Sermons Vander Kam on HC Lord's Day 12
Q&A 31C Sermons Vander Kam on HC Lord's Day 12
Q&A 31C31 Q. Why is He called Christ, that is, Anointed?
A. Because He is ordained of God the Father, and anointed with the Holy Spirit, to be our Eternal King, who governs us by His Word and Spirit, and defends and preserves us in the salvation obtained for us.
Beloved in the Lord, we are dealing with the Kingly office of Jesus Christ and there are ever so many passages of holy writ that we would be able to read in connection with it. And there come to mind immediately for example, such very familiar passages as Psalm 2 and Psalm 72, of which we sang a moment ago. That Christ is going to have dominion over land and sea and that He is going to rule omnipotently over everything. And there are ever so many other allusions to the Kingship of Jesus Christ that we find throughout the Old Testament and also the New. But it is especially in the book of Revelation in chapter 5 that you see all these things coming together. And that he binds all these things together to give us the complete picture of that which is given to us in the Kingly office of Jesus Christ. Because you notice throughout this chapter that they are simply beside themselves in praise for that which the King of Kings has done in this, that He is able to take that book out of the hand of Him who is sitting on the throne.
And these are the things that are overlooked so many a time when we read the Bible, then we overlook many of these things because of the fact that it does not make that kind of an impression. That He wept, He wept because there was no one to be found who was able to take that book, to open its seals; and that is cause for weeping; I don't know why, do you! Why is that cause for weeping? And then when this one, this lion of the tribe of Judah, because the angel says, "Stop weeping." Because there is one who is going to do it, and then that lion of the tribe of Judah, that lamb as though it had been slain, comes and takes it out of the hand of Him who sits on the throne. And then the angels, myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands begin to sing His praise. Not only do they sing His praise, but also the twenty four elders and the four living creatures. That is, the representatives of the whole church and the representatives of all nations; all of them begin to worship that One who takes that book out of the hand of Him that is on the throne.
And the reason for that beloved, is this, that that book contains the history of the world. And that is closed, sealed with seven seals, and He is not only able to take it and to look into it, but also to break the seals, to show what is in it to everybody else; and that He does. And then those seven seals are opened in subsequent chapters, and these are the ones that give rise to the seven trumpets that come. And those are the ones that give rise to the seven bowls of wrath that are poured out, etc. So that it is all dependent upon this, that there is going to be found someone who is going to be able to take that book, and to look into it, and to carry it out. That is not only to give you a revelation of what is going to happen in the history of the world, but also to carry out that history. He's going to break the seals, and he is going to give an insight into it and He is going to cause it to come to pass; that which is destined for the history of this world. That is the position of our Christ.
And that brings it very close again beloved, to that which we find in Lord's Day 12 of the Heidelberg Catechism. Why is He called Christ? Because He is the One who stands before the throne of God, takes that book out of His hand, the book of the history of the world, which would have been a conundrum, which would have been a mystery, and He takes it, He opens it and breaks the seals, and makes known what is the history of man. Now we know. And there are terrible things that come already in the next chapter, those first six seals that are opened. It is the one horse after the other of the Apocalypse, huh. The seven horses of the Apocalypse, those are the first ones that are opened. And so it goes on, so that we will have somewhat of an idea who is in control, and what His control means. And this is the way in which He is going to deal with the world in which we live.
We speak to you this morning on, Christ's Kingly Office.
Then we notice in the first place, the extent of it; secondly, the manner of it; and finally, its purpose.
Now when we look at the extent of it beloved, than we must come to the conclusion immediately that it doesn't look like a Kingly office. It doesn't look like this is a King whatsoever, because of the fact that all the various things that are given us in the gospel accounts for example, seem to militate against it. He does not even have, he says himself, a place to lay his head. King! He is the one who has no followers; King! He is the one who seems to be a total failure; a King! And Pilate holds it up to ridicule at the very end of His life and says, "Art Thou a King? Art Thou the king of the Jews?" Well, let's dress it up a little bit and let's make it look like it, and put a purple robe on him, and put a reed in his hand; "Hail, king of the Jews!". "I mock you," says Pilate.
