”The God Who Reigns”

The God Who Is There
Written by D. A. Carson

“The God Who Reigns” - Chapter Five

God’s Kingdom Over All

• God’s Reign should not be confused with “reduced” ideas of kingship in the modern world.
• As Creator, God reigns over all. His sovereignty covers every domain in the universe.
• You cannot not be in God’s kingdom in this sense.

God’s Kingdom Over Israel

• God also reigns in a special sense over a subset of his universal dominion.
• He reigns as king over his redeemed, covenant people.
• He rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, covenanted with them, and now reigns over them as their King.

From Moses to David

• Moses/Joshua – God appointed leader, mediating God’s law.
• Judges – vacuum of godly leadership, rebellion and chaos.
• Saul – a king after the peoples’ heart
• David – a king after God’s heart

The Covenant with David

• 2 Samuel 7
• David’s desire to build a “house” (temple) for God.
  • David’s plan rejected. Why?
  • God alone takes the initiative in key moments of his plan.
  • God makes his servants great, not the other way around.
• God will build a “house” (dynasty) for David.
  • God ensures the continuance of the dynasty in spite of human sin.
  • The Davidic king is to reign as God’s “son” – patterned after him.
  • An everlasting dynasty–eventually fulfilled by an ever-living King.

King David to King Jesus

• Kingdom Divided
• Northern Kingdom (Israel) – rejected Davidic dynasty, defeated and deported to Assyria.
• Southern Kingdom (Judah) – mostly wicked kings, eventually defeated and exiled to Babylon.
• A small remnant returns to Judah
• Temple is rebuilt, but pales in comparison to Solomon’s.
• God’s people dominated by succession of world powers – Persia, Greece, & Rome.
• At the turn of history, Israel ruled by Rome and fake kings like Herod.

Jesus and His Kingdom

• Descendant of Abraham & David
• Multi-faceted understanding of “Kingdom” in Jesus’ teaching
  • Wheat/tares
  • “Born again”
  • Already here but still more to come
• Jesus must reign until he defeats all of his foes, the last being death.

1 Corinthians 15:25-26
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

• King Jesus will bring final resolution to the problem of sin and death that began in Genesis 3.
• Jesus atones for sin and conquers death for his people.