Christ the King
Revelation 1:4b-8
Not too many days ago, the President of the United States flew into Orlando to pay us a visit. I wasn’t following the news close enough to know exactly why he was here, I’m sure many of you have a better idea than I do, I just knew that he was in town. Did any of you see him? Bump into him during the course of your day? Probably not. But what if…what if he had planned on visiting that place where you worked or went to school. How much different would your day have been knowing that the President and his entourage was going to be visiting? If he were going to be visiting that place where you work, I guarantee that you and all of your co-workers, no matter what their politics were, would have been working just a little harder, making your business looking just a little bit nicer for the Prez. Or you who are in school. If President Bush had been planning to visit your classroom with the chance that you’d be on TV, maybe you would have spent an extra 5 minutes making sure that your appearance was nice that day. Your teachers probably would have encouraged you to be on your best behavior. Or let’s suppose that you found out right now that he was going to stay overnight at your house this evening. You might get up and leave right now, thinking about all the things you’d need to do to prepare for that visit. Yes, I’m sure for all of us, our days would have been quite a bit different if we had known that we were going to see that President that day.
But you know, one day you will see a supreme ruler. One day, I promise you, you will come face to face with a king. With the very eyes you are using to look at me, you will see the being that rules the entire universe and then some, Jesus Christ, our King. Today, on Christ the King Sunday, we will learn how the Triune God has made us Ready For The Redeemer’s Regal Arrival. There is a King that is coming. This King Comes United with Mighty Allies. This King Comes Bestowing Positions of Honor. This King Comes As Supreme Judge of All Mankind.
Part I
What do you need to be a king? I mean, if you were in college and trying to decide what occupation you were going to have, and you mentioned to your guidance counselor, “hey, a king sounds like a good thing to be,” what would you need to become a king? You’d need at least two things: subjects and power over those people.
When Jesus walked this earth, he really didn’t appear to have too much of either. In fact, he really looked like a loner. Yes, he had a dozen fairly faithful followers, and yes, he showed that he had power over diseases and demons and death. But Jesus sure didn’t seem to have what it takes to be a powerful king here on earth. When he needed them most, his followers deserted him in the Garden during his arrest. He never used his divine power for his own benefit. And didn’t Jesus look utterly alone as he hung on the cross, while most of his disciples were cowering in fear for their lives while a distraught Jesus cried out, “My God my God, why have you forsaken me?” All Alone! No longer was Jesus God’s Son, whom he loved, with him was the Father well pleased. Instead, the Father saw the Son as the very embodiment of sin, and the Father wanted nothing to do with Jesus on the cross. Jesus was utterly deserted; he appeared powerless, helpless…not exactly what you’d expect from a king.
But here in our text, we see that Jesus is now king, and he is definitely not alone. The first words of our text refer to his first ally, God the Father, “grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come.” The same Father who had deserted the Son on account of our sins is once again his partner. And as the verse goes on, Christ’s second ally is mentioned, “and from the seven spirits before the throne.” Maybe you scratched your head trying to figure out who these seven spirits were. These aren’t seven separate beings that serve God. They aren’t seven super-angels or anything like that. Instead, this is a reference to the Holy Spirit. There’s an alternate translation in the NIV that reads instead of seven spirits, “the seven-fold spirit.” Whenever you see the number “7” in the Bible, especially in Revelation, it’s a hint that God is being specified. And plus, if we just look at the context of that paragraph, it’s obvious that the Trinity is being referred to. As we heard, God the Father is mentioned first, at the end of the verse Jesus Christ is referenced by name, and this seven-fold spirit, the Holy Spirit, is in the middle. The point of this verse is that Jesus surely is not a loner. Even though he appeared weak and frail here on earth, he is now allied with the two other mighty members of the God-head: The Father and the Holy Spirit.
How would you define loneliness? I’d say it’s being away from loved ones for an extended time. Jesus sure looked alone, and he sure didn’t look like a king. But Christ was deserted by men and by God, so that you would never be alone. Sometimes you will find yourself alone: you might think at your job or in your classroom, you are the only Christian. Someone might tell an off-color joke, or they might be promoting an anti-Christian idea, and no one else seems to be bothered, you feel all alone. You feel like the only Christian in the room. And even if that is the case, remember that you are never alone. You have Christ’s two allies in your corner, the Father and the Holy Spirit, not to mention Jesus himself, not to mention the Holy Angels. Christ the King will never be forsaken and alone again. He will always be with his allies, and he will always be ruling his kingdom of believers. And you aren’t forsaken and alone either, because by God’s grace, you are a member of that kingdom.
Part II
And that’s exactly what John talks about in next few verses of our text. Jesus our king has changed our status and has bestowed titles on us.
When a new president takes office, he has the ability to appoint people to certain positions in government. The President appoints the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, as well as many judges. Because he is the ruler, he is free to give out these titles.
Christ the King also has titles to give out to his subjects. The first title: Freedom. “To him who loved us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.” Maybe you remember the end of the movie Braveheart. William Wallace, the Scottish hero, is being tortured. The king wants him and his people to give into his power and rule. But Wallace suffers through it. He won’t give in. And the very last word that he shouts as he marshals all his strength is he lets out a loud cry of “FREEEEDOOOOM!” I have to believe that the directors of that movie must have had in mind Jesus doing the same thing from the cross. After the shedding of his blood, Jesus shouted out, “It is finished.” He could have shouted out “Freedom!” Freedom from our sins. Freedom from the guilt that they carry!
