Jesus is on the throne. Remember that and do not forget it. Jesus is on the throne.
This week we face an election which has many Americans up in arms over the possible outcomes. People on both sides of the street fear the worst if their candidate fails to win. For some, the church will fail if the wrong candidate wins. They almost seem to think that God himself will be overcome by evil if the polls are against him. The Christian must take a different view.
Jesus is on the throne.
Around the year 4 BC an infant was found in swaddling clothes in a manger. As per their instructions, his parents named him Jesus. He was in a manger because of a decree from a Roman Emperor who ordered a census of the subjugated Jews. Israel was not what it once was. They had been oppressed by the Greeks and now the Romans ruled their land. For the most part, Rome cared little about their worship so long as the taxes flowed into the Roman coffers and the people behaved themselves.
But the Jewish leadership, such as it was, was not so benign. Thinking that Jesus was a threat to his earthy kingdom, Herod ordered the mass murder of all baby boys under two years of age. His trap failed to kill Jesus who had fled into Egypt. This king would never kill Jesus but his son, Herod Antipas would play a role in Jesus’ death (Luke 23:6 ff). After his death and resurrection, Jesus would declare, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). Jesus stood at the right hand of God just weeks later when Stephen was killed (Acts 7:55, 56). Nothing has changed.
Jesus is on the throne.
Days after the resurrected Jesus ascended into heaven, the church began in a mighty way (Acts 2:38-47). Almost immediately, it faced the persecutions of the Jewish leadership. The leaders threatened the apostles (Acts 4:21 ff), they were arrested (Acts 5:17-21), they were the target of extreme hatred (Acts 5:33) and they were beaten (Acts 5:40). Soon, the deacon Stephen was stoned to death by the Jewish Sanhedrin (Acts 7:59, 60) and the church was found in a state of havoc because of persecutions (Acts 8:3). Soon, the apostle James was killed by King Herod (Acts 12:1-5). But through all of this, the church continued to grow and mature. The persecutions only drove their convictions deeper. Why?
Jesus is on the throne.
As time passed the persecutions would slowly shift from the Jews to the Roman government. Apostles and church leaders would die. Families would be uprooted and move from one end of the empire to another. Struggle became the by-word of Christian life. Yet, through it all, the church continued to grow as people came to know the Lord. No power could stop the body of Christ. For the Christian, our view is far beyond this life. We are pilgrims searching for another city (Hebrews 11:13-16).
I do not know what will happen Tuesday. Like you, I have hopes for my earthly future which may, or may not materialize. But I will not be shaken if things do not turn out as I think they should. I am a Christian first and will not be swayed from serving the Lord because I know that Jesus is on the throne!
