Why is it important to understand the role of a King?

Many people wonder why it is important to understand the role of a king. After all, we are called to be servants, aren't we? It is true that we are called to live like Jesus and follow His example. He did become a servant of all. He was also a son to Mary, a brother to her other children, an apprentice to Joseph, a rabbi, a friend, and many other things. Like Him, we may identify by our job, our place in the family or community, our role in the Church or hundreds of other influences that we have taken a bit of ourselves from. Most of them are not bad in themselves but every one of them is insufficient to build our identity around. They are temporary and can be taken from us at any time. If they are our identity, who are we once they are removed?

Jesus understood His place in the Father's heart, His identity as the Son and His rightful role as Lord of All. He did recognize that He had several roles to play while He was here but His life was guided by His place in the Father. Everything that He did was with the Father. He did nothing alone. He frequently went to be alone with the Father, even giving up a night of sleep at times just to be in the presence of Father. This one identity was the controlling identity of His life. Everything else was secondary. He only lived to do, and be in the will of the Father. Jesus showed us what it looks like to be His follower. We are called to build our identity in and through our relationship with God before any other thing.

Jhn 4:31-34 ESV 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33 So the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought him something to eat?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

Jhn 5:19-23 ESV - 19 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

Jesus did not look anyplace but the Father for His true identity. That was how He was able to walk all of the way to the cross with confidence. In this identity, He could face down fear and death. He could do anything that the Father asked of Him. Is this identity, He had a boldness and confidence to continue moving forward. His identity as King meant that He knew His authority over everything and He did not fear whatever the enemy could throw at Him. He even was able to lay a trap for the devil, telling him that He was going to be killed and raised again to lead captives into freedom on the third day. The devil in his pride could not resist and he became an accomplice in the purposes of God for saving humanity. If Jesus had carried any other identity as His true self, He would not have accomplished this purpose. Only His royal identity in the Father could sustain Him in the dark time that was coming for Him.

You still are asking what this means to you. You have been adopted into the family of God and have become co-heir with Jesus. At the cross and in the resurrection, He was crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords for all time. He inherited all that the Father had as a Son. But, He was only the firstborn son
. In Him, we too have become sons. We have a place in the heart of the Father. He has invited us into His chambers, made us His own. He knows us and desires close relationship with us as His children. Because Jesus has given us His righteousness, we can go directly to the Father without fear or shame. We can walk in the authority of sons, as nobility representing the Father here and now.

Rom 8:14-17 ESV - 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.


2Co 5:20-21 ESV - 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

We have been given a place of honor as a son, a prince, a priest. We get to stand in the presence of God. We are kings under the authority of The King. When we know that identity, everything in us changes. I am struggling to fully grasp what this means for my life. I know that I have fought many battles over the years and I feel like God has often been saying they were the wrong battle. The first battle that we must win is the battle for our noble identity. We are called to be warriors for Jesus but if we do not have our identity secure before we march out to battle, we will miss the true enemy and fight battles that do not matter.

Tomorrow I will look at the way to fight for identity.