Is Jesus The King of The Jews? | Mark 15:1-5 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Series)

Jesus said, you shall know the truth, and the truth shall do what? Set you free. Amen. May freedom be known today as we come to the truth of God's word. Meet me in Mark chapter 15.

We're going to be looking at the first five verses only. We're going to be looking at the first five verses only, but I'm sure you're aware that this is not the only place where we will be today in the Bible. Keep your bibles close. Keep your bibles open. We have many things to touch on today because I want God's word to speak always, especially on this matter.

Because my goal with this message is to address a single question, just one, since it is based on the central theme of this passage. I'm gonna read it, maybe you'll see it, and then we'll reflect together. Mark 15 beginning in verse one. And as soon as it was morning, the chief priest held a consultation with the elders and the scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.

And Pilate asked him, are you the king of the Jews? And he answered them, you have said so. And the chief priest accused them of many things, and Pilate again asked him, have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you. But Jesus made no further answer so that Pilate was amazed.

Up to now, the title, the reference, king of the Jews has not appeared in the gospel of Mark. We find it here appearing for the first time, and it is actually repeated a total of six times in the entirety of the wider section of this text. We saw it in verse two. Pilate asking Jesus, are you the king of the Jews? Now scroll down to verse nine.

And he answered them saying, do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews? Verse 12. And Pilate again said to them, then what shall I do with the man you call the king of the Jews? Verse 18. And they began to salute him.

Hail, king of the Jews. Verse 26. And the inscription of the charge against them read, the king of the Jews. And verse 32 counts if king of Israel is synonymous with king of the Jews, which it is. Look at it with me.

Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe. Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. There is no doubt in our minds that the Holy Spirit seeks to emphasize this theme as it relates to the person of Jesus Christ. So with this observation in mind, the question we will seek to answer is this, is Jesus Christ of Nazareth the king of the Jews? Now to some, the answer is obvious.

And to others, the question in itself doesn't seem to be worthy of a full discussion. However, my aim today is to demonstrate that this discussion is extremely significant, and examining the answer will reveal its importance. This is the question that Pilate asked Jesus after the Sanhedrin brought him the morning after the Lord stood before the Jewish courts. And according to both the scriptures and secular historical sources, Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor assigned to manage the Judean province, and he did so for ten years from AD twenty six to '36. His main responsibility was to maintain law and order.

And it's very likely that Pontius Pilate was in Jerusalem at this time so that he can supervise the events during the Passover celebration. And you might be wondering why the religious leaders brought Jesus to Pilate, and there are different reasons. And one of them is because they sought to distance themselves away from Christ's death and wanted the Romans to be held responsible for his execution. And there are many other things that we can say about Pilate, and there are many other things that we can say about the Jewish leader's strategy. But for the sake of time, let us think over Pilate's first recorded words in this gospel, the gospel of Mark.

What caused them to ask Jesus if he was the king of the Jews? You don't have to guess. Luke tells us and gives us a more detailed account of why this was important to discuss. In Luke 23 verse two, we read in Luke twenty three two, then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate, and they began to accuse him saying, we found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar and saying that he himself is Christ a king. Pause.

Reflect. Take your time. Here you have the Jewish council bringing a case against the Lord Jesus before the Roman government. And if you pay attention, there are three specific allegations that are being made against Christ. The first one is that he is misleading, misguiding the nation with his teaching.

Second, that he was forbidding the people of Israel of paying their taxes to Caesar. Finally, he was declaring himself to be Christ. Christ is not Jesus's last name. You know that. Right?

It's the Greek word for anointed one, and in the Jewish context, it is synonymous with being a king. Now here's what's fascinating to me. Pilate does not even entertain the first two accusations. He goes straight for the last one. He asked him, are you the king of the Jews?

He's more interested in that than not paying taxes to Caesar potentially or him misleading the people of his time. What was it? I wonder if Pilate was alarmed like Herod was. You remember when the Magi came from the East and they paraded in Jerusalem and they were asking about he who was born to be the king of the Jews. Was Pilate scared that his antennas go up?

Was Pilate being sarcastic as he asked this question to Jesus who stood before him bloodied, bruised, battered? Are you the king of the Jews? It could be a mixture of things, but what's more important is determining the implications of a positive answer. As we read, Christ was silent with many of the accusations that came against him, but when Pilate asked him, are you the king of the Jews? He was undeniably clear.

