Luke 1:26-38 – Messiah Mission #2: Operation Sovereignty
Please turn with me to Luke 1:26-38. This being the 2nd Sunday of Advent, we are continuing our Christmas series I’ve called The Messiah Mission. What was Jesus’ purpose for coming to earth, as revealed in the Christmas story? Last week we saw Messiah Mission #1 was Operation: Salvation. That is, He came to rescue. This week, Messiah Mission #2 is Operation: Sovereignty. That is, He came to rule. Let’s read our passage for today, Luke 1:26-38.
This passage describes the visit that Mary received from the angel Gabriel. Mary was just a young, inexperienced girl. The angel came to her and revealed that she would be with child, and not just any child. This child would not be from the seed of a man, but would be from God Himself. This is how Gabriel described Jesus: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” This child would be King of a kingdom that will never end. Jesus came to earth to rule.
Living in a democracy like Canada, we really don’t understand what it means to have a King. Sure, we have a Queen, but at this point in Canada’s history and in the history of the British Empire, the Queen has little to do with our everyday lives. We pay lip service to our monarchy, and we acknowledge that they are in charge, but we really don’t pay much attention to their rule. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Realistically, a more-easily understood concept is more of a workplace. That’s how today we really understand the one in charge. Not through kings and subjects, but through boss and employees. Unfortunately, we also seem to understand the idea of bad bosses, more easily than good ones. I found this story about an overly-demanding boss.
For thirty years, Johnson had arrived at work at 9A.M. on the dot. He had never missed a day and was never late. Consequently, when on one particular day 9 A.M. passed without Johnson's arrival, it caused a sensation. All work ceased, and the boss himself, looking at his watch and muttering, came out into the corridor.
Finally, precisely at ten, Johnson showed up, clothes dusty and torn, his face scratched and bruised, his glasses bent. He limped painfully to the time clock, punched in, and said, aware that all eyes were upon him, "I tripped and rolled down two flights of stairs in the subway. Nearly killed myself."
And the boss said, "And to roll down two flights of stairs took you a whole hour?"
That’s a funny story, and I doubt that many of us in this room would think of God our Boss that way. But I think a lot of people might see God that way. As a domineering, unfeeling, uncaring Boss who just wants His way, regardless of what anybody else wants. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done; God still expects more. No matter how good you are, He expects you to be better. No matter what you give, it’s never good enough. And so on. It comes from the idea that God loves us and accepts us by our performance: how well we do something, how good our lives are.
That is what I call the treadmill of good works. Not sure if I thought of it myself or heard it somewhere, but it’s good. Imagine a person walking on a treadmill. They’re walking, but not going anywhere. In fact, that person could start running, and still not get anywhere. That’s what our good works are like. Moving, building up a sweat, doing it because it’s the right thing to do, but not getting anywhere. Not moving forward, burning calories but going nowhere.
For people who consider God an uncompassionate Boss, that’s what life is like. All the good works in the world can’t get them any closer to Him, and will be ultimately unfulfilling. And generally, people who get stuck on the treadmill of good works eventually stop trying to please Him. They settle into a “God-loves-me-anyway” mentality, and stop really trying to make Him happy. They realize they can’t do it, or they will never know when it’s enough, and so they settle into a routine of making themselves happy and hoping that God is satisfied with that.
Let me tell you: that’s not what God had in mind. Yes, he wants to be our Boss. Yes, He wants to rule us. But not as an unfeeling, unsympathetic Leader. Rather, He wants to be our loving, all-gracious King. What does it mean for Jesus to be our King? What does it mean that Jesus is the Ruler?
First, His kingdom is about righteousness. Hebrews 1:8 says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.” He will rule His kingdom with righteousness. That means fairness, justice, and goodness. The good news about this is that we are right before God, not because of how good we are, but how good He is. The treadmill of good works can stop because we can trust in his goodness. We can never be good enough to deserve heaven, so the motives behind our goodness can, and should, change. Instead of being good to earn heaven, we are good because we are thankful.
Second, His kingdom is about peace. Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” Peace is part of God’s plan. Isaiah 9 speaks of Jesus as the Prince of Peace. Sometimes peace is the absence of conflict, and one day that will come. But usually peace means that calm feeling that God is in control, no matter else is happening around us. Part of having Jesus as King is that you let Him rule your emotions. Having faith that you will not face anything today that you and God can’t handle… that’s peace.
Third, His kingdom is about joy. Romans 14:17 says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Let me say: serving God should not be a chore. It’s not meant to be. He wants us to be joyful. That’s not to say we should make it our mission to be happy. Being happy flows from being right Him. People who pursue happiness end up missing out, but people who pursue a higher purpose get happiness as a by-product. Pursue doing God’s will, and happiness and joy will follow.
Lastly, His kingdom is about hope. Romans 15:12 says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.” His kingdom, His rule, is about hope. What is hope? It’s knowing or believing that things will get better. That’s so much of what Jesus being the King is all about. Yes, He came as a King. His reign has begun. But it certainly has not come in all its glory, not yet.
You call it God’s kingdom as an “already-but-not-quite” reality. Yes, Jesus is King. He is the ruler, He is in charge, and He deserves to be worshipped and served by all living things. And one day He will be. There’s a popular worship song called, “Come Now is the Time to Worship”. There’s a line in it I love. It says this: “One day every tongue will confess You are God; one day every knee will bow. Still the greatest treasure remains for those who gladly choose You now.”
There’s a story about a little boy who lived far out in the country in the late 1800s had reached the age of twelve and had never in all his life seen a circus. You can imagine his excitement, when one day a poster went up at school announcing that on the next Saturday a traveling circus was coming to the nearby town.
He ran home with the glad news and the question, "Daddy, can I go?" Although the family was poor, the father sensed how important this was to the lad. "If you do your Saturday chores ahead of time," he said, "I’ll see to it that you have the money to go."’
Come Saturday morning, the chores were done and the little boy stood by the breakfast table, dressed in his Sunday best. His father reached down into the pocket of his overalls and pulled out a dollar bill-the most money the little boy had possessed at one time in all his life. The father cautioned him to be careful and then sent him on his way to town.
The boy was so excited, his feet hardly seemed to touch the ground all the way. As he neared the outskirts of the village, he noticed people lining the streets, and he worked his way through the crowd until he could see what was happening. Lo and behold, it was the approaching spectacle of a circus parade! The parade was the grandest thing this lad had ever seen. Caged animals snarled as they passed, bands beat their rhythms and sounded shining horns, midgets performed acrobatics while flags and ribbons swirled overhead.
Finally, after everything had passed where he was standing, the traditional circus clown, with floppy shoes, baggy pants, and a brightly painted face, brought up the rear.
As the clown passed by, the little boy reached into his pocket and took out that precious dollar bill. Handing the money to the clown, the boy turned around and went home. What had happened? The boy thought he had seen the circus when he had only seen the parade!
He came to rule. We look forward to the day that he rules completely.
