You may turn back in your Bibles to Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2. Since we are having the baptism next Sunday morning and we've come to a natural break in our study in Matthew, we'll hold off for a couple of weeks until we pick up that next section in Matthew's gospel. This morning, I want to look at the current session of Christ specifically here, specifically here in Acts chapter two, verses 22 to 36, primarily versus 34 to 36.

The current session of Christ is a result. of his death, resurrection and ascension. The Lord Jesus fulfilled the law in his life. He satisfied divine justice in his death. He rose again on the third day.

And as a result, the father was pleased with that work and highly exalted him and gave him a name which is above every name. Now, this dominion of this current session, this reign and rule of Christ was not given to him as God per se, Jesus has always been God. But specifically, as Robert Raymond says, this dominion is given to him as given to him as the divine human Messiah and as the divine human mediator between God and man. Christ as mediator, as the God man, has been given universal rule, dominion, power and authority over all things.

This morning I want to start broad and then bring this to bear upon us as individuals. I'll just read verses 29 to 36 and then we'll begin. Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne.

He foreseeing this spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul was not left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool.

Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Well, let us pray. Our Father, as we come to consider this, we pray for the ministry of your spirit, that he would guide us and lead us and direct us into all truth. We pray that we would appreciate afresh the current session of Christ, the fact that he reigns and rules at the right hand of the majesty of God on high.

We praise you that he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. We praise you that he is our high priest and our mediator and our Lord and our Savior. We pray that this morning, as we consider this book of Acts, our hearts would be encouraged, we would be built up and strengthened, and that God, you would be glorified. And do forgive us now for all of our sins and anything that would hinder us from receiving your word.

And we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Introduction

As I said, I want to start broad and then hone in specifically on how the current session of Christ speaks to us in our individual lives and as well as the Church of Christ. So I want to do two things this morning.

Covenantal Context of the Session

I want to look first at the covenantal context of the session and then secondly, specifically at the current session of Christ. Current means right now. We ask the question, what is Jesus doing? Peter answers, for us, he was exalted to the right hand of God.

He is sitting at the right hand of God until he has made his enemies his footstool. He has been made both Lord and Christ, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. As I said, I want to put it in its larger biblical context. Luke is doing something more in the Book of Acts than just reporting history.

He is a historian, to be sure, but he's also a theologian. He's also opening up for us biblical truth. He is showing us how all roads lead to the Lord Jesus Christ, how God's plan, God's purposes, God's desire for mankind fulfills itself or is played out in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. I mentioned last week when we introduced the book of Acts, or probably two weeks ago, that Luke wrote Acts and he wrote the gospel of Luke.

And what we find when we look at Acts chapter 1, for instance, is connection to the gospel of Luke. If you notice in Acts chapter 1 at verse 1, he refers to the former account that he had made. He's addressing specifically Theophilus. So in this former account, he is referring, of course, to the Gospel of Luke.

When we go back to Luke chapter 1 verse 1, he says his purpose in writing to Theophilus is to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us. Again, not just accomplished, but fulfilled. Luke wants the reader to appreciate Old Testament promise and Old Testament prophecy and how they've come to pass in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus. As Luke records Jesus' final words in the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 24, not the absolute final, but as he encourages his disciples.

In Luke 24, verse 44, Jesus says, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me. So when we come to the book of Luke, when we come to the book of Acts, yes, we're supposed to see the history of Jesus Christ. That is a given. But we must also see the biblical doctrine, Old Testament theology, coming to fruition in the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke continues in Acts chapter 1, where Luke highlights the fact that he is continuing the narrative of all that Jesus does. from heaven at the right hand of God Most High. And just to give you a quote, just to sort of bring these thoughts together, a man by the name of Thompson. The recent book on the Book of Acts, he says, when Luke's gospel and the Book of Acts are read in the light of this preface, it appears that Luke is writing to provide reassurance to believers about the nature of the events surrounding Jesus' life, death, resurrection, the spread of the message about Jesus and the nature of God's people following Jesus' ascension. He is providing assurance that these events really are the work of God, that God really has been accomplishing his purposes, that Jesus really is who he said he was, and that believers in Jesus really are the true people of God.

So Luke wants us to get theology. He wants us to understand promise and fulfillment. And that brings us to consider several observations in the first few chapters of the book of Acts.

The Abrahamic Promise

The first is the Abrahamic promise. Remember way back when. And again, I think that if we understand the current session of Christ in its larger biblical categories, in its larger biblical context, hopefully it will cause us to stand in awe and to stand amazed at what God in Christ is doing. Remember that God made a promise to Abraham that in him all the nations, all the families of the earth would be blessed.

He promised Abraham not only land. He promised him not only blessing, but he promised him a seed. Well, Luke, the theologian, picks up on that promise in chapter 3 of the book of Acts. Again, I just want us to see how all these rows of biblical truth converge upon and find their focus and their fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts chapter 3, specifically at verses 25 and 26. You are sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers saying to Abraham, and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. To you first, God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from your iniquities. Jesus is the lamb that God would provide to atone for the sins of his people.

