November 20, 2005 1 Corinthians 15:20-28
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. (NIV)
What are some of the greatest dynasties that have ever existed? Some of you might think of sports teams - like the Packers of the 60’s, the Bulls of the 90’s, or the Rangers of the 80’s. Or some of you might think of political dynasties - such as the Napolean Dynasty or the Herodian Dynasty.
Dynasties come, and dynasties go. Throughout the rise and fall of kingdoms, Jesus has continued to rule through them all. But as we will see from today’s text -
Christ Will Have An End to His Dynasty
I. As this time comes, we can celebrate the accomplishments in His past
When a dynasty ends, it is usually followed by a huge celebration. I remember when Michael Jordan retired, they held a huge ticker tape parade for him and many shows were dedicated to the end of the dynasty. If any of us could dream of a way to end a career that would have been it.
On Judgment Day, it will be the end of a dynasty. Jesus will have finished His work and presented it to the Father at the end of His dynasty. We can really appreciate this when we realize the calling that Jesus had. It wasn’t an easy job or a mindless job. He had the call to be King. When we look at the history of what kings were expected to do, we realize how difficult this was. When Saul was anointed as King, they expected him to build up their army so that their people and their borders would be safe. He was expected to go and fight against the enemies. Another added difficulty was that underlings often questioned the authority of the king and rebelled against them. The same things happen today.
When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, He was being anointed to be King. Some expected Him to usurp the government and start an earthly kingdom. But they didn’t understand that Jesus came to rule a much more difficult kingdom - a spiritual one. All of his “subjects” were on the pathway to hell - and Jesus had to save them. He also had to fight against armies greater than any physical enemies. As Paul said in Ephesians 6: our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
As we look at what Jesus has done during these past 2,000 years as King, we can see that He has made the most of His talents. He didn’t just sit back in a chair and ask others to risk their lives to save our souls. He came down from His throne in heaven - and got down in the battle trenches. The devil came and tried to usurp His throne, but Jesus knocked Him out. Sin was put on His back, but Jesus shook it off. God’s wrath came crashing down on Jesus on the cross, but Jesus lived to tell about it. Death covered His body, but three days later, He left it behind as well. With this death and life, Jesus saved us from the disaster that Adam put us in. He defeated sin, death, and the devil. As a result of this, Paul says, For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. It’s as if Jesus dug our bodies from the grave and breathed eternal life back in them. Christ gave us a free ride to heaven through His death and resurrection - He performed His duty as King completely.
When you think about that, isn’t it amazing? Who of us can say that there is nothing that we would change in our lives or our careers? Who of us wouldn’t love to take back a day, a year, or a moment in our lives? How many of us could stand before God’s throne and say, “I have done all that you asked me to do. I have been the perfect son. I have been the perfect mother. I have made the most of all of my talents. I have completed my mission perfectly.” None of us. If we had to stand before God’s throne with what we’ve done, we’d all be sent to hell. There is not one person in the whole world who could ever say that He did everything that God gave him the ability to do. However, when Jesus comes again on Judgment Day - locks the devil in hell forever, and raises from the dead all who believed in Christ - then Jesus will be able to stand before His Father with his mission accomplished. Death, sin, and hell will have been conquered. There will be nothing left undone. He will show the Father a kingdom that He died for - conquered - and redeemed.
Now, think about the implications of this. When Jesus came to obey the Law - He didn’t leave any law undone that we had to fulfill. When Jesus came to pay for our sins, He didn’t leave any unpaid. There is no law left that you have to keep to get to heaven - no sin left that you have to pay for. IT IS FINISHED. Therefore, when HE presents US to God on Judgment Day as His children - we won’t just be half perfect, or a quarter perfect - we will be completely perfect. And therefore, through faith in Christ - we will be accepted - because Jesus lived a completely perfect life in our place and fully paid for our sins. We will have great reason to celebrate the way that Christ ruled His kingdom for these past two thousand years, when Judgment Day comes. As our ruler, Jesus has saved His Kingdom from destruction. He has done His duty.
II. We will also mark the beginning of a new dynasty
Usually, when a dynasty ends, it means the beginning of a new dynasty. People might look forward to the change, but oftentimes this brings sadness. Take for instance the sport world. Most Husker fans were sad to see Tom Osborne retire - because it meant that they wouldn’t have the same leadership that they had for the past twenty years, and it would take a while to recover. In a similar way, seeing what a great job that Jesus has done with His calling, it’s sad to even talk of a “new dynasty.” To even think of Jesus’ dynasty as coming to an end isn’t a pleasant thought. Yet today’s text makes it sound that way, doesn’t it? Listen to what it says: Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. . . . When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. It almost seems as if Jesus will then be done with his calling, go to fade off into the sunset and leave the rest to the Father.
