DAY THREE

If we are going to be participants in the kingdom of God, then we need to know the King. The more we know about the King, the better we can live, serve, and thrive in His kingdom. As Jesus was teaching His disciples about the kingdom after the resurrection, we can be certain that He spoke often about the King.

I can’t think of anyone who knew the King of Kings better than King David. After all, it takes one to know one. A man who commands authority would clearly understand the dominion and sovereignty of God.

Near the end of His life, David spoke of God’s greatness in 1 Chronicles 29:10-13.

10 "So David blessed YEHOVAH in the sight of all the assembly; and David said, "Blessed are You, O YEHOVAH God of Israel our father, forever and ever.

11 "Yours, O YEHOVAH, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O YEHOVAH, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.

12 "Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.

13 "Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.”

David prays this beautiful blessing to God, near the end of His life, looking back on all that God had done for him. He honors God for all that he knows to be true after living a life where he was known to be “a man after God’s own heart,” and “a man who follows God.”

Look at what David has to say about the King. It all revolves around the throne and God’s role as Sovereign Ruler. First, he mentions the greatness of God. YEHOVAH is great in power, awesome in stature. No one can measure the magnitude His greatness. There is no one like Him.

Next, he acknowledges the power of God. The Hebrew language used here refers to the power of a mighty warrior, of someone who is mighty in battle. As the powerful and mighty warrior, the victory is God’s because He stands above all others and outlasts anyone who opposes Him. When God stands as King, all else falls before Him. No one can stand against Him.

Next, David mentions the glory of God, the visible and sensual manifestation of all that we know to be true about God. All glory belongs to God because all authority flows from His throne. Nothing of greatness and nothing supernatural happens unless God commands it to be done. And when God commands it to be done, he also commits His power to make it so, and therefore, the King gets all the glory.

David’s statement wouldn’t be complete if he didn’t mention God’s victory. Whenever God sets out to do something, we know that victory is certain. There is no other outcome for the King. The victory is His because, as David has already stated, He is the great and mighty warrior.

David also calls out God’s majesty, His awe-inspiring beauty. The King of Kings is a good king. Were we to physically see Him or see Him with the eyes of our hearts, we would be overwhelmed with His amazing beauty and splendor.

David goes on to state that everything in heaven and the earth belongs to God. He created all things, and all things are created to demonstrate His glory. There is nothing in all creation that does not belong to God. Since it all belongs to Him, He is able to do anything and everything that he wills with every part of it.

Finally, David proclaims that all dominion and authority belong to God. Because no one is higher than God, God exalts Himself to the highest position over all. He is the source of all authority and the ultimate in authority overall. No one even begins to compare to the height of authority that belongs to God. No one can challenge God.

Let’s pause for a minute and contemplate this great declaration of David about our King. Because we are part of the kingdom, we are on His side. We are on the winning team, and when we follow His command, we can be confident that victory and honor and power will be with us in all that we do. This is the King we serve and we are mighty warriors on the winning team.

Look at the rest of the story in verses 12 and 13. If anyone has any riches or honor in this life, where does it come from? It comes from God. If anyone shows any greatness in life, where does it come from? It comes from God. If anyone stands strong, where does the strength come from? It comes from God. Since God rules over all, every good thing that comes to anyone, comes from where? It comes from God. He has all power and might in his hand and He extends his hand to us as his children in the kingdom of God.

David also talks about the length of God’s kingdom in Psalm 145:13.

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.”

“Everlasting” is for all of time. Since God has no beginning and has no end, He exists outside of time. Since he created time when he created heaven and earth, His kingdom and dominion last forever. There has never been a time and there will never be a time when God is not King. Therefore, it goes without saying that His dominion, His reign, goes back to the first generation and it lasts for every generation that will ever exist until the end of time.

As the Ruler of All, God created heaven and earth to thrive under His authority. He created us to be in beautiful, harmonious relationship with Him, under His rule. He set up the principles of heaven and earth that lead us to abundant life. And He sent Jesus Christ to restore everything that had been stolen by the enemy, to restore us to an experience of the fullness of His kingdom.

This is the good news that Jesus proclaimed during His life and after His resurrection: that the kingdom of God is here, that it can be within us, and that we can live in the majesty of God’s kingdom. Jesus invites us to enter in and fully immerse ourselves in the wonder of being children of the King. The invitation to serve the King is an invitation to an exceptional life with strength and dignity to rise above anything that comes our way.

WORSHIP: Today, as you process these truths, ask the Spirit to guide you to a place of worship. Write out your own declaration of God as King, trusting that He will give you the words. As an act of worship, share what you write with at least one other person.

PRACTICE: Take some time to rehearse where you are currently in your life. If you have any riches, success, fame, provision, honor, provision, abundance, strength, endurance, peace, or hope, acknowledge that all those things have come to you from the hand of God, not your own good work.

MEDITATION: Ask yourself some questions today: Is there something about the majesty and greatness of God’s kingdom that I have been missing? Is there more of the kingdom of God that I should be experiencing that I am not? What can I do daily to acknowledge that God is my King, and I am His subject?

ABIDING: Go back and read through this teaching one more time. Ask the Father if there is anything in these passages specifically for you. Write down anything you hear from Him. Spend some extra time listening to see if He has anything more to say to you or if there is a deeper teaching for you today. Write down whatever you hear.