Today is a special Sunday for us in the church year. It is Christ the King Sunday. On Christ the King Sunday, we are reminded on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
As we read in Luke chapter 23 this morning, Jesus was mocked while he was on the cross. The soldiers tried their best to humiliate Jesus, as he hung there.
They even went so far as to hang him in between two thieves. These men were criminals, they deserved to be punished for their crimes, but Jesus was innocent, and yet, he hung on a cross in between them, as if he were the worst criminal of all.
But even though Jesus was going through this horrific event, he still never forgot who he was or what he came to this earth to accomplish. You see, Jesus did not need the soldiers to tell him he was the messiah. The fact of the matter is, Jesus knew who he was. He was the son of God, the messiah. And, he was also a king.
Right after Jesus was placed on the cross, in Luke 23: 34, we read that Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." There is a wonderful message being spoken in those few words. You see, even though he had been beaten, even though he had been mocked, even though he had been ridiculed, he still was carrying out his mission. He loved the people so much that even while he was on that cross, he prayed for them. Jesus prayed for them because he could see what they could not.
Sometimes, that is difficult to do, isn’t it? When a person has hurt you or has done something to you that just pierced your heart, the last thing that you may want to do is pray for them and ask God to forgive them because they really did not know what they were doing. But, because of Jesus Christ, we can do that. Through his love and the forgiveness we have received, we can forgive others, regardless of what they have done to us.
As we read on, we are told that the soldiers gambled for Jesus’ clothes and the leaders were mocking him by saying, “he saved others, let him save himself, if he really in the Messiah”.
The leaders did not understand that Jesus was at that moment, saving the world. Jesus was fulfilling his mission. He was securing the salvation of the world.
As we know, Jesus had never been convicted of any crime. In fact, that is one of the reasons why they hung the sign that said “King of the Jews” above Jesus’ head. The Romans would put signs above a person’s head, letting others know what this person had done in order to deserve being crucified. If someone had committed murder, for example, they would put a sign that said murderer above that person’s head. However, they could not name one single crime Jesus had committed, so basically, “King of the Jews” was the worst thing they could think of to put above his head. They were mocking him with this statement. We know that Pilate had asked the angry crowd several times to tell him what crime Jesus had committed. He wanted them to tell him why they felt Jesus should be crucified, but they could not. Pilate reminded the crowd that even Herod had not been able to find Jesus guilty of anything. Even so, the crowd still wanted Jesus to be crucified. In the end, as we know, Pilate gave in to the crowd’s wishes and gave Jesus to them.
Even the two criminals got involved in this as one of the said to Jesus, “aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal spoke against him and asked him, “Don’t you fear God?” The criminal went on to say that they were getting what they deserved, but Jesus had done nothing wrong. The criminal asked Jesus to remember him when he came in to power.
Jesus was obviously touched by this and he replied, “I promise that today, you will be with me in paradise.”
I can imagine, in spite of being on a cross, the feeling of peace that must have swept through that criminal at that moment, for he was no longer a common criminal. He had just been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and he would forever more be a child of God.
It did not matter what he had done to get there, his sins were wiped away at that moment because he believed in Jesus. He would spend eternity in the Kingdom of the savior, Jesus Christ.
In Colossians chapter 1, we are told that God’s power will make us patient and strong and able to endure anything and we will be happy.
Paul tells us that we are a part of what God has promised his people in the Kingdom of Light and we should be grateful to God for this.
Like that criminal on the cross, God has rescued us from the dark power of Satan and has brought us into the kingdom of Jesus Christ, who forgives our sins and sets us free.
Jesus gave us peace through the shedding of his blood on the cross so we could be brought back to God. This is what the people in the crowd could not understand that day. They could not grasp that Jesus was a king, he was just not the type of king they had imagined. Jesus was indeed the Messiah, he was just not the kind of Messiah they were expecting.
Jesus is still King today. He is still reigning today. He is the King of our hearts and our lives. Through his selfless act on the cross, we have been redeemed and have been promised a life in heaven with Him.
This past week, we celebrated Thanksgiving. We have indeed been blessed with many wonderful gifts, such as family, friends, home and happiness. However, the most important blessing of all was the one we received when Jesus took up that cross and died to redeem us and to give us our salvation. That is true love and true sacrifice.
What we need to keep in mind also, while we see a physical end forth coming, Jesus gives us hope for a new beginning. He has given this hope personally to that man on the cross, and John passed it on to the disciples and finally Luke has passed it on to us.
In other words even though the earthly ministry of Jesus of Nazareth may have ended nearly two thousand years ago, the words and hope of that ministry have continue on yet today.
Now as we leave behind this scene at Golgotha we peer forward into a future into which we wait and yearn for Jesus’ Glorious Return. The Advent/Christmas season is not only a time to celebrate his birth, but a time to consider his return. With each day of the Advent Season we are transported to a distant time over two thousand years ago.
However in that transport we share a common thread. We relate to how the people of that time were feeling in the expectation of a savior or messiah to free them from their current bonds. At the same time we look with hope for the time when Jesus will return and bring about peace and justice for all who have faithfully believed in Him.
As we read earlier, one criminal on the cross believed in Jesus and professed that belief, while the other scoffed at Jesus. We know the fate of the one who professed his belief. Jesus promised him an eternal life with him in paradise.
Friends, Jesus has made that same promise to us and it still holds true today. He is still the same Messiah, the same King and the same ruler now as He was then.
Next Sunday is the first Sunday of the Advent Season. It is a beautiful season because it is full of the hope, joy, peace and love that Jesus brought to us over 2000 years ago.
As we journey through Advent this year, let us be mindful of what the birth of Jesus meant to the world then, and what it means to the world today. The world at the time of Jesus’ birth had distanced itself so far from God that He knew there was only one way to turn it back to Him – that way was through Jesus Christ. In addition to this new beginning, let us also be mindful and hopeful of the day when Christ returns and fulfills His promise to us.
Jesus did not forsake us when He ascended into heaven. He promised us that He would return for us one day. This is the hope that we keep alive in our hearts. This is the joy that we have as Christians, to know that one day, we will have eternal peace with Christ.
This is the hope Christ instills in us when He enters into our hearts. This is the hope and belief that we pass on to others who we bear witness too.
My sermon today can be summed up very simply…
Jesus loved you so much that He came to the earth in the form of a little baby. He grew up and taught others how to live their lives the way God wants them too. He traveled around and preached to people just like you and me. Along the way, he healed the sick, raised the dead and fed the multitude. Then, in order to ensure your victory over death, He went to the cross for you. He gave up His life in order to save yours. Now, He is returning some day to take you to eternal glory and fulfill His promise.
Jesus Christ is definitely King. He is the King of our hearts and our lives.
In closing, I would like to share a prayer with you that I found. It reads:
O Jesus, King most wonderful!
Thou Conqueror renowned!
Thou Sweetness most ineffable!
in whom all joys are found!
When once Thou visits the heart,
then truth begins to shine;
then earthly vanities depart;
then kindles love divine.
O Jesu! Light of all below!
Thou font of life and fire!
surpassing all the joys we know,
and all we can desire.
May every heart confess Thy name,
and ever Thee adore;
and seeking Thee, itself inflame
to seek Thee more and more.
Thee may our tongues for ever bless;
Thee may we love alone;
and ever in our lives express
the image of Thine own. Amen.