What did he say back in Mark 15 verse two? And Pilate asked him, are you the king of the Jews? And he answered them, you have said so. Now some really like to massage certain verses to mean something that it's not or to cause confusion. And so they would say that Jesus' answer here is quite ambiguous, And, he he is suggesting that he is he is saying that he is the king of the Jews, but he's kinda placing it on Pilate.

As though he's saying, that's what you're saying so that he can subtly confirm it while not incriminating himself. Jesus is being very straightforward here. And if you have any doubt about that, you don't have to turn there, but when John tells us about this interaction, Jesus is something that most of you know. He elaborates on his answer and he says what? My kingdom is not of this world.

So if you say you have a kingdom, what does that mean about you? You're a king. There is no confusion here. Jesus is being very clear. No ambiguity.

He is affirming that he is a king although the origin and the purpose of his kingdom differ from those of worldly governments. But is Jesus' answer merely a historical one? Here's where it gets relevant. Is this just a history study? Does it only carry repercussions for the Jews and the Romans of his time?

Absolutely not. Jesus being the king of the Jews is highly significant for all of us in this room and beyond these four walls. And I want to share why that is the case. I want you to consider three dimensions of this. Jesus being the king of the Jews, fulfilling that role satisfies number one, past predictions.

Number two, it carries present implications. And lastly, it calls us to future anticipation. Past, present, future. Past predictions, present implications, future anticipation. Let's talk about it.

You ready for bible study? Ready or not, here we go. Meet me in Genesis. Go to chapter 49. Many centuries before Christ entered into the world, God called a man named Abram to be in covenant with him.

Abram later named what? Abraham. Good. This is gonna be a little bit more interactive. Abraham.

And he was promised in this covenant to be a great nation, a nation that would be blessed so that all nations could be blessed. And Abraham receiving this promise was also promised a son named Isaac who would be the channel to bring that promise closer to reality. So Isaac is born, but it would not be further realized until one of Isaac's sons named Jacob was born. And as Jacob became a man, he himself had many children. He had 12 sons, And those 12 sons would later become the tribes that would constitute this nation called Israel.

Israel is a name that God gave to Jacob. The name itself has been issued and declared by God. The significance of this is that at the end of Jacob's life, he called his 12 sons to come near before his departure, and he prophesies over each of them. Some of these prophecies were uplifting and encouraging, and some other prophecies were punitive, because of how some of these sons sinned. So Jacob, in declaring these prophecies, not only speaks about what's going to take place in the lives of his sons, but its main purpose, its primary goal is to declare what's going to take place with each of their descendants.

And so Jacob in his old age begins. He prophesies over Reuben, then he speaks to Simeon, then he proclaims something over Levi, then he comes to the fourth in line, Judah. And that's where we wanna look. We wanna look at what God spoke through Jacob for this particular tribe, Judah. We won't read the prophecy in its entirety, but look with me rather in verse eight of chapter 49.

Genesis 49 verse eight. Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hands shall be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's cub.

You have gone up from the prey, my son. He stooped down. He crouched as a lion and as a lioness. Who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until tribute comes to him, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

I can just imagine the shock on the faces of those brothers when he said this. Remember, Israel and his sons were only few in number at this point. They are not living in the promised land. They're living in Egypt away from the promised land. However, Judah is told something incredible.

He is told that his descendants will have preeminence and that they will possess a ruling position among his brothers. And that's why I'm bringing your attention to this because it's one of the earliest prophecies of royalty in connection to the people of Israel. And this idea of royalty is communicated by the imagery of a scepter. You've probably seen a scepter. It's an ornamented staff, and it symbolizes sovereignty.

And in practical term terms then, this prophecy means that eventually, kings were going to arise from the line of Judah. And what was in seed form when this was prophesied sprouted when God raised a man called David from the tribe of Judah. And this sprouting now would blossom more and more as succeeding kings would follow David. And that's what you and I are studying in the book of first and second Kings on Friday. A little teaser for you to join us, bible study on Fridays.

But there's an imperative piece to this prophecy that some some might miss. Look at verse 10 of Genesis 49. The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until tribute comes to him, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Now, if you have any other, virtually any other word for word translation of the bible, it's gonna read differently. And some of you are probably seeing that in your bibles.

Most of us in here read the ESV. The ESV renders the second part of this verse a little differently. So this is what you might read if you have like a King James, a New King James or an NASB translation. The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor the ruler staff from between his feet until what? Shiloh comes.