And that is the One who stood before the throne of God and took the book out of His hand. It does not seem as though there is a kingship here whatsoever, and Pilate doesn't think so, and the Jews don't think so. And most of the church of the 1990s doesn't think so, because they have long ago concluded that He gave His life, and that He is a Savior, and now, c'mon, now that's enough, that's enough, that's all we need, you know. Salvation, Jesus saves; yah, but He is also called more than that, and he is also Christ. "And now what does that mean," says our confession, "that He is Christ?" And it means this, that He is King.
Now if we could only stop with that, that He is, well, let Him also be a Prophet. We don't listen to that word so much anymore or that we use it in such a way so that it also fits into the days into which we are living. That we somewhat weaken it in ever so many ways, so that it does not have those sharp edges anymore, but that is according to the culture of the day. But then we can still listen to Him, and He has said some marvelous things in the Sermon on the Mount. And He has said some marvelous things for example, in His High Priestly Prayer; let's keep those. But it is especially that Priestly office that He has given Himself as a ransom, and that if we could only stop with that, then we would be all set. Then Jesus, Jesus is the One who saves, and there is no more than that, and now there comes this kingly office that demands everything. And that is the thing whereby much of the fundamentalistic church of the present day has run afoul of the truth of God. That they no longer acknowledge Him or His Kingship. And that He is the son of David; who cares! That He is the lion of the tribe of Judah; who cares! But Jesus saves.. And that name of Jesus, and the more fundamentalistic they become, the longer becomes the vowel, the "E" in Jesus.
These are the dangers, the dangers of the present day, and they have been there with us throughout time. Now, what is the extent. Well, the Scriptures teach us very clearly beloved, and so it is also taught here in our confession. That He is in complete control of His church, that He rules His people, and that He rules His people completely. And I have been amazed in recent years, that in ever so many statements that have come out again trying to hold together that which is necessary to hold together; that they begin again with this, that Jesus Christ is King and head of the church. Oh, I thought that was a given! I thought that that was something assumed by everybody, but it isn't, it isn't. That has to be underscored again, that this is the head and King of the church, and that everything has to revolve around Him, and that there is no power given to that church except it come from Him. And that is His Kingship.
What is the extent of it? He rules that church, and He rules it as His own body. "He is the head and we are the members," says the apostle. And that is the way in which He rules us; He rules us, if I may use the term; He rules us as the brain rules the body. And it is into every part of it, and if that brain no longer responds, then that body no longer responds. Then it is completely dead, and then we are also even legally today considered dead, when we are brain-dead. He is the head, we are the members, and He rules His church, He rules them completely, and He rules them by His might.
Now that is the way in which it is revealed to us in the Scriptures from beginning to end. "Thou shalt rule over them, they shall be willing servants in the day of Thy power," says the Psalmist in Psalm 110. They are going to be His willing servants, He doesn't have to draft them, they're all volunteers. Yah, because this King is one who deals so differently; we'll see that in a moment; but He rules over His church. And that church is responsible to Him, and is accountable to Him for everything that it does. And then of course, in order that that kingly office may come into its own, that prophetic office must come into its own. Then that Word of Jesus Christ must be proclaimed, and then He rules as King. And that Priestly work of Jesus Christ must be proclaimed and then He will rule as King. But in order that the prophetic and the priestly offices may come into their own, He also is King, in order to make it complete, and otherwise He wouldn't be. And those are the things that you and I must recognize.