That promise made to Abraham so many centuries ago finds its fulfillment in the work and in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Mosaic Promise

The second promise that I want to direct our attention to is a promise made during the Mosaic Covenant, during the time of Moses. specifically in Deuteronomy chapter 18 and highlighted here again in Acts 3 in verse 22. Notice, for Moses truly said to the fathers, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever he says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.

Do you see what Peter says here? that what God spoke to Moses, what Moses spoke to the children of Israel, has found its fulfillment in the person and in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's not only the sacrifice that Abraham said would come, that lamb that would be provided by God to make atonement for sin, but He would be that prophet. He would be that spokesman. He would be that one who reveals in a very special way the glory of God Most High.

No one has seen God at any time, John tells us. But the Son, the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed Him. He has exegeted Him. He has demonstrated Him.

So you see what Luke is doing? He's bringing these biblical truths to bear upon the early church and, by extension, for us as well.

The Davidic Covenant

The third reality or the third truth that that that is brought to bear. And again, Peter is the one preaching here in Acts chapter two. We've already read it. The Davidic covenant to the promise made to David concerning his heir.

If you look at chapter two, verse 30, therefore, being a prophet, speaking of David. and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne. He, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul was not left in Hades, nor did his flesh seek corruption." So he speaks about Abraham, he speaks about Moses, and he speaks here about the Davidic covenant, the covenant of kingship, the covenant of kingdom. Specifically, in the backdrop here of Acts 2, is that promise in 2 Samuel 7, where God promises David that there would be one who comes from his line that would ascend his throne and who would reign forever and ever. In that context of 2 Samuel 7, verses 12 to 16, we learn that death does not annul the promise.

See, David would ultimately die. Subsequent sons would rise up and reign and would ultimately die. But death does not annul the promise because there is one coming that will not die or he might or he will die, but he'll rise again. As well, we learn that sin cannot destroy the promise, though David and his sons and his earthly lineage would sin, it would never invalidate this promise of kingship forever.

Time would not exhaust the promise. And of course, Luke works this into Luke chapter 1 when he speaks of Jesus taking the throne of David and reigning and ruling forever. So we have Abraham. We have Moses.

We have David.

The Royal-Priestly Psalm 110

We have the promise as well of a king-priest. It's a good psalm that Pastor Tim read at the outset of worship. You'd have thought I would have told him to read it, but I didn't. He knew the theme.

He knew the subject, but he read that particular psalm. What does Psalm 110 announce? There's a king coming. What does Psalm 110 announce?

There's a priest coming. And this king-priest would be one person. Remember that when Psalm 110 was penned, the temple was standing. There was a monarch.

There was a king on the throne. There was a temple. There was a priesthood in place. But it was not the final.

It was not the end. It was typical. It pointed forward to. It announced the coming of one who would be a priest in the order of Melchizedek.

He would both be king of Salem and he would be the priest and mediator of God most high. Of course, Peter cites that verse in his presentation here in Acts 2, 34 and 35. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. That announcement of kingdom.

And then later on, he is sworn with an oath that you will be a priest of the order of Melchizedek. This is applied to Jesus in Hebrews chapter seven. I hope this is an encouragement to you. I hope you like the big picture.

I think at times as Christians, we just see one small thing and it's a blessed thing and it's something to rejoice at. But it's quite nice to step back for a moment and see a panoramic view of what God is doing. of how God is orchestrating every event and every detail, how God has promised to save and redeem his people by Jesus Christ. And he gives promises in the Old Testament and they come to fruition in the New Testament. The fulfillment of these things are all in and through the Lord Jesus.

Peter speaks of his life as a man in chapter 2, verse 22. Men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know. He speaks of the death of Christ in verse 23, him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God.

You have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death. He speaks of the resurrection in verses 24 and following. He speaks of the exaltation in verse 35. And that leads inevitably to this current session. where the victor, the king, the lord of lords, is now enthroned at the right hand of the majesty of God on high, where he rules over all things, but with specific focus upon his church and with the individuals who make up the church.

See, it's good to start broad and then to hone in. All that biblical data, all that biblical weight, all those covenantal promises of God converge in this blessed reality that Jesus is now stationed at the right hand of the Father for you and for I, or me. That's the grammatically correct way there. If Ken Harms was here, he'd raise an eyebrow at me.

He might be doing that even now if he's watching.

The Current Session of Christ

Now let's look at the current session. Two specific things. I hope you're not confused. I hope your mind isn't, you know, still over here.

Focus. Keep these thoughts fresh. Two aspects of the current session of Christ. First, his universal reign over all things, and then secondly, his specific interest in the church.

His universal reign over all things, and then his specific interest in the church.

Christ's Universal Reign Over All Things

Let's just take up his universal reign over all things. Remember, in Matthew, chapter 28, after the resurrection, when Jesus is with his disciples, he makes that declaration. All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Christ has comprehensive authority.

