Personal Awakening: The honour of God’s presence Exodus 33:3-17

 

We have the danger of God’s presence is that He is not safe if we are not submissive.

 

A. The honour of God’s presence is that we might have fellowship with the invisible God.

 

In verse 3, God offered to bless the people with the Promised Land, but without His presence. That’s exactly what many people. They want God to give them whatever they need for a happy life, but they really don’t care about a daily walk in fellowship with Him.

 

Think about it: Could that describe you? You want happiness, inner peace, loving relationships, a fulfilling job, and a good church to attend. But as long as you have those things, life is good. You don’t really care about a daily relationship with God.

 

Thankfully, in this situation, it wasn’t good enough for Israel or for Moses. Israel mourned the news that God would not go with them and showed their repentance by stripping off their ornaments. Moses sought the Lord and prayed (Exod. 33:13), “Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” He went on to add (Exod. 33:15), “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.” God’s presence was even more cherished than the blessing of the Promised Land! What do you cherish? Many people today are running for miracles rather than for God’s presence.

 

Verses 7-11 seem to interrupt the flow of the narrative, but I think they’re here to show how Moses enjoyed intimate fellowship with the Lord. The tent here was not the tabernacle, which was yet to be built. The tabernacle would be placed in the center of the camp and even Moses could not enter the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle. Only Aaron, the high priest, could go in there and just once a year, to make atonement for Israel’s sins. Moses called this tent “the tent of meeting” (v. 7): “And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp.” But it seems as if not everyone could enter the tent. They had to go through Moses, their mediator. When he went out to the tent, everyone would stand at the door of their own tents, watch, and worship (vv. 8, 10). The pillar of cloud would descend as Moses entered the tent and the Lord would speak with Moses (v. 9).

 

The people must have wondered what took place inside that tent! Verse 11 tells us: “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.” Apparently Joshua stayed there to guard the tent from any intruders. When it says that the Lord spoke with Moses “face to face,” it does not mean literally, since no man can see God’s face and live (Exod. 33:20). It means that Moses enjoyed intimate fellowship with God there. It was a sacred place where Moses met with God.

 

Some brief applications: 

1.    there are different levels of intimacy with God. Moses knew God in a way that even Aaron and their sister, Miriam, did not (Num. 12:1-8). Only Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transfigured into His glory and they were not permitted to speak of what they saw until after Jesus was risen (Matt. 17:1-13). Paul had the unique experience of being caught up to the third heaven where he heard things that he was not permitted to speak (2 Cor. 12:4). All what the rest of us can do is read about these extraordinary experiences and let them motivate us to seek to know God more deeply than we already do.

 

2.     those who seek the Lord must go through the Mediator. The Israelites who sought the Lord would go outside the camp to the tent and go through Moses. It involved some deliberate effort to go out there. Maybe they had to wait in line, since Moses could only handle a few requests at a time. But we have a Mediator who can handle all our requests at once! Paul says (Eph. 2:18), “for through Him we both [Jews and Gentiles] have our access in one Spirit to the Father.” Hebrews 13:13 exhorts, “So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach”.

 

3.     it’s helpful to have a specific place and time where you meet with God. Make a designated spot where you can get alone with God to fellowship with Him through His Word and prayer. As you read His Word, ask Him to teach you His ways so that you may know Him (Exod. 33:13; Ps. 25:4). God’s ways are how He deals with people, and His ways are not our ways (Isa. 55:8). He commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his beloved son, providing the ram at the last minute, as an illustration of how He would sacrifice His own Son (Gen. 22:1-14). He put Joseph in an Egyptian dungeon after he obeyed God by resisting the advances of Potiphar’s wife. His way with Joseph was puzzling at the time, but later God used him to provide for His people during a famine (Ps 105:16-19; Gen 50:20)

B. The honour of God’s presence is so that we might be distinct from all other people.

 

As God’s people, we are in the world, but not of the world (John 17:15-16). We saw in verses 1-3, how God distanced Himself from the people because of their sin with the golden calf. But Moses, through his prayer, sought to secure God’s presence again with His people. In verse 13, after asking to know God’s ways and find favor in His sight, Moses reminds the Lord, “Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” In verse 14, the Lord responds using a singular pronoun: “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” But Moses wasn’t content with that. So he went on (vv. 15, 16) to ask for God’s presence to lead the people from there and to go with them all. God’s presence would distinguish Israel from all the other people who were on the face of the earth (v. 16).