Capital s and to him shall be the obedience of the people. What's going on here? Well, the etymology of the Hebrew word Shiloh is a little complicated. There are a variety of possible meanings for that word and one of the meanings of it is he to whom it belongs or that which belongs to him. And that's how the ESV renders it.

So instead of giving the name itself, the ESV seeks to give one of the meanings of the name and applying it here. And we can say so much more about this word Shiloh, but I don't wanna park here too long because regardless of what translation you have, one thing is undeniable, this prophecy anticipates a particular individual from the royal line of Judah. Do you see that? Again, it says, until tribute comes to him and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Do you understand the significance of this?

See, a Judah can expect that there will be a royal dynasty, but they also should be expecting a particular king. One specific particular individual that will emerge from this royal line. Something is leading to a person, not just a government, not just a monarchy. That's not the only thing in view here. Primarily what's in view here is a person.

Until tribute comes to him and to him shall be the obedience of all the peoples. This is confirmed by another prophecy. One that came from an unexpected person, a gentile, not just a gentile, a wicked gentile. You remember that after this, the nation of Israel was delivered from Egypt. They were brought into the wilderness, and they were being guided to the promised land.

And along that journey, there was a man named Balaam who was hired by Balak, the king of Moab. Moab saw this nation marching through the wilderness. The king was fearful, so he hires a man to curse them. And so Balaam attempts to pronounce a curse, and what does God do? He turns it into a blessing, and he attempts to curse again, and he turns it into a blessing, and he does this until his final oracle where he says something absolutely astounding.

Can I can I pause here and, just say something? I'm worried that when we read verses like this, it doesn't grip us as much because we have such accessibility to the bible and it's kinda digitized on our phones and so easy to just flip open. I I want you to feel how amazing this is. We're touching ancient writings. These are historical things that have been dictated and preserved up until this point.

We're dealing with God's word here from centuries and even thousands of years ago. And these prophecies are making leaps throughout the timeline of history and you're gonna realize that they're harmonious. This is a supernatural book that we're holding today. Don't lose your awe of what we're touching on. Balaam pronounces this oracle and and tucked in the last oracle is this incredible echo.

Look at numbers 24 verse 17 with me. Numbers 24 verse 17. I will wait for you. Balaam says, I see him but not now. I behold him but not near.

Like how much more specific can you get in that? It's gonna be in a distant future. Who is he? A star shall come out of Jacob. Oh, look at this.

And a scepter shall rise out of Israel. Shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. Notice here that this prophecy of a kingdom emerging out of Israel is reinforced, but not just that, there's an individual in view. Him. I see him but not now.

I behold him but not near. So so whoever this individual is, he is personified by two symbols of authority and prominence. He is a star and he is a scepter that shall arise from Israel. And in case there's any confusion of what this prophecy is conveying, Balaam makes it undeniably clear because it's the spirit speaking through Balaam. Look at verse eighteen and nineteen.

Edom shall be dispossessed. Seir also his enemies shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly and one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities. No doubt that the same spirit who guided Jacob to prophesy over Judah moved Balaam to remind us and all peoples of a distinct ruler metaphorically identified as a star and as a scepter. And if you're confused still, he's gonna have dominion and it will come at a future time.

And as time goes on, the spirit of God will become even more precise with this particular prophecy. And as I mentioned earlier, the Lord will raise a man. We're told that he would come from not just Israel, not just Jacob, but from the tribe of Judah. And at some point, when Israel established a royal monarchy, David was chosen to be the first king from the tribe of Judah. And early in his reign, David was approached by God and God does something spectacular.

He makes a covenant with him. And in that covenant, he makes a more precise promise that has its roots from Genesis. He tells David this in second Samuel seven. And you don't have to turn there unless you are writing notes. Second Samuel seven verse twelve and thirteen.

This is what God says from his mouth to this man. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you who shall come from your body and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom. So not only are we told that there's gonna be a scepter that comes from Judah, not only are we told that he will come from Judah, but we are even told specifically that he will come through the seed of David, the line of David, the body of David. So again, we're progressing here in redemptive history and we're seeing the Lord getting more and more specific.

And this section, specifically verse 14 of second Samuel seven, is confirmed to be about Jesus. You'll find that in Hebrews one verse five, but we're getting ahead of ourselves here. You can imagine how thrilling this was. You can imagine how exciting this was for David and for the people of Israel. He he shows it in the same chapter.

