Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 1:4-8 HOW WILL YOU APPROACH THE MASTER AND COMMANDER?
His face is covered in blue paint. The wind is blowing his long hair behind him. He lifts up his sword and shouts, and behind him a thousand men with painted faces lift up their swords and they shout too. And then, led by that one man, they all rush down into the valley, shouting, with their swords raised, as they clash with the enemy on the battlefield.
Some of you might recall that scene. It’s from a movie that was very popular a few year ago, the movie “Braveheart.” It was a movie about a man who led a rag-army against overwhelming odds - a very popular movie at the time. People like those kinds of stories, when a group of underdogs, led by a charismatic leader, face overwhelming odds. There’s a new movie out now, called “Master and Commander” – I haven’t seen it yet – I don’t know if it’s good or not. But once again, in that movie, that popular theme is there – a charismatic leader, the master and commander, leads a small group of people into battle, against overwhelming odds. That theme will probably make “Master and Commander” a popular movie.
You are a part of a real life story with that same theme. The Bible pictures our world being overrun by a very powerful enemy – the Devil, and his powerful army. His goal is to wipe out everything good created by God. And you are part of a rag-tag army that really, doesn’t stand a chance. The Devil has too many things on his side. He has power. He has wisdom. The world, even our own sinful nature, are on his side. Surely, you cannot stand up against him.
But then, there is the real-life Master and Commander – Jesus Christ. Against all odds, he leads us his people, into battle. WE are the rag-tag army rushing down the valley with our swords raised. And, because of Christ, we win. We overcome the Devil, sin, death, even the world, because of our Master and Commander, Jesus Christ.
Today is Christ the King Sunday. We call Christ our “king” because he does what a king would do – he leads his people into battle against the Devil, he fights bravely, and ultimately, he overcomes and wins the victory. Today we ponder the day that our King, Jesus Christ, will return to this earth on Judgment Day. The Bible pictures this day as a sort of victory parade, a coronation, a day when Christ is publicly crowned as our King, and we are ushered into his presence. Today, we are going to ponder that moment, and think about the question: “How will we be able to approach him on that day? How will we be able to stand in the presence of the divine master and commander?
Let’s take a look at how the Bible describes that day. In our Old Testament lesson, Daniel 7, we are shown a vision of what things will be like on that day. Verse 13: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.” Jesus often called himself “the son of man” during his ministry on this earth. On the last day, he will return to this earth, coming with the clouds of heaven. And then, look at the following words that describe the greatness and glory of Christ on that day: “He approached the Ancient of Days,” (that’s God the Father), “and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power.” All those things that people strive for in this world – authority, glory, power – all those things are given to Christ on Judgment Day. “All peoples, nations, and men of every language worshiped him.” Everyone will realize that Christ is truly God on that day. “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Even the greatest rulers of our world could never measure up to this description. Take, for example, the office of the president in our country. A very high office. But no one worships him. People of other countries don’t obey him. And the office of the president is very temporary – four years, eight at the most. And no matter how powerful our country becomes, there is no guarantee that our country will last forever. The greatest empires of the past have all crumbled and faded away. Power and authority are temporary in this world.
But not for Christ – the great Master and Commander. When he sits on the throne – his authority is permanent. When he sets up his kingdom – it’s one that will never, ever fade away. Everyone will worship him forever. There really is nothing we can compare that to, in our world today.
And then, on Judgment Day, you will be ushered into his presence. An angel will come up to you and say, “It’s your turn to meet the Master and Commander.” How will you feel, as you are led down the great hallway, and you turn the corner, and you can see through the giant doorway, and Christ is sitting on his eternal throne – shining with all of his power, wearing his crown. And all the holy ones of God – all the saints - are sitting on thrones around him. And Michael and Gabriel and all the angels are there – and everything is so bright and clean and spectacular. How will you feel as you walk with the angel toward that room.
