Scripture: Revelation 1:4 - 8; Psalm 93:1-5
(Other scriptures - Isaiah 9:7; John 1:49; Revelation 17:14; 19:16)
Theme: Kingship of Christ
Title: Real King or Role Model?
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God our Father and from Jesus Christ our Savior and LORD!
Today has been labeled "Christ the King Sunday". It is the last Sunday in what is commonly called the CHURCH CALENDAR YEAR. Now, the Church Calendar Year is a little different than our Secular Calendar Year (Gregorian Calendar). The Secular Calendar runs from January 1st to December 31st and then back to January 1st. The Church Calendar Year begins with the Advent Season and then runs through Lent/Easter/Pentecost and then back to Advent again.1
Next Sunday is the First Sunday of the Advent Season as we begin that wonderful journey towards the celebration of the Birth of Jesus our Savior and LORD. And so this Sunday is the last Sunday of the Year and has over the past few decades been celebrated as Christ the King Sunday.
We here in America have a rather dim view when it comes to the idea of King or Kingship. We tried it (kingship) a few times but didn't like it so we fought a war to never be under a king ever again. When we hear the word "king," one or two images usually come to mind:
+The first is that of some distant tyrant across the waters who mistreats and places heavy taxes and burdens on their people. We think of someone who is doing their best to get all they can out of the hard work of the people and who are living in some big palace somewhere having all their needs met while their subjects are breaking their backs barely making ends meet.
+The second image is that of a mere figurehead. A person who holds some traditional title but actually possess very little real power. They are good for some juicy social media stories, some cultural events and the occasional national picture but they have little to do with making laws or enforcing their personal will on the people.
One picture is therefore of a tyrant while the other picture is that of a figure head. One we don't want anything to do with the other is merely a role model at best.
For much of history, kings (and queens) have pretty much been a bust. For example, the two nations of Israel and Judah together had over 40 kings (42 kings and one queen) and yet the Bible tells us that only five of them could be considered to have been wise and righteous kings - King David, King Solomon, King Hezekiah, King Josiah and King Jehoshaphat.
Secular history has a rather sorry record as well. When historians look over the all the kings and queens and emperors over the time line the number of good rulers can usually be counted on one or two hands at the most. Most kings, queens and emperors proved to be arrogant, selfish and greedy more than they were loving, kind and generous. Only those like Queen Victoria of the UK, King Cyrus of Persia, Augustus Cesar of Rome and King Charlemagne of France and a handful of others have been viewed as more benevolent than they were cruel.
The prophet Samuel warned the young nation of Israel against the idea of even having a king. We can read the whole story in 1 Samuel chapter eight. The LORD GOD Himself warned Israel that having a human king was not a great idea and that in the end more times than not it would be disastrous. The LORD gives a whole list of reasons against the idea but in the end because of free will the LORD allowed Israel to pick a king and start the whole royal process.
And that is really where the rub lies. It is not in the idea of kingship, it has to do with the reality of fallen humanity. I mean, after all, when you read the Creation Story it sure looks like Adam and Eve were to be the King and Queen of the Garden of Eden. God Himself put everything under their authority. They had complete control.
So, the ability to be a great king is theoretically possible but because of humankind's sinful nature it usually doesn't work out to well. What should have been a simple thing because of our sin has not been so simple. There have been a multitude of kings who have started off well but in the end they end up being more like tyrants and dictators.
The reality is we only see one absolute benevolent king in all of history and literature. It is the LORD God Himself. In the story of the Exodus we read again and again how the only King the nation of Israel and in fact the world would ever need is God Himself.
For it is only God who can rescue a people from physical and spiritual slavery. It is only God who can redeem them and it is only God who can help them set up a kingdom that reflect His Glory, His Image and His Agape Love. The only king that Israel was ever to have was God Himself.
In the New Testament we see that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit sends the Son of God (Jesus) to earth. Part of what Jesus did while He was here on earth was to show the world the true image of what it means to be a King. Jesus showed us how we are to serve Him as The True King of all Creation and what it means to have Him as our King.
This morning, let's look at this idea of Kingship more in detail.
I. Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Jesus of Nazareth is the only one who was born to be King and who has the wisdom, grace, power, majesty and honor to be King.
As we read this morning the Bible is full of passages that speak about the true Kingship of Jesus. There are a number of Old Testament passages that foretold one day of the coming of King Jesus and His kingdom. There are a number of passages in the New Testament that speak of Jesus being the only True King of all creation.
