Preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town. To view a video of the full service, click here.
This passage opens some entry points to bring back the King.
2Sa 19:10 But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. Now therefore, why do you say nothing about bringing back the king?”
2Sa 19:11 So King David sent to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, saying, “Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, ‘Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, since the words of all Israel have come to the king, to his very house?
2Sa 19:12 You are my brethren, you are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?‘
2Sa 19:13 And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if you are not commander of the army before me continually in place of Joab.’ ”
2Sa 19:14 So he swayed the hearts of all the men of Judah, just as the heart of one man, so that they sent this word to the king: “Return, you and all your servants!”
2Sa 19:15 Then the king returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to escort the king across the Jordan.
The entry point of Gilgal
Gilgal is significant because it is where the Joshua set up the memorial stones form the Jordan where the Priests stood with the Ark of the Covenant and the waters were cut off so that the nation could pass through the mighty river.
Gilgal is a place of circumcision of the new generation that was to enter and possess the Promised Land.
Gilgal is also where Israel ate their first Passover in Canaan – symbolic of Jesus the Passover Lamb.
This is an entry point in the spirit that David also used to come back.
The like manner of entry.
When it comes to Jesus returning – our King in His glory will come to us like He went – he ascended in the clouds and He will return in “like manner”
Act 1:9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
Act 1:10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
Act 1:11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
Jesus passed through the Jordan in baptism and was escorted into Jerusalem on a donkey with cries of Hosanna to the King.
The first or last to being back the king?
This is also an indictment against the ministries on earth who deny Christ as Head of His Church and seek to build their own kingdoms versus preparing the Bride of Christ and gathering people to say:
“The Spirit and the Bride say come Lord Jesus Come”
There needs to be a collective call form the Church for Jesus to return. For most it would spoil their charismatic party if Jesus came now!
Rev 22:7 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Rev 22:8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.
Rev 22:9 Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
Rev 22:10 And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.
Rev 22:11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”
Rev 22:12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
Rev 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
Rev 22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
Rev 22:15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
Rev 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
So we have an opportunity as the Body of Christ, to not be the last to bring back the king but the first. Why does Jesus have to stand outside the church and knock when He is the builder of the house? Why do we have to fight for accuracy in church doctrine based on the Word? We have an enemy and it is a spirit of religion that uses the traditions of men to make void the power of God. But the haughtiness of Absalom, the usurping spirit that seeks to throw Jesus out of the Church world through the one world religion and secular humanism in the spirit of this world, is defeated now and it is time to bring back the King!
Restoration of all things is an entry point for the King of Kings to return.
We remember the prophecy:
Act 3:18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
Act 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
Act 3:20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,
Act 3:21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
Restorations in this move of God:
- Focus on Jesus Christ as the centre of all activity and the Head of the Church.
- The foundations of apostolic doctrine based on the New Testament teachings and the prophetic intent of the Old Testament that reveals Christ Jesus as the Messiah in every scripture.
- The values of the early church that continued steadfastly in apostle’s doctrine, breaking of bread, fellowship and prayers.
- A commitment to the great commission to go into all the world, preaching the Gospel and making disciples of all nations.
- A renewed obedience to the command to love God with all our heart, and to love our neighbour as ourselves.
- A reformation of the church to the principles of Christ doing away with obsolete traditions of men.
- A restoration of the tabernacle of David and a scriptural understanding of praise and worship and dance, the type of praises that God inhabits.
- A full restoration of the fivefold ministries in the church to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.
- A restoration of liberty of the Sprit in our meetings to allow the Holy Spirit full reign in our services and the ability to change us so that we can grow from glory to glory.
- A commitment to focus above all on seeing Christ formed in people versus trying to grow our church with unnatural means and growth schemes form the world.
- A restoration of Bible Study and Prayer with apostolic perspective.
- Commitment to gathering to he saints both locally and internationally in Summits and leadership training events.
- We have even restored Wedding ceremonies to reflect Jesus and His bride the church.
- We have restored sacrificial giving to establish God’s covenant in places where the Gospel has not been preached as well as in our own city through our church activities.
- We have resorted the arts to reflect the glory of Christ Jesus and His Church in every sphere.
- We have resorted our reasons for generating wealth so that His covenant can continue with our children’s children or until we can bring back the King!
- Restoration of meekness and humility and operating in rest to get the job done.
- Restoration of divine connections with other ministered because none of us have it altogether but together we have it all.
Our work has to do with the restoration of all things to the church and to the King of the Church Jesus Christ. Our work is spiritual.
When our work is done He will fetch us and we will meet Him in the air and be with him forever in the new heaven and the new earth where righteousness dwells.
We see it even though it seems afar off, we embrace it and we confess that we are strangers and pilgrims on this earth like our faith parents Abraham and Sarah and we will not be the last but the first to bring back the king by His grace through faith.