 

We should experience God’s presence not just individually, but also corporately. Paul asks (1 Cor. 3:16), “Do you not know that you [plural] are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you [plural]?” The church is now the temple where God dwells. Unbelievers who come into our church gatherings should sense that God is in our midst (1 Cor. 14:25). But for that to happen, we have to be distinct from the world. In 2 Corinthians 6:16, Paul again states that the church is the temple of God and that God dwells in our midst. Then he commands (2 Cor. 6:17), “Therefore, ‘Come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord.” Paul concludes (2 Cor. 7:1), “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

The Urgency and promise of God’s presence - Exodus 33:15-17

 

For more than a month, I have been trying to bring all of us to the point where we can know for sure that we need personal awakening in our lives. We saw through the life of Moses the need for an awakening. We established that an awakening is the ordinary work of the Holy Spirit creating extra-ordinary effects on those who experience His presence.

 

We also saw from the old and new testament that God’s presence is dangerous to those who disobey and it is essential for us to have His presence. We went further to look at the honour or privileges of having God’s presence in our lives and in our corporate body. We need that intimacy with God if we want to do extra-ordinary service to the glory of God.

 

Today we will be looking at the urgency, the determination, the insistence of having God’s presence.

 

A.  The urgency of God’s presence is that we cannot function without Him.

 

You would think that an angel of God would have been sufficient. The angels are impressive beings with the power to strike the men of Sodom blind and then bring down brimstone on their city! But Moses was not satisfied with the angel’s presence. He prays (Exod. 33:15), “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.” In other words, “Angels won’t do! Without Your presence, God, we’re finished!”

 

By praying that, Moses was acknowledging his own insufficiency and His need for God’s all-sufficiency.

1.   We need God’s presence for joy (Ps. 16:11): “In Your presence is fullness of joy at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

2.   We need His presence for protection (Ps. 31:20): “You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man.” See how he protected Moses even from the strife of Aaron and Miriam.

3.   We need His presence to deliver us from despair (misery, anguish, depression) (Ps. 42:5): “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.”

4.   We need His presence for our good (Ps. 73:28): “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good.”

 

But, it’s obvious that experiencing God’s presence is not automatic. With Moses, we need to seek God’s presence, both personally and as a church. Finally,

 

B.  The promise of God’s presence is for those who find favor in His sight, whom He knows by name.

 

Just as God is omnipresent, so He is omniscient: He knows everything and everyone. But Moses reminds God that He has said (Exod. 33:12), “I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.” The Lord affirms (v. 17), “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; fo

r you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.”

 

For God to know you by name is a special privilege. It implies a special intimacy with God, unhindered by sin. It’s similar to Paul’s prayer (Eph. 3:16-17), “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Doesn’t Christ dwell in every believer’s heart? Yes, but there is a special sense of Christ dwelling in those who find favor in His sight, whom He knows by name. As Jesus said (John 14:23), “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” The promise of God’s presence is for those who love and obey Jesus. He knows them by name.

 

Conclusion

 

Experiencing God’s presence will help you to walk more carefully in this corrupt world. An awareness of God’s presence will keep you from sin. How can you sin if you are aware that God is present with you? You don’t want to lose the experience of His presence (Ps. 51:11). Our Lord has promised (Matt. 28:20), “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” But experiencing His presence is not automatic. We need to walk in holiness, enjoying daily fellowship with Him. His presence is dangerous, but essential!

The Sanctity of human life (Genesis 9 :5-6)

Introduction:

In 1994, a 16 year-old Philadelphia youth tried to extort money from an ice cream truck driver. When the driver refused, the boy shot him. As this father of three lay dying, the neighborhood teenagers gathered around and mocked his agony in a rap song they composed, “They killed Mr. Softee.” A fellow ice cream truck driver and friend of the dying man came on the scene shortly after the shooting. He told reporters, “It wasn’t human. People were laughing and asking me for ice cream. I was crying.... They were acting as though a cat had died, not a human being.”

In this passage, God is speaking to Noah and his 3 sons.

1. They’ve been given a fresh start in a new world.

a. so God comes and blesses them, giving them guidelines for how they’re to live in this new environment.

b. it’s at this point God tells them they’re now allowed to add meat to their diet.

c. but God is careful to warn man that even though he may eat meat, he must show reverence for life

2. The picture the Bible paints for us of the world before the flood is one of a degenerate society.

a. it was filled with violence - demonic activity was abundant - sexual perversion was pervasive.

b. ch. 4 tells us of the descendants of Cain, a line which begins and ends with the reputation of brutal murder.

c. we’re left with the impression that one of the reasons why God brought the flood was because the human race had become much like a dog with rabies.