We don't have enough time to examine each one of those passages but we find several of them in Jesus' birth narratives. In Matthew chapter two that we read that the Wise Men were told about the birth of King Jesus. They were told both by ancient scripture (Micah 5:2) and by creation itself. It is one thing for some people to write about you being king on a piece of parchment and keeping that parchment safe and secure for hundreds of years. It is quite another thing for creation itself to announce to the world that you are king.
St. Luke shares with us similar ideas about Jesus' kingship in his recording of Jesus' birth narratives. The angel Gabriel announces to Mary that Jesus will be called the Son of God and take up the throne of David. The angels announce to the shepherds that Jesus is both Savior and LORD.
St. John writing for a very Jewish group of believers, fully embraces the reality of Jesus being King. In chapter one, St. John records Nathaniel saying, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel” (1:49).
Later on in John's Gospel we read Jesus' answer in his encounter with Pilate -
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” John 18:33 - 37
Finally, we read two passages that speak of Jesus' Absolute Kingship - the first one in Matthew 28 and the last one in Revelation 19:
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Revelation 19:11- 16 (NIV)
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
We need to understand this morning that there is no doubt that Jesus Christ is the true King not only of the Middle East but the whole world. And not just of the whole world - Jesus Christ is King of Everything. Jesus is King of Kings and LORD of Lords of very piece of heaven and every piece of earth - all of creation.
Jesus is not king because we say so. It did not take some humans somewhere to coronate Jesus Christ as King. He is not king because we somehow accepted Him or gave Him the title. Jesus Christ is King because Jesus Christ is KING.
II. Jesus is Unlike any other King
The only other real being that has attempted to be an eternal king has been of course Satan. Every other king has been a mortal and while they have been able to yield power for a few years in the end they have died and their remains have gone back to dust.
In the Creation stories we see that Satan did his best to wrestle the kingship of the earth from Adam and Eve. Having been cast out by God Himself and with nowhere to rule Satan came and tempted mankind to rebel against the LORD God Almighty. I believe that Satan thought that once mankind had fallen the world along with mankind would be under his authority forever. Earth would be a place where he and his legion of demonic angels would rule.
We see that twisted thinking when Satan speaks to Jesus in the wilderness:
"And the devil took him (Jesus) up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, 'To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.'" (Luke 4:5-7)
When you read such a passage it is always essential to remember that when Satan is speaking he is also lying. He doesn't know how to do anything else. He is the father of lies and has been lying to himself and to others since the time of his rebellion. He lied to himself that he could take over heaven. He lied to himself that he could take over earth. He lied to Jesus in telling Jesus that he (Satan) had been given the kingdom of earth.
The only problem for Satan is that he was talking to the One who was the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus knew Satan had no real power over the earth and creation. Jesus knew that the only power Satan could ever have was the power that humans handed over to him. And when we sin that is exactly what we do - we hand ourselves over to evil, to Satan and to sin.
But King Jesus came to put an end to Satan's lies and to his false kingdom.
Just as Egypt had enslaved God's People and God came down and rescued them so too did Jesus come to rescue all of humanity from sin on the Cross of Calvary. Jesus gave up His Life and paid the penalty of mankind's sin so that everyone who has ever lived might have life again. Jesus died and was raised again so that we might be Born Again. King Jesus made it possible for all us to be born from Above and be filled with God's Holy Spirit.
We threw away our innocence, our perfection and foolishly thought Satan and his lies could lead us to happiness, joy, security and salvation. One of the greatest things that can ever happen to any of us is to realize through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit that Satan is a liar and that in Jesus' Name we can be rescued, redeem and renewed into God's Holy Image.
Our King Jesus is unlike any other King because He is Perfect in Every Way.
Our King Jesus is unlike any other King because He is Righteous beyond Measure.
Our King Jesus is unlike any other King because He is a Servant King.
Our King Jesus is unlike any other King because He loves us enough to Die for Us.
Our King Jesus is unlike any other King because He rose again from the Dead.
Our King Jesus is unlike any other King because He is Absolutely Sovereign in His Authority and Power. There is no greater power on heaven or on earth than King Jesus.
Our King Jesus is unlike any other King because His Kingdom is Eternal.
III. Is Jesus our King?
The real question that we have to answer in our hearts and in our everyday lives is a rather simple one this morning:
IS JESUS OUR KING?
Or is JESUS merely our Role Model?
Some weeks ago around the time that he turned 70 years old Prince Charles of Wales was asked about how he one day would serve as King. It's a good question. No other person waiting in the line of English royalty has had to wait as long as Prince Charles. He has waited over 67 years now for his turn to take the throne.
