Sunday's Message: Jesus Is King

In this message, we used Colossians 1:11-20 to focus on what it means to say Christ is king. The sermon text and recording are below.

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Now, y’all may not know this, but today is pretty important, at least around the church. And I say that for two reasons. I mean, first, this is the last Sunday in the church year. You see, according to the church calendar, today really marks the beginning of the end, because next Sunday, we’ll be kicking off a new year with the first Sunday in Advent. But let me be clear, just because Saturday will be the official end of the church year, that doesn’t mean you can tear down the decorations, take back the presents and put the turkey back in the freezer. No, we’ve still got forty-one days before the ball drops, which includes Thanksgiving and Christmas and of course, Black Friday. But according to the church calendar, we’re heading into the last week of the year, and that’s one reason today is important.

And second, again according to the calendar used in the Christian church, today is Christ the King Sunday. You see, before moving into Advent and all the stuff leading up to his birth, on the last Sunday of every year, traditionally Christians have focused on his kingship. In other words, we intentionally think about what it means to say that Jesus is king. And even though I’m not what most Presbyterians would call a traditional kind of guy, that’s going to be our focus this morning. 

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s a pretty good thing to do, regardless of the traditions, because I’ve got to tell you, I’m not sure that most Christians really understand either the nature of Jesus’s kingship or the significance of calling him a king. Now don’t get me wrong, most believers have no problem saying it, you know, saying that Jesus is king. The problem comes up when we start thinking about what it means. And since for most of us, our image of a king comes from history books, fairy tales and nursery rhymes, I think it’s really easy for us to get the wrong idea of Christ as king. I mean, instead of the indulged and arbitrary monarchs we’ve run across in the past, men that people either feared or tried to overthrow, the kingship of Jesus Christ is special, unlike anything we can find in our world. 

And for that reason, we’re going to spend some time this morning talking about what it means to say that Jesus is king. And to do that, we’re going to take a passage from Paul’s letter to the Colossians, one that dealt with how “God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son...” [Colossians 1:13, CEV], something we’re going to read in just a little bit. And we’re going to use this scripture to consider the kingship of Christ. And I’ll tell you, when we do, I think we’re going to find that, as king, Jesus did and does three things that are crucially important for each and every person here this morning. Now that’s the plan.

And I’ll tell you, it starts with a passage that Paul wrote to the Christians who were in the Colossian church, men and women he’d already described when he said this:

Each time we pray for you, we thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have heard of your faith in Christ and of your love for all God's people, because what you hope for is kept safe for you in heaven. You first heard about this hope when you believed the true message, which is the good news. [Colossians 1:3-5, CEV] 

You see, it was to these faithful and hope-filled believers, Paul wrote,

His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy.

I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light. God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, who forgives our sins and sets us free.

Christ is exactly like God,

    who cannot be seen.

He is the first-born Son,

    superior to all creation.

Everything was created by him,

everything in heaven

    and on earth,

everything seen and unseen,

including all forces

    and powers,

and all rulers

    and authorities.

All things were created

    by God's Son,

and everything was made

    for him.

God's Son was before all else,

and by him everything

    is held together.

He is the head of his body,

    which is the church.

He is the very beginning,

the first to be raised

    from death,

so that he would be

    above all others.

God himself was pleased

    to live fully in his Son.

And God was pleased

    for him to make peace

by sacrificing his blood

    on the cross,

so that all beings in heaven

    and on earth

would be brought back to God. [Colossians 1:11-20, CEV]

Now that’s what he wrote.

And I’ll tell you, based on what he said, I think we can say three things about the kingship of Christ, each of which can affect us in a different way. For example, first, according to Paul, as king, Jesus is the creator. In other words, he was the origin of all things, including some of the stuff that people often assume we’ve done for ourselves. And I think that’s exactly what Paul was getting at when he wrote,

Christ is exactly like God,

    who cannot be seen.

He is the first-born Son,

    superior to all creation.

Everything was created by him,

everything in heaven

    and on earth,

everything seen and unseen,

including all forces

    and powers,

and all rulers

    and authorities.

All things were created

    by God's Son,

and everything was made

    for him. [Colossians 1:15-16, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul said, which, when you think about it, isn’t all that different from what the Evangelist John wrote right at the beginning of his gospel:

In the beginning was the one

    who is called the Word.

The Word was with God

    and was truly God.

From the very beginning

    the Word was with God.

And with this Word,

    God created all things.

Nothing was made

    without the Word.