Christ has comprehensive rule. Christ has universal dominion, again consistent with prophetic testimony. Daniel 7, 13 and 14 refers not to the second coming of Christ, but rather to his ascension to the right hand of the majesty on high when he sat down. and then was given to him this dominion, this kingdom, this power, this authority, this glory. Again, not as God per se, but as the God-man, as the mediator, as the one in whom all the deity dwells in its fullness.

Christ who identified with us, Christ who lived in obedience to the law, Christ who suffered at the hands of godless men. That one, locally present at the right hand of the Father, has sovereign rule over all things. May turn to Ephesians 1 just to get a view of this as we focus or as we look at his comprehensive or universal rule. And then as we begin to start honing in on his specific interest in the church.

Ephesians chapter 1, after Paul highlights how he prays for the saints in Ephesus, he wants them to understand the power of God. How does he display, demonstrate, and illustrate the power of God, but in the resurrection of Jesus? And then he highlights in verses 20 and 21, which he worked in Christ, the mighty power of God, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. You see, he has universal authority, universal empire, comprehensive sovereignty.

There is not a square inch in the universe that Jesus Christ does not rule over. There is not one speck in all of the created order that Christ does not call mine. He has universal sovereignty. John Edie comments on this particular verse.

He says the head that once was crowned with thorns is now crowned with universal sovereignty. The hand that was once nailed to Calvary's tree now wields the scepter of unlimited dominion. The feet that were washed by the harlot's tears and carried the Savior up the hill of Calvary are now over everything that is. He who lay in the tomb has now ascended to the throne of unbounded empire." That's the current session.

That's what Christ is doing right now. Unbounded empire. Comprehensive sovereignty. rule over all things seen and unseen. In the book of Hebrews, we read in chapter 1, verse 3, He upholds all things by the word of His power.

The benches that you are seated in are there because Christ upholds them. We see throughout the Scriptures that God not only has decreed all things, He's actively engaged in carrying out that particular decree. He has stationed Christ at the right hand as the God-man and mediator to orchestrate every single event and every single detail in this world. If that doesn't comfort you, I don't know what will.

I don't know what can. And there's competing theories out there concerning what happens in the world There is that theory of faith. Everything is predetermined. It just sort of falls out by a predetermined plan.

But there's not anything behind it such as we find in Jesus or any one behind it. We have a good Savior, a glorious Lord, the one who in the blessed language that Edy puts together here, the head that was once crowned with thorns is now crowned with universal sovereignty. You can trust Him. You can give your heart to Him.

You can realize that He is going to carry things out in a manner that is consistent with the glory of God and the good of His people. The hand that was once nailed to Calvary's tree now wields the scepter of unlimited dominion. You can trust Him. Cast your burdens upon Him.

You can try him and prove him to be faithful in each and every circumstance and issue of your life. The feet that were washed by the harlot's tears and carried the Savior up the hill Calvary are now over everything that is. Islam is on the rise. Abortion numbers continue to grow.

Homosexuality continues to increase. There is a pervasive and ongoing defection from God and His truth. There is a pervasive and ongoing apostasy from God and His truth. Sometimes believers are paralyzed.

Sometimes believers are needlessly worried. We need to remember that Christ is on His throne, that He is executing the decree of the Father, and He is carrying everything out for the glory of God and for the good of His people. Not only Ephesians chapter 1, but turn to Revelation chapter 1 for just a moment. And looking at the broader category here, of the universal reign of Christ over all things.

We see the covenantal context of this session. We're looking specifically now at this session. First part is universal reign over all things. Then we'll focus in on a specific interest in the church.

But in Revelation, chapter one, verse four, John to the seven churches which are in Asia, grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne. and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth." It's a present tense statement. He is the ruler over the kings of the earth. What's going to happen in the remainder of the book of Revelation? What follows from chapter 1 in this introduction concerning Jesus Christ?

Well, we get to chapters 2 and 3 and we see persecution in the church. We see trial and travail among God's people. We see heresy. We see doctrinal infidelity.

We see departure from truth. But at the outset, we are reminded and we are told that Jesus is these things. He is currently ruler over the kings of the earth. But even transcending the religious concerns of Revelation 2 and 3, that persecution that is coming to the saints, to the churches, comes through unbelieving Jews and through the Roman Empire.

Later on in Revelation chapter 13, we'll be introduced to two beasts. One, I believe, is a beastly political power, and the other is a beastly religious power. Wouldn't this be an encouragement to your heart? Wouldn't this be a boon to your soul to realize that though the beasts wage war against God and his people, though the political realities are less than what they ought to be, And instead of protecting the people of God, they persecute the people of God.

Wouldn't it serve to encourage you that in the midst of the mayhem, in the midst of the travail, in the midst of the persecution, what does happen or what does transcend that reality is that Christ currently rules over these kings? Is it any wonder why Psalm 110 verse 1 is the most quoted or alluded to Psalm in the whole New Testament? The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. I'm sure that at the time of Nero, when he's burning Christians as human torches to light up his orgies and his godless parties, when he is feeding Christians to the lions, everything would suggest other than Psalm 110 verse 1.