And again when we look upon that particular aspect of it beloved, what is the extent of His kingship, that it is not only a kingship that He exercises over His church, but it is also exercised over the entire world. And otherwise there is no rule over the church, if there is no rule over the world; because all of it is under His control, for the sake of the church. Which has so many times of course, been looked at in this way, that it is simply the scaffolding that this world is for the church. You don't have to be a builder for this to acknowledge that, that that scaffolding is used in order that it may be a tool for the building of the building. And then when the building is complete the scaffolding is torn down. But is used again; I saw it here in this building this past spring. Not so here. This is the only building that He is going to build, and when this building is complete He is going to burn up the scaffolding. That's the picture the Bible gives you; very simple.
The world is the scaffolding around the church; can you imagine that anybody would believe that outside of the doors of this building! That that is the most important thing in the history of this world, and that is the church. That's what He says, and He is also Prophet. And that's what He says to us and He means it. And He bought it, so that now He rules it. So that it is complete. You never find the offices of Jesus Christ wanting. You never find that they fall short, but in order that His prophetic and His priestly work is going to stand, He will also have to be King, and He is, He is. And they fell down and worshipped at the feet of Him that took that book out of the hand of Him that sat on the throne, because He was able to look into it and to break its seals to carry it out.
And then the world better recognize.
I am not only saved, but I am under new control. This is my only comfort, that I belong to someone else. That's a little bit more, quite a bit more, than only that I have been saved. My whole life is now a sacrifice unto the living God. "For Thou art worthy to receive all praise and glory and honor and blessing," and that His people have to bring.
Secondly, notice also the manner of that Kingship.
That kingly office beloved, reveals itself in various ways and it also does so in a way that is so different from what we had expected. We see of course, the pomp and the circumstances that surround the kingships that are here on earth, and you saw it already in the Old Testament with David and with Solomon and others. There the kingship was one that was the matter of great pomp, and there is something that ought to be there, of that nature. And then this one comes and there is nothing of the kind seemingly, except here in Revelation 5. And there there is pomp like you have never seen on earth. There all the angels fall down, and the 24 elders fall down, and the four living creatures fall down; everyone. Everything that lives, everything that breathes falls down before Him. Now, talk about pomp; it's here.
But nevertheless, that had not been seen in the days that He was here on earth. But while He was here on earth He was clad in flesh, and that was the flesh in which He hid Himself. So that He was so difficult to understand, and then that kingship, as I mentioned a moment ago, Pilate laughs at it. And it is a kingship that, if it is true, say the Jews, then indeed we have a real problem. Because we acknowledge no one else but Caesar. And if this one too is a king, then we have a real problem. "Yah," says Pilate, "then we would." "And that's why we bring him to you," they say. Aw, but Pilate says, "You don't have to worry, because he isn't." That's the problem.
But that kingship of Jesus Christ is not going to be carried out therefore in the same way in which Caesar does. Caesar in the first place collects his taxes, and Jesus says, "he may have them, he's entitled to them. Bring me a coin; what is the superscription, read it to me; what is on that coin?" "Well, it says Augustus Caesar." "O.K., if his name is on it then it's his. His picture is on it too; it's his. Give it to him." Oh!! That is the way He deals with the taxes of that day. Should we pay it? If He says no, then it is revolution. If He says yes, then He is a traitor to the Jewish cause. But He says, "look, that coin says that it's his."
Then when it comes to the matter of carrying out His plans, carrying out His decrees, He does not do it in the same way in which Caesar Augustus does. There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that the whole world ought to be taxed, and they were. And there goes out a decree from Julius Caesar that they are going to go into Gaul, and they do. There go decrees out from these Caesars that they are going to do various things and those things are accomplished; by and large. And which are the decrees of Jesus Christ? Well, I read them this morning towards the beginning of the service, and that is, "thou shalt have no other gods before me, thou shalt worship Him in the right way, and honor His name and His day, etc." Those are the decrees. Yah, but we do with those whatever we please though, huh!
