Jesus the Ruler of Kings
We've seen in Revelation 1:5 so far that Jesus is the faithful witness and the firstborn from the dead. And then John says he is “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” Jesus rules over all earthly kings.
Greater Than Earthly Rulers
People place so much stock on politics. They place all their hope in politicians. I've seen it in South Africa. I've seen it in the States especially. People make an idol out of their political candidate. And we do the same in the theological world, too. I, for example, am Wesleyan in my theology - I hold to some of the interpretations of the Bible that Wesley holds, as opposed to those who follow Calvin's understanding of the Bible or Luther's understanding of the Bible. And so often we get so excited about our spiritual leader, and in a sense, we idolize them as well.
Paul warned the people about this, saying, “it wasn't me who deserves the glory. It's Jesus.” And I want to remind us today, as we read this verse in Revelation, that Jesus is the ruler of all the kings, all the leaders, all the authorities. It is him and him alone who we are faithful to and who deserves our praise.
Followers of Jesus first
Do you see yourself as a follower of Jesus first and everything else under that? Maybe you're proud of your heritage. And that's okay. Maybe you're proud of the camp that you belong to, whatever group. That's okay, but please don't make that into an idol. Please don't be loyal to your denomination or your club or your nationality before you are loyal to Jesus.
If you put your trust in an earthly ruler or an earthly group, you're going to be disappointed very quickly. But when you put your trust in Jesus, he stays the same always, and he is above all of them.
Whose praise will be on your lips today? Whose face is going to pop into your mind today? Who are you going to place your hope in? I pray, friends, that you will remember this picture of the glorious Jesus, the ruler of all the kings of Earth, that you will put him on the throne of your life.
