Jeremiah 23:1-6, Psalm 46

Christ the King Sunday, 2022 | Nov 20, 2022 |  Jeremiah 23:1-6, Psalm 46, Colossians 1:11-20, Luke 23:33-43 | Evan McClanahan |

First Lutheran, Houston

Well, have you heard of the recent election? Yes, it was quite controversial, but we can now declare a winner. By the skin of his nose, Jesus was elected “King of the World.” It was a lot of work collecting ballots from all over the universe, but we got them in time and we are pretty sure that this was a safe and fair process. And having tabulated every ballot, Jesus has once again been named King.

It was a closer than expected election, however! Jesus’ main rival, Lucifer (also known as “Satan,” “The Devil,” or “The Adversary,”) likes to position himself as King of the world. And many people fall for his lies. It is often believed that he has stolen the mantle from Christ, and this is evidenced by all of the evil in the world. “Jesus can’t possibly be king because, if he was, the world would surely be a better place.” But, no, Christ remains King and it seems that Lucifer only has some power so that God’s glory can be more fully and wonderfully revealed at a later time.

Of course, there is only one problem with that fantasy, the fantasy that we can choose who our king is: Kings are not elected. They are kings by divine right. They have an absolute claim that they can make that no one can deny. They are the end of the line when it comes to authority. And God must, by definition, be the final authority, the final arbiter or all truth and justice. And as His Son, Jesus shares this reign with the Father. Hence, Christ is King. Not because we say so or have voted him in. Because that is His nature.

And this is not a throwaway title. Kings are all over the Bible. Israel famously wants a King because they know that with a monarch, really good things can happen. A wise, just, and good king can be a tremendous blessing.

But the prophet Samuel warns them that there is another side to that coin: cruel, vicious, and weak kings can be a curse to his people. And while Israel did win some victories and enjoy some power and peace during the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon, many more evil kings were empowered to murder, worship false gods, and invite God’s wrath.

In Jesus’ day, Israel still hoped for a king. A king, or a savior, or a messiah, would help them in their current mess: being an occupied people in their own land at the hands of idolatrous pagans. A king could bring the people of Israel together, lead an army, and bring back the good ol’ days of David, when Israel was a force to be reckoned with and there was prosperity in the land.

Jesus gives many indications that that is the kind of king he will be. He attracts a crowd and has a following. He performs miracles. He is certainly familiar with the scriptures and teaches on them with amazement. In so many ways, he fits the bill. There is only one problem: Jesus’ mission is not to be the king of one nation; but the king of all nations. In fact, that is not even His mission; it is just His reality.

And as king of all the nations, he does more for those nations than 1,000 David’s ever could. He has lived a perfect life and he dies a perfect death, a sacrificial death that appeases the wrath of God, that vanquishes God’s righteous judgement upon all sinners. And for trusting in Christ’s perfection, he offers salvation. For simply letting him save you, you can be saved. You can’t earn it. You can’t buy it. You can’t work for it. You don’t need a secret password and it isn’t invitation or members-only. You and every human alive can be saved by the king by simply letting Him be the King. Agree with Him that He is King and you are not, let him die for you, and you will be saved.

His accusers were right in this sense: if Jesus’ mission was anything other than saving the souls of the world, then perhaps he could have gotten off of that cross. He had shown that miracles were within his power. But this King would have to die. And die he did.

So don’t make the same mistake as the scoffers: Jesus’ death on the cross does not make him any less a king. For this kingdom isn’t up to a vote. Or to put it bluntly and in a way that is expressed too infrequently in the church today, Jesus is not asking to be the king or lord of your life. He is telling you that He is the King of the world. He is the king of every person and nation on earth, and if there are any little green guys living on Mars or some other distant planet, he is their king, too.

This is what we have stopped insisting on in so many ways in the Church, and it is what we must reclaim with clarity. Some examples. While it may seem a bit obscure, there are different ideas about how to best defend the Christian faith, what we call apologetics. Without spending the next hour dissecting that, I’ll only say that one “side” believes presenting the unbelieving world with evidences for God is the best approach while the other insists that God can be known and has spoken with clarity in His Word. One side appeals to objective evidences and the other appeals to God’s own revelation. I am in the latter camp.

When we defend our Christian faith to the world, we should presuppose God’s existence and Kingship. Asking unbelievers to give God a test drive actually dishonors God and it treats Him more like a criminal in the King’s court than the King Himself. But the vast majority of Christians will say that Christ is King, or at least their King, but then bring God down to the level of the unbeliever, as if God has some explaining to do. No, the King has the right to demand of us. But so long as we compromise this reality, we should expect the world to view God as optional.

Speaking of, we reject the kingship of Christ when we blatantly disregard his teaching. In so many ways, Jesus could not have been more clear. Or because Jesus did not address a particular issue, it is assumed that He had no feelings on the topic. If there is a church celebrating Christ the King Sunday today, or if any church claims that Christ is King, but goes on to argue with Christ himself, they have no idea who they are dealing with.

If Christ is King, he gets the last say. To contradict Christ is to take your life into your hands. And yet, as theologically liberal congregations continue to peddle false teachings, that is exactly what they are doing. They are leading souls away from Christ by doubting the authority of his Kingship in the first place.

But it isn’t just others who reject Christ as King. It is us, too. Christ must reign supreme as king in our hearts. When we are tempted to sin, or when we live in overtly worldly ways, when we prioritize everything else over the Kingdom of God again and again, we should be convicted. We should see that we have not recognized Christ as King, but are trying to live on our own terms, by our own standards, as though we have the sovereign right to do so. If that is you, if that is me, we must repent, and trust in the true King instead.

And in case we have forgotten, who is this king? This king goes to the cross of his own power and will, he dies for the sins of the world. He suffers in silence and prays for his enemies. He forgives us of our grievous wrongs, having taken the penalty we deserve.

So, again, Jesus isn’t coming to you, knocking on the door of your heart, and asking you to allow Him to be your king. Christ is King: that is a proclamation to the world as a matter of fact. Will we acknowledge that reality? Can we let him be our king? I hope so. Because he is the best king you could ever hope for. Amen.