The Only Potentate
Let's turn and read the Bible in 1 Timothy, chapter 6, verse 15.
There is a song entitled, "In Christ Alone", you know the singularity of that. In Christ Alone, no one else can.
No one else can heal the wounded like he can. No one else. Exclusive. You see that.
Another song title, You Are The Greatest Thing To Me. See that superlative. Singularity. I was listening to all that, rummaging on that, thinking all that things, meditating on that, open the Scriptures, I sat down with the Bible, I say, where is it, Lord? What is the text.
That's why I asked the Lord to help us to bring out from the text. We need to see verse 14, to get some context on the text of verse 15. Let's read verse 14 , “¹⁴That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:” “¹⁵Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;”“¹⁶Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.”
Notice, in verse 16, who only hath immortality, and in verse 15, the title, the text, the only Potentate. You see it?
The blessed and only Potentate. Potentate, that's a word that's not commonly used today. But it is an excellent word. In case you don't know exactly what that is, it is describing the Lord Jesus Christ , let me tell you.
Potentate is one who posseses great power. As a sovereign, or a monarch. Or a ruler. A sovereign is one possessing supreme political power and authority. And a monarch is a person who reigns over a kingdom. One who holds preeminent position and power
So, let's listen to that again. So I run through the definition. Because definition just a tendency to be, just a little bit , you know, sterile, if you will because you just see more words just describing another word, that's been used.
Because it says here, " one who posseses great power. "
So, in that word Potentate , we see the great power of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But He possesses great power as a sovereign. A monarch. A ruler.
Sovereign is a word we often use, so that is one possessing supreme , the highest political power, authority over some thing he's governing. But in addition, he has the authority.
The definition for Potentate says, he possesses power as a monach, you probably know what a monarch is, a monarch is a royalty, a king, or a queen. A person who reigns. The one who holds preeminent power and position .
Power, authority, rule, those are words connected to this word, Potentate.
And notice, when the Bible describe him, it didn't say a Portentate. Did it? The only , the only Potentate. Just like no one else can.
Just like the greatest thing ever happened to me. Like , In Christ Alone. There's something very exclusive , that Timothy has received from Paul in his writing, is now been given us as scripture. There is only One of these in the entire universe. And Jesus Christ is that One. Therefore, capital letter P , Potentate. The Only Potentate.
And so, by looking at the things that define the word, Potentate, we can then, talk more specifically about why it is so important to us that Jesus Christ is this Potentate . Why is he the only one?
And I will say this to you. Many of you, most of you here today, are already saved. So ,this should encourage you in your relationship with Jesus Christ.
Well, there might be very well somebody here today who is not saved. That is, you never personally trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour. You want to pay careful attention to what you're hearing today. Because God can use this in your life , like God is using my preaching in my life, to bring you to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you get saved here today, after coming here lost, you'll never look back this day with regret.
We sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY song to me yesterday, that's my biological birthday, yesterday. This, today could be your spiritual birthday. You don't want to miss your party. You know.
So, here is the only Potentate . And what is that?
First of all, in that word, we see here is preeminence.
His preeminence. Higher. That's higher. Higher than anything and over everything.
Jesus Christ is before all things and above all things.
When Jesus was talking with the Pharisees, and the Pharisees got all upset with Jesus Christ, because here he is , an upstart in their mind. A young man, in his ministry , doing miracles, compering with their established rule and way of doing things. And in one of the conversations , they said, "we're children of Abraham." To identify themselves in pride as this unique race of people that come from a man God blessed, because of his faith. "Abraham! Abraham!
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