That's something different than having to pay taxes, isn't it? That's something different than being conscripted into the army, isn't it? That you are not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to kill. That's something different than the decrees of the government. Ah, but that's the way He rules. He rules by decree. He rules by His Word. And that Word goes out, and if that Word does not go out beloved, in all its purity, then He no longer reigns; you see that; then He no longer rules. Then you have put someone else on the throne. That's a sad state of affairs. That when the Word of the living God is no longer proclaimed, then people are led stray because then they have already crowned a different king. Because they are listening to a different decree, they are listening to a different word. But no; He comes with His Word and that Word is law. That Word is law for His people and that Word is law for the world, because He rules both. That Word is going to be law until He returns and is there going to take all these things to Himself and He is going to burn the scaffolding because it doesn't have to be used anymore.
That church is going to be built, how small or how large, I don't know, nobody does. But until that full number of the elect is in, He will wait with the history of the world. He will allow the blasphemies to continue until He has that church complete. He will allow men, the tares, to grow up until that church is complete. He reigns, but He is calling the time. And that's the way He rules, by His Word. Not with the sword; He has power, He has the powers; don't forget it. "Don't forget," He says to the Jews at the time of His crucifixion, "that I am able to call down twelve legions of angels, and they would defend me." Now twelve legions of angels; they were no panzer divisions that were capable of overcoming them; "but I'm not going to do it," He says. No, one angel came to strengthen Him, to hold Him up, so that He is going to be able to suffer more. "But I have the power, but I'm not going to use it. I have that power, power such as no one else." It is the power of Almighty God, it is that power of creation, it is that power whereby He calls into being that which was not. That is the power that Jesus Christ has.
And then He also says, at one time, you know, "think not that I am come to bring peace on earth; I came not to bring peace, but a sword." But He brings the sword in a little different way. To set a man at variance with his neighbor, daughter against her mother, son against father, etc. But He brings the sword; it is not all peaceful, but at the same time He rules by His Word. And that makes that Word of God so effective and that makes it so important. And that is also the reason why we are to dwell upon that, that prophetic office of Jesus Christ is so important. That that Word of God stands, as soon as they begin to touch that Word in any way, to detract from that Word, then we are gone. And then we have denied.
That second article, "I believe in Jesus Christ, Anointed of God, to be King." We don't believe that anymore. But He rules by His Word, and Spirit. And that Spirit makes that Word effective. Now, this has often been looked upon askance by the world, you know, that after all, let the church go, let them talk, what of it, who cares! But, ah, be careful! Because the world has even discovered that there are things that are much more potent than weapons. The weapons that they used in the second World War for example, were potent. When that blitzkrieg went through Poland, and France, and all the low countries, and so; it was amazing. But Communism discovered that it was much more important to gain the hearts and the spirit, the minds, of the people. And they began to indoctrinate; that was important. And then the people fell by themselves, and they didn't even have to use weapons. That's what Christ does.
He comes with His Word, and then by His Spirit He makes it effective. That Word is made effective in the hearts of many people so that they turn to the living God. Isn't it a marvel that there are still those who believe, you know, it is proclaimed in so many places that people are anxious for salvation. Don't you believe it, don't you believe it. That is not the natural man. "It is a miracle," says the apostle; "it is a mystery of godliness that He was believed on in the world." Mystery! Notice that! How anybody wants to believe in Jesus Christ is beyond me. That's what Paul says. If anyone wants to believe that which is a stumblingblock to the Jew, and foolishness to the Gentile; that you want to believe on to eternal salvation.
But that's what we are called to do. And He rules by His Word and Spirit, and makes that Word thus effective in the heart, so that they turn to the living God; that is His Kingly work. His Kingly work thus compliments His Priestly, and His prophetic work. They work together. He is Christ, that is threefold office; He has all three. No one else ever had that until He came, and now also gives it to us, because He came to restore that image of God, as we hope to see next week.
Now that is the method, the manner that He employs, for that Kingly office to be exercised. That it is going to be exercised in such a way so that it will be made effective in this church, and also in the world. That there are converts to Jesus Christ; so He rules by His Word and Spirit.
And finally, notice also, the purpose.
