Christmas Series: The Benevolent Sovereign

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. What's the best form of government? As Americans, we hold high the flag of democracy as well we should. It doesn't take a deep look into history to see how quickly power corrupts. We can find a long trail of injustice and oppression wherever we find a single ruler who held control over a nation. But what if that ruler is the benevolent sovereign of the universe? The very one who lowered himself to become one of us, to be born in a dirty animal pen, born into poverty.

The one who would take the savage death of the cross for us, who would be rejected and punished for us. What if we lived under a monarchy where the high king was Jesus? The Bible teaches that a day is coming where Jesus will indeed govern the people of heaven and earth. Listen as Pastor Rich shares the hope of the coming reign of our beautiful and gracious king.

This is part three of a message first preached on December 22nd, 2024 at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem from Hebrews chapter one. In other words, it will be a kingdom where everything is characterized by all that is good and true and beautiful. All that is good and true and beautiful. Good means it is beneficial. It's good for us. Benevolent is this word. It is good for us.

It benefits us. True means it aligns with God's perfect character and purpose. And beautiful speaks of the perfections of God. The perfections of God.

It reflects the goodness and the perfections of God. So what is the character of those of us in the kingdom? What is the character of this kingdom? A kingdom is people, right? You can have a king, but if you don't have people, you don't have a kingdom.

So when it speaks of a kingdom, it's speaking of massive crowds of people with a benevolent sovereign over them. Well, the New Testament gives us pretty solid glimpses of what this looks like. Take, for example, the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit, I call it the outflow of the Spirit, because we're called to be filled with the Spirit. And when I am filled with the Spirit, these things are what are going to flow out of my life. Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

All good things. As Paul says, against such there is no law. In other words, it means this, if everybody was filled with the Spirit, we wouldn't need any laws. Think about that.

It's a radical fight, isn't it? Also, Paul says in Colossians chapter 3, he tells us to put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and elect. As God's chosen ones, holy and elect.

It's like God is saying, you are mine. Live in the power of that truth, because all this is made available to you. As God's holy ones, chosen and beloved, put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, love, our minds ruled by his peace and gratitude. All of that describes this scepter of uprightness. Things that are to occupy our minds, as we're called to in Philippians 4-8, what are they? Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, whatever is excellent, whatever is praiseworthy, all these are the things that will describe the kingdom of this benevolent sovereign. And it will be true of us in his kingdom. How about the qualities that confirm, these qualities that confirm your calling and election, as Peter says in 2 Peter. These qualities that confirm your calling and election, what are they? Faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.

Are you getting the picture here? All that is good and true and beautiful, this is the scepter of uprightness. This is the nature of God's kingdom and it includes also deeds of love, eager and devoted to good works that are excellent and profitable for people because it points them to God. Titus 2.14 and 3.8 and Matthew 5.16, Let your light so shine before men that they may see what? Your good works.

For what? To what end? That they may glorify God. You see, the good things that we do in the outflow of God's goodness, in the outflow of our walk with him, it points people to God, that's the whole point right there. And the kingdom of God under the scepter of his righteousness, the scepter of uprightness, everything will be about that. Every act you do will be an act of worship in this kingdom of the benevolent sovereign.

Isn't that cool? All of that, all that I just read from scripture, all of that summed up describes the kingdom of this one benevolent sovereign. That's why he says in Matthew chapter 5 in the Beatitudes, he says, Do this and you will be sons of your heavenly father. That's the nature handed down from the father to the child. And then he says, be perfect as your father is.

You say, I can't do that, that's too high of a standard. Well, he's calling us to it. And you see, in Christ he gives us the capacity to be able to do that. And we don't reach it on this side of eternity, but in the kingdom of the benevolent sovereign, we will.

We will. And that's beautiful. So let's work on being beautiful on this side of eternity. That's because God's people are described as a bride adorned in her beauty. Isaiah 61 10. Let's purpose to be beautiful. Because we serve the benevolent sovereign. Lastly, the last attribute of his kingdom will be gladness.

Aren't you glad for that? See what I did there? Verse 9. To anoint with oil means one is set apart to a specific station and function. This, because it is the kingdom of the benevolent sovereign, this is the disposition of the one who belongs to this kingdom. Remember the Beatitudes? Every one of them that Jesus said begins with what word? Blessed.

Don't pass over that. That's his desire for us. To be blessed, to be well.

Think about that. Isaiah chapter 61. You can turn there if you like. I'm going to read the first three verses. Isaiah chapter 61. This is a prophetic statement from the prophet Isaiah. The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, and he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to grant to those who mourn in Zion, to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit, that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified.

You know what is so cool? If you look in Luke chapter 4, Jesus went to his hometown, Nazareth. And where did he go? To the synagogue.

And you know what? They let him read the scriptures, and do you know what he read? Isaiah 61. And then when he read it, do you know what it says he did? He said, he said, today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

Wow! I would love to have been a fly on the wall at that moment. Unfortunately, they tried to drive him out of town. Enemies.

Because he didn't fit their agenda. Today, it is fulfilled in your hearing. In other words, what is Jesus saying there? I am the benevolent sovereign. It's me.

Why? Because I have loved righteousness. What does it mean to love righteousness? What does it mean to love something or someone? You have affection for, you draw to, you draw to them, you draw them to you. That's what it means to love. Fundamentally, practically, that's what love means.

You draw near to them and they draw, you draw them near to yourself. That's what it means to love. That's why the opposite of love is indifference. Indifference.

To draw to. In other words, to love what God loves. So, not only did he love righteousness, but he hated wickedness. He did not desire or want wickedness.

He moved away from. He turned his back on wickedness to, and so are we called to hate what God hates. You say, Rich, hate shouldn't be a part of the Christian experience. Don't you believe that?

Don't you believe that for a moment? Because if you don't hate what God hates, then you also don't love what God loves. It's a whole other sermon series. But what this means is to delight. It is the delight of God's character and purpose. And that's what it's saying of this Messiah, Jesus, the benevolent sovereign. For him, delight was God's character and purpose. And so it is for us. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in him, the one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.