The triumphal entry into Jerusalem by the Lord Christ signaled much more than the salvation of his people. It signaled the lordship sovereignty of the promised king who would once and for all time fulfill the covenant dominion mandate, the one that Adam failed to accomplish. Our old covenant reading coming from 2 Samuel, 2 Samuel and chapter 7, 2 Samuel chapter 7, the first 17 verses. By inspiration of God, the prophet writes, 2 Samuel 7, 1-17. And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies, that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart, for the Lord is with thee. And it came to pass that night that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in? Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. And in all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel, spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me in house of cedar? Now therefore, so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheep coat, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel. And I was with thee, whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. Moreover, I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more. Neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more as before time. And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies, Also, the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee in house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the right of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee. Thy throne shall be established forever. According to all these words and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak." On to David. Matthew the evangelist writing to us in Matthew in chapter 21, Matthew chapter 21, the first 11 verses, as Christ is here presented as the king over all kings. Matthew, by the same spirit writes, and when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem and were come to Bethpage and to the Mount of Olives, then sent Jesus to disciples saying unto them, go into the village over against you, and straightway you shall find an ass tied and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them unto me. And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them, and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of an ass. And the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way. Others cut down branches from the trees and strawed them in the way. And the multitude that went before and that followed cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. And when he was coming to Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth, of Galilee. Thus far is the reading of God's most holy, inerrant, and finally authoritative word. The grass withers, the flower thereof fades away, but the word of our God stands forever, and by his holy word is the gospel presented unto us again this day." Now the focus of the entirety of the Old Testament scriptures, its focus is on the person, work, and the victorious conquest of the Lord Jesus Christ. From Genesis all the way to the beginning of the New Testament, the focus is upon the person-work and the victorious conquest of the Savior, the Lord Christ. Every historic event, every parabolic statement, every prophecy, even every prophet in their individual lives and ministrations, points in one way, in one way, shape, or form, in one way or another, to the Christ of the Gospel. and to the gospel of the Christ. And within these Old Testament shadows, types, and figures, all of these illustrations, we learn about the kingdom's goal and the power of that kingdom in its precision and its detail. So when the Lord tells Nathan to declare to David the king, who himself is an illustration of the coming king of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ, Nathan is referring to a future time, not our future, but their future, a future time when God would build Himself a house, a temple to dwell in. And when He would at that time also establish a kingdom, which will be an everlasting kingdom. In fact, he says this three times, an everlasting kingdom, a kingdom which is established in righteousness, justice, equity and peace. So God tells David that after he dies, And after David is buried with his fathers, God says, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels. And I will establish his kingdom, and he shall build a house for my name. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee. Thy throne shall be established forever. The third time. This prophetic promise, which is an essential component of the covenant of grace has none other than Jesus the Christ in view. Both Moses and the Apostle Paul tell us that whenever God speaks about the seed, the seed is actually referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. So when Nathan tells David that his seed will take the kingdom, his seed will establish the kingdom, and his seed will establish the throne of the kingdom, he is speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice Genesis chapter 3 verses 14 and 15. And the Lord said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and thus shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. the seed referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. But notice what the Apostle Paul tells us when he writes to the church at Galatia in chapter 3 verse 16. He says, Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made, he saith not, and to seeds, as of many, but as one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. The house in view, of course, is the body of Christ, the people of God. It is not a physical tabernacle. It is not a