1) it was out of control and destined to extinction through it’s own moral disease & corruption.

2) Noah alone was uninfected, and God put down the rabid dog before it could bite and infect the lone survivor of the spiritual plague that was destroying the human race.

d. as Noah and his sons now step forth from the ark, God wants to impress upon them the single greatest value, the most important truth regarding how they’re to treat one another.

e. it’s based on the value, the sanctity of human life.

f. they must not think that because God Himself has just wiped out the entire population of earth that HE disregards the value of human life.

g. on the contrary, it’s precisely BECAUSE of the value of human life that the Flood was necessary.

1) men & women had come to deny that value.

2) the whole race from top to bottom had become a murderous pack of criminals.

3) only Noah escaped the corruption of his time.

h. so God now comes to him with words that are meant to enter into his heart and mind and lay the ground for a subsequent history that will forever enshrine the sanctity of human life as the primary rule for all relationships.

What is Sanctity?

It is the state or quality of being holy, sacred, or saintly; with ultimate importance and inviolability. The human life is to be protected not violated. So the human life is very important and should not be violated but protected. This sacredness or ultimate importance does not depend on status, occupation, age or wealth but just because humans are created in the image of God. It doesn’t matter their colour, whether they are free or slaves, young or old, white or black; all human life is important and should never be violated.

Deviations from God’s call for sanctity of human life.

We live in a day when human life is no longer regarded as sacred. The devaluing of life is spreading not only through violence in the ghettos, but also through abortion on demand, which results in the deaths of 1.5 million babies in America each year. All of these problems stem from the erosion of the Bible as the standard for truth in our society. If you throw out the Bible and accept evolution, then man is just an animal and there is no basis for human morality, other than cultural norms. Without the Bible, there is no basis for affirming that humans are created in the image of God and that human life is thus sacred. For the survival of our nation and culture, we desperately need to understand and proclaim the biblical truth regarding the sanctity of human life. Since God values human life, so must we. He valued human life that is why he ordained it to be propagated as He said to Adam and Eve in Gen 1:28 “Be fruitful and multiply”. God put the fear of man on wild animals and put all animal life under man’s control. He also gave permission for man to eat meat. God ordained that human life be protected even through capital punishment.

How do some people treat their own children today? We have heard about people who abort and say it is my body. You do not have the right to kill a life! You don’t have the right to take your own life either! Even as foetus that child is still a human being having a soul. Some parents even encourage their children to abort; what a shame. Some send their children in cities to work money for them in brothels; they sleep with men to make money for these women disregarding the life of these children.

How do you treat that child who is staying with you at home? Do you treat him/her the same way you treat your children? Or do you look at that one as an animal? God is watching you. How do you treat the Orphans, the widows and the poor in the community you or in your family? Some of us Christians are the first to drive the orphans and widows from their home after the death of the husband. We care less about the wellbeing of the children and the widow.

How does God value human life? Vs5-6

In the text we just read it says “At the hand of every beast will I require it”. God will have the beast put to death that kills a man. This is confirmed in Exodus 21:28. He goes further to say “And at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.” God will avenge the blood of the murdered upon the murderer.

The first law promulgated in Scripture was that between Creator and creature. If the creature refuse to the Creator the obedience due, he forfeits all the Creator has given him, and, therefore, his life. Hence, when Cain murdered his brother, he only displayed a new development of that sin which was in him, and, being already condemned to the extreme penalty under the first transgression, had only a minor punishment annexed to his personal crime. So long as the law was between Creator and creature, God himself was not only the sole legislator, but the sole administrator of law.

The second restriction guards human life. The shedding of human blood is sternly prohibited. "Your blood of your lives." The blood which belongs to your lives, which constitutes the very life of your corporeal nature. "Will I require." I, the Lord, will find the murderer out, and exact the penalty of his crime. The very beast that causes the death of man shall be slain. The suicide and the homicide are alike accountable to God for the shedding of man's blood. Man must not take away his own life. Our lives are God's, and we must only give them up when he pleases. If we in any way hasten our own death, we are accountable to God for it. When God requires the life of a man from him that took it away unjustly, the murderer cannot render that, and therefore must render his own instead. The penalty of murder is here proclaimed - death for death. It is an instance of the law of retaliation. This is an axiom of moral equity. He that deprives another of any property is bound to make it good or to suffer the like loss. But there are those who are ministers of God to protect the innocent, by being a terror to evil-doers, and they must not bear the sword in vain, Ro 13:4. Wilful murder ought always to be punished with death.

