The King Has Conquered

I gave this (short) sermon in Columbus, Ohio on September 24, 2022.

 

This message is about refuting the idea that Jesus Christ did not come as a conquering King at His first coming. This statement has become so commonplace in Christian circles, that very few question it as anything less than gospel truth. However, just because the Jewish people who rejected Jesus as Messiah had a certain view of what a conquering King was supposed to do, does not mean that Christ, in no way, conquered. While He did not come, initially, to overthrow corrupt government or take authority over national powers, He did come to conquer sin, death, and you. We all await the coming Kingdom of God, but let's forget that the Kingdom, at least in part, can be here now as it is not just a place but an authority we submit to. We might be continuing to wait for the homeland but the King is on His throne and we should be acting as His subjects today.

 

Note: I've received some backlash for this message that I'd like to take a moment to respond to. 

 

First: Some have taken issue with the analogy of the story that I used at the beginning of the message claiming that it breaks down in certain spots.

Answer: Analogies all break down on some level. However, I do believe that the story fits the parallels I intended to hit.

 

Second: Some have bristled at the statement, "the world was God's prior to the tower of Babel."

Answer: At the beginning of creation, the world contained 2 people. They rebelled against God, and yet, He did not turn them over to depravity or worship of other gods. They still belonged to Him even though they separated themselves FROM Him. Even at the flood when God said, "My Spirit will not strive with mankind forever," rather than giving up the world, He destroyed all but a small family and, in that way, all still belonged to God. It wasn't until the tower of Babel that mankind, again, reached a point of lawlessness that God could not condone and, at this point, He divided the nations and gave them up to foreign gods (Deuteronomy 32:8). Israel was His chosen, special people, but even they chased after foreign gods to the point that God had to allow them to face the consequences of their sin (being conquered by foreign nations). In short, my statement that all the world belonged to God is not reflective of the actions of individuals or nations who clearly chose rebellion against Him, but about God's maintaining of ownership over them until the point where He allowed them to be ruled over by foreign principalities and powers as it was clear mankind wished to be.

 

Third: Some believe I was too hard on the Jewish people for believing that the Messiah was to come as a conquering King. 

 

Answer: I disagree with you. The Jewish people had observed Christ's proofs that He was the Messiah. The only thing He was missing was their false, preconceived notion that He would free them from Roman oppression. No verse in the Old Testament states that Rome would be overthrown by the Messiah. The Old Testament DOES state that the Messiah would conquer - but what did He come to conquer? My position is that He came to conquer - not nations or rulers, but sin, death, and individuals who would willingly submit to Him.

 

Fourth: Some have stated that my statement about Christ coming as a conquering King at His first coming negates His coming as a conqueror at His second coming.

 

Answer: I don't believe it does. It is clear to me (and I even referenced it in this message) that Jesus will return with a different agenda. Certainly the first agenda of conquering the hearts of individuals is still on His mind but, in order to do this, He will have to neutralize the corrupted national governments in the world. This will take a different form of conquering. However, my point still stands. I stated in this presentation that scorched earth warfare in the ancient world was the exception and not the norm. Christ will be victorious over so many without destroying. This does not mean that He will never have to destroy anything or anyone ever.

 

Christ has come as a conquering King. He has conquered my heart and He is my King. I look forward to the day when EVERY knee will to bow and more will "come out of the city. I realize that, in order to get to that time, some destruction will have to happen and Christ will come at His second coming, in part, to overthrow corrupt governments. The prophecies on this seem clear and uncontested. The point of this message is not to say that Christ will never come in the way that the Ancient Jews expected it. He will. But always remember - His first coming did accomplish something in the way of conquering and, I would argue, He conquered so much more than evil government powers at that coming.

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Music: Pop-Rock Beautiful By Twisterium

Logo: Matt Hernandez