Charles cannot of course storm the gates of Buckingham Palace and demand that his mother give up her throne. He has to wait until it is time and that time will only come when she passes away. Whenever that happens then Prince Charles of Wales will become King Charles and for whatever time long or short he will be the next King of the United Kingdom.
A reporter asked Prince Charles if he was going to do any "meddling" when he became King. Throughout his life, Prince Charles has on many occasions given his own personal opinion(s) on a number of different items concerning social reforms, building ideas and political issues. Prince Charles is reported to have quickly quashed the idea that as King he would do any "meddling". He stated that there is a major difference between merely being a prince and being a King. Under the current constitution the King of England does not meddle. He merely obeys and lives by the rules of the constitution. He has some power but he leaves all the meddling to those in Parliament.
In essence the best that King Charles will be is a role model. But given his track record that might not be the best role for him and that is why some believe that his son Prince William would be the best one to be the next King. He has far less baggage than his father and is seen as a better role model. All of that is something that UK's royal family will have to deal with. I just don't see Prince Charles stepping aside after waiting for over 67 years. Good or bad role model, I believe Prince Charles wants to be King Charles.
All of that aside it does cause us to look at our relationship with King Jesus - Is Jesus Our King or Is He just our Role Model?
Most of the world including many in the Church whether they consciously do it or not treat Jesus as a mere Role Model. Of course:
+He is the perfect Role Model of obeying His Heavenly Father.
+He is the Perfect Role model of what Agape Love looks like.
+He is the perfect Role Model of what it means to be a Servant and on and on.
Yes, Jesus is the perfect role model but Jesus is much, much more.
Jesus Christ of Nazareth is King. He is not only King, He is the Only King. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Apostle Paul puts it best:
Philippians 2:10-11 New King James Version (NKJV)
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
It is easy for us today to say Jesus is our King and then treat Him pretty much the same way the UK does Queen Elizabeth and her family. They are important but they are not vital to everyday life. They are nice to see when they have a new baby or one of them gets married but they really have little power or influence in people's lives.
But as we have already stated what we see today as Queens and Kings is nothing to what it really means to be a Queen or King.
A Real Honest King has:
+Absolute power - Complete, Unlimited, Total and Supreme
-He is not subject to the will of His servants
-His word is law
+Absolute Ownership
-He owns everything/everyone in His Kingdom
+He has the Power of Life or Death
+He has sole authority over His government, His economy and His social systems of His Kingdom
In other words everything and everyone is under the leadership and authority of the King.
Now, that is a tall order.
We in this country do not like for people to tell us what to do or to act like they can lord over us. We do not like to submit or surrender. We do not like having other people control our lives, our economies or our health.
We like to think that we are independent and free. We like to think that we are in charge. We like to think that we pave our own way.
We are a rebellious people when it comes to having someone over us. We are a stiff necked people when it comes to someone telling us what to do or how to live.
And we count that rebellion and stiff neckness as a virtue. We pride ourselves in believing that we control our own strings, that we will determine our own destiny and that thank you very much we don't really need or want a King.
But the truth is we don't really have control. The truth is we can't do what we want to do and enjoy everlasting life. The truth is if we don't have King Jesus we really have nothing. For without King Jesus our eternal destiny is not heaven but Hell. Without King Jesus we will never experience the New Birth, the Abundant Life or what it means to live on the New Heaven and New Earth.
We can serve Satan and receive Satan's reward - Hell.
We can serve ourselves and receive the same reward - Hell.
Or we can do what billions of people have already done and are doing right now and bow the knee to King Jesus.
+The One and Only True King - The Savior of the WORLD - King Jesus
+The King of Divine Love.
+The King of Grace, Mercy and Forgiveness.
+The King of Abundant Life.
+The King of the Infilling of His Holy Spirit.
+The King of Rescue, Redemption and Restoration.
+The King of My Heart - My Mind - My Life
There is an old song in our hymnal by Edward Perronet. It was written back in 1779 and was written with the intention of both proclaiming and witnessing the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. This morning as we close let us sing - "ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS'NAME" and as we sing it let us once again declare in our hearts, minds and souls that Jesus Christ is our King Jesus. That He has absolute control over our hearts, our will and our minds. That we will not only bow at the knee of Jesus one day that today we bow at the knee and declare ourselves to Him wholly and fully.
Alternative song - "King Jesus" by Jeremy Camp
Prayer/Blessing
1 Advent/Christmas/Epiphany/Ordinary Time/Lent/Easter/Pentecost/Kingdomtide
