End Times: Heaven s Coronation Day The Vine Series John 15:5

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1 End Times: Heaven s Coronation Day The Vine Series John 15:5 SCRIPTURE Romans 14:10-12 (NIV) 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister [a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God s judgment seat. 11 It is written: As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God. [b] 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Subject Question: What three Eternal Qualities does the Apostle Paul teach us concerning Jesus that qualify Him to be the ultimate King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Compliment answer: Jesus is a Just Judge, Jesus is a Righteous Ruler, Jesus is an Admiring Advocate. Big Idea: The three eternal qualities that the Apostle Paul teaches us concerning Jesus that qualifies Him to be the ultimate King of Kings and Lord of Lords are: Jesus is a Just Judge, Jesus is a Righteous Ruler, and Jesus is an Admiring Advocate. Homiletical Idea: A Suitable King Purpose: I want the congregation to consider, and more, to take to heart, Paul s teaching concerning Jesus role as their King and Lord. Introduction: John 19: Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, Do not write The King of the Jews, but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews. 22 Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written. What was it that had convinced Pilate that this obscure, Jewish rabbi was indeed a King. Obviously nothing in this his appearance made him appear King-Like. Nothing in what he said, really. Still, there was something Like myriads of us who down the centuries who have come to know Jesus of Nazareth, Pilate had been given the true grace of God to perceive and know for certain, that as inexplicable that it seemed, this man, this rabbi, this Jesus truly was and is the Son of God and more, a King not of

2 this world. Paul understood as well. And in these three verses from his letter to the Romans, he teaches us as modern day believers and followers of Christ, the O so divine characteristics and qualities that make this King, this Jesus, not only a Glorious Sovereign, but a wondrous and wonderful Friend. Ground work: 10 Characteristics of Christ 1) Compassionate: Jesus never looked away from people; He always looked upon them and had compassion (Matthew 9:36). Whenever people were around him, Jesus understood what their real needs were and sought to address them. For some, physical healing was necessary, for others the root issue was spiritual. In all cases though, Jesus took the time to actually notice that people were hurting and His compassion drove Him to help them. 2) Servant: Without a doubt, Jesus was the ultimate servant. Although He was praised as a great teacher and even had a decent following, He made sure to teach them to be servants by actually doing it himself. In Mark 10:45, Jesus even tells everyone: the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve Despite having the authority to get anything He wanted, have people praise and pamper him, He did the exact opposite by lowering himself and serving others. 3) Loving: Obviously, Jesus had a love for others. If He didn t, He wouldn t be compassionate nor a servant. Jesus claimed that there is no greater love than to die for one of your friends and He did just that. If anyone doubts His love, all they have to do is look upon the cross and see the agony that He bore for their sakes. He experienced that horrible death so that all can be saved. That, very clearly, is true love at its finest. 4) Forgiving: One of the most startling things said in Scripture is found in Luke 23:34, when Jesus is on the cross and proclaims: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Even while bleeding and experiencing pain, Jesus had His heart set on forgiveness even forgiving those who put Him there in the first place! This is definitely contrary to the everyday mantra of looking out for number one and obtaining personal justice. Jesus was by no means concerned for His own life; all He wanted was to provide a way for forgiveness 5) Committed: Jesus had no lack of commitment whatsoever. Wherever He was, or whoever He was with, He was fully in the moment and fully committed to His goals. Despite praying fervently in the garden of Gethsemane to avoid having to bear the cross and all that physical torture, He knew it was the only way to pay for everyone s sins, so He stayed completely committed to His goal. There were certainly many obstacles during His ministry, but He stayed on track and finished strong. 6) Prayerful: No matter how busy His ministry got, He found time to be alone and pray. Whether it is in the garden of Gethsemane, across a river, or on a mountaintop, Jesus disappeared for a while in order to pray to the Lord. People always tried to find Him, and He never turned them away, but He also made sure to make time spent with His Heavenly Father a priority.

