Sunday
11/25/18 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “My kingdom is not from this world”
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 132:1-12
New Testament
Scripture: Revelation 1:4b-8
Gospel Lesson:
John 18:33-37
Friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, welcome again on this
our Christ the King Sunday, and on this our United Methodist Student Sunday.
Today we celebrate Christ our King, and we also have a special giving
opportunity this Sunday. This special giving opportunities goes to help
Methodist students get college education and training. Financial gifts made on
this Sunday will help enable people of faith to serve in many fields and
capacities. You have giving envelopes in your bulletins, and feel free to put
those in the collection plate during our collection this morning.
This is also Christ the King Sunday, which is always the
Sunday right before the beginning of Advent. That’s right, next Sunday is the
beginning of Advent, and it is also the start of the calendar for the church’s
year, as the church’s calendar begins each year with Advent. This is why I
would love it if any of you could help us decorate the church this Saturday
December 1st at 10:00 am. Feel free to bring a snack to share!
So Christ the King Sunday, what is it, and why do we
celebrate it today? Well according to one source that I have studied this is
what it says about Christ the King Sunday:
“The Solemnity of
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, commonly referred to as
the Feast of
Christ the King, is a relatively recent addition to the Western liturgical calendar, having been instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI for
the Roman Catholic
Church. In 1970 its Roman Catholic observance
was moved to the final Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Therefore, the earliest date on which it can occur is 20 November and the
latest is 26 November. Traditional
Catholics observe it on its
original date, the last Sunday of October. The Anglican, Lutheran,
and many other Protestant churches adopted it along with the Revised Common
Lectionary, occasionally referring to
it as Christ the King Sunday.
It is also observed on the same computed date as the final Sunday of the
ecclesiastical year, the Sunday before the First Sunday of Advent, by Western
rite parishes of the Russian
Orthodox Church Outside Russia. Roman
Catholics adhering to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite as permitted under the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum use the General
Roman Calendar of 1960, and as such
continue to observe the Solemnity on its original date of the final Sunday of
October. In 2018, it is celebrated on 25 November” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_Christ_the_King).
So today, along with celebrating United Methodist Student
Sunday, we have, as I said, Christ the King Sunday. So what does it mean to be
a king? We have heard the term “being the king of the castle,” but what is a
king? Some would say a king is ruler, someone who is in charge, or maybe the
leader of a country. Some countries today still have kings and queens. Some of
these kings and queens have significant power, and some do not. For example,
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom or England, is the head of state, not
the head of the government in that country. Queen Elizabeth II is more of a
figure head and does have complete power over the country. She is also the head
of the Church of England or Anglican Church to, by the way.
Many of us can think of different kings and queens
throughout history, and how their reigns were good or bad. We also have other
kings like the Burger King. I would assume that the Burger King’s kingdom
includes all Burger King Restaurants. We have never been told, to my knowledge,
the name of the Burger King, such as Edward or John. We just know the Burger
King is in fact the Burger King. The Burger King therefore rules over all
Burger Kings. McDonalds on the other hand has Ronald McDonald. So is it better
to have a King or a McDonald?
In general though, kings and queens are kings and queens of
something. The bible tells us that Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of
Lords. In fact, as we all know, today is Christ the King Sunday. So what exactly
is Jesus the king of? Some might say, “Well Pastor Paul, Jesus is the king of
my heart”. I would agree with that statement, as Jesus is also the king of my
heart. Above Jesus’ cross when he was crucified in fact, it referred to Jesus
with the letters in Latin “INRI” or “Jesus, King of the Jews” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus,_King_of_the_Jews).
Putting this on the cross was of course ordered by the Roman Governor of Judea Pontius
Pilate.
Now once again the source that I cited for this our Christ
the King Sunday says of Jesus that this Sunday is in honor of:
“The Solemnity of
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe” (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+18%3A33-37&version=NRSV).
So Jesus is our Lord, and according this source is the
“King of the Universe,” along with being the King of the Jews. Well I don’t
work for NASA, but I do know that universe is massive, and that our earth is but
a dot in the midst of the whole universe. So Jesus is the king of all of that
then? I thought that God the Father our creator created the Universe and
everything in it? If this is true, then how can Jesus Christ be “King of the
Universe”? Well in John’s gospel, John speaks of the “Word” or Jesus as the one
who “took on flesh and dwelt among us”. Specifically, is says in John 1:14:
“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have
seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace
and truth” (Jn 1:14, NRSV).
So Jesus Christ our King
of Kings and our Lord of Lords was God in the flesh on earth, as I just read
from the gospel of John. Or as Rev. Max Lucado titled in the first week of our Advent
Study “Because of Bethlehem,” “God has a face”.
I give you all of this information to
get you think about what a king is, what a queen is. Jesus is called a king, and
above his head on his cross it once again says “Jesus, King of
the Jews”. So where is Jesus’ kingdom? I mean
when Jesus was alive, King Herod was king of Israel or Judea, and Israel of
Judea lived under the occupation of the Roman Empire. As a colony of the Roman
Empire, the Roman Emperor appointed Governor Pontius Pilate to oversee Israel
or Judea. So if King Herod is king of Israel of Judea, and if Governor Pontius
Pilate oversees King Herod and Israel or Judea for the Roman Empire, then were
is Jesus’ Kingdom? Throughout the gospels Jesus tells many people about his
kingdom. Jesus tells many of people that his kingdom has come near. Well, we
have a king and Roman governor where Jesus lived, so where is his kingdom?