 

The Basis of Human Government vs 5

1. Look at these verses again . . . 5Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; . . .

2. When a man or woman’s blood is spilt and a life is taken, God demands a reckoning, an accounting.

a. there must be an investigation to determine the cause.

b. and if it’s a case of murder – then the guilty party must be punished. . . . from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man.

3. If an animal has killed a person – that animal must be executed.

4. If another man or woman is to blame, they must be put to death. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man.

5. God is here entrusting the task of pursuing justice into the hands and authority of the murdered person’s relatives. 6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed;

6. After giving the specifics in v. 5, God now lays down the principle of capital punishment.

a. when there’s been a murder, it becomes the duty and responsibility of other men to execute the murderer.

b. this is nothing less than the original mandate of God for human government.

1) these verses form the core and nexus for our understanding of what God intends in civil government.

2) the reckoning he demands in v. 5 speaks of a justice system.

3) and the authority to execute murderers establishes and authorizes a law enforcement system.

7. Please take careful note of this – God’s mandate for human civil government is based on what principle? The value & sanctity of human life. 

8. But this sanctity isn’t just snatched out of thin air. It’s based on the last words of v. 6 - For in the image of God He made man.

9. There you have it – The sanctity, the specialness of human life that frames the basis for all human government is based on the FACT that Man is created in the image of God!

10. And it’s precisely at this point that we run into problems in our modern age.

11. But before we get into that, we need to see how what God says here develops and grows through the rest of Scripture.

The Development of Capital Punishment

1. Later on in the Law of Moses, God refines and clarifies the basic mandate given here.

2. He gives guidelines for dealing with those who take another’s life.

 3. As He here says that a reckoning must be made, He gives insights for that reckoning.

a. a distinction between killing and murder is made.

b. not all killing is murder.

c. there are some cases where there’s just cause for killing;

1) self-defense is one,

2) capital punishment with the due process of law, the very thing demanded here, is another,

3) a just war is a case of permissible killing,

d. God also called for recognition that some cases of killing are accidental.

1) when the Jews entered into the Promise Land at the end of the Exodus, God instructed them to establish cities of refuge throughout their territory.

 2) these were special places where those who’d accidentally killed someone could flee for safety from the hand of the one who came after them to exact revenge.

3) the elders of the city of refuge would sit in judgment, listening to the refugee’s side of the story and then to the avenger’s evidence.

4) if the elders ruled it was an accident, then the refugee was permitted to remain in the city and live there the rest of his life.

The New Testament also upholds the authority of governments to impose the death penalty. In Romans 13:1-4, Paul, living under Nero’s violent reign, argues that Christians must be subject to the governing authorities, because they are ordained by God to avenge wrongs and bring wrath, including the sword, upon the one who practices evil. Paul himself told Festus that if he had done anything worthy of death, he was willing to die for his crimes (Acts 25:11).

If you take away the death penalty, murdering someone becomes insignificant. But it is also sad if a truly repentant person is executed. Reason why the law must be fair and just with all proves and evidences. Moses’ murder of the Egyptian could be argued to be in defense of another person. God is concerned about justice, and the death penalty should be applied evenly (not along racial lines) after a fair trial and convincing guilt.

Will you obey and do your mission? Matthew 28:16-20

When I look at our text, I find an assignment from our Lord to his followers. Jesus commissioned the disciples to

a)       preach Jesus in order to make disciples for Jesus

b)      preach the gospel of His death for our sins and resurrection for our hope that we may be saved

c)       immerse disciples in water

d)      teach the word of Jesus to immersed disciples.

1.      What is mission?

It’s an important assignment given to a person or group of people, typically involving traveling. Do we have a mission?

Yes. Because God has a mission to restore the world. God created man for a purpose. He created the world for a purpose. FOR HIS GLORY. (Isaiah 43:7)

Sin has caused man not to fulfil God’s purpose. Ro 3:23 “…come short of God’s glory”.

Through Christ god has brought restoration to man. Restoration to His purpose ie glorifying God and enjoying Him forever.

Those who’ve experienced restoration have been given a command to take on God’s mission to bring others to Christ through the gospel.

2.      How do we do missions?

    a)       Firstly; Be in Christ. Don’t just do but be in Christ.

