PPK

Ephesians 5:22-6:9
December 15, 2019
Abraham Hong

Sermon Script

Praise the Lord for our time here in Ephesians. Three months ago, we began looking at this magnificent portion of God’s word about household relationships - the relationship between husband and wife, the relationship between parents and children, and the relationship between master and bondservant. And it has been a wonderful time. Our Lord Jesus taught us about many things and encouraged us in many ways.

Today we are going to zoom out and see the big picture of today’s text. Something fascinating is going on here.

Jesus saves you and rules you by executing a threefold office. He executes the office of a prophet. He executes the office of a priest. And he executes the office of a king.

Jesus executes the office of a prophet by revealing to you the will of God for your salvation (Westminster Larger Catechism 43). You know what you know about salvation because Jesus revealed it to you. Jesus has spoken to you in his written word that is the Bible and by the work of his Spirit. He talks to you and he teaches you. He gives you discipline and instruction. This is the work of the office of a prophet. Jesus is your chief and ultimate prophet. And by the way, if you ever wondered why prophets were such a big deal in the Old Testament, now maybe you know why.

Jesus executes the office of a priest by offering himself as a sacrifice for your sins and by continuing to intercede for you (Westminster Larger Catechism 44). You are saved because Jesus reconciled you to the Father and satisfied his justice. Jesus took your sins and died as your substitute - a perfect substitute without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. And he continues to pray for us. He gave himself up for you so that you might be holy and without blemish. This is the work of the office of a priest. Jesus is your great high priest. And by the way, if you ever wondered why priests were such a big deal in the Old Testament, now maybe you know why.

Jesus executes the office of a king by governing the church as his people and guarding the church as his bride (Westminster Larger Catechism 45). You are in good hands because Jesus preserves us and supports us through all temptations and sufferings. Jesus powerfully orders all things for his own glory and for your own good. He restrains and conquers his enemies and yours. He keeps us in the freedom that he has won for us. He is our master. This is the work of the office of a king. Jesus is your true and final king. And by the way, if you ever wondered why kings were such a big deal in the Old Testament, now maybe you know why.

His threefold office is so great that it is poetically reflected in the relationship between husband and wife, the relationship between parents and children, and the relationship between master and bondservant. Paul uses prophetic language as Jesus calls on fathers to bring their children up in “the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Paul uses priestly language as Jesus invites husbands to love their wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that the husband in marriage might sanctify his wife, having “cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” And Paul uses kingly language as Jesus commands bondservants to “obey [their] earthly masters with fear and trembling,” and as Jesus commands masters to remember that they have “a Master in heaven.” There is a prophetic, priestly and kingly texture to the three parts about parents and children, husbands and wives, and masters and bondservants. And it is all quite intentional.

And the grand question for today is: Why?

The underlying meaning of today’s text is simply this: Jesus is executing his threehold office office of prophet, priest and king… now… really… and powerfully… for you.

We all know that Jesus is the head of the church. But it is easy to think that Jesus is only the founding head and not the presiding head. This is a very common sentiment among believers. And it is a very sad and dangerous idea too. Believers may want to think that Jesus has given us everything we need for faith and life in his Bible and that now we just have to execute it all, as if Jesus were saying to us, “Here’s how to do everything, now you take it from here.” This makes Jesus only the founding head of the church. He’s at the top, but he’s not really doing anything. Instead, we have to do everything until he comes back. This is wrong.

Jesus is not merely the founding head of the church. He is the presiding head of the church. Jesus is preeminently and actively presiding over his church. He is actually doing everything and running the church because he is now… really… and powerfully… for us… our prophet, priest and king. As our chief and ultimate prophet, Jesus is declaring his word to us. As our great high priest, Jesus is cleansing us and interceding for us. As our true and final king, Jesus is building and protecting his church. Our Lord and Savior is doing all of this by himself… now… really… and powerfully… for us.

Therefore, parents, bring your children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord… because you are not their chief and ultimate prophet. Jesus is.

Therefore, husbands, love your wife… because you are not her great high priest. Jesus is.

Therefore, masters, do not threaten people who work below you… because you are not their true and final king. Jesus is.

Brothers and sisters, you are not the PPK of your lives. Jesus is.

So many bad things can happen when people think that they are the PPK in their lives. A good example of this is pastors who may have good intentions but do not have a good understanding of the fact that Jesus runs the church and not them.

It is not good when pastors declare their thoughts and opinions instead of the gospel and the law of Christ our chief and ultimate prophet. It is not good when pastors do their own idea of ministry instead of doing the ministry of Christ our great high priest. It is not good when pastors are legislative or coercive or abusive or bullying instead of having our consciences bound and our freedoms kept by Christ our true and final king.

This is not how he speaks to us as our Prophet. This is not how he ministers to us as our Priest. This is not how he governs us as our King. These things matter a lot because it all comes down to who Jesus is to his people and what he does for them. And these things can be applied to parents and children, husbands and wives, and masters and workers.

Dear brother, dear sister, you are not the PPK of your life. Jesus is. But while you are not THE prophet, THE priest or THE king, there is a sense in which you indeed are A prophet, A priest and A king.

Question 32 of the Heidelberg Catechism puts is like this. Question: Why are you called a Christian? Answer:

Because I am a member of Christ by faith
and thus share in his anointing,
so that I may
as a prophet confess his name,
as a priest present myself
a living sacrifice of thankfulness to him,
and as a king fight with a free and good conscience
against sin and the devil in this life,
and hereafter reign with him eternally
over all creatures.

This is so cool. If you confess the name of Christ (Romans 10:9), then you are fulfilling the office of a prophet… in Christ. If you present your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1), then you are fulfilling the office of a priest… in Christ. If you fight against your sin and strive to put to death what is earthly in you (Colossians 3:5), then you are fulfilling the office of a king… in Christ.

But while it is so cool that we are a PPK, let us never forget that we have THE PPK. Praise be to our God that Jesus is our prophet, priest and king for our salvation! He is the prophet, priest and king that we need. This is who he is to us. This is what he does for us. This is our God.

Soli Deo Gloria