ABUNDANT LIFE VISION
The Sceptre. Hebrews 1:8-13
But to the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. [9]You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.” [10]He also says to the Son, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. [11]They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. [12]You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will live forever.” [13]And God never said to any of the angels, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.” NLT.

Good morning dear friends, I welcome you to today’s teaching titled “The Sceptre”. I pray that we shall continue to learn and grow in God in Jesus name. What is a sceptre? The meaning of sceptre in the Old Testament is a stick which is used for punishing, writing, fighting, ruling, or walking. In the New Testament, it stands for a stick or wand that functions as a baton of royalty. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as “a staff or baton borne by a sovereign as an emblem of authority”. On this note, we can say that a sceptre stands as a physical/spiritual object that underlines the authority vested in the hands a royal bearer.

What is the implication of the sceptre for a believer? To understand this, we will go into the what the Bible says in the Gen 49:10. Jacob prophesied that the sceptre will not depart from the tribe of Judah until the coming of the one in which the sceptre belongs who will be honoured by the whole world. This talked about Jesus Christ. The result of the prophecy was that when Israel began to have Kings, the tribe of Judah produced Kings exclusively. The fulfilment of the prophecy came after 640 years after Jacob’s blessing when David ascended the throne and the prophecy was completely fulfilled after 1600 years with the coming of Jesus because the name Shiloh which means “to Whom it belongs” was anciently understood to speak of the Messiah. Therefore, Jesus is the one with the sceptre, the Royal one of heaven who is sovereign over all.

Consequentially, because Jesus is the one with the sceptre, He has some attributes which differentiate Him from earthly Kings and reveal Him to be God.

1. He lives forever. Heb 1:8a
Jesus who is God can never die because He is the source of life both biological and spiritual (eternal life). 1 John 5:11-12: And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12]Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. NLT.
This tells us that we can only have life in Jesus. Eternal life is brought to us through Christ.

2. He rules with the sceptre of Justice. Heb 1:8b
Earthly Kings may not be just but our King who lives forever is just. Romans 3:25-26: For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, [26]for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. NLT.

Therefore, Jesus as the judge of the world is just and unbiased in rewarding people for their deeds.

3. He created the world. Heb 1:10
It is fair that the one who created the world should reign supreme over it. He has authority over all things because He created them. There is no one higher than Him and no one to checkmate Him. Gen 1:1.

4. All of His enemies will ne defeated. Heb 1:13
With Jesus, victory is guaranteed. The One with the sceptre has enemies because He is the light. John 1:5: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. NLT. However, in the end, all His enemies will be defeated in due time. This is what the Bible calls the second death. Revelation 20:12-15: I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. [13]The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. [14]Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. [15]And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. NLT.

In all, if you are reading this and you have not given your life to Christ Jesus who holds the sceptre, I urge you to do so now because only in Him will you find life eternal and reward for your sojourn on earth because He is just and anyone who is not on His side will be defeated in the lake of fire. In order not to suffer this fate, I urge you to surrender to Him by saying this prayer wholeheartedly; Lord Jesus, I confess you as my Lord and saviour today, please save me and be my lord and bring me into your fold. Amen. If you have recited the prayer wholeheartedly, I congratulate you and I welcome you to the family of God. Make sure you join a bible believing church as you start your journey in Christ.

God bless you.