                                                               i.      Spend time with God. In meditation, prayer, bible reading and silence. Learn to hear His voice (John 10:17)

                                                             ii.      Obey to keep your relationship with God.(James 4:4-10)

                                                           iii.      Be quick to repent when you fall (James 5:13-16). Do not pretend to be perfect, be transparent before God. Allow Him to help you out.

   b)      Secondly; Find your role in missions.

Everybody has a role as a Christian. You either obey and take your role or you’re disobedient. All believers have to be involved in kingdom advancement; because the end will come only when the gospel is preached throughout the whole world as a testimony (Matt 24:14)

The question you should ask “How do I get involved?” You are either a goer or a sender. The goer and sender share in God’s blessing together (1Sam 30:24)

i)                    The missionary or goer

    -      He leaves his culture and goes to other cultures to share the gospel

    -          His burden is to see people reach with the gospel (reaching the unreach for Christ)

    -          He’s gifted by God to adapt to new situations and cultures and learn new languages

    -          Have a passion to see God’s name glorified where it’s not.

ii)                  Senders

Unless there are senders, there’ll be no goers (Ro 10:15) Behind a missionary there are people who pray and support him. The sender is intentional and lives a simple lifestyle to release more resources for missions.

3.      Question: Are you a reluctant disciple?

Jesus’ disciples have a mission to evangelise. Israel was a strategic place to start world evangelism to a monotheistic God. Many traders and travellers were passing through Palestine for the sake of business. Instead of using this as open door they were transformed to man-made gods. Solomon began his fall into material prosperity and signed contracts (married foreign women) for the sake of money. These are some 3 points which will help you evaluate yourself.

    1.       God is not willing that any should perish (2 Pt 3:9)

But many Christians today are like Jonah who do not obey the command to go (Jonah 1:2). It was hard for Jonah to believe that “God so loved” the Ninevites as He loved Israel (John 3:16). God is sending you and I to the unreach. God is asking us to

     -          Make disciples of all nations (tribes and cultures) (mtt 28:19)

     -          Preach the gospel to every creature (mk 16:15)

     -          Preach the word (2Tim 4:2)

     -          Go your way. Behold I send you out as Lambs among wolves (Lk 10:3). And he reassures us;

     -          These things I want you to affirm confidently so that those who have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works (Ti 3:8)

    2.       Running from our responsibility

Jonah was running to Tarshish (Jh1:3). Why will someone who knows the true God run away from such an opportunity? He knew they’ll repent (Jh 4:2). Jonah had an ethnocentric racism. Are you like Jonah?

    3.       Are you looking for opportunities?

Illustration: Shoe salesmen sent to a very poor country and their reports were opposing. One sees an open door for business since the people do not wear shoes, while the other sees a closed door for business because the people do not wear shoes (surely thinking that they will never wear shoes).

    a)       Be sensitive to open doors

See Paul in 2Cor 2:12 “Now when I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, and a door was opened to me by the Lord…” we have open doors in buses, in offices, at work site, chantiers etc. Use them! Note that it is Satans work to war against our discovery of open doors. It’s God who open doors. 1 Cor 16:8,9 “But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” Adversaries are indications that there’s an open door to preach the gospel.

    b)      Situations produce open doors

While in prison Paul was still praying for open doors. Col 4:3 “Also continue praying for us so that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains. Be open door minded! The love of the world has crowded the minds of many to lost souls (Mtt 6:24). Just like it says in James 4:13 some travel to make profit for themselves but disciples travel like Paul, a tentmaker to make profit for the kingdom of Jesus.

What should motivate you?

    1)      To glorify God

    2)      By Christ’s example and command

    3)      By the need: we leave in a world with over 7 billion people who are dead in their sins. Walking dead! We were ones death but we found Jesus. Should we be indifferent?

    4)      By opportunity. Paul changed his schedules in order to take advantage of the opportunities to preach the gospel. Every disciple must be sensitive to open doors.

    5)      By the zeal of Satan. Eph 6:10,11 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

    6)      Because of the results of failure. What if we fail to evangelise the world?

a.       Hell’s gates will be broken wide open. Mtt 7:13 “wide is the gate that leads to destruction.”

b.       Bad heritage to leave our children. An unevangelised world is an unbearable burden to our children we leave behind.

c.       God’s people are not seen as God’s people. Sitting tight without sending the light will never take Christ into all the world.

