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Christ Is a Real King

Revelation 19:11-16 Lordship Controvery

Pastor Albert N. Martin begins a series on the kingship of Christ, expounding Revelation 19:11-16 and drawing from Old Testament prophecies in Genesis 49 and Numbers 24. He first establishes the biblical concept of a king as one possessing supreme ruling authority, contrasting it with modern limited monarchies and democratic governments. Martin then distinguishes Christ's eternal, ontological kingship from his redemptive kingship as the God-man, arguing that this distinction is crucial for proper worship and understanding of scripture. He demonstrates from early Old Testament passages that the coming Redeemer was consistently prophesied as a conquering king, applying this truth to both the comfort of believers and the sobering reality for unbelievers.

3 illustrations in this sermon

Old Testament Prophecies: The Broad Outline
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Artist's Broad Outline

In this part of the sermon: Beginning with Genesis 3:15, Martin shows how God progressively revealed the coming Redeemer. The initial 'seed of the woman' prophecy is followed by the promise that this seed…

God's revelation of the Redeemer is compared to an artist first etching a broad outline on a canvas and then gradually filling in details, showing the progressive nature of prophecy.

He would be a seed brought by divine initiative. In this great struggle between evil and good. Well, what God does is what an artist does. When he's going to draw his picture, he will first of all etch on his canvas the broad outline of what he proposes to do.

28:43 - 29:04 Read in full sermon
Old Testament Prophecies: Judah's Scepter (Genesis 49)
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Oriental Ruler's Staff

In this part of the sermon: He expounds Jacob's prophecy in Genesis 49:8-10, highlighting that the 'scepter' and 'ruler's staff' would not depart from Judah until 'Shiloh' comes, signifying the Redeemer's…

An explanation of how an oriental leader's staff, a symbol of rule, would be placed between his knees when sitting on his throne, illustrating the meaning of 'ruler's staff' in Genesis 49.

It is not just an empty symbol. Here we have the symbol signifying that which is symbolized. The authority and power to rule shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff, another figure of speech, the oriental leader would have a staff that was also the symbol of his rule. And when he was sitting upon his throne, it would often be placed between his knees and come up and rest over his shoulders.

33:05 - 33:31 Read in full sermon
Old Testament Prophecies: The Star and Scepter (Numbers 24)
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Balaam and Balak

In this part of the sermon: Martin analyzes Balaam's prophecy in Numbers 24:17-18, where a 'star out of Jacob' and a 'scepter shall rise out of Israel' are foretold, further solidifying the image of the…

The narrative of Balak hiring Balaam to curse Israel, but Balaam being constrained by God to bless them instead, serves as the context for Balaam's prophecy of the coming King.

For you who are new to the Bible and new to the general content of Scripture, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. The fourth book of Moses. We turn to chapter 24. Here you have this strange incident of this strange man called Balaam and another man whose name begins with B called Balak.

35:51 - 36:23 Read in full sermon