Christ the King Sunday

November 26, 2000 - Malden First Church of the Nazarene, Massachusetts

Scripture Lesson

Revelation 1:4-18; (also Psalms 93, 97, 99, verses 1 for each . . .)

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Vision of the Son of Man

9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."

12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

The Psalmist boldly declares, again and again, "The LORD reigns!" The LORD is SOVEREIGN. Sovereign: supreme in rank, in power, in authority! The LORD is KING!

We live in a democracy, or republic, where there is no sovereign as such. We (rightly) respect the flag of our country, and give it the respect due to an earthly power, which power the flag represents. We love our country, and we respect the office of president, but we have no sovereign.

We probably get our ideas of kings and queens from watching what is left of the kings of the earth on TV. We enjoy the parades in England when their queen makes public appearances. It is hard for us to understand the feeling British people have for their royals, even while they may criticize them. There is a residue of respect and even reverence. (When Princess Diana was killed I recall the personal grief of one of my dear friends, Brian Farmer, who mourned as if a family member had died.)

Maybe there is something in us that enjoys seeing even an earthly sovereign, especially if we don't worry about losing our heads by his command. To realize 'This person leads a nation!' is exciting. ( I saw President Truman in 1948 in Akron, Ohio. I was prepared to scoff and hiss. Instead I stood and cheered!) (I saw the Queen Mum from three feet away in St Paul's Cathedral in London. I may be a softy, but I was thrilled to the core!) But no sovereign in the civilized world today has the power of life and death arbitrarily held over his or her subjects.

(Still) When we read "The LORD is sovereign! The LORD reigns!" we just do not get the depths of what that means!

I. THE LORD IS SOVEREIGN; THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE TRUTH!

We may not understand HOW or WHEN, but the Bible makes it clear and plain that when time as we know it shall cease, and we stand before the Great White Throne, we shall be able to see that all through the ages God IS in charge!

Revelation 11:15 looks into the future and hears the angels singing: "The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" And in Philippians 2, in the passage where Paul tells about how Jesus came and poured out his very life for us, he goes on to say, "Wherefore God has exalted Him, and given him a name above every name, THAT AT THE NAME OF JESUS EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL CONFESS THAT JESUS IS LORD, TO THE GLORY OF GOD!"

We may not understand why bad things happen to good people, or good things happen to bad, but the fact remains that God is SOVEREIGN.

God IS! God is GOOD. And God is KEEPING SCORE! You can take that to the bank!

II. WE RESPOND TO THIS SOVEREIGN LORD!

God has made us in such a way that sooner or later we come up against the fact of God. It may not be as dramatic as a burning bush in the desert, like Moses. It might be in a church on a Sunday morning. It might be on a Saturday night in the jangle of a party somewhere. But sooner or later God says, "What are you going to do about ME?"

The Psalmist looked at God's sovereignty in several ways. I summarize them (over-simplify, perhaps) using the opening verse of three Psalms, 93, 97, and 99. Look at them briefly with me:(93:1)The LORD reigns, he is clothed with MAJESTY! (97:1) The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice! MERCY! (99:1) The LORD reigns, let the earth tremble! JUSTICE!

1. (93)The LORD reigns, he is clothed with MAJESTY!

   We have heard a great deal about the mercy and unconditional LOVE of God. That is the message we LIKE to hear, and it is true. BUT WE DO NOT HEAR A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE MAJESTY OF GOD. We could learn more about what it means to worship in AWE and WONDER.

   Did you ever notice in the Old Testament how the word "Lord" is written? Sometimes it is capital-L small-o small-r small-d. And many times it is capital-L and then smaller capital-O capital-R capital-D. In that spelling could be a lesson in reverence for the awesome majesty of God. Do you know WHY LORD is spelled that way? [Explain YHWH , I AM THAT I AM, the name given to Moses; and how it was so revered it became the unspeakable name. It was written, YHWH, but at the same time it was pronounced Elohim, or Lord, because the Jewish people so very high reverenced the name of God.] We could think of that more often, and not take the name of God lightly. He is MAJESTIC.

2. (97) The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice! MERCY!

   But at the very same time, without diminishing the majesty of God for one moment, the Psalmist says, OUR GOD REIGNS, AND WE CAN REJOICE! This great God who fills the earth and sky with his majesty is OUR SHEPHERD! He cares for us! He has chosen us as his very own people! We are HIS people, and the sheep of HIS pasture! Enter into His gates with Thanksgiving! Enter His courts with PRAISE! Rejoice, God know you and still loves you!

3. (99) The LORD reigns, let the earth tremble! JUSTICE!

   But this love is nothing to PRESUME upon, or take for granted. Our God is HOLY! Every book will be balanced! The judge of all he earth will bring the living and the dead all together before the Great White Throne, and there WILL BE A JUDGMENT DAY!

If our sins have been sent on before, washed in the blood of the Lamb, we will rejoice! But it will still be a solemn time! Let the earth tremble! Our God is HOLY!

III. JESUS IS LORD!

How will YOU respond to the wonderful fact that God is sovereign? To KNOW that as a Christian is more than just acknowledging it as a fact to be believed in the head. It is a TRUTH to be embraced with all our being. Look at that statement with me, in closing: I will ask you three questions. The answer to each one of the questions is the same: Jesus is Lord! But the emphasis is different for each question. Answer from your heart, if you will ambrace God's sovereignty.

1. Question ONE: WHO is Lord?

   Answer: JESUS is Lord! Not Jesus AND . . . Just JESUS!

2. Question TWO: WHAT is Jesus?

   Answer: Jesus is LORD! Not just your Advisor, or Savior- but LORD!

3. Question THREE: WHEN is Jesus Lord?

   Careful, now. This can be, should be– MUST be person for you and me! We believe Jesus WAS Lord when the sun, moon, and stars were created. We believe Jesus WILL be Lord when time has ended. We may even believe Jesus cares and answers prayer for us now. But to say He is SOVEREIGN! To mean that He can order our lives– tell us what to do and be– that is personal! To say Jesus IS MY Lord! That is a powerful, wonderful thing! Let me repeat the question for YOU–

WHEN is Jesus Lord?

Answer: 'Jesus IS LORD!

Bow your heads and affirm your statement of faith with me in prayer:

Lord God, Father of Light and Love and Holiness, we thank you that you loved this world so much you sent your only begotten Son to us that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Thank You for sending Jesus. We trust that he died for our sins. And from our hearts– from MY heart- we say "Jesus IS MY Lord!"

We do not yet see all things under His control. We do not know what the future may hold. But we do believe You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

#271 - Jesus Shall Reign