I want to begin by telling you a true story, and it's about the Danish-born king, Canute,

who lived in the 11th century. He ruled a large empire that stretched from England all the way

to Norway. And later on, he became a devout Christian. Because of his great successes and because of his

great victories, people heaped praise on him. They heaped adoration and almost worship, which

something made him very uncomfortable, not very happy. And so one day, King Canute got tired of this flattery and he got

tired of this empty praise of people. So he ordered his servants to carry his throne and take it

to the edge of the ocean and him sitting on it. And there he waited for the tide to come in. In the presence of all the

people who are watching, he commanded the water, the waves and the tide from not coming to shore,

but it didn't. And the water first as as the tide got closer and closer, reached his feet, and then it kept

coming, and finally it reached his waist.

And then the water really actually reached his neck.

By that time, so many of his subjects thought he was crazy.

He's just gone mad. And so the

attendants rushed in as soon as they saw the water coming above his neck and they pulled

his throne and him in it and took him to shore. King Canute looked at the people and said the following.

Listen carefully.

He said, let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings, for there is none worthy of the name,

but he whom heaven, earth, and sea obey his eternal laws.

And when he returned to his castle, he took the golden crown and he placed it on the cross

and stayed there until the day he died.

He wanted to remind his subjects that glory belongs to Christ alone. Indeed,

that's really the message of the book of Revelation. If you miss that, you missed the whole thing.

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