3.03 - CHRIST ON DAVID'S THRONE

CHRIST ON DAVID’S THRONE

Perhaps 2,500 people are now in the auditorium and I assure you that it is all encouragement to see you present at this noon service.

I spoke to you last night regarding the establishment of that institution promised by the Christ. I want us now to study the proposition as to whether or not Jesus Christ is reigning on David’s throne. Much depends upon this matter.

I think that the salvation of the world is at stake, for unless Christ Jesus the Lord is crowned at God’s right hand King and Lord the Gentile world is yet without any assurance of sins forgiven. The word "throne" literally means a seat; figuratively, it means royal dominion, kingly authority.

David’s throne was established in the city of Jerusalem, 1047 B.C. On it he sat and swayed the scepter of authority over Israel for thirty-three years, at the end of which time the Bible says (1 Kings 2:12) that "Solomon, his son, sat upon the throne of his father, David." He was followed by his son, Rehoboam, and throughout the reign of twenty-one kings, down to the days of Zedekiah, 587 B.C., they all occupied the literal throne of David in the city of Jerusalem on Mt. Moriah. At the rebellion of Zedekiah, David’s throne was vacated, the children of Israel were carried captive across the Arabian desert, from which they returned 51 years later. David’s throne, then destroyed, lay in ruins for a period of more than 600 years. By and by Christ’s birth was announced on the earth. The angel appeared to his mother, and said, Luke 1:30-33, "Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

Thirty-three years passed, during which time that matchless, marvelous life spent its force upon the earth. At last he died a felon’s death on the cruel tree, his body was taken and buried in a borrowed tomb, and there he slumbered during the passing of the three days and the three nights, at the end of which he was raised from the dead. Peter standing on Pentecost, announced the first gospel sermon in the name of a risen Lord. In explaining the resurrection he said: "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with all oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hades, neither did his flesh see corruption." The climax of that was that God had made that very Jesus both Lord and Christ.

I want to say to you, my friends, that if language has any significance, Peter declared in terms unmistakable and incontrovertible that God Almighty raised up Christ for a definite and specific purpose.

Now there are many things that follow the resurrection of the dead. I understand that the disciples were begotten again unto a lively hope by virtue of this resurrection. I know the Bible says that Christ was declared to be the Son of God, by the resurrection from the dead, etc., but the one specific purpose, the leading thought, the paramount idea, as expressed by the great apostle, was that God raised Christ from the dead to sit on David’s throne. May I say to you that, grammatically, "to sit" is all infinitive with the construction of all adverb, carrying the idea of purpose equivalent to the following expanded form, viz.; He raised up Christ that He should sit, that He might sit, for the purpose of sitting upon David’s throne. If Christ is not on David’s throne, the resurrection might have been deferred until this good hour, or for ages yet to come. If so it be that Christ is not now on David’s throne, the Gentiles are yet without God and without hope. In the great council at Jerusalem, James said, "Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets: as it is written, after this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called." The word "tabernacle" means here lineage, descendants, family. David’s family had ceased to occupy the throne since the days of Zedekiah, and David’s throne literally had remained in ruins from the days of the captivity. From David’s family or lineage not one had swayed the scepter of authority, but when Christ comes, as understood by Peter, as announced and declared by James, and in perfect accord with the prophetic declaration of the generations gone by, Christ was raised up of the family, tabernacle, lineage, descent of David to sit upon his throne.

Now for the words of Amos there are evidences and witnesses abundant. On that same occasion Peter said, "Men and brethren, you know how that a good while ago God made choice among us that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel and believe." The audience kept their silence and Paul and Barnabas, fresh from their missionary journey, made known to that multitude what God had wrought by their hands among the Gentile world.

James bears witness to the same thing, and hence the tabernacle or lineage of David has been restored. Now I want you to watch the purpose of it all, viz., "that the residue of men might seek after the Lord and all the Gentiles." That the Gentiles as well as the rest of men might seek after the Lord.

It follows, then, my friends and brethren, that if the lineage of David has not been restored upon his throne, the Gentiles are not privileged to seek after the Lord. Until Christ dies, comes forth triumphant from the dead and makes his glorious ascent to the throne of God, where he is crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the middle wall of partition still stands, and the Gentiles are not privileged to seek after the Lord.