He's so overcome by emotion that he just pours out and prays in thanksgiving that he would he would be found worthy to be chosen and his descendants to have everlasting rule and dominion. That one of his sons will exercise such authority. But the hope of that promise becomes increasingly dim after David's life. Because one king after the next, succeeding him will mar the Davidic dynasty because they will fail to uphold the righteous standard that God asks of his kings and of the nation as a whole. And if there was one king that that did come up and bring good to the land and bring religious reform, all it took was the following king to reverse and just bring down all the good that was preceding them.

And so it it got so bad that God now begins to raise up more and more prophets to tell the people of Judah specifically, judgment is coming. You've rebelled against me. You refused to repent, so here is my final act of chastisement. You're gonna be removed from the land. I'm going to raise up a foreign nation, and they're going to take you from this place that I've promised you.

Now you have to understand that to the average Jew, this was unthinkable. God gave them this land. God conquered armies and foes and kings to give them this piece of real estate. And now all of a sudden, he's telling them, you're gonna be removed. Yes.

I promised it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but your sin will cause me to vomit you out of this place. And they dismissed it. They called guys like Jeremiah false prophets and there were other prophets there telling him, no, no, no. Peace, peace. Don't worry about it.

Such things are absurd. They will not happen. But the promise of exile was starting to be realized and so there was growing fears that the certainty of Israel's future was not so certain. So the same prophets who pronounce judgment, exile, destruction from time to time would be called by God to give a message of hope and to remind the very same people who are going to be disciplined of God's faithfulness despite their unfaithfulness. And one of the most as you heard earlier, one of the most important prophets to declare that message was Jeremiah himself.

I I'm still reading Jeremiah my personal reading, and it's incredible to see how much he talks about this very thing. Look at Jeremiah 23. This is somewhere where you should turn. Jeremiah 23 verse five. Jeremiah 23 verse five.

Remember, what I'm about to read to you is given in the context of Judah being severely judged to the point that they'll be removed from the promised land. But look what Jeremiah says in chapter 23 verse five. Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called the Lord is our righteousness.

So in the midst of judgment, God is assuring his people that the promise he made to David would still stand. It would not be nullified. It would not be canceled despite the rebellion and their idolatry. Do you notice how this king is referred to this time? Not as a star, not as a septa, but as a what?

Is it there? As a branch. I I could stop here and talk about the significance of that title branch and show you the handful of times that this title branch is mentioned in the Old Testament and how it amazingly points to the person and ministry of Jesus Christ, but you don't wanna stay here for another hour, do you? Do you see the plight of the preacher? It's not what am I gonna say, it's what I have to leave out.

So we will not do that. We'll talk about Jesus, the righteous branch, another day. What we want to focus on is the promise. David is gonna know a son. The Davidic line is going to be preserved.

And we see here that the Lord addressed a misleading conclusion that was gaining traction. Again, they're being surrounded. The rumors are now becoming true. And they're thinking, we're done here. And this is what was spreading.

Right? The Lord pronounced this promise, but look at Jeremiah 33 and look at verse 24. Have you not observed that these people are saying, the Lord has rejected the two clans that he chose? Pause. What does he mean by that?

The two clans, remember, Israel was divided at this point. There's a Northern Kingdom and a Southern Kingdom, so those are the two clans that are being referred to. And what were people saying? People were saying that the Lord rejected the two clans. So in its entirety, its identity are the people of Israel.

Are people still saying that today? Yeah. They are saying that today. Notice what the Lord says next. Thus, they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight.

Are people saying that today? They are saying this today. So you have to understand that the Jews are despised by many, and that they are regarded not as a true nation, that the Jews today are not the Jews in the bible, that they don't deserve a sovereign state, that the Jews are to be rejected in many ways. What a mistake that is. Whether you are a professing Christian or not, take note, God doesn't like that.

And the fence he makes can be understood in this way, because look what he says in verse 25, thus says the Lord, if I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant, and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them. You see what he's saying there? Look at verse 25 again. If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, then I will reject the offspring of Jacob. Pause.

You can translate it in this following way. There's a better chance for God to abandon his supervision of the order and the operations of the universe than for him to relinquish and deny his covenant with Israel. There's a better chance for him to remove himself from the governance of the affairs of our systems in this universe that for him to cast off the people of Israel from being a nation and his people. You have a problem with that? You have a problem with the bible, not with the preacher, my friend.