    7)      Because of our joy. Christians are excited about sharing Jesus. This leads us to be convicted, and our conviction leads to more conversions

Prayer:

-          For one another to take their responsibilities

-          to preach the gospel

-          For God to open doors for them

-          That they’ll keep to God’s word and study his word

-          That Satan will not thwart their open doors

-          That they’ll be sensitive to open doors and ready to give for missions

-          For obedience to the command of our Lord

-          That they’ll receive the joy of soul winning

-          Pray against ethnocentric racism amongst those who call themselves Christians

-          Pray for the spirit of meditation and to here God’s voice

-          Pray that our church will be mission minded not in words but in deeds

-          Pray for the church project and good stewardship

-          Pray for the leadership of the church.

Amen

NHN

WHO RULE’S THE EARTH ? Daniel 7 :13-14

In the seventh chapter of Daniel we see a parallel with his vision in chapter two. The head of gold and the lion refers to Babylon. The silver and Bear refers to Medo-Persia. The Brass and leopard refers to Greece. The iron and clay feet in chapter two refers to Rome just as the dreadful and terrible beast in chapter seven. All of these kingdoms were destroyed. There rulers were all destroyed and their thrones destroyed. Their authorities were all gone. The question to who rule’s the earth may be very simple; we would ask who rules the universe? This is still very limited to the One we are talking of. Because He has been given authority in heaven as well.

Let’s read our text again “ I continued watching in the night visions, and I saw One like a son of man
coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before Him. He was given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.”

Daniel is placed in heaven to give us a picture of what will happen when the son of man ascended to the right hand of the Father in heavenly places. “The son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of Days”. And Acts 1:9-10 speaks of Jesus being taken in a cloud to heaven. So Daniel was giving a prophecy of the ascension of Jesus in the text.

    1.       All peoples and languages should serve Him

The text does not say all peoples would serve Him. It is subjunctive. The son of man would have a universal sovereignty, though not all in that sovereignty would be obedient subjects. We still have disobedient subjects today. Regardless of the disobedience of some people on earth, Jesus is still sovereign. The church is just a part of the universal kingdom of Jesus. All nations and languages are part of this kingdom reign.

   2.       For the benefit of Christians who are the church

Ephesians 1:20-22 “He demonstrated this power in the Messiah by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens — far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put everything under His feet and appointed Him as head over everything for the church”

Jesus is far above all principality, above all rulers or personalities, above powers and dominion. This is what ascension means. That Jesus is ruling from heaven over all. Paul adds that “to or for the church”. Jesus is head over all things for the sake of the church. As Christians, we should be encouraged that the reign of Jesus is for the sake of the church; for the benefit of Christians who are the church. What a glorious gift from the bridegroom to the bride!

If Jesus and His authority is above all things and we are seated in heavenly places with him (Eph 2:6) then we should rejoice that we in Christ have authority over principalities, powers and dominion. What is making you so afraid when you are with the king? Is it a virus? Job? Sickness? Witches? What should frighten you my friend? Rethink again and stand up like a kingdom citizen.

   3.       For the glory of God, the Father

Philippians 2:9-11 “For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow —of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth —and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The sovereign rule of Jesus is for the benefit of Christians and most importantly for the glory of God the Father. Jesus’ authority (name) is above every authority. Above those in the material world (“those on earth”). His rule is over all angels in heaven (“those in heaven”) and over Satan and demons (“those under the earth”)

Jesus’ present sovereign rule is beyond the church. Philippians 2:9-11 is not talking of something that is in the future. Paul is talking of something that is present. After Jesus’ final coming the earth and Satan with his demons will be eternally destroyed (Mt 25:41). Just like in Daniel 7, Philippians 2 says every tongue should confess Jesus. However, all are not submissive today. Whether they submit or not Jesus is still their king and they will one day submit. Unfortunately, it will be too late for their redemption.

Hebrews 2:8 says we do not see everything under Jesus now. At this time it may seem that things are out of control in regards to kingdom reign of Jesus. But when He comes again, it will be clearly manifested when He brings judgment upon all who have opposed Him.

His kingdom is everlasting. It is sure and steadfast and would not pass away like the kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. Jesus’ kingdom originates from heaven. No power on earth can influence this kingdom. My friend, are you living a kingdom life or you are one of those disobedient subjects under the kingdom reign of Jesus? Reconsider your ways before it becomes too late. You still have the time to get on your knees and confess Jesus Christ as your Lord, saviour and king.

Shalom NHN