And yet the battle cry, the anthem, the recurring phrase employed by the Church of Christ is to realize that Jehovah has stationed at his right hand, Jesus Christ, and he must reign until all of his enemies are slain. Ultimately, the Roman Empire falls, doesn't it? Ultimately, it collapses. That's several volumes set by Edward Gibbon.

He gives various reasons as to why the Empire collapsed. He doesn't get the right reason. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father where he must reign till all of his enemies are made his footstool. That foot of Christ devastated the Roman Empire.

That foot of Christ will devastate Islam. That foot of Christ will devastate every defection from and every departure from the truth of God Most High. He must reign till all of his enemies are made his footstool. I dare say that Revelation 1.5 and this reality that Christ currently reigns over the kings of the earth would put fire in the bones of the saints of Jesus when they saw their beloved, when they saw their friends and family being taken off to the lion's den.

They would have to realize and they would have to conceptualize and they would have to understand that though there are troubles, though there are trials, though there are difficulties, our God is in the heavens and he does whatever he pleases. You see, on the verge or on the edge of political elections, when we see godless men in high places, we need to realize Revelation 1.5 is still true. We may grieve, we may sorrow, we may be disconcerted by the fact that certain men occupy positions of political power, but we do not grieve or sorrow as the world. We realize that Christ currently is the ruler over the kings of the earth.

He stations men. He raises men up. He takes men down. It is according to his plan.

It is according to his rule. It is according to his investiture as the mediator, as the ruler over all things.

Christ's Specific Interest in the Church

Let's hone in on the church. Not only does this current session comprehend or rule over all things. But he has a specific interest in the church. In the book of Acts, I mean, it's obvious.

We read the book of Acts, we say, wow, Jesus is active. Jesus is alive. Jesus is doing great things. That's true today.

That's true right now. That any sinner comes to Christ is evidence of his position at the right hand of the majesty on high, that any saint grows in holiness, that any saint grows in sanctification. It's an evidence of the self-same Christ ruling over all things. Just as a sample in the book of Acts, though, the apostles pray to Christ to provide a replacement for Judas.

He answers. Peter says that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as witnessed on the day of Pentecost happened because of Christ. He, verse 33, poured out this which you now see and hear. It is Christ at the right hand of the majesty of God on high who supplies the Spirit to the church.

We see addition to the church in Acts 2 and Acts 4. We see 3,000 come. We see 2,000 come. We see the power of God demonstrated to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

We see salvation wrought. This is a testimony to the current session of Christ with specific reference to the church of Christ. We see the empowerment of the disciples to speak the word of God with all boldness in chapter 4. We see God, we see Christ rather, moving the hearts of his people in chapters 4 and 5 to a generous spirit, to a charitable way of conducting themselves.

But you don't find in Acts 4 and 5 a state mandated charity. You see the hearts of God's people overflowing with love to God and love to others, sharing generously those good gifts that the Lord has entrusted to them. What do we attribute that to? The state and its oppressive power and its ability to wield the sword and cut off heads?

Or do we attribute that to the generous spirit characterized in evidence by our Lord and as he is working those things in the lives of his people by his spirit? We see the discipline of the church in chapter 5. We see the presence of God during times of trial. We see the commission of the Apostle Paul in a way and in a manner which before that point was never seen before.

A man who had literally canvassed thousands and thousands of miles to preach Jesus and his kingdom. We see the calling of the Gentiles. We see the progress of the church during persecution, during oppression. Remember that chapter 12 in the book of Acts starts off with the persecution of Jesus' church and it ends with the triumph of God's holy word going forth.

What is Luke telling us? That as the powers may try, as regimes may attempt, they cannot stop the spread and the increase and the building of Jesus' church. We see also the institution or the initiation of the missionary enterprise in Acts chapter 13. We owe our salvation to that, humanly speaking.

Of course, God is sovereign. But it was through that effort that the gospel first went to Europe. It was through that effort that the gospel left the Pacific confines where it was in the first century. We see the assembling of the church to deal with controversy in chapter 15.

We see the strengthening of God's servants in chapter 18. We see the preservation of his servants all the way from chapters 19 to 28. You see, Paul. is being protected by God, to be sure, but through civil authority. He is securing and ensuring and making sure that he gets to his position so that he can take the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth.

It's beautiful. You know, the Pentecostals and the Charismatics say, oh, that's how the Spirit worked today. And that's how we need the Spirit to work today. And that's how the Spirit worked then.

And that's how we need the Spirit to work today. That's how the Spirit does work today. God Almighty has stationed His Son at His right hand. He pours out the Spirit so that every time someone is saved, Every time a saint grows in the grace and knowledge of Christ, every time there's encouragement for one downcast, that is a mark, that is an indicator of the work of Christ at the right hand of the throne of God on high.

It's a beautiful thing.

