Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

shame.'Jesus Crowned and EnthronedDoing HomageThe King, whom God Himself has anointed,crowned and enthroned, ought to be acknowledged.This clearly was God's purpose in exalting Him : 'thatin the name of Jesus every knee should bow, , , , ,and that every tongue should confess that JesusChrist is Lord.'35 Reverence ought to be done to Him,and allegiance declared, according to His royal titlesand dignities. As one of the royal heralds Peter proclaimed, in the very first public preaching after Hisexaltation, that God had made Him both Lord andChrist.36 Such a proclamation brings its inevitableand immediate challenge forthwith to do homage,and to acknowledge Jesus risen from the dead andenthroned on high to be both Lord and Christ. It isthose, who thus believe in their hearts that God hasraised Him from the dead to His throne in glory, andwho therefore openly confess Him to be the Lord,who belong to the company of the saved37 and whoare the true citizens of the heavenly Zion. Or, to putit in other words, 'Whosoever believeth that Jesus isthe Christ is begotten of God.'38For, though the promised Christ was to be theSon of David, the inspired David himself (as ourLord pointed out) called Him 'Lord'; indeed, hespoke even more personally and called Him 'myLord.'39And ever since the day when David's prophecy was fufilled, and the Christ was thus enthronedby God at His right hand, it has been the mark oftrue subjects of this enthroned Son of David to acknowledge Him as 'Lord,' and personally to confessHim (as, for instance, the writer to the Hebrewsincidentally and Lord.'40spontaneously does) as 'ourFor God has set in Zion the chief corner stone,to whom the pre-eminence belongs ; 'and he that believeth on Him shall not be put to It is thosewho come to Him thus to acknowledge His supremacyand headship, who are joined to Him as living stonesto constitute in the heavenly Jerusalem the templeof His building, and to become members of 'an electrace, a royal priest-hood, a holy nation . . . theBy the Rev. A. M. Stibbs, M.A.(Courtesy of The Christian Graduate(Continued from last week)peopleof God.'41 Because all such become 'Christ's,'42 theyare the seed of Abraham, the house of Jacob overwhich Messiah reigns, the true Israel of God's purpose.Also, we who do thus acknowledge Him knowthat we do not have to wait for the day when Hewill reign. We live here and now in the reign andunder the sway of King Jesus. God has 'delivered usout of the power of darkness, and translated us intothe kingdom of the Son of his love.'43 It is thereforefor us to declare whose subjects we are, and whatking we serve, by doing Him homage both in dailyprivate audience and in regular public worship, andby rendering Him in all the activities of our livesthe unreserved allegiance of uncompromising loyaltyand ready obedience.Worldwide ProclamationIt is God's purpose that by the King's own commission heralds should go to the ends of the earth196to proclaim that King Jesus reigns, that God hasmade Him both Lord and Christ, that all who willdo homage and acknowledge Him, all who will invoke His name as their Lord in personal confidenceand committal, and in public confession and consecration, shall be saved.44 For, because Jesus reigns, andcan exercise His royal prerogatives, there is offeredin His name by royal proclamation, to condemnedcriminals and bondslaves who do Him homage, amnesty and freedom, or, in more familiar New Testament words, repentance and remission of sins.45Obviously men cannot thus acknowledge, and invokethe name of one of whom they have not heard. Norcan they hear without a preacher. So the King continues to commission heralds and ambassadors; andmen are still being challenged by the good tidingsof this gospel proclamation that the once crucifiedJesus is now the enthroned Christ, mighty to save allWho call upon His name. Can there be any greaterprivilege than to be such a commissioned herald, sentto utter for all men to hear this royal proclamationthat Jesus reigns, and that as King He saves all whobelieve in His name.46The inspired Word of God also contains plainwarnings that this heavenly character of Christ'skingship, and this propaganda method of extendingChrist's kingdom will not commend itself to all whohear ; and least of all will it commend itself to thosewho are looking for an earthly kingdom and theoverthrow by force of earthly enemies and oppressors, as were many of the Jews when Christ came inthe flesh. So 'Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believedour report?'47 For God has declared that the stonewhich He has laid in Zion will be to many a stone ofstumbling and a rock of offence ; they will refuse todo homage. But to those who do homage and renderallegiance, this 'stone' is found to be 'elect' and'precious.'None who believe in Him are ever put toshame.48The Mantoer of His Present ReignChrist's kingdom is not a kingdom after thefashion of the world.49 Our Lord Jesus reigns asKing in the heavenly places. His throne is set in theheavenly Zion. His sway is universal; God has putall things in subjection under His feet.50 He most directly exercises His sovereignty in and through thecompany of those who believe in His name, and acknowledge His Lordship, and so form His church.The Old Testament prophecy declared that He wasto be laid in Zion as a chief corner The Newstone.51Testament witnesses that the church, the householdof God, in which Jews and Gentiles are made one inChrist, and together reconciled to God through Hiscross, is the building of which Christ Jesus Himselfis the chief corner stone.52Similarly God's word, given through the apostlePaul, declares that when God 'made him to sit athis right hand in the heavenly places, far above allrule, and authority, and power, and ...dominion, he. . . gave him to be head over all things to thechurch.'53Indeed, only 'that working of the strengthCOVENANTER WITNESS