physical temple. It is an organic temple, a temple made up of living stones, the body of Christ. And it is within this body of the eternal church that Christ builds and indwells. Paul tells this to the church at Corinth when he says in chapter 6, And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God. There it is. There's the definition. God had said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And so we see that Nathan's declaration to David was to be a future event which is now filled, completed, and established by the coming of a Christ in his incarnation, in his life's testimony, in his crucifixion, his resurrection victory over sin and death, the ascension, the coronation as king, and the proof of the kingdom's power by the pouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. The prophetic declaration of Nathan concerning King David's generational conquest is realized in the triumphal magisterial entry into the city of peace, Jerusalem, by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, so dramatic was this event that the people cried out, Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Now, the intent of those words are clear. Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord actually is signifying that blessed is he that has come in the power and in the might and with the seal of authority of God himself, Jehovah. The people knew what they were saying. They may not have understood the entire ramifications of what they were saying, but they knew that this person, this man, on a colt, on an ass, was very significant. And by the moving of God, even upon their hearts and their lives and their lives, they cried out, Blessed is he that cometh in the power and with the seal of authority of Jehovah. People knew what they were saying. They knew that none but Jesus could be associated with this proclamation of sovereign lordship and divine majesty. In fact, they were quite the theologians, because they were quoting from Psalm 108, where we read in verses 25 and 26, Hosanna, save now, I beseech thee, O Lord, O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. They were quoting directly from Psalm 118. The people knew that somehow this man, this man, Jesus, the carpenter, the carpenter's son, represented the promise of deliverance. And he enters in a very significant fashion. He enters into Jerusalem as a judge, as a governing lawgiver, and as a king. But he does not enter in which is very important for us to recognize, at this time, especially at this time, he does not enter into Jerusalem on a white horse of majesty, as he does in Revelation, in the Revelation of John, in his conquest. That would come later. First, he enters in, not on that white horse, but in a humiliation role, a role of humility. In this case, He rides into Jerusalem as the king, as the governing lawgiver, and as the judge, in humility and in service to his God and in service to his people, waiting for the actual coronation, which would come after his ascension, after the passion, after the resurrection. He rides in at this point on a donkey, even as the judges of the Old Testament would ride. And on the fall of an ass, even as the judges of the Old Testament's sons would ride, because Christ is both God the judge and the Son of God the judge. In Judges 5 and verse 9 and 10 we read, My heart is toward the governors of Israel. Notice he rides in as a king, yes, and as a judge, yes, but here, according to Judges 5 and 9, as a governor, a lawgiver, Again, the threefold offices of Christ, as He is the Judge, the Lawgiver, and the King. My heart is toward the governors of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people, even as Christ offered Himself willingly. Blessed ye the Lord! Speak ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment and walk by the way. It might be assumed, if we're going to make assumption, a speculation that this ass, this donkey, this colt, they were white. If they were going to follow the Old Testament standards, they would understand that, or at least those of theological intellect would understand that this was significant. this donkey, this colt, would bring their minds back to Judges chapter 5 when only the judges of Israel would be writing in on these. The entrance into Jerusalem symbolized the coming coronation of the legitimate king of the universe, the Lord Christ. Now note the declaration of Solomon's coronation, who himself is also a great type of Christ as he is coronated king to establish a majestic kingdom that would be known worldwide. Now remember, the reason why Christ is entering into Jerusalem as the King is to build a kingdom, to establish a kingdom, which is everlasting, everlasting, everlasting. 1 Kings 1, verse 32 and following. And King David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. Now notice the threefold offices here again portrayed in a different fashion in Solomon's coronation. You have King David, you have Zadok the priest, and you have Nathan the prophet, the prophet, priest, and king. Going to coronate, going to establish Solomon's kingly reign at his coronation. Verse 33, the king also said unto them, take with you the servants of your Lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon, and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him their king over Israel, and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save King Solomon. Sounds familiar? Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne, for he shall be king in my stead, and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah." In verse 38 we read this, So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went down and caused Solomon to ride upon King David's mule and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, God save King Solomon! And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rend with the sound of them." The triumphal entry of the Lord Jesus Christ represents the announcement of Christ's anticipated coronation as the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the King of all the universe. It wasn't just an entrance into Jerusalem to be crucified of men. It was the establishment of a king who would reign in his kingdom once he was coronated, and that would happen after the ascension. On his ascension, he officially is coronated and crowned king. Of his heavenly coronation, we read in Daniel chapter 7 verse 14 and following. And there was given him a dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom, that which shall not be destroyed." Again, we have the aspect of eternal kingdom, an everlasting kingdom. This is when Christ is brought to the ancient of days to receive the power, and the glory, and the honor, and the majesty, and the kingdom. There's a principle to be learned. According to the divine ordination, according to divine ordination, it was always God's purpose to establish the kingdom of God on earth in time and in history, but not by earthly means, not by way of blood revolution, but by the transformation of men's hearts and minds by the means of preaching the gospel. We read in Matthew 6 verse 10, when the Lord gives the famous Lord's Prayer, He says to the disciples, here's how you pray. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. In earth, even as it is in heaven. The kingdom on earth, even as it has been established in heaven. The kingdom was to come to the earth, In the realm of time and space within the structure of history, the kingdom of God was to be established and it was to begin in power at Pentecost. The entrance into Jerusalem was the prelude to the actual kingdom establishment. This was always the anticipation of the Old Testament prophets and patriarchs. They were always looking beyond that time when Christ would come and finally establish once and for all time the Kingdom of God on earth, in time, in history. It was promised to Adam at the fall, proclaimed amidst a covenant contract and typified throughout history under the rule of a number of righteous kings such as Joseph's Pharaoh, Melchizedek, David, Solomon, Artaxerxes, Ahasuerus, and Cyrus. So when John proclaimed, repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, the kingdom of heaven was at hand. He was signaling that the kingdom was at the very gates of history. Its coming was not in 2,000, 3,000 years. Its coming was imminent. It was right there. Right at the doors of history, this was the culmination of all of the Old Testament prophets, all of their speakings, all of their declarations, all of the types, all of the figures, culminating in that one person, the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. So when John proclaimed, repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, he meant it. John's declaration That declaration was an earth-shattering proclamation. Finally, after all of these years, 400 years of silence from the prophets of God, finally, as Christ entered into history, finally, a prophetic utterance. The kingdom is here. Biblical scholars, along with the simple folk of the Hebrew tradition, would recognize this statement as a fulfillment of the Old Testament promises. In fact, it was almost unbelievable that finally God would speak to Israel in this fashion. The common belief, however, was that the nature of the kingdom was mostly physical, perhaps political and even militaristic, and so to think that Messiah would come at this time to destroy the Roman system was truly remarkable. But they were wrong. This misconception of the kingdom that it would come politically or militaristically or physically created a number of problems for the Hebrew and Roman world. Thinking that Messiah's kingdom was of a political nature, many sought to usher in the kingdom through bloody revolution against the Romans. The Jews saw the kingdom of God as a military force established so as to overthrow the Roman oppressors. They looked for a king to reign in the political and military fashion, much like Saul. So they're making the mistake again. But Christ would not come in that fashion. In fact, that fashion is a weak fashion. He would come in power to change men from the inside out. You see, the Jews in that day, their view of the Kingdom of God was carnal. It was sensual. And it was typical of the mindset of their day. And like today, Carnal men anticipate an earthly political kingdom deliverance apart from the obedience to God's law. That's how we take dominion. Through obedience. Through influencing others. But in that day, they fail to understand the nature of the kingdom. They don't know what it looks like. But Paul tells us what it looks like. Paul explains to the church at Rome in Romans 14.7, he says, for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, it's not carnal, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. You see, what men need to understand is that the kingdom of God can never be established by man's power, nor by their carnal wisdom, nor can it be established by the messianic state. Government cannot usher in the Kingdom. It must be established by the proclamation and application of the Law of God and the Gospel of Christ. It is a Kingdom of justice, equity, mercy, faith, and obedience to the Holy Commandments. That's what the Kingdom is made