Christ the King Sunday
\nNovember 20, 2016
\nLuke 23:35-43<\/p>\n
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him.\u00a0 They said, \u201cHe saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.\u201d\u00a0 The soldiers also came up and mocked him.\u00a0 They offered him wine vinegar and said, \u201cIf you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.\u201d\u00a0 There was a written notice above him, which read:\u00a0 THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.\u00a0 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him:\u00a0 \u201cAren’t you the Christ?\u00a0 Save yourself and us!\u201d\u00a0 But the other criminal rebuked him.\u00a0 \u201cDon’t you fear God,\u201d he said, \u201csince you are under the same sentence?\u00a0 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.\u00a0 But this man has done nothing wrong.\u201d\u00a0 Then he said, \u201cJesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.\u201d\u00a0 Jesus answered him, \u201cI tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 (NIV1984)<\/p>\n Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n As we gather together here in God\u2019s house today we are here for a very special reason.\u00a0 We are here today to celebrate Christ the King Sunday.\u00a0 Now I will admit to you that next to Christmas and Easter today is one of my favorite Sundays in the church year.\u00a0 I love the music.\u00a0 I love the Scripture readings.\u00a0 I love being reminded that Christ is our King!\u00a0 And while it may seem somewhat out of place to be looking at a portion of Scripture that we normally associate with Good Friday, I love looking at the truth that this sermon text places before our eyes.<\/p>\n Today as we conclude our sermon series entitled As Disciples of Jesus\u2026 <\/em><\/strong>let\u2019s see how this portion of Scripture leads us to remember that:\u00a0 As Disciples of Jesus\u2014 We Bow Before Our King!<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 We bow before our King in humility.\u00a0 We bow before our King in thankfulness.<\/p>\n I invite you to take out your bulletins and look at the opening portion of our text, verses thirty-five through thirty-nine.\u00a0 As you glance through these verses how much humility do you see on the part of the people?\u00a0 I don\u2019t see any.\u00a0 The rulers of God\u2019s people \u201csneered\u201d<\/em> at Jesus\u2014 \u201cHe saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The Roman soldiers \u201cmocked\u201d<\/em> Jesus\u2014 \u201cIf you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The sign above Jesus\u2019 head seems like a taunt\u2014 \u201cTHIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Even one of the criminals who were crucified alongside of Jesus \u201churled insults at him:\u00a0 \u2018Aren\u2019t you the Christ?\u00a0 Save yourself and us!\u2019\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 No, my friends, I don\u2019t see any humility here whatsoever. \u00a0Even more importantly on this Christ the King Sunday, I don\u2019t see anyone who would be willing to bow before Jesus.<\/p>\n Then why?\u00a0 Why are we as disciples of Jesus more than willing to bow before Him\u2014 in humility?\u00a0 That\u2019s actually a very easy question, isn\u2019t it!\u00a0 Our text highlights two glorious answers.\u00a0 First of all, as disciples of Jesus we bow before Him in humility because we know who He is<\/strong>!\u00a0 By the grace of God we know that Jesus is <\/strong>\u201cthe Christ of God, the Chosen One.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 We know that Jesus is<\/strong> the long-awaited \u201cMessiah\u201d <\/em>whom God promised <\/strong>to send into this world.\u00a0 We know that Jesus is <\/strong>the One who was \u201cchosen\u201d<\/em> by His heavenly Father to be this world\u2019s only <\/strong>Savior from sin.<\/em>\u00a0 By the grace of God we also know that Jesus is <\/strong>\u201cthe King.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Not only is He \u201cthe King of the Jews,\u201d<\/em> but He is also \u201cthe King of the Gentiles\u201d<\/em> as well!\u00a0 In fact, by the grace of God we know that Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.\u00a0 And so yes, my friends, because we know who Jesus is<\/strong> we willingly bow before Him in humility.<\/p>\n Secondly, as disciples of Jesus we willingly bow before Him in humility because by the grace of God we know exactly why<\/strong> Jesus allowed Himself to be nailed to the cross on Calvary\u2019s hill.\u00a0 The rulers of the people may have \u201csneered\u201d<\/em> at Jesus\u2014 \u201cHe saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The Roman soldiers may have mocked Jesus saying, \u201cIf you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>One of the criminals may have tried to insult Jesus with the words, \u201cAren\u2019t you the Christ?\u00a0 Save yourself and us!\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>But as disciples of Jesus we see in these words precisely what Jesus, the Son of God, came into this world to accomplish.\u00a0 Our King was willing to suffer in our place in order to pay the debt of our<\/strong> sins.\u00a0 Our King was willing to die in our<\/strong> place so that we<\/strong> could be set free from the power of sin, death and the devil.\u00a0 Our King was willing to endure the fiercest pangs of hell itself as our Substitute so that we<\/strong> could be saved from eternal condemnation.<\/p>\n As we lift up our eyes to this cross on this Christ the King Sunday, we do indeed bow before our King in humility because we know what<\/strong> He has done for <\/strong>us and why <\/strong>He had to do this for <\/strong>us.\u00a0 As we confessed here in God\u2019s house earlier this morning, we are by nature sinful.\u00a0 We have disobeyed God Almighty in our thoughts, words and actions.