“I am not worthy,” you might think to yourself. “I have nothing to offer, nothing to bring. I’m a sinful human being – I am too lowly to be a part of all this royalty and splendor and confusion.” Picture a homeless man on Thanksgiving this Thursday, knocking on the door of a mansion, and the door opens, and the homeless man says, “Can you spare a little food for me – I have nothing.” And the owner of the house – a generous man – says, “Why don’t you come in and join us?” And the homeless man looks into the house, and he sees the beautiful chandeliers. He sees that everyone there is dressed so nicely. He sees that everything is so clean and dignified and beautiful, and he says, “Oh, I can’t come in. Look at me – I don’t belong – I’m dirty. I’ve been living on the streets. I’m filthy. I have nothing to offer. I would ruin everything – just let me have a little food, and I’ll be on my way.”
Is that how you feel, as you consider the fact that someday, you are going to be ushered into the presence of Christ the King? “I don’t belong there,” you might say. “I’ve been living in this sinful world. I’m spiritually filthy. I don’t belong. I have nothing to offer. I would ruin everything in heaven with my sin. I don’t belong there. How can I even dream of walking into the presence of Christ the King?
But with Christ, you come, just as you are. Come with your sin. And Jesus will give you his holiness. Look at our Revelation reading for today, verse 4: “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.” Come with your sin, and Jesus will take it away. He has freed you from your sins by shedding his blood for you, on the cross. He loves you with the kind of love that you can’t earn –an undeserved love called “grace.”
That’s how you approach the Master and Commander. Come as you are. Come with your sadness, and Jesus will give you joy. Come with your weakness, and Jesus will give you strength. Come with your worries and doubts, and Jesus will give you confidence. Come with nothing. Nothing but faith. Let the angel lead you into the great palace of the King of Kings. And when all the saints and angels look at you, don’t worry if you have nothing to offer. Don’t worry if you are a sinful man or a sinful woman. Come as you are – come just with your faith in Christ – and Jesus will give you everything.
There once was a woman named Charlotte Elliott, and she was interested in becoming a Christian. But how could I come to Christ, she wondered. I am so sinful, and he is so holy. I am so lowly, and he is so mighty. How can I come to him. And then a Christian minister said to her, “You have nothing of merit to bring to God. Just come as you are.”
All her life, Charlotte suffered from all kinds of illnesses. She was always so fatigued. It frustrated her that she was unable to help the cause of Christianity. She wanted to do something! But she was always so sick. “I have nothing to offer,” she thought. And this frustrated her and depressed her. But then she remembered the words of that minister from many years before – just come as you are. Whether you are sinful or sick, just come as you are. And so she wrote a hymn about her faith, and really, this hymn is about the faith of every Christian in this room. Why don’t you turn to that hymn right now in your hymnals, hymn 397. Look at verse one: “Just as I am, without one plea” – as you are ushered into the presence of Christ, there is nothing you can plea. “but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidd’st me come to thee” – that’s what we can hang onto as we stand before Christ on Judgment Day – his blood was shed for me, and he bids me to come into his presence.
Verse 2 – I can’t get rid of my sin, but Christ can. Verse 2: “I’m waiting not, to rid my soul of one dark blot, but to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come.” Look at verse 3 – it describes our life right now – “tossed about, with many a conflict, many a doubt, fightings and fears within without” – that’s how we are when we come to Christ.
Verse 4 reminds us that spiritually, we are poor, wretched, and blind. If we want spiritual sight, riches, and healing of mind – all we need – we find in the Lamb of God. Look at verse 5 – he promises to welcome, to pardon, to cleanse, to relieve us of all of our guilt and fears. And then finally verse 6, we rejoice that the love of Christ has broken down every barrier, and until that day that we meet him, we seek to be his, and his alone.
My friends, that’s how you walk into the presence of Christ the King, the Great Master and Commander. Come as you are. Come with nothing, nothing but faith in his love and mercy. And let Christ, your King, give you everything. Let us close this sermon by singing hymn 397.
