A Long Reign

2 Peter 2:9

Watch on YouTube – Watch on Facebook

How interested are you in the royal family in England? It seems like every few weeks we hear more details about this family. There’s a lot of people that are intrigued by them. Infatuated with them, maybe we’d even say. I wonder if part of the reason is people like the idea or dream of being a king or queen or a prince or a princess and they’d like to imagine what life would be like for them. And so they like to follow “the royals.”

The thing that’s intrigued me most about the royal family of England is the long reign of Queen Elizabeth II. She’s been in power since before I was born and I’m nearly 40 years old. In fact, she’s been in power since before my dad was born back in the 1950s. Talk about a long reign.

That makes me wonder though about Prince Charles. I think about Prince Charles who’s turning 72 this month. He’s been waiting his whole life to be king. It’s got to be part of him that’s a little bit impatient. Especially as everybody everybody’s been telling him since he was a little kid you’re going to be king soon. But I’m sure he doesn’t want his mother to die, or anything bad for her like that, but there’s still got to be a sense of impatience. That he’s had this promised to him, but he hasn’t fully received it yet.

Maybe in some ways Prince Charles is a picture for us of ourselves. God in his Word in 1 Peter chapter 2 says this of us

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, the people who are God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (2 Peter 2:9)

See, God calls us royalty. We are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, the people of God’s own possession. Maybe doesn’t always feel like that. When we look at our life, we say Well where’s my palace? Where’s my riches? Where’s my crown? The truth remains. You are royalty. As a believer, as a Christian, you are God’s child. Part of his family. And an heir of his kingdom.

In some ways we might say that we are experiencing being part of God’s Kingdom right now, but we haven’t yet experienced it perhaps in full. Or enjoyed all of the fullness of God’s Kingdom that we will enjoy forever in heaven.

Though I wouldn’t feel too bad for Prince Charles, even though he isn’t king yet, he still does get to enjoy being part of the royal family and that can’t be bad. Also, too, for us even though we’re not yet in heaven we get to enjoy amazing blessings that come along with being royalty as part of God’s family. God promises that we can come to him with anything on our minds we have full and free access to the creator of heaven and earth and that’s all powerful.

We also benefit from his grace and his forgiveness that he generously pours out for us every day. We also receive the blessing of his protection and his angels whom he sends to watch over us and to serve us. But also we look forward to the sure hope of the inheritance he has prepared for us forever in heaven.

So what should we do now? The apostle Peter reminds us: proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. We can sing the praises of God now. Who made us royalty in his family. Who gives us some of his blessings now, but will give them in full forever in heaven. Amen.

Let us pray.

Dear Lord, remind us always of what we are in Christ. A royal priesthood, a holy nation, the people who are your own possession. Forgive us when we have forgotten this and help us to live each day as your people eager for the day when we will enjoy our heavenly inheritance in full. Amen.