OPEN: Possessions of the powerful or famous - no matter how common - can become extremely valuable. Even priceless.
Some years back, Napoleon’s toothbrush sold for $21,000. This was an old USED toothbrush! I seriously doubt you or I could get 10 cents for one of ours!
Hitler’s car sold for over $150,000. I have a 1996 Mercury Villager that probably runs better than it does and if anybody is willing to offer me $5000… you can drive her off the lot today.
People have paid extraordinary amounts for Winton’s Churchill’s desk, a pipe owned by C.S. Lewis, sheet music handwritten by Beethoven, and a house once owned by Ernest Hemmingway. All were sold at many times their intrinsic value.
At one of the large auction houses Jackie Kennedy Onassis’s FAKE pearls sold for $211,500 and JFK’s wood golf clubs went for $772,500. And I have it on good authority that (name a member of the congregation who loves to golf) bought them.
These items didn’t demand great prices because they themselves were worthy. They went for those prices because they once belonged to someone who was important.
I. That’s the same message Scripture has about those of who belong to Jesus. We have great value because we belong THE MOST IMPORTANT someone in the world.
We belong to Jesus Christ.
APPLY: In C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe” Aslan - the resurrected King - enthrones the children of the story - Lucy, Peter, Edmund, Susan - as Kings and Queens in Narnia. They become royalty –not because they deserved it anymore than any other creature in the story - but because they were the “Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve”. They became Kings and Queens because they were descendents of the first man and woman created by God.
In the Bible, we’re told that “Jesus Christ… washed us from our sins in his own blood, and has made us KINGS and priests unto God and his Father...” Revelation 1:5-6 (KJV)
1 Peter 2:9 tells us we “are a chosen people, a ROYAL priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
In fact, when we became Christians, Ephesians 2:6 tells us “…God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus…”
As Christians, we are – quite literally – Kings and Queens. You are seated… right now… beside royalty. Look around. Look next to you. That person in your row, and the rows in front and behind you are of regal bearing.
Now… what does that mean? It means that God values you above all the rest of His creation.
You’ve already been made in His image and in His likeness. But God has lifted you up and seated you in a position of prominence. You have become a royal priesthood and a holy nation
The fact that you folks are royalty also means that each member of the body of Christ deserves to be treated with respect. It would be improper of me – or anyone else – to belittle any member of Christ’s church. It would be improper for us talk down to one another, or look down upon a fellow brother or sister in Christ.
ILLUS: I once read of 2 women who had spent a good deal of the afternoon trying to impress each other with how religious they were.
Finally, one woman left, and the other smugly turned to her husband, who had been quietly smoking his pipe, and remarked, "You know, Mrs. Sills is a good Christian, but I just believe I live closer to the Lord."
The husband thought a moment, and then replied, "Ain’t either of you crowding Him any."
It is a sad reality that many Christians don’t treat their fellow believers with respect.
· I’ve heard husbands put down their Christian wives
· wives put down their Christian husbands
· children showing disrespect to their Christian parents
· I’ve heard of preachers who have put down members of the church
· and church members who have had their preacher for lunch.
And I’m here to tell you – brothers and sisters - this ought not to be. You are seated amongst royalty. Kings and Queens of the Kingdom of our Savior. And you and I need to treat each other with respect.
You must realize that God has given EACH of us a promise.
God has promised that if anyone blesses you… He will bless them.
BUT if anyone curses, belittles, puts down a believer… God will make their lives miserable.
II. Now, this idea that we are royalty isn’t one that is preached very often
In fact, as I searched the internet, I found only one other sermon that taught about this principle. I copied much of his sermon to my notes because I was impressed by what he had said and how he said it.
But, then when I examined the New International Version as it translated Revelation 1, I was amazed to discover that they didn’t translate verse 6 to say that Jesus had “made us kings…”
No. They altered the words JUST A LITTLE.
Look there with me “… has made us to be a KINGDOM and priests…” Revelation 1:6
Now, I looked at the Greek… and that’s not actually what John wrote. Granted, they roughly expressed what the Apostle John intended… but the KJV more accurately declares that Jesus has made us KINGS and priests.
I got to wondering. Why would the NIV shy away from the more accurate translation? Then it occurred to me: for the translators of this version there was something not quite kosher about there being any other King but Christ.
In fact, one of the most basic teachings the Bible is that we should be humble and lowly of Spirit… somehow it seems to fly in the face of Scripture that we would be royalty. That God would somehow exalt us and make us that important in this world.
But that is exactly what God is telling us.
However - when God speaks of us royalty - there is a caveat. There is a “qualifier.”