The Threefold Mediatorial Office

And then if we look at the church as a whole, leave the first century for a moment, look specifically at the church, our confession says. that as mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ serves as prophet, priest, and king. That's the Confession, Chapter 8, Paragraph 1. So when we look at those three offices of Jesus, we should find comfort. We should find encouragement.

We should find strength. We should find hope and help.

Christ as King

We're going to take up the king first, and then the prophet, and we'll deal more with the priest tonight, the Lord's Supper. Christ is our king. Yes, comprehensively, he is ruler over the kings of the earth. He is sovereign over Mr.

Harper. He is sovereign over Mr. Obama. He is sovereign over the rulers and the leaders of various nations and commonwealths and peoples.

He is the ruler over those kings, but he is also the king of his church. He is the ruler and the sovereign over His church. The Westminster Catechism says, How does Christ execute the office of a king? Christ executes the office of a king in subduing us to Himself.

Isn't that beautiful? Psalm 110, verse 3, You shall make them willing in the day of His power. Did you seek God? Did you decide for Jesus?

Did you sign a card, put your name in the web box or on the web? You know, I want to be a Christian, so I'm going to put my name in my passcode to be a Christian. Is that how you became a Christian? You ran for God through Jesus Christ?

No, it was him who made you willing in the day of his power. We speak and we preach irresistible grace. That doesn't mean God draws us kicking and screaming. It means that God gets into the heart.

God changes the heart. He affects the will. He affects the affections. He affects the mind.

He affects us completely. It is a whole-souled revolution. He makes us willing in the day of His power. He subdues us unto Himself.

And praise God, that's not only true when he brings us initially, but the fact that he subdues us unto himself in our sanctification. Aren't you glad that God is sovereign? Aren't you? I mean, we are prone to wander and prone to leave the God we love.

It's a great descriptor of the saint. I mean, we like to think better. We like to think more. We like to think we're strong and we're powerful and we're mighty.

It's better to realize that Jesus is strong. Jesus is powerful and Jesus is mighty. And that in his position of authority and sovereign rule at the right hand of the father, he subdues us unto himself. By his word and by his spirit, he has put the fear of God in our hearts so that we will persevere.

We are preserved by the Father. We are preserved by sovereign grace. We persevere according to His will and His plan. Not only does He subdue us unto Himself, the Catechism goes on to say, and in ruling and defending us, He deals with not only His enemies, but our enemies.

Our enemies should be His enemies. He defends us. He watches over us. He is concerned for us.

You know, we have this idea of monarchy that is less than biblical, or at least it may be biblical, but it's certainly not true of Jesus. You know, when you hear of a monarch, or you hear of a king, you think palace. You think crown. You think gold.

You think jewels. You think scepter. You think regal stature. You generally don't think service.

So usually the king sends his servants to do his bidding. That's where we don't have a correspondence with our king. Our king serves. Our king blesses.

Our king defends. Our king is lowering his foot upon all of our enemies. Our king is active in his church and in the lives of his people. If you have a temptation, if there is an assault on your armor, if there is a battle that you are undergoing and you're not crying out to your king, you've not come to grips with his office.

How many times do you succumb to temptation and sin instead of crying out to your king? Defend me. Help me. Vindicate me.

Keep me, Lord Jesus. You see, this is one of his offices to protect his people. Before you click on that Internet site, or before you raise your voice at people, or before you're unkind, or you gossip, you engage in some lie or malice, pray to Jesus as your King. Guard me, watch over me, restrain me, keep me from this temptation.

You see these ideas, king and prophet and priest. It's not just something the Westminster divines came up with. We see that in each of those covenants. Abraham announces a lamb.

God will provide. God will provide atonement. It's the priest. You see that promise to David, from your loins, from your line, one will rise up to sit upon your throne and he will rule forever and ever and ever.

Amen. That statement is one of kingship. Deuteronomy 18, I'll raise up from among you. One that you shall hear is the prophet.

That description of Jesus in Revelation 1, 5 sets forth that threefold office. He's what? The faithful witness as the prophet of God. He's the firstborn from the dead as the priestly sacrifice.

And he is the ruler over the kings of the earth as king of kings and lord of lords. You see, there's this idea that theological concepts and theology belong in the office or in the academy. I'm suggesting they belong in the closet. They belong in the kitchen.

They belong in the workplace. They belong when you're alone. Seek the king. One of his functions and his duties and his prerogatives is to provide protection for his people.

You're downcast. You're melancholy. You're depressed. You're lonely.

What do you do? Pray to the king. Lord, help me not to succumb to this. Help me to hope thou in God.

Help me to realize that your word is sure, that your promises are yea and amen, that all of God's dealings with you are all of God's dealings with me are in Christ and they're yea and amen. Invoke the priestly office of Christ. After making that statement of Christ's comprehensive sovereignty, his universal and unbounded empire in Ephesians 1, 20 and 21, he then goes on to say, just read verse 21, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things.

Here it is, to the church. Universal Empire to the Church. Ruler over the kings of the earth to the Church. The One who governs every spot of creation, whether seen or unseen, to the Church.