And that is, that salvation may be obtained. Notice what this answer itself says; "our eternal King, who governs us by His Word and Spirit; and defends and preserves us in the salvation obtained for us." He obtained that salvation. And that is the thing in which we rejoice. That is the commodity of the church, that it sells. And that is the salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ, that's what it proclaims. Now that has been given to us, and now by His Kingly office He says, "He preserves and defends us in that salvation." So it is for that salvation that He is King. Not in order to demonstrate His power; not in order to demonstrate His glory. But He does that, and He exercises His office for our salvation, and to defend and to protect us in that salvation. To preserve us in that, and otherwise we would again lose it. Because these are the things that have been given to us, and we also believe in that irresistible grace of God, and we also believe in this, that there is the perseverance of the saints. Really, what it comes down to -- it's not a nice expression -- but, once a believer, always a believer. Remember that!
And He is King to protect and defend and preserve us in that salvation. It is not only this, that He has given His life for it, not only this, that He has made it known to us; but now, that He also defends and preserves it for us. So that there is nothing that is going to take it out of His hand. "No one shall take them out of my hand." He has them, He holds them, He preserves them, He guards them and protects them. And that is His Kingly office. That is the way in which He exercises, to that purpose. He does not rule over this world in order to annex, although, as some one has said, "the church lives by annexation." And I guess it does. It lives by annexation so that it annexes evermore; it takes over more of this world; should! The trouble of it is the world has also annexed from the church. And those are the difficulties that we see so many times today. That the world is setting the agenda for the church of Jesus Christ. And there are ever so many of the problems of the present day that come right out of the culture in which we are living. And now that He is also King so that He defends us and preserves us in the salvation that has been given to us.
That is the beauty beloved, of this Lord's Day. That is the beauty of this question and answer. This is my only comfort, I have Jesus, and I have Christ, I have the one who is Prophet, Priest and King, and therefore preserves me. So that I am again built up into that which I was supposed to be from the beginning. And that is a Prophet and Priest and King unto God. I am also to exercise that Kingly office; and that will come out more of course, in the next question and answer. But I am also to exercise that, and I am to proclaim that Word, and I am to lay down my life as a priestly offering to Him. And I am to rule my life and to rule all about me, in the name of Jesus Christ.
That is His Kingly office. That is that office that is so often neglected. That is that office that is totally ignored in the world. They do not recognize the Kingship of Jesus Christ, and it is one that is ignored, to a great extent also in the church.
Priestly office! Of course, otherwise we wouldn't have anything, and we wouldn't have to come together. Prophetic office! Well, O.K., to an extent -- you mustn't go into all the various parts of it, of course; not into all the jots and tittles, as Jesus Himself said -- but the Kingly office, aw, c'mon; doesn't that conflict with His Priestly? No... He is there completely; this was not possible in Israel; the Kingly office came from Judah; the Priestly office from Levi, so it was impossible to have a priest king; that's why Melchizedek is such a strange figure; was to be no priest king. Could be a prophet king; David. There could be a prophet priest, but never a priest king. And now Christ takes all of them together.
And what does it mean that He is called Christ? That He is anointed by God the Father, anointed by the Holy Spirit, to be our eternal King; eternal. He is not the one who has a successor. He is the one who is going to occupy that throne, and is going to see His purposes realized. And that purpose is the salvation of His people, and the completion of His church, unto the glory of His name. Then we confess; Jesus Christ my prophet, my priest, my king, my Lord, my all. Amen.....
We give Thee thanks, heavenly Father, for the Word wherein Thou hast again spoken to us. For that Word of reconciliation, that Word of comfort, that Word of instruction, that Word of warning, that Word of cheer. We pray O God, that Thou wilt graciously apply it unto our every heart by Thy Holy Spirit. We pray that we may ever so walk before Thee, that we may acknowledge the Kingly office of Jesus Christ. Bless us further on this day, be with us in all that we do, wherever we go. Bring us together into Thy house this evening that we may feast on the Word of God, for Jesus Sake. Amen...
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