3 7) Gentleness: There were certainly times where Jesus used stern words, but He knew when gentleness was appropriate. Children seemed to love coming to him, and He made sure the disciples knew not to hinder them when they did so. When speaking with His disciples, mother, or other ladies, He could be very kindhearted and gentle. But, when He was giving someone a rebuke or making a point in an argument, He knew when turning up the heat was necessary and only did so strategically. 8) Patience: Throughout the gospels, Jesus clearly gets portrayed as a very patient man. After all, He was surrounded by disciples who constantly doubted him, Pharisees and Sadducees who continually attacked Him, and large crowds who wouldn t leave Him alone. Despite all of that, He kept His composure and responded appropriately to every individual 9) Self-Control: Before His ministry was launched, Jesus spent time being tempted by the Devil in the wilderness. Although He was offered food, power, and many other things, Jesus controlled His desires and submitted them all to the will of the Father. Yes, He had desires for food and such, but He had a greater desire to obey the Lord and accomplish what He set out to do. 10) Humble: Jesus had every opportunity and right to demand praise and accolades for His miracles and teachings, but He never did! Even when the crowds sought to make Him king, He rushed away from their grasp. He did not want to become a sideshow performance that people could enjoy. Rather, He wanted to seek and save the lost and offer forgiveness for sinful people. Yes, He could have traveled around in order to show off His powers in other towns, but He chose not to. Final Thoughts: The world doesn t need more role models; it needs more of Jesus the ultimate role model. People will not find a better person to emulate positive character traits from than Jesus Christ himself. Guest Post By Michael Krauszer (Christ the Crucified, Christ the Qualified, Christ the Glorified) A. Jesus is a Just Judge (Vs.10) 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister [a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God s judgment seat (Literal Translation: 10 And thou, why dost thou judge thy brother? or again, thou, why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand at the tribunal of the Christ;) B. (Tribunal)Judgment Seat of Christ? In this passage Paul is not talking about the Great White Throne judgement where the books are opened and every person (unbelievers) will stand before God. Here Paul is addressing the issue of rewards or lack thereof for the Believer. You and me, every believer in each generation will give an account for his or her life on this earth. Its not one of judgement in the strictest sense. But one that considers rewards. Let me explain: Within the church today there exists considerable confusion and debate regarding the exact nature of the examination at the judgment seat of Christ. The expression the judgment

4 seat of Christ in the English Bible has tended to cause some to draw the wrong conclusion about the nature and purpose of this evaluation. A common misconception which arises from this English translation is that God will mete out a just retribution for sins in the believer s life, and some measure of retributive punishment for sins will result.1 As it will be shown below, though it is tremendously serious with eternal ramifications, the judgment seat of Christ is not a place and time when the Lord will mete out punishment for sins committed by the child of God. Rather, it is a place where rewards will be given or lost depending on how one has used his or her life for the Lord. In 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, the Apostle Paul drew courage and was motivated by the fact of rewards at the return of the Lord for the church which he mentions in every chapter in this epistle and becomes the primary subject of 2 Thessalonians. The Lord s return and what this means not only to the world but to us individually is a very prominent subject of the New Testament. It is significant that among the final words of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, we find these words of the Lord: Rev. 22:12 Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. While salvation is a gift, there are rewards given for faithfulness in the Christian life and loss of rewards for unfaithfulness. Rewards become one of the great motives of the Christian s life or should. But we need to understand the nature of these rewards to understand the nature of the motivation. Some people are troubled by the doctrine of rewards because this seems to suggest merit instead of grace, and because, it is pointed out, we should only serve the Lord out of love and for God s glory. Of course we should serve the Lord out of love and for God s glory, and understanding the nature of rewards will help us do that. But the fact still remains that the Bible promises us rewards. God gives us salvation. It is a gift through faith, but He rewards us for good works. God graciously supplies the means by which we may serve Him. Indeed, He works in us both to will and to do as we volitionally appropriate His grace (Phil. 2:12-13), but the decision to serve, and the diligence employed in doing so, are our responsibility and our contribution and God sees this as rewardable C. What I find so very encouraging is the fact that in Jesus heart, lies a desire to go beyond just salvation and eternal life (Itself is grace upon grace and mercy upon mercy!). He s a frosting on the cake kind of King. He s a cup overfloweth kind of magistrate! As a Christian you and I can be assured that every time we did anything for the Lord, He noticed and noted. I don t know all of what these rewards entail but there are a few listed in the scriptures: 1. The incorruptible crown: 1 Cor. 9:24,25. This crown is given to believers who faithfully run the race, who crucify every selfish desire in the flesh and point men to Jesus. 2. The crown of rejoicing: 1 Thess. 2:19, 20. & Dan 12:3 To those who faithfully are witnesses to the saving grace of God and leads souls to Jesus.