And that's why he says something later on in Jeremiah 46 verse 28. Why so much Bible? Again, deal with the Bible. I'm just telling you the Bible. So you deal with the Bible and faithfully interpret it.

Jeremiah forty six twenty eight, he says in that passage, I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you, I will not make a full end. How do you deal with that? Isn't it amazing that throughout history kingdoms, empires, and civilizations have vanished but the people of Israel remain? Though they have in their long history experienced many calamities, even calamities that have brought them to near extinction, God tells them I will discipline you. God told them I will punish you, but I promise to never make a full end of you.

What's at stake here? I'll tell you what's at stake. Listen here, you professing Christians. I'll tell you what's at stake. God's character is at stake.

This is not about race. This is not about ethnicity. This is not about favoritism. This is about what God said. And he said, I will never make a full end of you.

But Israel were not only promised the preservation of their people. Notice again at verse 26, he says, then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So it's not just about the people, it's about the royal line. God's program and plan for a king to still arise is in motion. Despite all that Israel has done, God says, I made an unconditional promise to David.

I'm gonna keep it because I don't lie. A king is still coming. Oh, we can stay here for the next forty five minutes and look at verse after verse in Isaiah and Jeremiah and Zechariah and Zephaniah. We can spend all day here looking at these things. But I think the picture is clear.

A king is coming and nothing will change that even the unfaithfulness of the people who are supposed to usher him in. And I'm speaking, I hope, to a group of people filling this room who believe that not just the king is coming, the king came. He arrived. And this is what we see the angel of Gabriel proclaiming to a virgin girl named Mary in Luke chapter one in 31 to 33, where he said, behold, you will conceive a son, and his name shall be called Jesus. And this Jesus will take the throne of his father David, and his kingdom will be established forever and ever.

Now I want you to pretend that you have never read the New Testament. Imagine everything that you just heard in this past forty five minutes, I don't know how long it's been, but imagine everything that you just heard now was fresh to you. Up to the point of Luke chapter one thirty one to 33, wouldn't you think, no way, the long awaited king has come? Wouldn't you think that euphoria would sweep over the land after this angelic declaration? The people should be elated especially in the context of when this was declared.

They're under Roman oppression. They are succumb to sin and corruption. He's here. He's come. But that's not what we see.

Let me remind you how we open the service or specifically the sermon. This baby who would be born, his name would be called Jesus, would grow up to become a man and this man would not just have a reputation of being the son of David. He proved it. And they denied him. And now he's standing before Pilate ready to be condemned to death, which brings us to the present realization.

The people who were promised him and were presented him rejected him. And as you heard, Jesus here said he is the king of the Jews. But what would now become of the promised king? How could a king be a king if the people that he is called to govern deny you? Jesus gives the answer to that.

The next few verses I'm about to show you are absolutely imperative for you to grasp. Jesus gives the explanation to how he can be a king, though the people that he is called to govern denied him. Matthew 21 verse 43. Therefore, I tell you, he's speaking to the Pharisees and the religious leaders. Therefore, I tell you the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.

You reject me, I reject you. This is not immediate. This was after he had done miracles, after he had fulfilled prophecies, after he had shown them over and over again that he is the sinless son of David, And they had nothing and wanted nothing to do with him. So let me tell you what Jesus' words here doesn't mean. It doesn't mean that because the Jews rejected Jesus, that salvation that was once not available to the Gentiles is now granted to them.

That's a gross misunderstanding of this verse. To think as though because the Jews denied Jesus, the plan being God's salvation is to give to give us a chance as though we Gentiles, if you're not a Jew here, you're a Gentile, are an afterthought. Do you know how I know that to be the case? Because God from the beginning always had in mind the salvation of the nations. And throughout the Old Testament, you had people who were Gentiles getting saved.

So that's not what this means. Instead, what it means is that, this is so important, by transferring the kingdom from the people of Israel to another people, God is essentially removing the honorable position and privilege of being the vehicle that brings the message of salvation to the world. It no longer now belongs to the people in the nation of Israel, but is awarded to the church. Israel failed to be the faithful witness, the light to shine, the means to draw people into the truth because they have turned their back on Messiah. And so what the Lord says, if you read very carefully, is that he's gonna take that privilege, that honorable responsibility, and give it over to another people who will constitute both gentile and Jew, the entity called the church of Jesus Christ.