The King has given you another title: “[he] has made us to be a kingdom.” In another part of the Bible, God tells us that we have been made citizens of heaven. One of the things Gov. Schwarzenegger has to deal with in CA is what to do with all these illegal aliens in his state. There are tons of people who are living there illegally, not going through the proper procedures to become citizens. Some are suggesting that they be thrown out of our country. Others are urging them to be allowed to stay and be given citizenship, even though they did not go through the proper channels. Now our task this morning isn’t to decide what should be done with the illegal aliens in our country. But instead, we want to consider the value of citizenship. And even though most of us are citizens of the US, you were at one time an illegal alien. If you had wanted to live in heaven, forget it! Your sins would cause you to be thrown out on your kiester. Sinners are illegal in God’s kingdom. But now, look at what Christ the King does to your status: you don’t have to worry about dying and wondering if you are going to get let into heaven. Jesus says you are part of the kingdom, a permanent citizen.
And King Jesus has one more title to give you, that status of priest. Remember in the Old Testament, priests were pretty special people, weren’t they? They all were from one tribe, the Levites, and all from one family in that tribe, Aaron’s family. And the priests really controlled the Israelites’ communication with God. The only way to talk to God was through the priests. You would give them your sacrifice, and the priest would know the proper things to do to make it a pleasing offering to the Lord. But now Jesus gives you the title of priest, and you can bypass all that. Too many Christians today pray what I call “soap opera prayers.” I used to watch a little Days Of Our Lives back in college, and usually when a character would pray on that show, it went a little something like this: “uh, God, I know I haven’t been much of a church person. But I really need you to help me out here, and if you do, I promise I’ll turn my life around.” It’s too bad that prayer is often viewed as a last resort. A spare tire. Something to use only in emergencies instead of a way of life. If Jesus our King has given us the high honor of being his priests, let’s take full advantage of this awesome privilege! This wall of sin between you and God has been removed, and now you can bring your prayers right into the Lord’s throne room, and he will hear them, because Jesus has made you a priest.
Part III
There is one part of Christ the King’s work that is not completed yet: his assignment of being the judge of all mankind.
“Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.”
Each of us knows many people who do not acknowledge Jesus as their king. And while they might deny him now, on the last day there will be no mistaking that Jesus is indeed the king. He will raise the dead. Everyone who has ever lived will see Jesus the King with his own eyes, even the men who nailed Jesus to the cross. In the Gospel for today, we had that exchange between Pilate and Jesus. A petty governor Pontius Pilate held in his hand the power to allow Jesus to go free and live or to condemn him to death. I find it ironic that the tables will be turned on Judgment Day. Jesus the King and Judge will hold in his hand the power to sentence people like Pilate to Heaven or Hell. We said before that we have that status of being members of the heavenly kingdom. Sadly, not everyone is. Some reject Christ and would prefer to continue to live here on earth. But they won’t have that option. That’s why our text reads, “all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.” These are the “people of the earth.” Their time ran out. They didn’t seek the Lord while he could be found. They instead loved the worthless trinkets of the world that won’t do them a bit of good when they stand before their judge. And they will have all eternity to relive their mistake. That’s why it will be a day of mourning for those who have spent their lives wrapped up in the fleeting delights of the earth.
And what about us? What are your feelings about judgment? Now that Michael Jackson has been arrested this past week, that means that we are going to have to hear about in the news at least three high profile court cases; his along with Scott Peterson’s and Kobe Bryant’s. Most of us probably would not want to trade places with any of those men right now…but will things be any better for us in Jesus’ judgment? I mean, the evidence is pretty strong against you. God condemns sinners to hell. Simple as that. And how can we stand before Jesus the Judge? After all, we were just as responsible as Pilate for putting Jesus to death. Your sins and mine nailed him to the tree. How is he going to feel about us?
St. John answers that question in verse 4, “To him who loved us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.” Remember, you carry on you the mark of a free person. Christ’s gruesome and bloody death was the Father’s way of cleaning up a dirty sinner like you. The Bible never tries to answer the question: “why did God do this?” The only answer: GRACE – God’s Undeserved Love For Sinners. Prepare to meet the King! Prepare to stand in the court of the Judge! Prepare to be declared “NOT GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS!” You guilt has been forgiven by the Judge himself.
Conclusion
President Bush came and went a few days ago. Other than glancing at the headline in the paper, his visit hardly affected any of our lives. But when Jesus comes as King to visit our world, everything is going to change. In preparation for this sermon, I happened to glance at the message that I preached on to begin this church year. In that sermon, I made mention that this may be the last year of grace that God gives his church. Well, the world might end between now and next Sunday, but if it doesn’t, it looks like God is going to give us another church year in which to serve him. And if Jesus didn’t come this past year, the odds are even greater that he will come this next year. Let’s be ready for him. We don’t need to clean up our houses and tidy up everything for an anticipated visit of a powerful ruler. We just need to prepare our souls and the hearts of those around us. I pray that the Holy Spirit work through Word and Sacrament to keep each of us ready and waiting for the Redeemer’s Regal Arrival. Amen.
sdg
