eig's Blog: Jesus Son of Abraham, Lord and King!

When God called Abraham to leave his home, he gave him a promise of giving him a new land, bringing out of him great nations and kings (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-7). He said to Abraham: "I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” Genesis 17:16 (NIV) At this time Abraham laughs, and I probably would have as well, if I was 100 years old and my wife was 90 and I was told my wife would have a baby and out of him would come nations and kings, especially The Messiah, King of Kings. Yet God fulfilled His promise to Abraham. Isaac is born and out him comes Jacob and the twelve patriarchs. Israel is born after over 350 years. Four hundred years later Israel comes out of Egypt, spends 40 years in the desert and inherits the land God promised (Joshua). But this was only the beginning.

Over four hundred years (I am using estimation. A timeline of Israel can be found here), Israel is a nation until the deportation of Judah in 586 B.C. Then Israel is ruled by a number of nations for another 400 years.

The Gospel of Matthew opens this way: "A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham." (NIV) Matthew traces Jesus' genealogy from Abraham to Joseph of Arimathea who was a descendant from the tribe of Judah, the royal lineage of David. But Jesus was also the Son of God who would save his people from their sins: "This is how
the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be
married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be
with child through the Holy Spirit...She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

(Matthew 1:18, 21) - NIV

God's plan was that the King would come humbly (Philippians 2:7-12). He was no ordinary King. This King would not come with a sword but as a servant, the suffering servant (see Isaiah 63). A servant who by the sovereign will of God would give his life as a sacrifice for the salvation of those who would believe. At the age of 33, he was killed by unrighteous men, was buried and rose from the dead. He did this to save us from our sins. Those who have put their faith in Christ as their Messiah and King are now Abraham's children. The promise given to Abraham that he would be father of many nations was fulfilled: "Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed
to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but
also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us
all. As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were." (Romans 4:16-17) - NIV

After Jesus rose from the dead, he showed himself to his people for over 40 days and then he ascended into heaven (Acts 1:3). He sat at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19). He is Lord and King. Yet his rule is not physically evident:

"...the exalted Christ pervades all of creation with His controlling power.
God directs all things to their appointed ends in His eternal plan to
make His reign manifest over all creation and unite everything in heaven
and earth in submission to our Savior." (The Fullness of Christ, Ligonier Ministries).

The time will come when Jesus will put everything under his rule and hand over the kingdom to God (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). The question is whether we are willing to submit to him under his rule now or later. Everyone will one day call him Lord (Philippians 1:9-11)