Which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Christ subdues us to himself. He restrains our rules and defends us, and he restrains and conquers all his and our enemies. It's the end of Psalm 110.

He drinks water at the brook. He lifts up the head. What does that mean? It means he's victorious.

He's triumphant. In the messianic age, in the rule of Christ, he doesn't come up short. He's not the loser in this exchange. How do we see him in Revelation chapter 19?

Again, I don't think what we're taught there in that chapter when Jesus is on the white horse, I don't think that's referring to the second physical coming. I think we're given a glimpse of his messianic reign. I think we're given a glimpse of how he rules in history, how he functions at the right hand of God Most High. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, and out of his mouth proceeds the sword.

That's the word of God. He rules, he reigns, he exercises sovereignty by that word that proceeds from his mouth. And as well, brethren, as king, not only subdues us to himself, He not only conquers our enemies, He not only aids us in defense, but He commands us as Lord. You see, there's no room for self-will among His subjects.

There's no room for independence among His subjects. There's no place for autonomy among His subjects. Christ not only saves us, but He commands us. His will, his word, and his rule are to be the standard for our lives as his people.

You see, it would be a very disloyal subject to the king who refused his will. It would be a very disloyal subject to the king who didn't delight in his will. We would call that a traitor. We would call that a treasonous person.

During times of war, that is a capital offense. And yet, how many of us in the Christian church reject against, rebel against, the will of our King? We ought to pray, Lord Jesus, fill me with Your Spirit in such a way that I delight to do Your will.

Christ as Prophet

It's not only our King. He's our prophet. How does Christ execute the office of a prophet? He executes the office of a prophet in revealing to us, by his word and spirit, the will of God for our salvation.

The statement of Deuteronomy 18. Remember on the Mount of Transfiguration, the Lord Jesus, as it were, pulled back the humanity and let his glory shine. Moses and Elijah appear there with him. Peter says, we ought to make three booths.

We ought to make three tabernacles. What's the point of that interchange? What's the point of that encounter? One, it is the fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy.

But as well, God the Father says, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him. Listen to the prophet Christ. Give ear to the prophet Christ.

Give yourself to the prophet Christ's word. Jesus by his word and by his spirit communicates to his people in Revelation chapters two and three. Jesus addresses each of the seven churches. There is a conspicuous pattern in each of those seven letters.

And one of the things that Christ does is he gives a self identification in the opening verse or two. He says something of his own nature, of his own character, and usually it comes right out of the description in chapter one. He then commends the church for any good that is in them. He condemns them from any bad that is in them.

And in each of the seven letters, he says, he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. You see, Christ at the right hand of the Father exercises his prophetic ministry, not just in his earthly sojourn. But he exercises that prophetic ministry currently at the right hand of the Father, by the Word and by the Spirit. Now, I just heard a man recently say, when we listen only to our doctrines and stop listening to the Holy Spirit, we have problems.

We can become like the church in Ephesus. Remember, they fought the good fight in terms of evaluating the claimants to apostleship. They were good. They were commended in that.

But nevertheless, this I have against you. You've forgotten your first love." This particular person says, one of the problems is when we're focusing upon truth, when we're fighting for the truth, what can happen is that we don't listen to the Holy Spirit. He makes a dichotomy. This is pretty normal among Charismatics and Pentecostals.

I don't say this to pick on them. I don't say this to say, oh, they're horrible, wicked, demonic people. I say this more as an observation, much the way they would say of me, he's a cessationist, so he doesn't believe the Holy Spirit works and does and has his being in the life of the church the way he used to and all that sort of thing. They're free to say that.

It's a free country. I'm going to write blog posts against them and get nasty and vicious and unkind. Just making the observation, though, that within Charismatic and Pentecostal theology, you will find this sort of dichotomy. We have the truth, we have our doctrine, and we have the Holy Spirit.

This particular man's point was simple. When we listen only to our doctrines and stop listening to the Holy Spirit. Now, if your doctrine is wrong, by all means, listen to the Holy Spirit. If your doctrine is right, you are listening to the Holy Spirit.

There's not a divide. It's not a separation. There's not a dichotomy. Christ, the prophet, speaks by his word and his spirit, such that when he identifies himself to the churches, when he commends them and then condemns them, and he finalizes with exhortation, he underscores, he who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.

It's not a dichotomy. Our doctrine is spirit-wrought. Our doctrine comes from His guidance, from Him as Teacher, from Him as the One who leads us into all truth. Jesus, at the position of authority, at the right hand of the Father, on the day of Pentecost, poured out that which you see.

We trust, we believe, and we affirm that every time we enter into this place, Jesus, at the right hand of the authority of God Most High, pours out that same selfsame Spirit so that we can receive His Word, that we can hear Him, That we can be educated and engage in theology and Bible knowledge, not so we can be proud and arrogant and wicked, but so we can be humbled under His mighty hand and submit ourselves to the King. It's a beautiful thing.

Christ as Priest

He is the king, prophet, and he's the priest. How does Christ execute the office of a priest? Christ executes the office of a priest in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice and reconcile us to God and in making continual intercession for us. Beautiful.

