Today we bring our series of sermons on The Incarnation as Politics to a close. We have seen that politics, as a branch of ethics, is intimately tied to the Incarnation of Jesus. After all, Jesus came as God’s Anointed One, His Messiah, His political Ruler. Now exalted as the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Incarnation announces that God’s Ruler is born and that all men and nations are to bow before Him. So as Christ rules and reigns from the right hand of God, what can we expect His rule to look like? As He continues to expand His kingdom, what types of things will he establish in His wake and, therefore, what types of things are we to strive for as human rulers? These are the questions we ask today in a study of Psalm 72.

Thus far we have learned that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. The Incarnation is a political statement – the lawful ruler of all the earth has been born and so all men and nations are called upon to worship and honor Him. In the course of world history, Jesus is going forth conquering and to conquer, using His powerful Word to subdue the nations of the earth to Him. So what type of culture does Jesus leave in his wake? When he conquers a people what does it look like? To answer this we resort to the prophets and their poetic vision of the kingdom.

Thus far we have learned that the Incarnation is politics. Jesus was born as King of kings and Lord of lords; John anointed Him as Messiah and Son of God; God exalted Him to His right hand and gave Him authority over heaven and earth. Jesus is God’s Political Ruler. The Incarnation is politics. Knowing this doesn’t answer all our questions. In particular, how does Christ go about spreading His rule among the nations of the earth? What we find is that the Person of the King shapes the nature of the kingdom.

What is the implication of Jesus’ kingship for the kings of the earth? How ought we respond to the birth of the King? Thus far we have learned that Jesus really is Lord of all – Lord of all the rulers of the earth. So what does this mean for men like Herod? What does it mean for any and all rulers? What does it mean that Jesus sits in the assembly of the mighty and judges among the nations of the earth?

What is politics and what, if anything, does it have to do with the Incarnation? These are the questions posed in this Advent series. Part One highlights the OT background and God’s promise to send the Christ, the Anointed One, to be His political ruler. What does this mean for politics?