Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, living in Canada for couple of years brought us some interesting surprises. Discovering the beautiful mountains of Alberta, the appreciation of thermal underwear during Edmonton winters, and our kids learning “O Canada” before they knew “The Star Spangled Banner” were just a few. Our Brooke was the only one in school back then and she also enjoyed being in Girl Scouts. The biggest surprise came when we went to her program and Brooke, together with other girls, recited “I pledge allegiance to the Queen, …” What? Pledge allegiance to the Queen? My goodness, what did she get herself into? We Americans don’t say things like that. We celebrate our 4th of July with fireworks and all, we don’t pledge allegiance to monarchy, right?
Well, on this Sunday we do pledge allegiance to a king, and not just any king. This is Christ the King Sunday and we pledge allegiance to our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, our supreme Savior. Today we remember His words, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Today’s Scripture readings reflect His glory and power. Listen again to what is written in the first chapter of Ephesians: God raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. Today, as in the last few Sunday’s Gospel readings, we are reminded of His promise that He will return someday and that we are to be ready.
In the lesson we just heard, Jesus said to His disciples, When the Son of man comes in glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
This entire passage talks about judgment that will take place when Christ returns and a separation between those found worthy to inherit the Kingdom, and those who will go away into eternal punishment.
It is not a very comfortable passage to hear, especially considering the reason given for the separation: He will say to the blessed ones, Come and inherit the Kingdom, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.
Those found to be righteous in the judgment are surprised and puzzled: “When did we do this to you, Lord?” And the King will answer: When you did it to the least of my followers, you did it to me.
Then come the bad news: those who did not share food and clothing with the needy, did not welcome strangers, did not care for the sick, and visited no one in prison, are accursed and sent to eternal fire.
I told you this is not a comfortable passage to hear. Are you beginning to squirm? Do the judgment passages in the Bible create uneasiness in your faith? Is there a question mark in your mind as to where your place will be on Judgment Day? Then it is better to talk about this uncomfortable passage now than to brush it aside and preach about something else.
I don’t want anyone here to squirm. I don’t want anyone to walk out of here without the certainty of his or her salvation. I don’t want anyone to leave here without the joy of belonging to Christ our King.
Yes, there are passages in the Bible that can put the fear of God in us: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10). There are passages conveying a good news-bad news message. Good news for those found to be righteous, bad news for those found to be wicked. Bad news for those guilty of sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissention, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like according to Galatians 5, and here for failing to recognize Christ in helping the least of His followers. Surely such passages serve as a stern warning.
But these passages are to be feared by those who reject God’s grace and by those who rely on self-righteousness to stand in the judgment. For those who have been led to the saving faith in Christ, the concept of God’s judgment is to be appreciated with reverent gratitude for the gift of acquittal that Jesus Christ won for us with His precious blood. Let me prove it to you.
How many of us here could be judged righteous on the basis of treating people in need as we would treat the Lord Himself? We know we are called to bear each other’s burdens and in this way fulfill the law of Christ which says Love one another as I have loved you. There are times when we do a good job of it. But not all the time. We have not fed every hungry person. We have not cared for everyone who is sick. When was the last time you visited someone in prison? And when was the last time you drove right past the beggar on the way out of Albertson’s parking lot?
I am just as guilty as you are. I have not loved my neighbor as myself. I cannot be judged righteous by my own effort. If I did, I wouldn’t need a Savior! But I know that I do need a Savior. We all do. And we have one. Our Lord Jesus Christ emptied himself of all His glory when he walked to the cross where he suffered and died for every one of our sins, including the sin of not recognizing Him in the least of those we pass by.
Jesus, our Savior, died for all our sins, not just some of our sins, leaving us hanging for the rest. And He paid the full penalty for our sins, not just a down payment, so that we would be responsible for the balance. And He did it once and for all. Hebrews 10:10 says, We have been made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once and for all times. What does it mean He sacrificed Himself once and for all times? When Jesus suffered and died on the cross, how many of our sins were in the future? All of them, right? None of us was alive back then. That means, Jesus died for all our sins – past, present, even sins we will commit in the future. Don’t let some cult member tell you that Jesus only died for sins you committed in the past and now, since you have learned what God demands, you have to work your own salvation! No, Jesus suffered and died for all our sins, paid for them fully, and He did it once and for all – the work of salvation is done!
Question is – where is our trust in regards to the sacrifice of Christ? Do we trust Him completely with our salvation? Do we unconditionally place our eternity in His hands? Do we fully believe in His promises?
Or do we trust in our good deeds hoping they will outweigh our bad ones? Do we hope to get to heaven because we think we haven’t been as bad as some of those other people? Now, there is nothing wrong with trying to live a good life and do good things for others. But not to collect brownie points for it thinking because of them we deserve to go to heaven. What’s wrong with trying to earn our own salvation? First of all, it doesn’t work and secondly, it is disrespectful to God because it takes away from the value of Christ’s sacrifice.
The Apostle Paul wrote in the 5th chapter of Galatians while arguing with those who were promoting self-righteousness: If you try to gain righteousness by your own effort then Christ is of no value to you. You have been cut off from Him, you have fallen from grace.
Folks, it’s all or nothing! Either we trust Jesus Christ with our salvation, or we trust in our self-righteousness. But we can’t have both. If we fully trust Jesus, we have peace with God and the assurance of our place in eternity. If we trust our self-righteousness, we only end up with uncertainty and fear, because we can never do it right or do enough.
Paul knew what he was talking about. Listen to what he wrote in Romans chapter 7: For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing … what a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Thanks be to God indeed! Paul wrote most of the judgment passages in the New Testament, yet this is what he says in Romans 8:1 (and let’s read this together) There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
When I will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and the record of all my deeds is brought in, this is what I’ll say: Lord, I am guilty as charged. I am ashamed of my sins and I am sorry for them. But you paid for every one of them. You served out my sentence. I believe this with all my heart and gratefully receive this gift of grace and with full trust I claim your promise that all who believe in you have eternal life. That’s what I will say and you do the same, Amen?
Now, having said that, shall we run out there and commit every sin under the sun just because Jesus served out our sentence? Of course not! We are new creations in Him. Now we live a new life in Christ out of grateful response for what he has done for us. Now we pledge our allegiance to Christ, the King of kings, inviting Him to rule in our lives. Now the process of transformation takes place when we begin to grow in our understanding of His plan for us through studying the Bible, deepening our relationship with Him through prayer, answering His call to be His ambassadors in the world – loving Him and loving others.
John Ortberg in his book “Life You’ve Always Wanted” says that our faith is not just some kind of spiritual “fire insurance.” Those who say they believe in Jesus Christ yet don’t want Him to get too close and personal, are missing out on the abundance of life that He gives.
It’s like this: picture yourselves on a cruise ship. What would you rather be? A stowaway staying out of sight hiding from everyone? Or an invited guest on the promenade deck, enjoying all the activities, banquets, and fun? Both of them will get to the final destination, but which one will have more rewarding journey? Those who obediently receive Christ’s invitation, trust in Him with all their heart, grow closer to Him have the most rewarding journey because they live in the shadow of the cross and in the light of God’s grace.
Let us then pledge allegiance to Christ, the King of kings, trust Him completely with our life and with our eternity, and let His life-transforming power rule in our hearts. Let us grow together as God’s beloved children, encouraging one another and building up each other, in the unity of purpose and harmony. Amen.
