Dr. Hugh Hamilton Trinity Presbyterian Church Pensacola, FL November 26, 2017 Christ the King/The Reign of Christ

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1 Dr. Hugh Hamilton Trinity Presbyterian Church Pensacola, FL November 26, 2017 Christ the King/The Reign of Christ CHRIST THE KING Luke 23:32-43 Colossians 1:11-20 What is Christ the King SUNDAY? Today is the last Sunday in the Christian year calendar, Cycle A. Next Sunday, the First Sunday in Advent, begins a Cycle B, the new calendar in the church year, and we will prepare to receive again the newborn king at Christmas. then, in the following months, we move through his life, death and resurrection on Easter, then to his ascension to be with the Father, then the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the birth of the church; then we move through the Pentecost season focusing on discipleship and our growth in the holy Spirit and service in God s kingdom on earth. We will then come full circle to Christ the King Sunday in a fitting climax as we celebrate him exalted at the right hand of the Father, who has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption! It s not easy to see the Kingdom of God in this world with injustice and suffering still prevalent in our day. Sin and violence still have their way much of the time; oppression and prejudice still thrive. Greed and avarice continue. Our social conditions reveal how much we still need Jesus to be Lord of our lives and still need to yield our lives to his rule, his authority, his ways. Humbling ourselves to God is a tough choice Being faithful to God and his kingdom ways is difficult. Being devoted to God means doing things we do not want to do, but know we need to do in order to make human life better. And we are slow to grasp how much God loves us and wants to help us. Darwin Awards: Are you familiar with those stories behind the annual Darwin Awards celebrating the dumbest criminals? For example: A guy robbed a liquor store and as the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of scotch behind the counter on a shelf. He told the cashier to put it in the bag as well, but the cashier refused, and said, I don t believe you re over 21. The robber insisted he was, but the clerk still was not convinced and refused to the Scotch it to him. At this point the robber took out his wallet and showed his driver s license. The clerk looked it over, agreed that the man was over 21, and put the bottle in the bag. The robber then ran from the store with his loot. The cashier promptly called the police and gave the robber s name and address which he got off the driver s license and the police went to the man s house and arrested him! Not the brightest bulb in the box! (Donaghy, as cited in Duncan, 1) Of course, some criminals are smarter than others. Jesus hung on a cross between two thieves. One of the thieves mocked Jesus, Aren t you the Christ? Save yourself and us! But the other thief grasped what was happening, who Jesus was. He rebuked the other criminal. Don t you fear God, he said, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. Then he turned to Jesus

2 Christ the King, p2 and said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. What a remarkable statement of faith! The thief on the cross didn t try to mask his guilt. I appreciate his honesty. Many people never admit that they have done wrong, so they never ask God s forgiveness and feel God s love in their hearts. The repentant thief recognized that Jesus could save him. How did he know that? Had he seen Jesus perform miracles, was he in the crowd when Jesus multiplied the fishes and loaves? Had he seen Jesus make lepers clean, or raise Lazarus from the dead? How did he know that Jesus had a kingdom? Had he heard him teach about the kingdom sometime? Maybe his mother was a sensitive soul and she told him that one day the Messiah would come, and he believed her and when he met Jesus, something about the Master convinced him this was he who was to come. Maybe it was a teacher in a synagogue. Maybe it was a friend who had heard Jesus teach. Whatever it was, while suffering on the cross this thief knew he was in the presence of the Savior. And suddenly the Christ became his Savior. The thief asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom, and Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. To first century Jews paradise was a place where the righteous gathered after death. This thief on the cross would be admitted to paradise because Christ s death had made him righteous. A man whose crimes have brought him to a place of public execution, now shares paradise with Jesus! To Jesus, mercy is not just about letting us off, it s about making us righteous, deserving of the kingdom of heaven! His Kingship is not about armies or might or coercion - it is about drawing us into a new way of being - a Kingdom of love: divine, holy, purifying, transforming, love! We celebrate Christ as our KING because he reveals to us that God s very nature is love. Christ s teaching, preaching, and miracles, and his character and his relationship with us, reveal God s nature. The Old Testament reveals God s might, his power, his majesty, his holiness and righteousness, his judgment, his wrath, his faithfulness, his patient, his persistence, just SOME of God s attributes. But Jesus taught us to call God, Abba, Daddy. As far as I know, there is no record in Hebrew writings of anyone using Abba to address God before Jesus did. Jesus wants us to know God as he did; to know God as a loving Father. If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. Jesus reveals that God s very nature is love; his kingdom is characterized first and foremost by love. William Barclay tells of a little girl, who, when she was confronted by some of the more bloodthirsty and savage part of the Old Testament, felt compelled to offer some explanation in defense of God. She said, That happened before God became a Christian! (Barclay, 16) We celebrate Christ as our KING because he reveals to us God s very nature. We also celebrate Christ the King because in his death on the cross Jesus made it possible for us to have new life in him. He died so that we may live. Paul exhorts the Colossians and us to "be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that we may have great endurance and patience" and then Paul reminds us that God has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved

3 Christ the King, p3 Son, in whom we have redemption! Through Christ, our sins have been wiped out and made of no account and we are brought into the God s Kingdom. The Kingship of Jesus was wrought by the nobility of his birth at Christmas and by his sacrifice on the cross and by his victory in the Resurrection. Christ our King did not stay up in heaven where it was safe. King Jesus came down here to this earth to be with us, to be in our places of greatest pain. Mothers and fathers understand the need to be with your children when they are in pain or sorrow or loss. Christ our King says to you and to me and to all God s children, I love you. I am with you. I will strengthen you, I will be with you in the midst of your pain, and I will deliver you. Today you will be with me in paradise. Christian author Bruce Larson tells about an exercise he used in helping people surrender their lives to Christ. When counseling people in New York City who were struggling with their faith. Larson would suggest they walk with him from his office down to the RCA Building on Fifth Avenue. In the entrance of that building is a gigantic statue of Atlas. He describes this portrayal of Atlas as a beautifully proportioned man who, with all his muscles straining, is holding the world upon his shoulders. There he is, Larson would say to a friend who was struggling, the most powerfully built man in the world, and he can barely stand up under this burden. Now that s one way to live, he would point out to his companion, trying to carry the world on your shoulders. But now come across the street with me. Larson would then walk them across Fifth Avenue to Saint Patrick s Cathedral. There behind the high altar of that great cathedral is a little shrine of the boy Jesus, perhaps eight or nine years old, and with no effort he is holding the world in one hand. In Larson s mind his point was illustrated graphically. We have a choice, he would say. We can carry the world on our shoulders, or we can say, I give up, Lord; here s my life. I give you my world, the whole world. (Larson) That s the choice you and I make everyday--to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders or to yield that burden to our Lord who sits at the right hand of God, who is able to carry our burdens, who loves us, and is willing to help us. WHO AND WHAT IS KING JESUS? I paraphrase Rev. Dale Martin: He is the king of the Jews - that s a racial king. He is the king of Israel - that s a national king. He is the king of righteousness. He is the king of the ages. He is the king of heaven. He is the king of glory. He is the king of kings, and He is lord of lords. He s God s Son. He s the sinner s savior. He s the centerpiece of civilization, the greatest human being the world has ever known. He is the loftiest ideal of literature, the highest personality of philosophy. He is the miracle of the ages.

4 Christ the King, p4 He sympathizes and He saves. He strengthens and sustains. He guards and he guides. He heals the sick and raises the dead. He forgives the sinner. He delivers the captive. He serves the poor and defends the feeble. He blesses the young, regards the aged, and rewards the diligent. He is the king of knowledge. He is the well-spring of wisdom. He is the doorway to deliverance. He is the pathway to peace. He is the roadway to righteousness. He is the highway to holiness. He is the gateway to glory. His promises are sure. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteousness. His yoke is easy, His burden is light. Colossians says Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the Head of the Church and the first born of the dead He is before all things and in him al things hold together! In him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell And through Him God was pleased reconcile the world to himself. (Col 1:15-19) He is indescribable, incomprehensible, invincible, and irresistible! In the words of an old country preacher "The Pharisees couldn t stand Him, but neither could they stop Him. Pilate couldn t find fault in Him, Herod couldn t kill Him, death couldn t handle Him, and the grave couldn t hold Him! That, my friends, is my King! My Lord and Savior! YOUR King, YOUR Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! "And thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever and ever and ever. King of kings and Lord of lords! Amen!

5 Christ the King, p5 Sources Barclay, William. The Daily Study Bible Series: John, Vol 1. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1977, 16. Cited by Thomas Lane Butts, Donaghy, Eugene M. Duncan, King. We ve Got a Friend in High Places. Dynamic Preaching, November 26, Hamilton, Hugh. The Reign of Christ. Trinity Presbyterian Church-Pensacola, FL. November 21, Larson, Bruce. Believe and Belong. Power Books, Martin, Dale. Christ the King. sermon-onlordship-of-christ asp \ Christ the King.doc