Now I grant you David’s throne is no longer on the hill of Mt. Moriah, it is no longer a literal, material affair of earth. Such all idea seems to me to dishonor God, and to rob Christ of the very glory that I believe was to Him granted by his triumph over the powers of the hadean world. In Psalms 89:35-39, it is said: "I will not He unto my servant David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established forever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven." Hence the throne of David was transferred from the literal Mt. Moriah in the city of Jerusalem unto the right hand of God. When the powers of the hadean world were overcome and the bars of death were burst asunder, Christ came forth, bade good bye to his disciples and, "a cloud received him out of their sight." Heavenward was he borne, and as he neared the portals of eternal glory the angelic hosts said, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in." Inquiry came from the further shore, "Who is the King of Glory?" and the immediate response was, "The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in."

Daniel had a vision 600 years before Christ. He said, "I saw in the night visions, and one like unto the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him." Now note—that does not declare that one like unto the Son of man came from the Ancient of Days, but Daniel saw him as he came to the Ancient of Days. The Ancient of Days was none other than God almighty to whom Christ was borne by the clouds. Daniel then said after he had come to the Ancient of Days, "there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is all everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." It seems to me that such passages ought to settle this matter to all who take God at his word and believe what he says.

I verily believe that Christ rose from the dead, that he ascended to the Father, that he was crowned King of Kings and was seated on David’s throne which had been transferred to the right hand of God. Hence when Peter came to climax that matchless sermon on Pentecost, he said, "Therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly, [let them believe confidently] that God hath made that same Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." In Hebrews 8:1 we have these words, "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such all high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord Pitched and not man." In Psalms 110:4, there is this: "The Lord hath sworn and will not repent, thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." Hence Christ began his reign as priest, and likewise as king, at the right hand of God Almighty. And with these words agrees the sentiment of Paul in that matchless sermon on the resurrection from the dead when he said in 1 Corinthians 15:20, "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept."

You who read the Bible understand that back under the law of Moses, when the harvest time had come, the obligation was to go out and gather in the first sheaves, the first ripe grain, bring it, wave it in the presence of God, and offer it upon the altar as a pledge, as a guaranty that the entire crop would be gathered in. And just as certainly as these first fruits were brought, it put the Jews under obligation to see to it that there was a gathering of the full harvest.

Based upon that Paul said, "Now is Christ risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of them that slept." It was he who first came forth triumphant from the confines of the tomb. As the first fruits He has placed himself upon the altar of God. His resurrection is a solemn, sacred pledge, and a genuine guarantee that all of the rest of the human family will be taken from the graves, the sepulchers will be robbed of their victims, and all be brought at last unto the presence of God. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." As through Adam all of us pass unconditionally and universally down to the realm of the tomb, so in Christ unconditionally and universally shall all come forth, "But every man in his own order; Christ the first fruits; afterwards they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, until he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

You ask, friends, how is death to be destroyed. There is but one possible way, and that is by the triumph of the resurrection. Jesus Christ at God’s right hand, reigning on David’s throne, swaying the scepter of authority over the destinies of men, will continue that dominion and reign until the last enemy shall have been put under his feet. Christ’s reign will not be completed until the graves are empty, the sepulchers are robbed, and the tombs give forth their victims. Then the saints will shout, "O grave, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" Then will Jesus deliver up the kingdom to the Father who shall be all and in all, while Christ will take his place as our elder brother.

Friends, if I did not believe that, I would be this morning among those that are most miserable. I really and truly believe that the possibility of the existence of the church of Christ demands His reigning today over the house of spiritual Israel. The breaking down of the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile demanded the death of Christ and the opening of the door of faith. It demanded his reign on David’s throne. To Him as my king at God’s right hand, I gladly acknowledge allegiance. I can share that devotion with no other of whom I have ever read. I propose to march under but one flag, and no other banner is to me known save that of Prince Immanuel, our only potentate, our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Hence when He speaks I trust that I may ever have a disposition to say, "thy servant heareth," and when He bids me move, I hope ever to maintain that disposition, to walk in the light of His suggestions, and to rely upon His promise.

Friends, it is a great privilege today, a wonderful opportunity that you and I can be called out of darkness and be translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son, wherein there is fullness and joy, joy supreme, and bliss Divine, unspeakable, and unthinkable by mortal man. The privileges of that very promise are based upon the word and the authority of our governing, ruling, reigning King today.

I wonder if there are those in this audience who have never yet bowed in subjection to His kingly authority? Are there any of you who have never yet given yourselves to Him? If there are, I beg of you to obey Him now. We have no abiding city here. We are but transient actors upon the stage of life, and our stay here is ephemeral in its nature. Has there ever come one single, solemn thought ringing through your soul that you must soon pass away from this earthly realm? Will you not therefore think seriously, soberly, candidly, and decide to give yourself to Him while you may? We bid you come.