Live Like a King
You were saved to live like a king, and your kingship securely rests on the authority and character of God.
Warren Wiersbe preaches on the sovereignty of God as depicted in Psalms 8, emphasizing the dual nature of God as both the promise-making Jehovah and the all-powerful Sovereign. He challenges believers to recognize their royal status bestowed upon them by God through Jesus Christ and to not live as slaves but as kings. Wiersbe highlights how Adam and Eve lost their dominion by desiring to be sovereign like God but how Jesus, as the ultimate King, regained that dominion for believers. He urges believers to embrace their spiritual dominion in Christ and live up to their kingly calling.
Text
Read Psalm 8:1-9
Psalm 8 deals with sovereignty. "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, You who set Your glory above the heavens!" (v. 1). The first Lord means "Jehovah," the covenant-keeping God, the God who keeps His promises. The second Lord means "the Sovereign," the One who has not only the ability but the authority. "O Lord (the promise-making God), our Lord (the Sovereign, who has the power to keep His promises), how excellent is your name in all the earth."
When God saved you, He made you a king. You may not look like one or act like one, but you are one. Your day of salvation was a day of coronation. God put you on the throne through Jesus Christ. Then why do you live like a slave?
We discover in this psalm that God gave Adam and Eve the first crowns. But what did they do? They handed their crowns and scepters to Satan, because they wanted to become like God, to be sovereign. And they lost their dominion. Man today does not have dominion over beasts and fowl and fish. But Jesus does. He had dominion over the fowl: He told a rooster to crow when Peter sinned. He had dominion over the fish: He gathered them into the net when Peter was fishing. He even had dominion over the animals of the field: He rode on a donkey that no one had ever ridden before.
We've lost that dominion, but we've regained our spiritual dominion in Jesus Christ. You were saved to live like a king. Don't live like a slave.
Believers have a responsibility to live like kings. Our kingship securely rests on the authority and character of God. Are you living beneath your station? Determine to live like a king.
Sermon Outline
- You Are a King points: - Recognize your royal identity in Christ - Understand your dominion over the spiritual realm
- Why Do You Live Like a Slave? points: - Identify the reasons for your lack of faith - Break free from the bondage of sin
- Regaining Our Dominion points: - Discover Jesus' authority over creation - Understand our spiritual dominion in Christ
- Living Like a King points: - Secure your kingship in God's authority and character - Determine to live with faith and confidence
Key Quotes
“You were saved to live like a king. Don't live like a slave.” — Warren Wiersbe
“Our kingship securely rests on the authority and character of God.” — Warren Wiersbe
Application Points
- Determine to live like a king by recognizing your royal identity in Christ and understanding your dominion over the spiritual realm.
- Break free from the bondage of sin and live with faith and confidence in God's authority and character.
- Secure your kingship in God's authority and character by trusting in His promises and power.