King of Glory | Northpoint Church

12.26.2019

King of Glory

By Dave Dussault
Northpoint Prayer Ministries

“Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The LORD, strong and Mighty, the LORD, Mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is He this King of Glory? The LORD of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.” – Psalm 24:7-10

No wonder they wondered! What was most remarkable about the newborn Messiah was how unremarkable He was—eyes tight shut like any newborn, hands clinched just as anyone would expect. Soft, tiny, and helpless. Yet they knew they were gazing on the King of all there is. There was only one way that band of gaping shepherds knew who this baby really was. God had revealed it to them.

We’ve been doing Christmas so long that we think we understand. We’ve got it down. This is exactly the time to stop and let God reveal Himself to us again. Take a fresh look at Jesus. Who is this King of Glory?

Lord of All: Since childhood, the shepherds had learned, “the earth is the LORD’s and all that fills it” (24:1). And now, there He was, a part of His creation. Everything belonged to the newborn Jesus because He made everything. He spoke, and it was. The tiniest flower. The most delicate butterfly. Hundreds of trillions of stars filling the night sky. All are His. The Holy Infant’s tiny clutching fingers wielded the power that made them.

The voice of Mary’s infant, crying to be swaddled, warmed, and fed, expressed the voice that tamed the seas and brought forth the dry land. He directs the course of all the water that flows, from the drains in our sink to the Amazon River. Everything there is came about at this Baby’s word. Then He filled the earth with life and every good thing that sustains life. Jesus Christ is “the Fountain of Life” (Psalm 36:9).

Holy God: No one ever looked at God—not if they wanted to live. Yet there He was, right before their eyes! Those present at Jesus’ birth had heard Isaiah’s dread-filled words, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3)! Why weren’t they dead? Who could possibly come before this glorious king? Who would dare to stand before Him? Only those with “clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:4), who had never uttered a false word.

They were witnessing a miracle. More than a miracle of new life, this moment was the miracle of all time. This baby was the promise from the dawn of time, when Man violated the will of God Most Holy and devastated the earth with sin—the curse of separation from God. This Jesus would crush sin and Satan to bring an end to all the fears and agonies they caused, and swing open the door back to the Father.

LORD of Hosts: “The LORD of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.” Jesus is the “LORD of Armies”—all the armies of heaven and earth. No power in heaven or on earth belongs to anyone else but Him. When the armies of Israel conquered, it was in the name of the LORD. When their enemies defeated them, it was at His command, to accomplish His holy purpose. Psalm 24:7-10 depicts the LORD returning in triumph from battle, after laying waste those who do evil so they never rise again (Psalm 36:12).

The manger, that rough-hewn feeding trough in Bethlehem, held the Divine Warrior, who had come to bridge the infinite divide between sinful man and our Holy Creator and bring peace between us. Jesus is the perfect example of unconditional love. But He’s also the Warrior God who has conquered sin and death—not by slaying evildoers but by taking on human flesh and dying to sin for us. He conquered the world by surrendering to His Father’s will and accepting His just wrath for sin—our sin.

Prince of Peace: Peace is more than the absence of conflict. It’s the defeat of evil. More than an inner calm, peace is the complete confidence that all is well and all will be well. The “Sweet Little Jesus Child” does more than evoke tender feelings of peace. He is the Mighty God and Everlasting Father who came to make peace, by becoming God’s peace offering for us.

Lift up your heads and behold the Baby Jesus. “He is the King of Glory!”

To the praise of His glory,

Dave Dussault
Northpoint Prayer Ministry

– Each week, Dave updates a monthly Bible reading plan and writes a Bible and prayer focus, Prayer Life. The preceding is a recent installment. You can pick up both offerings at the Information Center in the Foyer on Sundays or sign up there to receive them via email. You can also click here to find the archive: https://northpointcorona.org/ministries/prayer/