\u00a0 We have done what is evil and failed to do what is good.\u00a0 We deserve God\u2019s punishment both now and in eternity.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let those be just words that you speak here in God\u2019s house, my friends.\u00a0 Fill in the details as they apply to you.\u00a0 How have you<\/strong> disobeyed God in your <\/strong>thoughts, in your<\/strong> words and in your<\/strong> actions?\u00a0 What have you <\/strong>done that God condemns as evil?\u00a0 What have you <\/strong>failed to do\u2014 or flat out refused to do\u2014 even though God has commanded you<\/strong> to do it?<\/p>\n Once you have taken the time to honestly answer those questions in your own heart and in your own mind, once you recognize how much you deserve God\u2019s punishment both now and in eternity then <\/strong>lift up your eyes to this cross on this Christ the King Sunday and remember.\u00a0 Remember how your King loves you so much that He was willing to suffer and die to completely pay for all of your sins and for all of your rebellious ways.\u00a0 That\u2019s why, my friends.\u00a0 That\u2019s why as disciples of Jesus we bow before our King\u2014 in humility.\u00a0 We know who He is<\/strong>.\u00a0 We know what He has done for <\/strong>us and why!<\/strong><\/p>\n Now look at the second portion of our text, verses forty through forty-three.\u00a0 Luke writes, \u201cBut the other criminal rebuked him.\u00a0 \u2018Don\u2019t you fear God,\u2019 he said, \u2018since you are under the same sentence?\u00a0 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.\u00a0 But this man has done nothing wrong.\u2019\u00a0 Then he said, \u2018Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.\u2019\u00a0 Jesus answered him, \u2018I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n When we know that the One who died on this cross is our King and when we know that our King was willing to suffer and die for us purely because of His amazing love for us\u2014 well, my friends, then bowing before our King in thankfulness is a natural part of our lives as disciples of Jesus.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because He and He alone (Pointing to the cross) has the power, the right, the authority to promise to us exactly what He promised to the thief on the cross so many years ago\u2014 when our life here on this earth comes to an end we will\u00a0 live with our King in the perfect paradise of God forever!<\/p>\n The promise of living forever in heaven purely by grace through faith in what our King has done for us is by far the most glorious gift we could ever possibly be given\u2014 especially in comparison to what we experience and what we endure as Christians here in this sinful world.\u00a0 Now don\u2019t get me wrong.\u00a0 In many many ways this is a truly beautiful world, a world with many natural wonders to enjoy, a world with many reasons for us to bow in thankfulness to our King.<\/p>\n But then there is the dark underbelly of crime and catastrophe, terrorism and tragedy, danger, disease and death.\u00a0 You can be walking down the sidewalk in the middle of the day minding your own business when suddenly a complete stranger knocks you unconscious\u2014 simply because they are playing a \u201cgame.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s called \u201cThe Knockout Game.\u201d\u00a0 You can be contently living your life, enjoying your family, your friends, your work, your hobbies when out of nowhere a stroke or a spot on an x-ray completely changes your life.\u00a0 You can turn on the news on any given day and hear story after story of \u201cprotestors,\u201d suicide bombers, mass shootings and thousands upon thousands of people being displaced or killed by war.\u00a0 Add to all of that all the ridicule and all the rejection that you encounter as you strive to faithfully and boldly stand up for the Truth as God Himself has revealed it to us right here in His holy Word.\u00a0 Yes, my friends, as beautiful and as wonderful and as enjoyable as this world is, it is has a dark underbelly that could easily overwhelm us with fear\u2014 if <\/strong>it weren\u2019t for the promise that Christ our King has given to us!<\/p>\n The \u201cParadise\u201d<\/em> that Christ our King has promised <\/strong>to give to us\u2014 absolutely free of charge! \u2014 will be completely void of all crime and all pain and all disease, even death!\u00a0 The \u201cParadise\u201d<\/em> that Christ our King has promised <\/strong>to give to us\u2014 absolutely free of charge! \u2014 is filled to overflowing with joy and happiness, glory and perfection.\u00a0 The \u201cParadise\u201d<\/em> that Christ our King has promised <\/strong>to give to us\u2014 absolutely free of charge! \u2014 leads us to look above and beyond both the pains and the pleasures of this life to the glory and the grandeur of the life that our King has waiting for us.\u00a0 The \u201cParadise\u201d<\/em> that Christ our King has promised <\/strong>to give to us\u2014 absolutely free of charge! \u2014 leads us to daily bow before our King in thankfulness.<\/p>\n I just love Christ the King Sunday!\u00a0 I love the music!\u00a0 I love the Scripture readings!\u00a0 And most especially I love being reminded and reassured that He (Pointing to the cross) is our King!\u00a0 May God grant that as disciples of Jesus you and I will always bow before our King\u2014 bow before Him in humility, bow before Him in thankfulness.<\/p>\n To God be the glory!<\/p>\n Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Christ the King Sunday November 20, 2016 Luke 23:35-43 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him.\u00a0 They said, \u201cHe saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.\u201d\u00a0 The soldiers also came up and mocked him.\u00a0 They offered him wine vinegar and said, \u201cIf you are the king of 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