Again, these aren't theological abstracts that some divines in Westminster said, hey, let's just put this spin on it. They're accurate. They are properly setting forth the role of our mediator. And I want to remind us that the role of our mediator is not confined simply to his earthly ministry.

But from that place of authority at the right hand, he is currently king, he is currently prophet, he is currently priest. Isn't this how John encourages us in First John 2? My little children, I write to you. I write these things to you so that you may not sin.

John doesn't want his people to sin. He wants the people of God to sin. We might call that idealism, not the philosophical system, but the ideal place. I write these things to you so that you may not sin.

But John's a realist as well. And if anyone does sin, we have right now, currently, presently, an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. You see, we need the priestly office of Christ continuously. We need Him to plead His merit on our behalf.

We need him to advocate on our behalf. We need him to constantly remind his father, not, I speak as a man, not as if God needed reminding, he's an omniscient being, but to plead before him the efficacy and the merit of his atoning work on behalf of his people. We need that, but as well we need his intercession. We need the fact that Jesus always lives to make intercession for his people.

Jesus, right now, at the right hand of the Father, currently ruler over the kings of the earth, prophet to his church, is the priest who intercedes for his people. I asked a Catholic once, why would you pray to Mary? Why would you pray to the saints? And this person said, because God is busy.

It was that Catholic conception of the old switchboard operator. You got old Betsy sitting in the general store. She's got a great big board up there. Most of the kids, you probably don't even have a clue.

If I can't text it, cell phone it, or download it, I don't even know. Well, way back when, even before my time, not that I'm that old, they had these big boards. They had all these holes in them. And you had this lady with it, usually a lady.

There were gender distinctives back then in everything. It was amazing. You have this lady with these headphones on and she would take these things and sort of put it into the appropriate hole when people are trying to make a connection. No doubt she got busy and overwhelmed at times.

No doubt she would have to tell me, well you just need to hold on. I can't do all that. That's our conception. That's our view.

That's our image that somehow Jesus is too busy to listen to me. We have his ear. We have an advocate. We have an intercessor.

We have one that is always there. We have one that is always present at the right hand of the father making intercession for us. That's blessing. That's beautiful.

That's why we have one of the reasons we have a priest sacrifice and intercession of those concepts, those two activities that a priest engages in on behalf of his people. Gotta say, that was probably one of the quickest hours I've ever lived. Can't believe it's 1225. I just want you to get excited about this is what I want.

We could just jump right into Acts 2.36 and I hope be very blessed. But we saw this promise to Abraham. We saw this promise during the Mosaic economy. We see this promise to David.

We see this announcement of a king-priest in Psalm 110. And then, lo and behold, in the fullness of the time, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law. Jesus Christ is the champion. Jesus Christ is the victor.

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all these lines of biblical truth. And I really believe that Luke wants us to understand this. Luke wants us to get this. Yes, history is important for our dear brother, but so is theology.

So is understanding God's covenantal dealings. So is understanding and appreciating the panoramic of biblical history, redemptive history. Appreciating that God is in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, and that he is doing this through the mediator. The one who functions as a prophet, a priest and a king for his people.

You see, the current session of our Lord Jesus Christ right now ought to encourage the people of God. I have a sign in my office, I have a sign at home. It has two words that say, and today. Sometimes people walk in, it's kind of cool.

What is that? It's a Bible verse. I don't think they actually do this, but you kind of think that what Bible verse, you know, we all like to. Oh, we're pretty familiar.

John 3, 16. That's not in today. You know, Deuteronomy 6, 4, if we live in the old covenant, that's not today. What's in today?

Hebrews 13, verse 8. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. You see, some of us have no problem realizing Jesus Christ as Lord of yesterday. We have no problem examining the Scriptures and seeing Him going about doing wondrous things and marvelous activities and raising the dead and healing the blind and feeding the multitudes and dying at Calvary and rising again.

We have no problem seeing the Lordship of Christ over yesterday. Most of God's people have no problem with the future coming. with the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have no problem looking forward to the future. The current session impresses upon us that today we need to focus upon our prophet, our priest, and our king.

He is right now at the right hand of the majesty of God on high. He is right now all those things that we have been discussing in this last hour. He is right now the fullness and the glory of God at the right hand of his Father where he is for his people. You see, the current session impresses upon us the reality that Jesus is not a distant, far-off spectator.

Jesus is not a distant, far-off king, but Jesus Christ is with us today. Don't you love the mindset, the idea, the energy, rather, the blessed depiction that we find of Jesus in the Twenty-Fifth Psalm? Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, because you're with me. You see what most of us do when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death?

First of all, we forget we're walking through it. We think it's all going to end right here. Maybe you don't. I have trouble with the through part.

When the troubles come, it's like it's all over. There's two types of people in this world as I see it. There's the steady Eddie and then there's the roller coaster. If you're a Stadietti, praise God and pray for us roller coasters.

