Who's on the Throne?

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Who’s on the Throne?

One of my favorite movies when I was a teenager (and I admit a little beyond) was Highlander starring Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert as immortals struggling to “keep their heads” because of course, “There can be only one!” It may seem a bizarre train of thought, but as I’ve pondered the upcoming week’s Bible study, this line popped into my head several times this week. The struggle against selfishness is not limited to Christians, but our perspective should be that there is only One on the throne—and it’s not us; it is Jesus Christ, our Lord. This was confirmed to me Sunday when I visited my parents’ church and heard a guest preacher preach from The Revelation to John. The focus verses were Revelation 4:1-4, and in the middle of the passage, even though it was not the emphasis of the message was the very verse that spoke to me the most:  “…and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne” (Rev. 4:2b, KJV). The fact that I was in a strange place on the spur of the moment, hearing a preacher that normally doesn’t preach at that church expressing the thought that God was impressing on me to focus on in Bible study didn’t take God by surprise, but it did confirm what He wanted from me and gave me an anchor verse.
If being a parent were not enough to teach me that people are born selfish, being a teacher of teenagers would convince me. America is a society of selfish consumers (notice I’m an American, so I’m including myself in this…) endlessly gathering more. This obsession with self and pleasure and increase displeases God. If anyone or anything is on the throne except God, we are worshiping a powerless idol that will lead to our destruction. God told his children in Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might” (NASB). This was before He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. Then, consider the first commandment God gave to Moses (found in Deuteronomy 20:3): “You shall have no other gods before me.” This is clear enough, but add to it Jesus’ reiteration of this commandment in Matthew:
Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)
Loving God (not ourselves) with all of our being becomes primary. Then, and only then, can we unselfishly love others. These verses and the ones listed below remind me that when I focus on myself, I’m trying to have more people on the throne than can fit because “there can only be one!”

For further study about selfishness and its result, read the following passages from God’s word:
Lot’s choices: Gen. 13 (selfish choice) and Gen. 19 (end results)
David’s adultery with Bathsheba: II Sam. 11:1-26
Also consider the following verses about selfishness:
Psalm 119:36
Proverbs 18:1
Romans 2:8
Romans 15:1-12
I Cor.  10:24 and 13:4-6
Galatians 5:19-21
Philippians 1:17 and 2:1-4
James 3:13-17
II Timothy 3:1-5

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