Mar 06-07, 2021
From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon Lee

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

This is the 5th and final article (in 2 parts)  on “Crown Him with Many Crowns,” which is the theme of 2021 at RCAC. Taken from the hymn with the same title, we have seen that this means worshipping Christ who is “the Lamb upon the throne,” “the Lord of love” and “the Lord of peace.” Let us worship Christ the King for who He is, as the focus of our lives in the new year, and live confidently in the King’s presence, despite the pandemic. Let us now also Crown him the Lord of years!

The truth underscored here by the hymn writer Matthew Bridges is that Jesus Christ is the sovereign and almighty Lord of time and space.

“Crown him the Lord of years, The Potentate of time,–Creator of the rolling spheres, Ineffably sublime!

Glassed in a sea of light, Where everlasting waves reflect his throne,–the Infinite!

Who lives,–and loves–and saves.”

Yes, the amazing brilliance of the universe displays and reflects the glory of God the creator and Christ the King on His throne. Indeed, Jesus Christ is not only our Saviour, He is also the “potentate of time.” According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, “Potentate” has the following definition:

POTENTATE po’-ten-tat (dunastes, “mighty one,” from dunamai, “to be able”): A person who possesses great power and authority. Only in I Timothy 6:15 , “the blessed and only Potentate” (= God)…

As seen in the above definition, in the Bible the word translated as “potentate” is found only in the charge of Paul to Timothy “to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign (potentate, dunastes), the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (I Tim 6:13-16)

Christ the King is the blessed and only Sovereign (potentate, dunastes), the all-powerful creator of the universe, who deserves all our praise and worship. This is the reason for the charge of Paul to Timothy (and to us), and in view of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are several things in this charge that we need to note:

  1. We need to keep this commandment without spot or blame.

Our charge is “to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach.” (14) Here the “commandment” (the command) refers first to the pastoral duties laid upon Timothy (in Ephesus, I Tim. 1:3-20; 6:2c-5). But broadly speaking it refers to the entire body of sound teaching Paul had been describing throughout the letter. By his own godly life and faithful ministry, Timothy was to preserve this body of truth from stain or reproach. Our worship of the King is not just lovely sounding praise, but our spiritual worship or reasonable service before God. (Rom. 12:1,2)

  1. We must be faithful till the second coming of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Faithfulness to serving the King is ultimately living our lives with the anticipation of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. When Christ comes, and only then will our spiritual battle be over. Paul says, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (I Tim 6:12)

  1. We know the Jesus Christ will return “at the proper time” known only to God.

One of the hardest things in our Christian life is to discern what it means by Christ is the “Lord of years.” One thing we all want to discern is His timing and His will in our lives, and ultimately when he will return, which is the ultimate source of our hope. While Jesus was on earth, Jesus Himself even admitted that only God the Father knows when the end will come. Here “the proper time” or “the right time” in the original Greek is simply “the time” (kairos) which means “the season or opportunity,” the idea of proper or right time is implied. There is another word in ancient Greek for time “chronos” which refers to chronological time. The important thing is not exactly “when” Christ will return, but that He will return.

  1. We will praise God the ultimate ruler of the universe, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

“To crown Him with Many Crowns” is described in the inspiring doxology to the God who is the Creator, the ultimate Ruler of the universe, the King of kings and Lord of lords. The apostle John declares, “They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” (Rev. 17:14) Such a Lord deserves an awesome reverence combined with complete humility. To Him be honor and might forever. Amen

(To be continued in Crown him the Lord of years! (II)

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Simon Lee