How could you summarize the work of Christ? John Calvin said he fulfilled three offices: prophet, priest, and king. He spoke forth the Word of God as a prophet, he mediated between God and humans as a priest, and he rules us as a king. Today, is “Christ the King Sunday” and we will examine what it means for Jesus to be king.
Rev. 1:4b-8 “He makes us a kingdom of priests” 11-26-06
John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before is throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead. And the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood and has made us to be kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father to him be glory and power for ever and ever, Amen. Look he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him even those who pierced him and all people on earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be, Amen. I am the Alpha and Omega says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Rev. 1:4-8 TNIV)
“King for a Day!” have you ever heard that? Maybe around your birthday, or the day you got married. Jesus is king not just for a day, but for eternity- forever and ever. Today is Christ the King Day. It is the last Sunday of the Christian year (next Sunday advent begins). It is kind of stuck between Thanksgiving and Advent.
When the American Revolutionary War occurred, many had read Calvin, but they also read a Scotchman named Samuel Rutherford. One of Rutherford’s watchwords in Scotland that got him arrested, but endeared him to Americans was the saying, “We have no king but Jesus.” There are many governors, or rulers, but only on permanent ruler- Jesus Christ. This tempered the idea that the king was like a mini-or demi-God. It is not that the Bushes are our kings or the Clintons. Rather, Jesus Christ is our true king, and we are called to be subjects in his kingdom. Presbyterians do not have priests. But we recognize that we are all priests- I Peter 2:9 says, “You are a holy nation, a royal priesthood.
I. A KING CALLS US TO BE A PEOPLE-
A king rallies a people around him, and a people rally around a king.
He describes his subjects, how we are to live. He says, we are made us to be a kingdom of priests. Not a kingdom of subject with little or nothing to do. But priests who hold God in one hand and humans in the other and try to bring them together. Priests pray for the people to God. Priests who make sacrifices to point to that one great sacrifice on the cross.
A. SUBDUES US TO HIMSELF- God calls us to humble ourselves before him as his servants- that is what we are created to be, called to be, destined to be- one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. As our passage says, when he comes again every eye will see him and mourn because of him whom they have pierced. In our culture, discipline is not elevated highly. Rather individualism is elevated to the primary spot of values. Individualism can quickly deteriorate into the idea that we are king, and we need no one to tell us what to do, no one to correct us, no one to guide us or help us on our way. The scriptures say that we are naturally rebellious. Our sinful nature inspires us to rebel against authority, to rebel against submission to God, to lift up pride instead of humbling ourselves before Him.
B. GIVES US LAWS TO GOVERN US- One of the things that make a people united is a common recognition of law. There is an effort about to incorporate Ballentine as a town. To incorporate you agree to make your own laws, and
Constitution: We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
II. HE IS OUR KINGLY HIGH PRIEST- He makes us to be a kingdom of priests, but then he teaches us to be priests. He teaches us by his words and by his example, especially on the cross.
A. HE RULES US AS A HIGH PRIEST AMONG PRIESTS- He is the king of priests. While you and I are called to bring the good news to others, to pray for others, to stand between God and human beings, He is the ultimate fulfillment of that. The old Bridge illutration is true. God is on one side, we are on the other. A great chasm or gap separates us from God. God is perfect and we are not. God is holy and we are not. God is great and God is good and our greatness and goodness do not begin to compare to his greatness and goodness. We fall short. While we try to reach God by being good, or going to church, or doing religious things, we cannot get there on our own. We need someone to stand between us and God. Jesus Christ came down to earth to be that great high priest who is between God and us. He holds the Father’s hand and he holds our hand and brings us together. He is reaching out his hand to you. Take it! Don’t rationalize this away. Don’t halfway stick out your hand- but take it! Jesus bridges the gap, but you and are called to point the way to the bridge. In that sense, we are little bridges to the big bridge. When you are going down highway 17 in Mount Pleasant toward Charleston, you cross a number of bridges, but they all point in one direction- to the majestic and terrific Cooper River Bridge. Our Great High priest, Jesus Christ urges us who believe to point towards him.
B. HE FREES US FROM OUR ENEMIES- A good government protects us from our enemies. A good government would protect us from those outside our country who want to hurt us, and those inside our country who want to hurt us. I believe we are very much aware of that these days. Jesus also protects us in similar ways.
1. From Sin inside us- Jesus protects us from the sin within us. In many ways we are our own worst enemies, and if we live long enough we are aware of this. Our pride, our selfishness, our rudeness, our moral failures can destroy ourselves. Jesus gives us power in three ways. 1) He makes us better people. 2) He enables us to forgive ourselves. 3) He gives us hope so we don’t give up.
2.Evil outside us. He is our defender, our great Protector from evil hurt and harm. That doesn’t mean that everything will go right. In fact, it will not in this life.
Jesus protects us from social evils and spiritual evils outside of us that are much more powerful than any individual. There are some who say that vitamin E protects us without and protects us within. It makes our skin strong and makes our organs work. There is a spray that my eye doctor, Dr Branch, put on my eye glasses that protects my glasses but also protects my eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays. Jesus is our kingly high priest who loves us and holds up his hand against evil from without and guards and guides us around evil from within.
C. HE REWARDS US- A good government provides for its people, things like roads, infrastructure- water, criminal protection. God rewards us in this life with hope, purpose, joy, grace, strength, courage, faithfulness, love, and the list goes on. He is called in scripture in and of Himself “Our Very Great Reward. “
D. HE SUPPORTS US IN TEMPTATION AND SUFFERINGS- A good government takes care of those who are hurting the most- the poor, the homeless, the sick, the people with special needs. Jesus, as our priestly king. He loves us and He helps us. He helps us to face temptation with grace and strength. When you have no strength of your own, cry out to Him. When you are lonely and you feel your world is crashing down around you, cry out to Him. He is there.
E. HE CHASTISES US- Molding us. People don’t think too much about God’s disciplining us as a part of His grace, but that is true. Yesterday I made John clean out the gutters. It would have been easier for me to clean them out myself. I was already dressed and able to do it. But John hadn’t cleaned them out, and it not only helps the household to run well for him to take part, it also is good for him. He did a good job and he didn’t complain. But sometimes I think we want God to just do everything for us, while we sit and watch TV. A caring God will get us to exercise ourselves for our own strength.
IV. WHAT DO WE OWE OUR KING?
A. HUMILITY- Humble ourselves before Him- Blessed are the poor in spirit for they will inherit the kingdom of heaven.
B. PERSEVERANCE- Acts 4;22- We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.
C. REPENTANCE- Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.
D. NEW BIRTH- “No one can see the kingdom of God without being born again.”Jn. 3:3
To be a citizen of America have to be born here, or you can, in effect be born again.
When you become a citizen you enter into a new relationship with new loyalties and new privileges. I think we can learn of our allegiance to God by hearing what those say who are joining the United States as citizens:
“I hereby declare on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen. I will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.” We are called by our constitution to be loyal, to join our nation you swear allegiance. It is not much different in joining the church. We must be born again- change our relationship, citizenship, loyalty.