up of. It's not licentiousness or libertinism, nor is it ritualism, ceremonialism, or works righteousness. It's not legalism. It's obedience by the power indwelling us by the Spirit. It's covenantal obedience that establishes the kingdom of God. And since the kingdom is divine, it is supernatural in nature, and therefore natural men are powerless to establish such an empire by their own power. The kingdom can only be established by God through Christ, by the means of His righteousness, justice, grace, faith, and our covenantal obedience to His holy law by His people. We read in John 18 and verse 36, Jesus says this, my kingdom is not of this world. In other words, my kingdom does not get its power from men. It does not get its power from this world. My kingdom is not structured like this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight. There would be military revolt. That I should not be delivered to the Jews, but now is my kingdom not from hence. Jesus is stating that the authority of the kingdom does not come from men, but from God. The kingdom is not structured in the way men would structure a kingdom, with oppressive militaristic power, oppressing the people and keeping them in tow. No, it was different, it was unique, it was divine, it was supernatural. This verse in John 18 does not mean that the kingdom of God is some otherworldly invisible kingdom, detached from the earthly realm. It is a kingdom which is on earth, but it's not of the earth. It's a kingdom of law and righteousness which produces joy and peace, liberty. It's a kingdom, philosophy, and power which must be promoted and which must be executed on earth. John Calvin observes that the kingdom is not fleshly or carnal and that it exists on the earth, but it is not of the earth. Notice what Calvin says. We are taught also what is the nature of this kingdom? For if it made us happy according to the flesh, and brought us riches, luxuries, and all that is desirable for the use of the present life, it would smell of the earth and of the world. But now, though our condition be apparently wretched, still, our true happiness remains unimpaired. We learn from it, also, who they are that belong to this kingdom, those who, having been renewed by the Spirit of God, contemplate the heavenly life in holiness and righteousness. Yet it deserves our attention. Likewise, that it is not said that the kingdom of Christ is not in this world, for we know that it has its seat in our hearts, as also Christ says elsewhere, the kingdom of God is within you. But strictly speaking, the kingdom of God, while it dwells in us, is a stranger to the world because its condition is totally different. In other words, its nature is divine and it exists in the saint and on the earth through the saint and their influence among men and nations. You see, once the Spirit of God indwells the people of God, their influence goes outward from them to change every institution, every area of their lives. That is the dominion mandate. Now the question is, what is the kingdom? not what is its nature or where its location, but what is it exactly? The Kingdom of God is the eternal Church. The Kingdom of God is built upon the testimony that Christ is the rock upon which the Church is established. The Church, God's Kingdom, exists within the framework of the world and within the framework of the society of men in order to bring all men into subjection to the holy authority of the Holy God in the face of the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ. And when all men are converted to the Lord, when every knee bows and every tongue confesses, and when the knowledge of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea, as it has been promised by Isaiah, the final aspect of the Kingdom of God will have been completed. And then, according to the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, then, when he has put down all enemies under his feet, then Christ will deliver up the Kingdom to the Father. For then will be the end. And then will be the total, total victory of the Christ. When Christ brought the apostles to Caesarea Philippi, he asked Peter a question. And Simon Peter answered and said, when Jesus asked him, who do men say that I am? He answered that perhaps one of the prophets, perhaps this one, perhaps Elijah. Then Christ pinpointed the real reason for the question. He says, but who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered and said, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed it unto thee. But my Father which is in heaven, and I say unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Did you catch that? The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. We don't win, win, win, win, win, and then the bottom falls out. The church is God's heavenly kingdom dispatched to the earth as the eternal body of Christ, the New Jerusalem, This is why He was entering into the City of Peace, into the New Jerusalem. It was significant as He would enter into us by the Spirit to empower us to take dominion. So the Church is God's heavenly Kingdom dispatched to the earth as the eternal body of Christ in New Jerusalem in order to impress upon the earth the principles of the Kingdom. Righteousness, justice, equity, mercy, peace, love and joy. You see, that's what culture looks like when you have righteousness and justice and equity. You have a culture that is at peace. You have a culture that is joyful. You have a culture that is merciful. You have a culture that reflects the kingdom of heaven. Note the next declaration of the Lord. As he tells Peter in Matthew 16, 19, after he declares