And that's why he says here in the same verse that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And that makes more sense now when you hear verses like first Peter two nine where Peter is speaking to Gentiles. And he says, but you are a chosen race. You are what? A holy nation.

You are what? A people for his own possession. You are what? A royal priesthood. All those identities were exclusive to Israel up to the point of the new covenant.

Now it's shared with the Gentiles. But what do those identities mean? He finishes it here in first Peter two nine. You're a chosen race. You're a royal priesthood.

You're a holy nation. You're a people for his own possession. Why? Why? Why?

What does that do? This is what it does. That you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. So you understand now. Right?

For the kingdom to be transferred from the people of Israel to the church means now the church has been granted the responsibility and the honor of being ambassadors of this kingdom. Then this means that Israel is no longer relevant. And all those promises in the old testament can either be reinterpreted or disregarded altogether. No. It doesn't mean that.

Because Jesus' statement here doesn't teach that God has replaced Israel or erased Israel by giving the kingdom of God over to another people. It just means that for a time, he has set them aside, but a time is coming when they will be grafted in again. So people often quote Matthew twenty one forty three to make a case that the idea of Israel as a people and as a state and as a national identity, it's just like it means nothing. So what do you do with Matthew 23? This is after Jesus gives a series of scathing woes to the same people.

And he says this at the end of Matthew 23. Look at verse thirty eight and thirty nine. See, your house is left to you desolate. So people also quote that verse. Your house is left to you desolate.

But read verse 39. Would you? For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Until, implying what? There is a time coming when the same people who have been removed from that place of honor in the world of being the channel of spiritual blessings.

A people who as we read earlier, his house has been left desolate. There is a time coming where their eyes will be opened, they will see Jesus again, and they will say he is our Messiah. That's coming. Whether you like it or not, it's coming. It's gonna happen.

I don't know why you would oppose that idea, that's a glorious thing. Underline that word until. There's a time coming when national Israel will acknowledge Jesus Christ as their savior. And if you wanna know exactly how that's gonna happen, sit with your family around the dinner table in the living room and read Zechariah chapter twelve and fourteen, and you will see the play by play blueprint of how this is gonna happen. And it is then where God will fulfill all his promises, the promises that he made to Abraham, the promises that he made to David, and to the people of Israel as a whole.

And this does not mean, of course, that Jews cannot be saved until that glorious revival comes. Jews have been getting saved. The early church was comprised of Jews. And check this out, the church has been the means to draw the Jewish people into saving faith in Jesus Christ. And this is something for you and I to consider because it's all over the New Testament.

As individual Jews are coming in to be saved, it will culminate when Jesus Christ himself will do the complete work and redeem the nation as a whole. That as a national identity and a corporate confession, they will hail Jesus as their king. Is Jesus the king of the Jews? Yes. But Israel has not realized it just yet.

They will though, which leads us to the future anticipation. Here's our final verse together. Paul elaborates on this in case you feel like this was more lopsided and Old Testament leaning. Romans 11. I just wanna read you one verse.

The whole point of Romans 11 is really Paul echoing Jeremiah Where the people of his day were saying, God has cast off his people. Paul answers that precise question in light of the new covenant. What has become of the people of Israel since they have rejected Jesus Christ? If Jesus Christ is the king of the Jews, what has become of them since they have denied Jesus? And that's his thesis right here.

But notice what he says here in Romans 11 verse 12. Now if their, being the people of Israel, now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean? So Paul's argument here is absolutely brilliant. You, you, you got to take your time to understand what he's saying. Here's how he's breaking this down.

If the Israelites' unbelief led to their trespass, which in turn enriched the world how did it enrich the world? Well, it was giving rise to the church of Jesus Christ. And the world has been blessed by the church's impact in the nations. If their sin caused salvation to spread across the globe, here's what Paul is saying, then what will become of the world in their full inclusion? If their denial did this, what will happen in their righteousness when they embrace Christ?

You see Paul's train of thought? And it should leave you wondering, yeah, what would happen? If we have as Gentiles benefited from the Jews shutting their door in the face of Christ, What will happen to the Gentiles when that day comes and they open the door and say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord? Well, this is why you have to understand Bible prophecy and it makes it makes so much sense now. Because the nation of Israel accepting Jesus Christ as their Messiah coincides with Jesus Christ establishing his physical literal reign on the earth.