Because life gets rough doing this, you know. Fired up and passionate when they're on the top, but really, really down when they're at the bottom. But not only does the psalmist have that confidence that I'm walking through the valley of the shadow of death, he has this resolve, I will fear no evil. Is I'm a steady Eddie?

No, because thou art with me. It's another fundamental problem between him and us. Speaking generically, you may have this down. We go through the valley of the shadow of death, and what do we conclude?

God's not with me. Jesus isn't with me. Jesus is watching to see how I will perform. Jesus might be rooting for me.

Jesus might be cheering for me. Jesus might be wringing his hands and hoping for me. But you know, to say that thou art with me in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death isn't generally our admission of faith. See, this threefold office, this current session of Christ, I hope will encourage you with that reality.

He is with you. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He will never depart from you.

There is practical comfort in this reality concerning the current session of Christ. I want to encourage my brothers and sisters here. I want to encourage the believers here. I want to encourage those who are in Christ.

Never forget this threefold office. Don't just throw it over here and say, well, you know, that's not practical. I like what C.S. Lewis said.

He said, you know, I get more out of reading doctrine than I do out of devotion. There's far more devotional benefit in a good doctrinal treatise than in the devotional literature. When I read that, I thought, that's beautiful. That's awesome.

It's not the same thing for a while, and I just didn't kind of want to admit it, you know? Devotional books are nice and fine, and I don't want to rain on anybody's parade. But as Lewis says, when you're working through a particularly difficult or tricky piece of theology, the heart is warm. It's encouraged, strengthened, it's built up.

It's one of the fears I have about doctrinal preaching in our day is that people just shut down and shut off and say, well, that's for the pastors and that's for the deacons and that's for those guys who like to meet on Saturday morning at O Dark 30. That's for people that, you know, go to seminary. That's for people that read big fat books. It's for you.

Theology is the stuff of the Christian life. And for the unbeliever, for those who are not Christ's, I don't know who you are. I don't know who's in and who's out. This much I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt, hear Jesus as prophet.

Listen to him. If God the Father on the Mount of Transfiguration in the presence of Moses and Elijah wanted to communicate to Peter, James, and John that this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear Him, then I've got to believe that God the Father wants you today to hear Christ the Prophet. Listen. Don't reject the scripture.

Don't despise the truth. Don't say, well, that's for another day. Listen to the word of God. May I encourage you to listen each and every day.

Go to the scriptures. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Search the scriptures.

Examine daily the things that are indicated. Try it. Prove it. See that in fact, God most high is true.

So here I must profit, go to God through him as priest. This is what you need. You need sacrifice. You need intercession.

You need an advocate and you need someone advocating. You need Christ in His person and in His work. You need obedience to the law. You need sacrifice for sin.

You need blood to cleanse you. You need blood to wash you. You need blood to remove your iniquity. And you need a righteousness that avails with God.

Go to the Father through the Son as priest. And then finally, submit to Him as King. Submit to God, Jesus Christ as king. And I want to close with his last statement concerning the exaltation of Christ.

Submit to him as king because there is a day coming when you most certainly will. My encouragement is to go to Christ believing, to go to Christ confessing. to go to Christ, laying hold of him by God's grace, believe the gospel, and then submit to his reign now. Because most assuredly, everyone in here, mark my words, you may not believe it now, you may forget it, but on that 11th hour, when you're ushered into the presence of God, you'll remember it then. Paul says, therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given him a name that is above every name, which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, here it is, Every knee should bow of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

You will bow. You will submit to his kingdom. You will submit to his reign. On that day it will be in shame and it will be just prior to being cast off.

Submit now. Believe on Christ. Embrace his kingdom, embrace his kingship by God's grace and bend the knee and confess with the tongue. That's where joy, that's where happiness, that's where true blessing lies.

Well, let us pray.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank you for your word and thank you for this threefold office of Christ in his current session at the right hand of God most high. We praise you that he is there for us. We praise you that he rules over us, that he defends us, that he protects us. We thank you that he commands us in the word.

We also praise you that he speaks by his word, by his spirit. He's not left us as orphans in this world. And we praise you for his priestly office. We praise you for that sacrifice that is perfect. that atonement that is finished.

We thank you for his current session at your right hand, where he always lives to make intercession for his people. May this be an encouragement to each of us, God, and may you be glorified in our thinking and in our living. We pray for Mr. Proctor and we ask that you would watch over our dear brother, that he would find comfort in these truths, that you would build him up in his most holy faith, and that, God, you would bless him physically as well.

And we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

Scripture References

• Deuteronomy 18
• 2 Samuel 7:12-16
• Psalm 23; 110:1; 110:3
• Daniel 7:13-14
• Malachi 4
• Matthew 28:18
• Luke 1:1; 1:32-33; 24:44
• Acts 1:1; 2:22-36; 3:22; 3:25-26; 4; 5; 12; 13; 15; 18; 19-28
• Ephesians 1:20-21
• Philippians 2:9-11
• Hebrews 1:3; 7; 13:8
• 1 John 2:1
• Revelation 1:4-5; 2-3; 13; 19