Sermon for 11.24.24
Text: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Theme: The clash of the kingdoms
In the Name of the Father…Amen.
The first reading serves as our sermon text for this morning.
Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the heavenly Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:
LSB 512 At the Name of Jesus1 At the name of Jesus Ev’ry knee shall bow, Ev’ry tongue confess Him King of glory now. ’Tis the Father’s pleasure We should call Him Lord, Who from the beginning Was the mighty Word.
Memory verse!
Daniel 7:14 (NASB95)“And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.”
Introduction
The late Queen of Canada, better known to much of the world as Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland—the Queen of England—Elizabeth II, was admired by almost everyone.
After seventy years on the throne and a truly regal manner for all those years, she’d earned it.
Now her son, Charles III, carries on, still king of fifteen countries of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Meanwhile, the United States hasn’t had royalty since throwing off King George III now almost 250 years ago. But a fascination for royalty surely persists here in the United States.Witness the popularity of the series on Netflix called The Crown. Part of our fascination with royalty may have been the personal appeal of Princess Diana. But even decades after her tragic death, nearly twenty-three million watched the marriage of her son, Prince William, to Kate Middleton on television. And even Charles’s coronation, despite his being far less photogenic than his first wife, was viewed by ten million here in the U.S. In Canada, in England, and to some extent here in the United States and in the world, the image of a king or a queen remains a powerful symbol.
Today, this Last Sunday of the Church Year, we observe Christ the King Sunday, and this is where our attraction for all things royal and kingly should focus, forChrist’s Kingdom Supersedes All Human Kingdoms.
I. The kingdoms of the world certainly have their power.Daniel has envisioned four beasts representing four powerful earthly kingdoms to come in the days ahead.1. The beast like a lion with eagle’s wings represents Babylon (7:1–4). 2. The beast like a bear represents Persia (7:5). The beast like a four-headed leopard with wings represents Greece (7:6). The terrifying ten-horned beast represents Rome (7:7–8). “The strongest of the strong!”“Pax Romana” (the peace of Rome)
B. The “kingdoms” of our world today aren’t all nations and armies, but they’re powerful in their own ways.Yes, there’s the former British Empire—now just a loose Commonwealth—and Russia and China.
The United States isn’t a kingdom, but . . .
a. The government controls so many aspects of our lives:restricting free speech (especially when it comes to religion), spending our tax money for abortions, the war in Ukraine, housing illegal alienscampaigning for anti-Christian values.b. Corporate America rules our thinking (what’s stylish and therefore desirable) and livelihoods (and therefore our time commitments).c. Hollywood, the sports world, and the media are kingdoms unto themselves and powerful, or so they think!
II. But Daniel sees a glorious kingdom coming from out of this world: the messianic kingdom (vv 9–10, 13–14).This kingdom is ushered in by the King of kings.
Clothing as white as snow stands for purity.
2. Fire stands for judgment and the presence of God.
B. There can be no doubt this “one like a son of man” is the Son of God (v 13).The “Ancient of Days,” God the Father, gives him the kingdom (v 13).
All nations worship him.
Jesus Himself would use the term “Son of Man” for Himself far more than any other title—even during his trial Mark 14:61–62 (NASB95)61 But [Jesus] kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.”
C. All dominion has been given to the Son of ManBoth worldly kingdoms and the kingdom of God are derived from God’s authority.
2. But there are huge differences between these kingdoms:Human authority covers some territory, but God’s authority is universal(v 14a).Human authority is time limited, but God’s kingdom is eternal (v 14b).Human authority will be taken away, but God’s authority will not (v 14c). III. The clash of these kingdoms—the worldly versus the messianic—will ultimately be no contest.The ultimate clash was decided on the cross.
The prince of this world, Satan, brought his most powerful weapon to bear: death.
But the messianic King triumphed over death.
Satan was powerless to hold the “one like a son of man,” Jesus.
B. Now the reign of Christ the King will be evident to all at His second coming.“All peoples, nations, and languages” shall most certainly serve him (v 13).
That will include not only those who believed and will receive Him with joy, but also those who denied or ignored or fought against Him to the death and will then be forced to bow the knee before Him (Rev 1:7; Phil 2:10–11).Philippians 2:10–11 (NASB95)10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.People will either confess Him to be Lord of their lives now on earth and receive eternal life in heaven or they will confess Him as Lord in hell. His dominion “shall not pass away,” and his kingdom “shall not be destroyed” (v 14).
C. Society often rejects the transcendent values of the kingdom of God.People today think it is “better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven” (John Milton, Paradise Lost)1. But we must remain committed to the principle that we must obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29).2. We will struggle within each of our human kingdoms (Jn 16:33), but God assures us that He is with us (Mt 28:20) in the person of Jesus His Son.
ConclusionUnder whatever kingdoms we live, and whichever “kingdoms” influence us, this is always our assurance: the King of kings and the Lord of Lords rules over all things, always for our good. (Romans 8:28)
Even the liturgy at the coronation of Charles III got it right!Just before he placed the crown on Charles’s head, the archbishop prayed: “King of kings and Lord of lords, bless, we beseech thee, this Crown, and so sanctify thy servant Charles upon whose head this day thou dost place it for a sign of royal majesty, that he may be crowned with thy gracious favour and filled with abundant grace and all princely virtues; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, supreme over all things, one God, world without end” (The Church of England, The Coronation of King Charles III, May 2023, https://www.royal
.uk/sites/default/files/documents/2023-05/23-24132%20Coronation%20Liturgy_05%20May_0.pdf). Amen.
Let us pray:LSB 512 At the Name of Jesus
7 Glory then to Jesus, Who, the Prince of light, To a world in darkness Brought the gift of sight; Praise to God the Father; In the Spirit’s love Praise we all together Him who reigns above.Text: Public domain
2 Corinthians 13:14 (NASB95)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.
Come Lord Jesus, come quickly. All of us are waiting and none of us will be disappointed.
The Lord continue to bless us, shine His face on us, be gracious to us, that He lift His countenance upon us, and give us His peace.
In the Name of the Father…Amen.