music? Taken off early from work but not reported it on your time card? Wasted your energy and time pursuing your own desires, your own entertainment, stealing the time and energy you should have given to your spouse and children?

How are you doing with lying? Have you stretched the truth here and there where it was convenient or self-serving to do so? On your taxes? To your employer? Have you embellished the facts of a story to paint yourself in a good light?

Finally, have you desired anything that wasn't yours lately? The neighbors new car, the figure of the woman you saw on television the other night, the caribbean vacation your co-worker is taking next month, the list could go on and on...

So how are you doing? Have you made some progress in a few of these areas? Probably.  But, have you checked them all off? Have you checked any of them off...completely?

Yeah, me neither.

And these are just the things we shouldn't be doing right? What about all the things we as Christians should be doing? Jesus laid out in His word a myriad of "do's" that, if we are to become perfect, we should be incorporating into our character. There's that visiting the fatherless and widow thing. There's the command to lay down our life for our brother. Esteeming others better than we esteem ourselves. Not returning evil for evil. Turning the other cheek. Giving without expecting in return. Do to others as you'd have them do to you. Look not out for your own needs, but for the needs of others. Shall I stop now?

We'd need more than one lifetime to make a dent in that list.

So are we just pathetic losers at walking this walk or what?

Well, if we are losers spiritually, we are in good company.

The apostle Paul looked as his own walk and said "For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? - Romans 7:22 - 24

Paul had the same dilemma each of us finds ourselves in. He was faced with the recognition that he was completely unable, even with God's Spirit living and working within him, to completely eradicate sin from his life.

So does that mean that God gave us promises for overcoming knowing that we could never do so? Did He give us a goal for our Christian walk that we can never hope to obtain?

Well actually, yes, yes He did. But before you get depressed about that you have to read Paul's conclusion to the dilemma.

Reading on in Romans 7:25 Paul says "I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."

Whew! What a relief!

Paul here is basically defining what it means to overcome. Overcoming is less about what I do, and more about having a mind, a heart that is faithful. Overcoming is less about overcoming sin, and more about not being overcome by sin, not giving up, but enduring to the end.

The becoming righteous part? Paul makes it clear here that if our overcoming were dependent on our own ability to develop perfect, holy, righteous character, we'd all be in a boat load of trouble. None of us would be there.

Thankfully, though, that part has been taken care of for us.

II Corinthians 5:21 tell us "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

In Philippians 3:9 we read "...and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith."

I Corinthians 1:30 says "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—"

If we are in Jesus Christ, if we are one of His, and remain in Him till He comes, we will be counted among the righteous, the overcomers. It's He that gets the ultimate glory for our salvation, not us.

Revelation 12:10 says "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

Satan wants us to be overcome. He wants us to see ourselves as spiritual failures, without hope of ever sitting with God on His throne. After all, if he was prevented from getting to God's throne, why should we have the opportunity? So he constantly throws accusations about you and I before the Father. "Look at your people. See how hopelessly sinful they are. Look how imperfect and carnal they are. How can you love them? They are not overcoming. How can you let them have a seat on your throne?"

But Satan's accusations don't hold water in God's eyes. Why? Because God's people, you and I, do ultimately overcome. How?

Reading on in Revelation 12, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."

Yes, we strive to become perfect. Yes, we strive to eradicate sin from our lives. But we ultimately overcome, not by our ability to attain perfect holy, righteous character, but by reliance on His righteousness, His shed blood on the cross.

It's an imperfect me trusting in the righteousness of a perfect God, regardless of what the enemy throws my way, which allows me to remain faithful to the end, and ultimately to be granted a seat on the throne next to the One who made it all possible.