WEEK 4: His Kingdom Without End

DATE: August 30th

MAIN IDEA: The King who reigns forever gives me hope today.

MAIN TEXT: Philippians 2:9–11; Acts 1:9–11; Revelation 1:5–8

SUPPORTING SCRIPTURES: Daniel 7:13–14; Psalm 110:1; Ephesians 1:19–23; Hebrews 1:3–4; Hebrews 7:25; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; Revelation 19:11–16; Matthew 28:18–20

CREEDAL CONFESSION: "He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end." (The Nicene Creed)

SERMON IDEAS:

- Philippians 2 moves from the humiliation of Christ to the exaltation of Christ.

-- Because Jesus humbled Himself to death on a cross, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above every name.

-- The crucified Jesus is now exalted.

-- The rejected one is enthroned.

-- The suffering servant is revealed as Lord.

-- Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

-- This echoes Isaiah 45, where every knee bows to Yahweh.

- Acts 1 describes the ascension of Jesus.

-- Jesus is taken up, and a cloud hides Him from their sight.

-- The ascension is not Jesus leaving because His work failed.

-- The ascension is His enthronement.

- Daniel 7 helps us understand the ascension.

-- The Son of Man comes with the clouds and receives dominion, glory, and an everlasting kingdom.

- Ephesians 1 declares that Christ is seated far above all rule and authority

-- with all things under His feet, and as head over all things for the Church.

- Revelation 1 calls Jesus the faithful witness,

-- He is the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

- The Nicene Creed does not only confess Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection.

-- It also confesses His ascension, heavenly session, future return, judgment, and eternal kingdom.

-- The early Church did not confess Jesus only as a past Savior. They confessed Him as the present Lord and future Judge.

- The creed teaches us to see Jesus in three tenses.

-- In the past, He came down, suffered, died, and rose.

-- In the present, He is ascended and seated at the right hand of the Father.

-- In the future, He will come again in glory.

- What should we fear if the King holds our tomorrow?

- He promised that He is coming soon, and that should give us great assurance.

- The King who reigns forever gives me hope today.

APPLICATION:

- Because Jesus reigns, we do not live in panic.

- Because Jesus reigns, we live under His authority now.

- Because Jesus will return, we live with hope.

- Because Jesus will judge, we live with holy urgency and seriousness.

- Because Jesus has an eternal kingdom, we live on mission.

- Submit every area of life to the reign of Christ: money, marriage, sexuality, forgiveness, vocation, service, witness, and worship.

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