According to other Scriptures, however, this couldn’t be true. When the angels announced Jesus entry into the world, they said, Luke 1:33 he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end. Ephesians 1 says that when Jesus rose from the dead, God seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. These Scriptures indicate that Jesus will continue to rule through all generations. So to say that on Judgment Day Jesus would “fade off into the sunset” and let God the Father rule just wouldn’t jive with the rest of Scriptures or fit into the way the whole Trinity works together.
So what does this mean when Paul talks about Jesus “being made subject to the Father,” and handing the kingdom over to Him? Why was Paul so cautious about saying that the Father was not made subject to the Son? Paul didn’t want to give the impression that one person of the Trinity was more important than another. This is the first thing we need to remember - God always works TOGETHER. Even while Jesus was on this earth - He always had an intimate union with the Father and the Holy Spirit. In John 10:30 He said, I and the Father are one. And in John 12:50 He said, whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say." It wasn’t as if the Son worked separate from the Father and the Holy Spirit. All three persons of the Trinity always worked in conjunction with each other. And even now the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all work together in ruling the world.
This will continue in the age to come. Instead of fading off into the sunset, Jesus will enter a new mode of Kingship. You could find comparisons in every day life. When Ronald Reagan retired from acting, he then went to use his gifts in politics. When John Madden retired from the coaching profession, he moved on to doing commentary on TV. Just because people retire from one job, doesn’t mean that they lay around and do nothing. They continue in a new sphere - using different talents in a different way.
The same idea rings true with Jesus. After Judgment Day comes around, Jesus will continue to rule with the Father and the Holy Spirit in a completely different way. He won’t use invisible angels to do His bidding - they will be visible. He won’t use the quiet means of the written Word of God and the Sacraments to take over hearts. He will visibly rule right in front of us. He won’t direct evil to work out for His good, for there will be no evil in heaven. Imagine, after Judgment Day - rising from the dead - to find no more evil in the world! Every day we will live face to face with the Lord - and we will see Him rule in a more glorious way, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Every person in heaven will give glory to Him on Judgment Day. There will be no more rebels left in His presence - no more demons trying to tear down His throne - they will be banished to hell. The only people that will be left with Him will be those who believed in Him as Savior. They will remain to give God the glory through and through. We will all work in conjunction with each other - with the same will - under the leadership of God. This will be a glorious change in the kingdom indeed.
Second of all, we need to remember the order of things in the Trinity. The Son was sent out from the Father, and the Holy Spirit was sent out by the Father and the Son. But they all worked together as ONE God. When we think of someone giving someone else “orders,” we can’t comprehend that meaning equality. Employees don’t like taking orders from imperfect bosses - and we just don’t get along - because we have different thoughts and different goals. Co-workers strive against one another for more pay and to move up in the world. But when God works together - the three Persons do so in a way where there is no striving for position or jealousy. They all have the same goal and the same will. And just because your boss gives you orders, does that mean he is better than you? If Jesus puts himself under His Father, does that mean that the Father is greater than He? No. In the relationship of the Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit work together - in conjunction with one another. So then, after His mission is completed, and God the Father gives His stamp of approval on Jesus’ work, Jesus will continue to rule with the Father and the Holy Spirit throughout eternity - in the same way they always have. In this way, “God will be all in all.”
Right now the President’s approval rating is at an all time low. With all of the reports of the dead in Iraq and the rising deficit, he is being blamed for ruining our nation’s reputation, putting our sons and daughters to death in a war, and running up the deficit. The Democrats are counting the days until he leaves office. They can’t wait for his second term to end.
Whether you’re Republican, Democrat, or Green Party, you can thank God that Jesus doesn’t act like any of our presidents. He hasn’t taxed us to death. He hasn’t led us into idolatry. He hasn’t taken anything from us. He has only used His position and calling to give us - His servants - His all. He gave His life. He gave us eternal salvation through His blood. He continues to look after us and take care of us yet today. And He charged us nothing for these. So even though His dynasty in this world will come to end, on this Christ the King Sunday we can look forward to the new and more glorious dynasty, when Jesus rules over us while displaying His full glory - with the Father and the Spirit - eternally. Amen.