that the testimony of Jesus being the Christ of God, the Holy Messiah of Psalm 2, that victorious Christ, that man of warfare, spiritual warfare, mind you, Christ then tells him, and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. So after Peter declares the testimony of Christ, as being the rock, the foundation of the gospel, of the kingdom. He says he's going to give him the keys of the kingdom. So Christ tells Peter that he will give him the keys of the kingdom. While Peter often represents all of the elect of God, in this context, Peter seems to particularly represent church leaders, those that rule and those that preach. Peter is the designated spokesman for the apostles at this junction. And at other times as well, sometimes in a good way, sometimes not in a good way. And it is his confession that Christ commends, and it is the office of the preacher and pastor that is conferred upon him. As spokesman, Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, and his confession represents the general confession of the church, and it is the testimony that is given by Peter at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. Notice what Peter says. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice as the spokesman, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken unto my words. Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Quite the testimony. The keys that were given to Peter were the keys of life and death, blessings and cursings. Isaiah tells us what the keys are all about. In Isaiah chapter 22, beginning in verse 20, we read this. And it shall come to pass in that day that I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, again, a type of Christ, and I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand, and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Now remember what I said about all of the types and figures, all the illustrations. These are illustrations of what Christ will accomplish in his time on the earth. Isaiah continues in verse 22. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder, so he shall open and none shall shut, and he shall shut and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place, and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house, and they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring in the issue, all the vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups even to the vessels of flagons." John comments on this in the revelation of Jesus Christ in Revelation chapter 3 verse 7, And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth. This key, which the Lord has by virtue of his divine obedience and lordship, is given to Peter as a representative of the church. It is given to the church, each of her priests, each of her saints, and her particular public officials, her ministers. It is a stewardship. to be used for the glory of God and the advancement of his kingdom, the keys of the gospel of Christ, the word of God. Calvin again comments here, he says, here Christ begins now to speak of the public office, that is, of the apostleship, which he dignifies with a twofold title. First, he says that the ministers of the gospel are porters, so to speak, of the kingdom of heaven, because they carry its keys. And secondly, he adds, that they are invested with a power of binding and loosing which is ratified in heaven. The comparison of the keys is very properly applied to the office of teaching, as when Christ says in Luke 11.52 that the scribes and Pharisees in like manner have the keys of the kingdom of heaven because they are expounders of the law. We know that there is no other way in which the gate of life is open to us than by the word of God, and hence it follows that the key is placed, as it were, in the hands of the ministers of the Word, but in the priests of the Word as well, in every one that is ordained by the Spirit of God and given that office of prophet and priest. Note the next declaration of the Lord to Peter. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. So the keys are used to loosen, to bind. In other words, to affirm what is right and restrain what is evil. That is the duty of the ministers of God. That is the duty of the people of God. That is the duty of the law of God, as it is given into the hands of the kingdom representatives, the saints, the believers, to let the culture know, let the people know, that is wrong, that is right, this is evil, this is just. You see, keys are an ancient symbol of legislative power. That's how they were used in the ancient times. They were used in the government of kingdoms. And Christ is simply borrowing from history in order to give an impressionable lesson, as if he were saying, as if he were saying, as sovereign Lord in Christ, I am giving you legislative powers which are divine and holy, the Word of God. I am transferring my legal power to you. I am taking it from my Old Testament Levites and giving it to you, my New Testament Levites, my New Testament disciples. According to Deuteronomy chapter 17, the Levites were to judge matters that were particularly difficult for the magistrates, since the Levites were the legal scholars in Israel. So if the magistrates came up with a difficult, contentious argument within the court system, they would call the Levites. because the Levites were the professional legal scholars. Deuteronomy chapter 17 verse 8 and following. If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates, then shalt thou arise and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, and thou shalt come unto the priests, the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and