We have one answer this morning from
our gospel of John reading. In this reading, we enter the day of Jesus’ trial
and crucifixion. We enter the scene where Roman Governor Pontius Pilate invites
Jesus into his headquarters to question him. Pontius Pilate is confused, for if
Jesus is a king, then where is his kingdom. This is when many are telling
Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus for claiming that he is a king and savior of
the world. Once again, the gospel says:
“Then Pilate entered the
headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of
the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you
about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief
priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My
kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my
followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But
as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?”
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I
came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth
listens to my voice”
(Jn. 18:33-37, NRSV).
It appears
that we may have an answer as to where Jesus’ kingdom is. According to what
Jesus Christ our King of Kings and Lord of Lords said to Governor Pontius
Pilate in this morning’s gospel reading:
“My kingdom is not from this world.
If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me
from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
(Jn. 18:36, NRSV).
So Jesus’
kingdom is eternal and is not of this world. I would argue that we are building
God’s Kingdom here on earth, as we await the fullness of the Kingdom of God.
This means that until we die our earthly deaths or until the Lord Jesus
returns, we are called to build a world that Jesus taught us to build, until we
enter the eternal and the heavenly kingdom.
Every king,
every queen that I ever studied, has had some sort of power on earth, a country
to rule, or something. Even the Burger King is in charge of a bunch or
restaurants, but Jesus said this morning:
“My kingdom is not from this world.
If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me
from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
(Jn. 18:36, NRSV).
It would seem that Pontius Pilate
might not have understood what Jesus said, or what he meant. Remember Pontius
Pilate was Roman Governor under the Roman Emperor. The Roman Emperor ruled over
many kings like King Herod of Israel or Judea. So Jesus is greater than all of
these? Jesus is greater than the Roman Emperor himself? Yes, this is what the
claim is. Well how can this be? Sure Jesus’ kingdom is eternal and is massive,
but how can he be greater even than even the Roman Emperor?
The answer for this is that the
scripture tells us, Jesus tells us, that he was the fullness of God on this
earth. Jesus said if you have seen me, you have seen the father. Jesus said
that everything that he taught was from God the Father and was of divine
origin. Jesus according the scriptures was sinless, and died on a cross for the
sins of humanity. Jesus then rose from the dead on Easter three days later.
Jesus then ascended to God the Father’s right hand in heaven, and he said that
he will return to earth one day in glory. So why is Jesus the King of Kings and
the Lord of Lords? Why was and is Jesus greater than any ruler, great than us?
Jesus is greater, because Jesus was
the fullness of God and fullness of man who was among us here on earth, who
lived a sinless and perfect life. Jesus wept, struggled, and experienced what
we experience. Jesus was the only one qualified to be an all-encompassing Lord
and Savior. Jesus, the God man, God in the flesh, who walked among us, who knew
no sin, died for us, to free us from our sin. Since Jesus was fully God yet
fully man, and was sinless, he was the only one who could pay the price for us.
Jesus Christ the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords died for you, for me, and
all of humanity, so that we might be reconciled with God and live with him in
eternity forever.
You see we cannot free ourselves from
sin and from our sinful natures. As a result of this, we needed something done
for us so that we could be reconciled to God. Jesus came, lived, taught, loved,
healed, forgave, and gave his life on a cross for us, so that we may live.
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there is something about that name. Kings
and Kingdoms are temporary, but Jesus and his kingdom are eternal.
Great kingdoms of the earth have risen
and have fallen, but the eternal and heavenly kingdom of Jesus Christ is
forever. He truly then is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This is what
we celebrate on this our Christ the King Sunday, that Jesus is the king of our
hearts and also the king of the universe.
In tough moments in my own life were I
have struggled, where I have felt that I wasn’t good enough, I would sometimes
call my mom for advice. I remember so many times my mother telling me, “never
forget Paul that you are a child of the king, and you will inherit the greatest
kingdom of all”. Jesus taught us to pray and said, “Thy kingdom come” and
taught us to do God’s will “on earth as it is in heaven”. Friends we are building
God’s kingdom here on earth, until Christ returns or we go to be with him.
Beyond Jesus Christ being the Lord of
life and the King of the Universe, we are invited by him to have a personal and
a spiritual relationship with him. This means that everything that we have ever
done, all the shame, all the guilt, and all the regret that we have, can be
forgiven by Jesus. If we turn to him, if we invite him into our hearts he will
forgive us if we ask him to. We can invite him to not only be the Lord of life,
but the Lord of our hearts and our souls. We can invite Jesus to not only be
the Lord of the Universe, but the Lord of every part of our lives. Friends, my
life has been transformed by my relationship with Jesus, and he invites all of
us into deeper relationship with him on this our Christ the King Sunday. Amen.
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