CHRIST IS OUR KING
Rev. Bernt P. Tweit
Epistle Lesson; Revelation 1:9-18
Old Testament Lesson; Isaiah 51:4-8
Sermon Text; John 18:33-37
In 1925 two gentlemen lead a party to find something that had not been unearthed and seen for more than 3300 years. Lord Carnarvon and Howard C. Carter, after months of hard labor, finally reached the sealed doorway to the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen (King Tut), King of Egypt. After much work, toil and sweat, they finally broke the seal of that tomb. After they broke into that tomb, Carter was the first to peer through the opening. He stood transfixed and speechless, not because he saw an example of the supreme splendor of kings of old, but as he says: "We felt that we were in the presence of the dead king and must do him reverence."
Those in the party, who later entered the tomb, came out with the same awe, and for a long time could not say a word. The awe of a former king had cast a silencing spell about them, because they were the first to stand in the presence of the king, now dead for about 3300 years.
Now today, as we consider Christ, our King, who is living, should we have that same response as Lord Carnarvon and Howard C. Carter? Should we stand there speechless before our living King, and not have anything to say at all? How dare we speak today, knowing that we are standing in the presence of the King of kings and the Lord of lords? Would reverence not demand of us a similar silence? If people were silent in the presence of a king who is dead, who of us would dare to speak in the presence of the King who lives forever? I hope that is not the case, because we should have a lot to say about Christ, our living King! And speak; we must, for the King bids us to speak! He wants us to say, just like the apostles did,
"We cannot help speaking about what
we have seen and heard."
Acts 4:20
Today is Christ the King Sunday. It is on this last Sunday of the church year, that this day has been set aside to remind us of Christ our King. Today, as we go through the sermon, I want to answer three questions. What is a king? How is Christ our King? How do we serve our King?
What is a King?
A king is a male ruler of a city, tribe, or nation. Kings desire to be served by the people they rule over. In the early centuries before Christ, kings came to be regarded as divine beings or gods, as Pharaoh, King of Egypt did. Not only did he set himself up to rule over the people, but also he expected the people to praise him. (Unfortunately, worshipping Pharaoh led to eternal damnation; whereas, believing in Christ and worshipping Him leads to eternal life.)
So a king is a ruler. Which leads into our second question.
How is Christ our King?
As we look at the Bible, there are many passages in the Old Testament that prophesy or foretell of Christ our King and His Kingdom. And, there are many passages in the New Testament that fulfill Christ, as being our King. Well, today we'll see that Christ our King doesn't really fit the mold of what we imagine a king to be. And yet, He is the greatest King who has ever lived!
In the Old Testament, God promised King David that his kingdom would last forever. The prophet Nathan came to David and said to him, "When your days are over and you rest with your father, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you." II Samuel 7:12
Years later when the sin of the people of Jerusalem became great, God raised up the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a prophet of "doom and gloom", as his ministry pointed out the sin of the people. He also pointed out that the Babylonians would destroy Jerusalem. But Jeremiah also offered hope that a day would come, when a King would deliver them from destruction. Jeremiah 23:5-6 says, "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David, a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely…he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness."
Another encouragement that came to the Children of Judah was a prophecy that foretold how the Messiah would enter into Jerusalem, 500 years before it happened. Zechariah 9:9 says, "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Matthew 2:2 tells us, "Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’"
When Jesus was 30 years old and reached the age of being able to preach in public, the way was prepared for Him. Matthew 3:2 says, "John the Baptist came, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’"
When Jesus was selecting His disciples, one of the first ones He called was Nathaniel. Nathaniel recognized Jesus for who He was, the Christ.
"Rabbi,
you are the Son of God;
you are the King of Israel."
John 1:49
Last week Pastor Bartels reminded us what the King will say on the last day.
"Then the King will say to those on His right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you
since the creation of the world.’
Then He will say to those on His left,
‘Depart from me, you who are cursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’"
Matthew 25:34, 41
When Jesus was entering Jerusalem, only 5 days before going to the cross, he rode into Jerusalem wearing a crown of thorns and fulfilled the prophecy from Zechariah. John 12:13 says that as Jesus entered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the people cried out, "Blessed is the King of Israel!"
And, in our text for today, as Jesus stood before Pilot, he asked Jesus if He was a king. Jesus first of all asked Pilot if that was his idea that He was a king or did someone else give him that idea? Jesus then told Pilot that He was the King, but not a king of this earth.
Christ then is our King!
But Christ didn’t act like any other king. Jesus once said, "I didn’t come to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many." Christ traded being born in a palace, for being born in a stable or a barn. He was laid in a manger or a feed trough. When Christ rode into Jerusalem, He traded in a horse or stallion, which was the mode of transportation for a king, for a donkey. When Christ went to the cross, He traded in the crown of royalty for a crown of thorns. Our King, instead of being served, gave up His life on the cross and paid the price to set us free from our sin.
In view of all those Bible passages, what does Christ our King mean to us? Above all else, He means forgiveness! His life, His suffering, His death is everything for us. Through faith in Him, we share in the assurance of what Paul said, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1 No guilt! No fear! No condemnation! Our sins have been washed away in the blood of Christ, our King!
How do we serve our King?
Knowing that our King laid down His life for us, to forgive us, how do we thank Him? How do we serve Him? Do we sleep, wake, eat, go to work or go to school, come home, eat, and sleep, only to repeat the same process day after day, without thinking about our King? Instead of serving Christ our King, do we sometimes replace Him with another king? Does busyness become our king? Does laziness become our king? Does work become our king? Today, as we pause at the beginning of another week to worship our King and serve Him, we again admit how we have disobeyed Him and deserve His wrath and punishment. But instead of wrath and punishment, we have received His mercy and grace, forgiveness and life everlasting. As we serve our King, may we say with the apostle Paul,
"Now to the King eternal,
immortal,
invisible,
the only God,
be honor and glory forever and ever.
Amen."
I Timothy 1:17
This morning I have just one final thought about the glory of the kingdom that is waiting for us.
A little girl was walking with her father along a country road. The night was clear, and the child was enthralled by the splendor of the sky, all lit up with twinkling stars from one end of the sky to the other. After moments of reflection, she suddenly looked up to her father and said, "Daddy, I was just thinking – if the wrong side of Heaven is so beautiful, how wonderful the right side must be!"
What a way to describe the residence of Christ our King in the Kingdom of Heaven! How could the Kingdom of Heaven be anything else, but beautiful! The royal palace of the King of kings!
The people who found King Tut stood in silence because of his supreme splendor. Let us be bold and courageous to speak of Christ our King and say, just as the apostles did, "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
In you all fullness dwelling,
All grace and power divine;
Your glory all-excelling,
God’s Son, O Savior mine.
We worship you;
We bless you;
To you alone we sing;
We praise you and confess you,
Our holy Lord and King.
Amen.
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