inquire, and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment, and thou shalt do according to the sentence which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall show thee, and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee." They were the scholars. The clergymen were the scholars of jurisprudence in that day. The Pharisees and scribes of Christ's day, they should have continued the servants of righteous judgment. Since Jesus himself tells them, that they're the magistrates because he says to them, you sit in Moses' seat. Moses' seat is a description of the civil office. Moses was the civil magistrate. Aaron was the ecclesiastical priest. Then said Jesus unto the multitude and to his disciples, saying, the scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do, but do not ye after their works, for they say, and do not They bind heavy burdens, and grievous to be born, and lay them upon men's shoulders, but they themselves would not move them with one of their fingers. R.J. Rushdune observes, he says, the sovereign's word binds and looses men. The very fact that the reference of Matthew 16 is to the keys of the kingdom of heaven makes very clear this fact. Law comes from the sovereign power, and the law of the Lord has a binding and loosening power. The Pharisees and scribes claim to be the bearers of the keys to God's law. But of them our Lord says, But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men. For ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Thus God's law is the key to government on earth. But when that law is perverted, when justice is perverted, when God's Word is perverted, and when it is not applied by the church to the magistrates, you have 21st century America. You have an international order which is based on perversion and wickedness. Injustice reigns supreme, not justice. What Christ is telling Peter is that he has a duty to bind and loose only by way of preaching God's Word. By the faithful use of God's Word. And yet, the pulpits are silent. No confrontation with the magistrates. No confrontation by the priests, the pulpits, to injustices. Everyone's quiet. They stand quietly upon the rapture rock, waiting to be delivered supernaturally from this world. But while men sleep, the enemy sows his tares. Rushduni again comments, if they are faithful to God's law, then what they bind on earth is bound in heaven, and what is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven, because they have faithfully set forth God's law. The implication of this verse is this, And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, having already been bound in heaven by the law of God, shall be bound in heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, having already been loosed in heaven, shall be loosed in heaven. If the church is to have any real power on earth, which is her destiny, she must condemn only that which is condemned in heaven by the law of God, and only bless on earth what is blessed in heaven. She cannot be mealy-mouthed. She cannot say, well, we have another idea of the traditional marriage institution. Or we have another idea of what a murder really is, whether it's in the womb or out of the womb. We have another idea about who can hold public office, how we vet senators and congressmen, how we vet presidents and local magistrates. We have another idea. In fact, we don't really want to tell anybody what we think because we're not to say anything. And yet the culture is report card of the church. You see, the standard of culture must be, if there will be any liberty, the standard of culture must be the law word of God. Because that alone, that standard alone is the only righteous standard. It is the standard of right and wrong. And those things are absolutes. Don't let anybody ever tell you that there's no such thing as absolutes. There are. And they know it. But they suppress that truth in unrighteousness. We cannot, we dare not put evil for good and good for evil, and yet that is what the Church is doing today. It would be at least comprehensible if those outside of the Church put evil for good and good for evil. But when the Church does it, then we know we have trouble. And therefore, the church has a duty to study the word of God so as to not only interpret it properly, but apply it righteously. Now, there's another application here, another point to be made. Theologian Alan O'Miller, in his work, Calvin's Political Theology, says this. Indeed, magistrates properly have authority to govern society as ministers of God's law, but the church has the responsibility to minister both the gospel and the law. the gospel through the service of the word and sacrament, and the law through the prophetic role of holding up the vision of justice and challenging the government at every turn to implement it. Where are these men? Where are these men today? Because all we're hearing today in the Church of Jesus Christ are happy sermons. There's no challenge there, and that's a very comfortable thing to the flesh. But whenever humanism rules the legal system, anarchy and chaos results. Whenever humanism rules the legal system, anarchy and chaos results. We love it. We are in chaos. Humanism's law is anti-God. And a legal system that is anti-God will result in men acting as God. Oppression and tyranny in every form will result chaos results and death and destruction is the end But Jesus came to change that Okay, what about some tactics So what are we gonna do what should the church be doing Well, the goal is to reorganize the legal and societal order according to the biblical