5 3. The crown of life: James 1:12. For those believers who endure trials, tribulations, and severe suffering, even unto death Rev. 2: The crown of righteousness: 2 Tim. 4:8. To those who love the appearing of Christ, who anxiously wait and look forward to the day when He will return for His saints. 5. The crown of glory: 1 Pet. 5:1~4. This is the pastor s crown and will be given to the ministers who faithfully feed the flock of God. D. I think we all know that Christ is going to be just in his treatment of you and me. But there is a sobering reality and challenge that we must accept and that is, He WILL Be just in his treatment. There will come a day when we no longer will have the opportunity to serve him in this life. We no longer will be able to say we don t have the time no thanks, been there and done that, I m too busy, I ve got too many other obligations, I don t like this or that so I am just going to wait till we get a new preacher or new music director, or He is a loving judge, He is a giving judge, but don t fool yourself, he is a just judge. (Christ the Crucified, Christ the Qualified, Christ the Glorified) A. Jesus is a Righteous Ruler (Vs.11) 11 It is written: As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God. This verse plays off of the preceding one concerning the absolute just or fair nature of Christ. Every knee shall bow; every Christian knee in loyalty and love will bow. Every non-christian knee in submission and sorrow will bow. B. But the real question is, if Paul is talking in these verses in general, to Believers why bring it up? Maybe it s more of an appeal than a statement. Maybe Paul is pleading not only for God but with God: For Christ s sake get off the fence in your commitment to the Lord. He died for you. why aren t you living for Him? C. Come let us reason together, I have sought you, I have bought you, I have loved you and I have drawn you, I have converted you but but we really haven t got to know each other. D. I think the appeal goes something like this: Come, lean upon my breast, hear my heartbeat. Let me hold you while you talk to me. Talk to me: Tell me what you did today like a child who sits in his daddy lap just before bedtime. Tell me your plans before you start your day. Ask me come along with you. Walk with me. Let me show you the world through my eyes. Sit with me. Learn from me. See if you don t begin to see me for

6 who I really am a righteous, holy, true, good, faithful, patient, and truly loving Savior who laid down his life so that you could become my friend, my confidant, my joy, my child. Get off the fence.not for my sake, but for yours! (Christ the Crucified, Christ the Qualified, Christ the Glorified) A. Jesus is an Admiring Advocate. (Vs.12) 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. (Literal translation: 12 so, then, each of us concerning himself shall give reckoning to God). Notice the subtle shift now from verse 10, judgment seat of Christ, to here, before God. And he says the same thing, we will give an account of our lives. B. It sounds almost redundant. The only thing that has changed is who we are standing before? Where did Christ go? I can only assume one place: Christ is no longer sitting on His throne, but standing beside you and me before the Father. There is an interesting verse in Revelation 10 that states: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. C. I think Christ is sick and tired of Satan s accusations. And now as our Admiring Advocate He is just itching to finally say to this accuser: Shut up. Leave them alone. And Get out of here! D. Paul s contention is simple. Jesus is such a Just Judge, such a Righteous Ruler and such and Admiring Advocate, that He truly is with of a coronation; worthy to be considered: Christ the Crucified, Christ the Qualified, Christ the Glorified