And this world will know universal peace. The church will rule and reign with him, and both Jew and Gentile will behold the promise keeping God who fulfilled his word to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and the Gentiles. That's what's coming. And so this was a lot to take in, perhaps, in one sitting, and it was purely theological, wasn't it? So let me let me tell you how studying this, not just in this past week, but throughout the years has made an impact on me.

Let's make this now applicable and I hope it impacts you. One, it just highlights the goodness and the faithfulness of God. When he says something he means it no matter who he said it to. So the same God who keeps his word to a person or a people, I can trust that he'll keep his word for the church and for me as a follower of Jesus Christ. Two, to pray and believe God for the salvation of the Jewish people.

Yes. To to preach the the gospel to all nations, that's the great commission. But the church doesn't have the greatest history in how they have dealt and addressed the Jews. But to believe that God can do a work in their hearts, not just when he comes back and opens their eyes, but between now and then. Paul tells us in Romans 11 that salvation has come to the Gentiles for many reasons, and one of the reasons is to provoke the Jews to jealousy.

I've shared this testimony so many times. I've always wondered, how is it that the Jewish people would be provoked to jealousy through the church, by the church, because of the church? And I remember hearing a testimony from a Jewish woman that gave light to this. She came to Christ as a Jew. She believed Jesus Christ as her Messiah.

And one of the things that stirred her was when she knew Gentiles who knew the Old Testament and the Hebrew scriptures better than her. And she thought, how is it that me as a Jew, I did not know my Bible like these Christians did? And what she come to find out is as she studied the word of God for herself, Jesus was the Messiah. Do you see? God is not done with his people.

They will be saved. And we have, as a church, a responsibility to preach the gospel to all nations including them. And lastly, the feeling that I had in my heart studying this for today, after gathering my thoughts and just seeing the symphony of the scriptures is to push myself away from my desk, get before God, and from my heart to hail him as my king. You're my king. And not only are you my king, Lord Jesus, you are the king of kings and the Lord of lords.

And Revelation 11 promises that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Is he your king? What what did you hear in this past hour? Did you hear my thoughts? You heard ancient prophecies placed before you, all pointing to unanimously the person of Jesus Christ.

What are you gonna do with that information, my friend? Like, how can you actually walk out of here and not come to a conclusion about where you stand on this issue? He is the king of the Jews. Now here's my question to you. Is he your king?

Cause whether you like it or not, he is going to be the king of kings and the lord of lords. He is today and he's gonna demonstrate it in an undeniable way, perhaps very shortly. But you have to make him king today. He is the king of a spiritual kingdom. We are part of that kingdom.

And one day he will come to rule and reign physically with his kingdom and you have to make a choice between now and then. Will I surrender? Will I love him? Will I receive him? Will I crown him?

Oh, I pray that you would. The way that you crown him as king is by repenting of your sins and believing that this king who was promised a throne were also told would suffer for the sins of his people. That's why the Jews missed him. Because they were so focused on the kingly aspect of him and not realizing that this king would also lay down his life and suffer for his subjects. And so you have the opportunity to understand that this king is not just coming with a scepter, he came first as a child and he grew up to be a man and he was tempted in every way but did not sin, not even once.

And he was nailed upon a tree, and he was coronated there with a crown of thorns and piercing in his hands and his side and his feet, and he bled. He bled. Why did he bleed? Is this the king of the Jews? Yes.

It is the king of the Jews who died for the Jewish people and died for all nations. What are you gonna do with that? What are you going to do with Christ crucified? There's no neutrality. He's either king by willing submission or he will be king by force.

He'll either be king and you become a part of his kingdom, or he'll be king and expel you from his kingdom for all of eternity. The bridge from condemnation to acceptance is faith. Believe. Today, make the decision to look at the word, to realize that it is true, indisputable, and to realize that he is after your heart for you to have your sins washed and for you to have a future with him. Lord, we thank you for your word.

We bless your holy name. We ask, oh God, that you would grant us the eyes to see what your word says on all matters, and we pray today that if we're going to wrestle with anything, let it be with what the scriptures have said. And we ask, oh God, that you would cause our hearts to remember that you are faithful. What you have said you have done and the things that you have not done yet, you will accomplish. Nothing will stop you.

Nothing will halt. Nothing will keep you from performing your faithfulness. And, Lord, we give you praise and honor. We rejoice in knowing that we are in the truth and that we are free because of this truth. In the precious name of our Lord and King Jesus Christ, we pray.

Amen and amen. Let's stand. We are going to sing and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is king.