The passage we read today is from 2 Samuel. Last week, we shared on Matthew 1:1. Matthew 1:1 is the very first verse of the New Testament. And it is written there, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” Last week, I spoke to you about Jesus Christ who came as a descendant of Abraham. Today, I would like to speak about Jesus Christ, who came as the Son of David.

Of course, as we all know, Jesus Christ is the Son of God. However, from man’s eyes, He came as a descendant of Abraham and of David. That He came as a descendant of Abraham means He came according to the promise which God made to Abraham. God said to Abraham, “You shall be a blessing. And your seed (son) shall possess the gate of their enemies. Through your seed, many people will be blessed!” And truly, Jesus came to bring blessing to many.

Who was David? He had also received a promise from God. The promise he received is found in 2 Samuel chapter 7, which we read today. If I were to briefly go over the main point of this passage, David had a wish before God: “I want to build a temple for God.” The temple can be also called God’s house. When God heard this from David, He was very pleased. No one had ever said they would build a house for God. People are keen to build their own houses by the help of God, but it is not easy for a person to have the willingness to build God’s house. David’s wish pleased God. So God blessed David.

But God said, “You shall not build Me My house yourself.” The reason was, that David had killed many people. But it was not that he killed unjustly; rather, he had shed much blood as he fought many wars. Therefore, God said to him, “You shall not build it, but your son will!” Then He made a promise regarding David’s son. “Your son will build My temple! David, your son will build My temple! And He will be My son! David’s son shall be My son!” This was a prophecy.

He went on to say, “Your throne shall be established forever!” Whose throne will last forever? But God promised that the throne of David’s son would be established forever. According to that prophecy, Jesus Christ came. The people who heard this prophecy at that time didn’t think it was a prophecy about Jesus Christ. They believed it was a prophecy concerning Solomon, the son of David. And actually, Solomon did build the temple. He also became a king. However, that temple is no more. It was destroyed. It’s been about 3000 years. That temple is no more. And his throne is no more. If that’s the case, God’s promise has been abolished.

However, it became clear that God’s promise was actually not for Solomon, but for Jesus. In other words, Jesus is the King whom God promised to David. The faith of Christians today is that Jesus is our King—Our eternal King. Our faith is this: “Jesus is my everlasting King!”

For those of you who are visiting our church for the first time, what I’ve been explaining may be hard to grasp. But the point is this. Why do we believe in Jesus? Because “Jesus is our King!”

Some countries have a king or queen, while others do not. What does it mean for a country to have a king? We say Jesus is our King. What is a king? Do you like kings? I think people don’t really like kings these days. But in human history, kingdoms (systems ruled by a king or queen) have been around for a long time. Democracy, on the other hand, has been only developed recently.

What is a king? A king is not one who exploits us. A king is not one who takes away our sons. Who is the prototype of a king? David reflected on the qualities of a king. Therefore, God appointed him as king. He was appointed as a model. What did David do that God elected him to be king? Do you know his original occupation? He was a shepherd. He was a shepherd, a young boy who looked after sheep. God saw David tending the flock in a small rural village. He discovered that the manner in which David tended the sheep was precisely the manner of a king. He had the traits of an ideal king that God was after. There were many kings in the world, but none of them displayed the qualities God desired for a king. However, God saw the qualities of a king in David, though he was just a shepherd boy.

David had a hard life looking after the sheep. He would be away from home for months at a time, journeying through the hills and mountains with the flock. It was a very lonely life. Sometimes, a lion or a wolf would come and snatch away a lamb. After catching their prey, where do lions normally bite? They bite the throat to throttle their prey. That’s how they carry away the lamb. That means the lamb is already dead. If David found that a lion took one of the lambs from his flock, he wouldn’t simply give up like other shepherds saying, “Oh well, I guess that lamb is lost!” He was different. He chased after the lion. Then he knock down the lion either with his fist or a stone, kill it, tear open its mouth, and rescue the lamb from between its teeth. Isn’t he a peculiar guy? He could possibly get killed, yet he rescued the lamb and brought it back. Why do you think he did that? The lamb was already dead and good for nothing.

David was not only being mindful about the lamb itself. Whose sheep were they? They were not his own. Somebody entrusted those sheep to him. Who do you think the sheep belonged to? They belonged to David’s father. He was put in charge of his father’s sheep. And his duty was to bring them all to his father without losing any one of them. Hence, even if a wolf, lion, or bear took a lamb, he didn’t give up. If they were his own sheep, he might have given up. However, since they were his father’s sheep, he could not simply return to his father, saying, “Father, one of your sheep is gone. A lion took it!” If a father loses his child, does he give up so easily because his child has drowned, and his body can’t be found? No, he would keep searching to find any remains even if it is just a shoe.