model, making sure that, first and foremost, the family and the church is in order. That's a task in and of itself, of course. You see, every time we read the scriptures, every time you go into the scriptures and you read, there's the declaration of what needs to be done, and then people did it. They didn't talk about it. They did it. Nehemiah knew that he had to build the wall. He got people together, and they built the wall. Israel knew that they had to take care of the Amalekites and the Midianites. Gideon raised up the army, and they did it. Goliath was threatening the safety of Israel, and David went out there and said, you're not going to do it? I'll do it. They did it. So what are we going to do? Well, we're going to exercise legitimate biblical authority in order to strip the state of those institutions and controls that it has unlawfully commandeered, bringing it back to its place of biblical limitation. We are going to re-establish sphere sovereignties. The logistics, and these are only some ideas to consider beyond the general evangelical thrust a church must perform. 1. or at least help to establish, Christian schools for every level of education and which do not answer to the state. The Levites were the educational professors. They were the educational professionals because everything had its hub in Christ. 2 and 2 was for because God had ordained it, not just because 2 and 2 was for. We need to also establish ecclesiastical courts. And we need to, within the Church of Jesus Christ, adjudicate disputes, those that we are allowed to adjudicate. We need to branch out into the community once the news gets out of the justice and equity meted out by these proceedings, because the people then will know that justice will be served. Thirdly, establish a local Christian banking system. using real money, honest money, not the inflatable fiat money, but real money, protected by its intrinsic worth. Not an easy thing, maybe pie in the sky, but let's try. Because with man, it might seem impossible But with God, nothing is impossible. Also, establish food banks, clothing banks, open it to the public, pastoral visits, evangelism, Christ-centered homes for unwed mothers, battered women, homeless, educational facilities to train the unskilled in a skill, teach people how to work to get out of the clutches of the welfare system. Start an unemployment agency, but keep them ethically ethically accountable to the Word of God. Now think about these things. You see, the one factor that we don't consider when building these things is God blesses those things. God blesses the efforts of people that are trying to do it God's way. Instead of saying, well, that can't be done. Fine, it can't be done. Don't do it. But try it and see what God will do. Does He not promise to open the doors of heaven so that we can Fix what is broken. My friends, things are broken. Assist families to get out of debt. Help them to become faithful stewards of their finances and their time. Establish tutorial services for school-aged children. Offer them for free or at a nominal fee just to get started. Get them out of the schools because they're being indoctrinated there. and the humanistic religion. Establish home education support centers. Encourage homeschooling. Help moms find curriculums. Help moms with their children. Establish libraries, one of my favorite things. Research and training centers, facilities that can train thinking people. Thinking is not yet illegal. Start thinking. Start reading. Start thinking about how to change the world. Otherwise, the world will change you. The church needs to come out of the dark ages of the monastery. Today's church has to stop fearing men, being intimidated by the state. She needs to use her office rightly and powerfully for the glory of God and the survival of the culture. The proclamation of the Universal King was telling the world, not just Israel, was telling the world that Jesus is the King now, He reigns now. And He is calling each and every one of us to perform our oaths concerning our profession. So when Christ paraded Himself as King on Palm Sunday, He had not yet received his victory coronation. The power of heaven and earth, authority was not yet conferred upon him. He first had to go to the cross. That was where he would secure the salvation of his people, so that they would become the soldiers of the living Christ, and that they would have the law written in their hearts. So he had to first go to the cross. Then he had to resurrect. then ascend. Then he would send the Spirit in power and in authority, and people would be saved. People would be transformed, and things would start to change. In the first 350 years of Christendom, the entire European continent was being transformed. The Gospel had come in power. In our age, in our time, We look back. He's already been coronated. The power and the authority has already been given. He has sent the Spirit already. He has given the commission. And He reigns in righteousness even today. And so we must parade Him before all peoples as legitimate and sovereign King, in their obligation, and this is where the rub is, in their obligation, in your obligation, to serve Him, for He alone is the divine King over all earthly kings. He alone is the King of Kings and the Sovereign Lord of all Lords, and He has been given the inheritance, even the ends of the earth. May God be pleased to establish His people once again, that they would go forth militantly and triumphantly with the law of God, with the Spirit of Christ, unto the praise of the glory of His grace. In this we shall do God helping us. Amen.