Last
Sunday in the END TIMES
Rev. Norman F. Seeger
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created:
things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers
or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him
all things hold together. 18 And
he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn
from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his
fullness dwell in him, 20 and
through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or
things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Colossians 1:13-20
"KING JESUS…"
1. Rescues Us Sinners
2. Rules Over Us
Saints
Dear faithful followers of Jesus
the Christ,
900 years
before Jesus is born, prophet Nathan promises King David, “I will raise up your offspring
to succeed you;...I will establish his kingdom... forever."[2 SAM
17] Prophet Jeremiah promises "a
righteous Branch" will sprout from David's family tree,
"a King who will reign wisely & do what is just & right....Judah
will be saved & Israel will be safe...a king who will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness."[JER
23]
Announcing the
imminent fulfillment of God's gospel promises, angel Gabriel assures virgin
Mary, "Do not be afraid...You will give birth to a son; you are to give
him the name Jesus...God will give him the throne of his father David & he
will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."[LK
1] A short lifetime later, Jesus rides
into Jerusalem Palm Sunday as crowds shout:
"Hosanna to the Son of David!... Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord!...Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father
David!...Hosanna in the highest!"[MT 21 / MK 11] The following Friday, questioning this man
Jewish leaders brought to be crucified, Pontius Pilate asks Jesus, "Are
you a king?" Jesus
responds: "You are right in saying I
am a king," but "My kingdom is not of this world...my
kingdom is from another place."[JN 18]
Looking
past the end of time -- in heaven in John's revelation -- we see "the
Lamb who was slain...standing in the center of the throne" as
thousands upon thousands of angels & saints circling his throne sing "Worthy
is the Lamb who was slain to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor,
glory & praise!"[REV 5]
Looking into heaven, we see a crucified but risen; ascended Lamb who overcame
every earthly authority & spiritual beast "because he is Lord of lords
& King of kings."[REV 17]
We see a faithful, true & just Judge whose blood-dipped robe is
labeled: "King of kings & Lord of
lords."[REV 19]
"Jesus,
are you a king?" we ask with Pilate.
As Jesus answers, “Yes,” explaining, "My kingdom is not of this
world;" announcing, "Everyone on the side of truth listens
to me," our critical question becomes not, “Is Jesus a King?” but,
"Is Jesus the Christ my King?"
Living in a democracy in America, we may not be acquainted with a king's
accomplishments nor be familiar with a king's expectations, but I pray the Holy
Spirit instructs our hearts & moves our faithful lips to clearly confess
with Paul, “Jesus is Christ our King!...a King who rescues us sinners!...a King
who rules over us saints!"
Rescuing
& ruling would divide & define a king's duties as the ultimate military
& civil leader of his people.
Leading their army into battle to protect his people from other
countries & then laying down laws his officers enforce to protect people
from other citizens sufficiently summarizes a good king's daily agenda whether
we talk about a temporal earthly king like David, Solomon, Josiah or talk about
an eternal spiritual king like King Jesus the Christ.
Is King Jesus
our Rescuer? Is Jesus my Savior? Paul reports the results of one all-important
war: "God rescued us from the
dominion of darkness & brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in
whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Analyzing a
war waged between light & darkness, we discard
In a battle
of ultimate antagonists (God & the devil), flash back to young shepherd
David defeating the giant Goliath. While
his older brothers & other fearful Israelite soldiers safely sit back in
their tents on the hilltop, David walks down into the valley to face a
powerful, fear-provoking Philistine warrior named Goliath. Instead of leading helpless human beings into
battle against the forces of evil, Jesus let us sit back & watch from a
distance as he stepped forward to face Satan all by himself. In the wilderness for forty days after his
baptism, facing trick questions from all types of opponents during his public
ministry, confronted by every imaginable temptation, in
Just as
David defeated Goliath, just as a young, apparently powerless shepherd downed
an armor-covered warrior with one divinely guided stone from his shepherd's
sling, so definitively Jesus defeated the devil. Looking on the outside like any other weak
human being, Jesus refused to fall for any one of Satan's toughest temptations
because he is the Son of God as well as the Son of Man. Refusing to sin under any circumstance before
rising from death the third day, Jesus overpowers every evil. Providing perfection for every soul through
his holy life, Jesus also pays every sin's deadly price as he sacrifices his
innocent life to acquire forgiveness -- full & free forgiveness -- for
every disciple who can simply sit back & joyfully watch our King Jesus
rescuing us from Satan, redeeming us from our sin, removing us from hell.
Once
crowned with thorns by mocking Roman soldiers but now crowned with glory after
ascending to his heavenly throne, is Jesus the Christ, is Jesus our King? I pray the works of our lives with the words
of our lips constantly confess, "Yes, Jesus is my King -- my Savior who
rescued my sinful soul from Satan's evil forces -- my Lord who rules my life by
using his Word of truth to shape my attitudes & mold my actions to mimic
Jesus’ words & works."
Am I "on
the side of truth?" Am I
listening? Do I follow King Jesus as the
Lord of my life? “Why would I ever
listen to anyone else?” I might ask as we compare young shepherd David who
simply follows God's directions to older king David who lets personal desires
lead him into adultery & murder. Faithfully
applying God's promises to his life's actions, young shepherd David protects
his sheep from lions & bears, defeats Goliath & is praised by people after
being anointed king by prophet Samuel. Listening
later to his own desires & sinfully following his earthly feelings, older
king David suffers as his infant son dies, as son Absalom rebels, as his
children fight each other for control of his kingdom.
“Why would
I ever listen to anyone other than our Lord Jesus?” I might ask as we compare
apostle Paul's later life with his earlier days as persecutor Saul. Faithfully preaching Jesus' saving truth, the
apostle Paul is opposed, imprisoned, stoned, shipwrecked & finally executed
as the Lord leads him home to heaven.
Earlier in life, while arresting & killing Jesus' followers, the
persecutor Saul was influential, powerful, famous & feared..but heading for
hell. Do I want to live with Jesus or would
I prefer to die with the devil?
In
eternity, will I want to celebrate with our conquering King Jesus or would I prefer
to suffer with Satan's defeated demons?
Our eternal preferences ought to easily translate into present obedience
for disciples who follow Jesus, our Ruler-King who "is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn over all creation...the Creator of all things in
heaven & on earth, visible & invisible." Whom will I trust to lead me through
life? Whose promises will I believe,
whose instructions will I apply? Are
there really any options? No! Could I possibly pledge allegiance to more
than one king? Not really, for, Paul
points out, "Thrones, powers, rulers, authorities were all created by Christ
& for Christ ...in Jesus all things hold together."
Would I
ever follow anything other than King Jesus’ commands as I live my life in this
world? "Jesus is the head of the
body, the church," Paul notes, reminding us God's Son not only made
us human beings in the first place but also reclaimed us saints by redeeming
our sins.
Recalling
& returning to his work as our Redeemer – our Rescuer -- I pray we realize
Jesus is our rightful Ruler as we head toward heaven. "Jesus is the beginning; ...Jesus is
the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have supremacy,"
Paul points out emphatically. "For
God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, & through him to
reconcile to himself all things...things on earth or things in heaven, by
making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Producing God's peace, Jesus rescued
us sinners by waging & winning our war against Satan. Leading us to already live at peace with God, Jesus
would rule over us saints in time & for eternity. What can I say or do other than to
thankfully, faithfully confess: Jesus is
my King! King Jesus is my Rescuer…my
Ruler! Jesus is my Savior… Jesus is my
Lord!
Amen.