In the same way, though the lamb was already dead, he brought back the carcass to his father and thus fulfilled all his duty. God watched David in those times. He was faithful to his father, and because of that, he loved the flock. The reason he loved them was because they were entrusted to him by his father. Furthermore, he was courageous. He had the boldness to face a lion. Such qualities caught God’s attention. Thus, God trusted that David would serve His people in like manner if he were made king, so God made him king. He considered David as a model of a king. Then God said, “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever!” Finally, in the fulfillment of this promise, Jesus came. Therefore, to say “Jesus is the Son of David” means that Jesus came as a King who is like David.

Jesus came to the earth and did the same as David. He desires that none of us—all human beings, who are the sheep entrusted to Him by the Father— will be lost. He wants to lead and take them all safely back to the Father on the last day. Jesus didn’t save us simply because we were pitiful in His eyes, but God the Father entrusted us to Jesus— to save us, shepherd us, raise us, and lead us to heaven on the last day. Heaven is called the “Father’s house.” That’s where we have to go. We will go there after the resurrection.

Once Jesus said, “The Father’s will is this: that I should lose none of all those He has given Me, but raise them up on the last day to take to the Father.” He will resurrect each and every single one of us to take to heaven. If you are united with Jesus Christ, that is, if you confessed before God, “I am a sinner,” and relied on the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, then you are already a man of Jesus.

Jesus is already our King. If that’s so, Jesus will not lose any one of us. Let’s just say you did something wrong and lost your boldness before God. You may even start to doubt, “Will a person like me be able to receive God’s love? Will God help someone like me?” However, because we are already in Jesus, God has entrusted us to Jesus, which means, He will not lose any one of us but will resurrect us on the last day to take us before the Father.

The one who hinders this from happening is the devil. This world is dominated by the devil. You cannot see with your naked eye, but the world is under the devil’s dominion. Therefore, everyone is ruled by him. For this reason, everyone is fearful of death. Moreover, they are unable to find their worth in the world, only to wonder about what they should eat, what they should drink, and what they should wear. In doing so, they waste away their precious lives. They fail to prepare for eternity, and ultimately their spirits go to hell. But the One who delivered us from that wretched state and from the devil’s hold is Jesus Christ. He not only rescued us but will also lead us to the end and take us before the Father. We have Him as our Lord and our King.

Jesus Christ came to the earth as a Man 2000 years ago. He was put to death and forsaken by men. However, we believe that He is the King who came as a descendant of David. Isn’t it remarkable? He appeared in the world 2000 years ago, yet the promise was already made to a man called David a thousand years before that. Then a thousand years later, the promise was fulfilled upon Jesus. For God, time doesn’t matter. A thousand years seem like a long time to us humans, but to God, they are nothing. He lives longer than a thousand years. Because He is eternal, He can make a promise a thousand years in advance and fulfill it a thousand years later, just as a man makes a promise today and keeps it the next.

Similarly, if we rely on the name of Jesus, He will deliver us from every hardship and trouble, protect us from the devil’s attack, guide us, and finally lead us into heaven, just as He promised to do so. I hope you will all meet Jesus Christ. I hope Jesus Christ becomes your King.

In this world, earthly kings want to rule over us. Even in countries without a king, something or someone will reign in each person’s heart as their king. It could be money. If so, a person will do anything that money drives them to do. However, our King is Jesus Christ, who came as the descendant of David. In other words, the eternal King who delivered us from the devil and will finally resurrect us to take us to God—He is our King. When we truly rely on Him in our lives, His everything will also be ours. The kings of this world all disappear. They will disappear and be forgotten. However, our King and His throne remain forever. Hence, I put my trust in Him. People who go to the church know this and worship Him as their King. In Jesus’ name, I bless you all to become His people— those who serve Him as King, belong to Him, and will be resurrected to be taken to God the Father’s house. I’ll pray.

Father God, we thank You for sending Jesus Christ as promised, thus delivering us from the devil and allowing us to enter Your house. Help everyone here meet our Lord Jesus Christ, receive Him as King, and possess everything You provide. Inspire and move their hearts by the Holy Spirit so that they may understand and receive Your word. In Jesus’ name. Amen.