Everything that was created

received its life from him,

and his life gave light

    to everyone. [John 1:1-4, CEV]

You see, as king, Jesus is the creator.

And you know, I think that’s something important for us to remember, and I’ll tell you why. It’s sort of like we talked about last week; sometimes human beings can become a little too big for our britches. And the more important we think we are, the bigger we get. In other words, whether we’re talking about stuff that’s global or things far more personal, we seem to assume that it’s really about us, that we’re sort of the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, and that, if we don’t do it, man, it won’t be done. And without suggesting that God wants us to sit around and do nothing, we are not the creator. We never were and we never will be. As a matter of fact, the best we can do is to manipulate what Christ has already made. That’s who we are. And I think we need to remember that whenever our egos kind of get the best of us and we start seeing ourselves as God’s gift to God or when we feel overwhelmed by responsibilities that are above and beyond our pay scales. You see, at those times, I think we need to remember that Jesus is the creator. And that’s the first way he’s a king.

And second, again according to Paul, he’s also the sustainer, and I’m talking about the one who upholds together everything that he’s made. In other words, as king, not only did he create all that is, he maintains his creation. And, in my opinion, that’s exactly what Paul had in mind when he wrote this:

God's Son was before all else,

and by him everything

    is held together.

He is the head of his body,

    which is the church.

He is the very beginning,

the first to be raised

    from death,

so that he would be

    above all others. [Colossians 1:17-18, CEV]

You see, for Paul, Jesus holds everything together, something we also see right at the begin of the letter to the Hebrews:

Long ago in many ways and at many times God's prophets spoke his message to our ancestors. But now at last, God sent his Son to bring his message to us. God created the universe by his Son, and everything will someday belong to the Son. God's Son has all the brightness of God's own glory and is like him in every way. By his own mighty word, he holds the universe together. [Hebrews 1:1-3a, CEV]

Jesus sustains his creation.

And I think that’s pretty good news for us, and I say that for two reasons. I mean, on one hand, when our lives have become chaotic and confused and it seems as though everything is coming apart at the seams, it’s really nice to know that someone far wiser and more capable has his hand on the throttle. You see, we might actually find some comfort knowing that the chaos will never win. On the other hand, though, I think it also offers us a challenge. You see, according to Paul, one of the ways Jesus maintains his creation is through the church, you know, through us. And even though that doesn’t mean that it’s all up to us to keep things together, I believe it does challenge us to come together as a body, a community and together, to do the stuff God has called and equipped us to do. And so, along with feeling comfort, we can also find a challenge, because Jesus is the sustainer, and for me, that’s the second way he functions as a king.

And third, along with creating and sustaining, as king, Jesus is also the redeemer. In other words, through him we have peace with God, but more than that, we also have the possibility of entering a genuine relationship with the one who loved us before the light first shone in the darkness and who will love us after time itself has lost its meaning. Jesus is our redeeming king. And I believe that was Paul’s point when he wrote,

God himself was pleased

    to live fully in his Son.

And God was pleased

    for him to make peace

by sacrificing his blood

    on the cross,

so that all beings in heaven

    and on earth

would be brought back to God. [Colossians 1:19-20, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul said, something that I believe Peter also understood when he wrote this in his first letter:

You were rescued from the useless way of life you learned from your ancestors. But you know you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don't last forever. You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb. [1 Peter 1:18-19, CEV]

You see, Jesus is most definitely the redeemer.

And I’ll tell you, because of that, man, we’ve been set free. You see, we’ve been set free from all those rules and laws that we’ve been told will make us right with God, and I’m talking about all those words we have to say and all those promises we have to make and all those works we have to do which will make us acceptable to God. From all that, we’ve been set free, because not only did the blood of Christ wash away our sins, it wiped out the whole idea that redemption was something we have to earn and deserve. But that’s only half of it, because we’ve also been set free simply to trust, to trust that Father’s love has always been present and to trust that, through Christ, this love was shown and to trust that, in spite of our weakness, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes so that we can see and our minds so that we can understand and our hearts so that we can feel the grace and mercy that God freely gives. You see, we are now free, because Christ is our redeemer, and that’s the third way he acts as our king.

And that’s something I think we need to remember as we move past this Sunday and enter a new year. I mean, as we’re cooking the turkey and buying the presents and putting out the decorations, let’s keep in mind that we’re doing it because Christ is the creator and the sustainer and the redeemer. In other words, as we enter the season of Advent and focus on the child whose birth we’ll be celebrating in thirty-five days, let’s remember that we’re looking at someone who’s far more than just an infant, because Jesus is king.