The day of coronation for a king can be a day of great rejoicing. It does depend on the king, though, or, better, whether or not you are on the king’s side about matters. There have been kings and queens crowned and many of the people ran and hid themselves, while others rejoiced. In the case of the coronation of Jesus of Nazareth over the realm of the whole universe, for all those who are on the LORD’s side, there is great cause to rejoice in his coronation. God himself is depicted as laughing over the whole matter. Psm. 2
1: Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2: The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
3: Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4: He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5: Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
6: Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7: I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8: Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9: Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
In this Psalm, we see the LORD enthroning His Son as king of the world, for the purpose of vindicating and executing his just rule over the nations. It is often used during Easter and the NT uses it in reference to Christ’s resurrection, but it is still fitting to consider at Ascension, for he was raised, among other reasons, that he might be enthroned. The emphasis of the psalm itself is the enthronement. And what a joy this enthronement is to the people of God; those who are on the side of the LORD. If you have a friend who is being dishonoured in some fashion, it is a great joy to see your friend be vindicated. So it is that the LORD rejoices over the enthronement of His Son, for the rebellion of the nations against God is a great dishonour to Him.
The disciples rejoiced in this vindication of their beloved Jesus, as we read in Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost. He quotes another coronation Psalm, saying, For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35: Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36: Therefore let all the house of
Their beloved Jesus had been unjustly treated with a horrible result. They knew he was guilty of nothing worthy of death. But now, God has raised Him from the dead and fulfilled His promise to set Him as His king on His throne and the disciples are filled with joy, just as Jesus had told them they would be. In the upper room, Jesus told his disciples that, though sorrow was filling their hearts at his words that he was leaving, yet he was telling them things so that their heart would later be filled with joy. It was good for him to go away, because of the blessings that would be theirs as a result. For as their king, He would send them the Spirit, and do all kinds of other wonderful things for them. And, just as He promised, after He was raised from the dead, He ascended to His throne in heaven in their very sight, and His disciples began to taste that joy which Jesus had faithfully promised. Just think: Jesus is the now the King! Wow!
Brothers and sisters, our sympathies should be such, that our joy in the enthronement of Jesus is not only for what we have received as a result, but for what He has received as a result. Our greatest joy should be the joy He has from it all. We should rejoice that our dishonoured Saviour, is now vindicated. As Francis Ridley Havergal puts it in her wonderful hymn about the full glory of Christ’s enthronement at His coming again:
O the joy to see thee reigning,
Thee my own beloved Lord,
Every tongue thy name confessing,
Worship, honour, glory, blessing,
Brought to thee with glad accord.
Thee, my Master and my Friend,
Vindicated and enthroned,
Unto earth’s remotest end,
Glorified, adored, and owned.
Oh may we love the Lord’s coming in the fullness of his kingly glory, not merely for what will be ours on that day, but for what will be His! And what is His will be ours! And our joy, together, will be complete.
But Jesus was not only enthroned by God that the honour of God might be vindicated. He was enthroned because He had accomplished the work of redemption for the people of God. His throne is His reward! 8: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9: Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him.
Let me read for us those lovely words from Isaiah 53:10f.
10: Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; (amazing paradox) he hath put him to grief (though men were still guilty for their own actions, the death of the Lamb of God was the LORD’s doing for our sake): when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed (the redeemed of the ages shall appear before him, in that eternal gaze which sees our resurrection accomplished), he shall prolong his days (of his kingdom there will be no end), and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand (the LORD will build his kingdom and the gates of hell will not prevail against it).
11: He shall see of the travail of his soul (he shall see the good he bought for us, though it meant the anguish of the cross), and shall be satisfied (a great longing will be contented): by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12: Therefore (here we have the coronation language such as we find in Psalm 2) will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Our king is the Redeemer King. He is the one who bought his throne with his own blood, poured out for the sake of ungodly, transgressing, rebels, who, for some reason we will never fully understand, were beloved by God the Father. And they were also beloved by the royal Son, Himself. He loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end, (John 13:1) and our joy is His joy.
Jesus saw the joy of the fruits of His travail, knowing the Scriptures, and being anointed with the Holy Spirit, and being a man of faith. We read in Hebrews 12: who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God; and thus possessing His joy.
If we share His joy with Him, in our hearts, because we love Him; if we are willing to suffer the daily cross for His sake, then, as His joy was also His hope in bearing the cross, so His joy is also our hope in our daily cross. In Jesus, we have an example of faith. We are told to look unto Him, the author and finisher of our faith, in Heb. 12, precisely as this one who endured the cross because of his hope of the joy beyond it. He endured as He looked to His crown and the joy that would come with it, and this is His example! We should find the same strengthening hope in that same joy: HIS CROWN.
We can endure the opposition of sin and the world and satan today because that crown is already on His head! The joy has already been poured out upon the subjects of the King; He has already entered His joy and the laughing is already heard. In this way, we walk after His example by faith and not by sight.
We can also endure these same enemies, following His example, by faith seeing a crown of joy that awaits us, those who love His appearing. And the joy of that crown is that it means glory shared with the One who loved us so much to pay the price for it all.
Heaven is filled with the happy music of Jesus crowned. And in that His kingdom and His royal Spirit are in our hearts, we share that joy – oh to share it more! Do you share it, indeed? Do you see Jesus high and lifted up and have in your heart the song of His victory? Or is your heart filled with troubles and cares and sinful lusts today? If the latter, that is why we are here today. That is why we celebrate at this table. We are here to take these doubting, sinful hearts, and point them again to the glorious truth of who sits on the throne. We are here to see the Joy set before us, that all the darkness and wearing frets of the world in which we live might fall away from us and we rise with the laughter of God in our hearts! Yet, have I set my king on my holy Hill of Zion! Jesus reigns! Hallelujah!
In just a couple of months, the last volume of the Harry Potter series will be published. Those who have enjoyed these books are sitting on the edge of their seats. Mrs. Rowling knew it would take years for the whole series to be published, and so she wrote the last chapter of the last book years ago, so everyone would know how the story ends, just in case something happened to her. The last chapter of a story is very, very important, if you love the story. Sometimes we’ll even cheat a little in a book we are really enjoying and take a peak at it. Brothers and sisters, the last chapter of our story is already written and God has placed it in our hands. What does it say? and they lived happily ever after. Whatever you are facing that troubles your faith today – hear the words of your King: Let not your heart be troubled. Look at the joy that is set before you like I did; an eternity in the companionship of the one who loves you best, and a home beyond your dreams.
1: Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.
2: For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.
3: Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
4: Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
5: Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6: Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
10: And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to
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