Revelation 1:5-6 declares: “Jesus Christ… washed us from our sins in his own blood, and has made us KINGS and priests unto God and his Father...” (KJV)
In other words… we are Kings and Queens ONLY because Jesus made us so.
That is a major theme throughout the New Testament.
Ephesians 2, for example, talks about us being raised up and seated with Jesus in the heavenly realms… but before we’re told THAT, God makes something very clear about how we got there.
Look with me to Ephesians 2:1-10
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions— it is by grace you have been saved.
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
So – yes you and I are royalty.. but we didn’t deserve it. We have no right to boast about it.
It’s a gift from God
Jesus gave it to us.
ILLUS: It would be as if you went home after church today and found a package from a rich relative on your front porch. He had sent you something of great value that you had always wanted - but it was so expensive there would have been no way you could have bought it for yourself. It now belongs to you – not because you earned it, or purchased it, or deserved it any way. It became yours ONLY because it was given to you.
And God didn’t give us this exalted position, this royal linage, so that we could stand around and preen our feathers. So that we could look down on those around us and think highly of ourselves. We have been set aside to be a “working” royalty.
Ephesians 2:10 explicitly says: “… we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We are WORKING royalty… we have responsibilities. We’re called to serve others
ILLUS: A Sunday School teacher was teaching her children the benefits of unselfishness. She concluded by saying’ “The reason you are in this world, children, is to help others.”
After a moment’s silence, a little girl piped up’ “Well, then, what are the OTHERS here for?”
God tells us that “the others” are here for us to help. For us to serve.
Jesus said: Matthew 20:25 "You know that the Kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you.
Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:25-28
We are to be servants just like Jesus was. Philippians 2 tells us:
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:5-11
Commenting on this passage, a Mary Ellen Ashcroft wrote:
“To get ready for Christmas, God undressed. God stripped off his finery and appeared – how embarrassing – naked on the day he was born. . . God could not be God-with-us if he wasn’t flesh...”
Jesus humbled Himself so that He could be our Savior.
He set aside His Godhood so that our lives could be changed.
And He set us an example of how true royalty should conduct themselves
Jesus – our KING - was exalted because He made Himself a servant.
Likewise, God will exalt us when we serve one another in humility.
That’s the kind of Kings and Queens we’ve been called to be.
III. Now, let’s reiterate: we are royalty only because Jesus has made us Kings and Queens
Our status has not been earned… it has been given to us a gift. Our crowns belong to Him.
In Revelation 4:10-11, the Apostle John describes for us a mysterious scene in heaven:
“The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
They laid their crowns before the throne.
Why did they do that?
BECAUSE the crowns didn’t belong to them.
They had crowns only because they had received them from Jesus.
That should be our attitude as we approach Christmas this year… and every year.
Often times we receive gifts from others, and we forget who should really be honored. This will especially be true for us as we struggle with what to do with Christmas falling on Sunday this year.
ILLUS: A family celebrated Christmas every year with a birthday party for Jesus. An extra chair of honor at the table became the family’s reminder of Jesus’ presence. A cake with candles, along with the singing of "Happy Birthday" expressed the family’s joy in Jesus’ presence.
One year on Christmas afternoon a visitor to the home asked the five-year-old girl,
"Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?"
After a moment’s hesitation, she answered, "No, but then it’s not my birthday!”
CLOSE: Christmas is not a celebration of OUR birthday but rather an event where we focus on who is really important to us. Therefore we shouldn’t be surprised that the pagan world wants to remove Christ from their Christmas. But we ourselves should be committed to the concept that we will keep Jesus in ours.
We should cast our every crown before Jesus – this Christmas and every day of our lives
In the early part of the 11th century, there was a king in England named King Canute.
As often happened with kings of that era, Canute was surrounded by men and women who would fawn over him and flatter him with extravagant praises of his greatness, power and invincibility. They hoped, by this type of behavior, to gain his favor and support.
A godly and Christian man, Canute eventually grew tired of all this and wished to stage an event that would cause these syncophants to cease their incessant flattery.
One day, he gathered all of his court and ordered that his throne be carried down to the edge of the sea at low tide. Then he sat before the ocean and commanded the waves NOT to come in. But, the sea didn’t obey him. Gradually, the waves came closer and closer until they were lapping around his feet.
One historian tells us that, from that day forward, King Canute never wore his crown again. Instead, he found a church building close by and hung his crown on a statue of the crucified Christ.
SERMONS IN THIS SERIES:
The Land Of Narnia - Romans 8:19-8:25
Narnia and an Angel Of Light - Matthew 4:1-4:17
Royalty - Revelation 1:4-1:7
The Unsafe Savior - Luke 2:25-2:35
Looking For A New Beginning - Deuteronomy 34:1-34:12
