The King We Need
Luke 19:41-44
©Copyright April 5, 2009 by Rev.
When two people stand before family and friends to declare their love and commitment, their expectation often does not fit reality. They envision a life where everything is always happy. They imagine that every time they walk through the door of their house their spouse will be more excited to see them than their dog. They believe marriage is like dating, just a whole lot better. These people will be disillusioned.
The reality is that marriage is filled with struggles to communicate, implied expectations, and a battle for your part of the bed. However, the reality is actually better than the dream. For the reality leads us to love deeply. It teaches us to look beyond the surface things and see the treasure that is within our spouse. Marriage, when two people work at it, is deep and it is wonderful.
I share this because I want to draw an analogy with the
Triumphal entry of Jesus into
It was Passover time in
In recognition of this event the Israelites had a yearly
feast to remind them of God’s provision on their behalf. It was during this
feast that Jesus decided to come to
Understand, Jesus at this point in His ministry was quite a
celebrity. It is likely that it was just days earlier that he had brought
Lazarus back from the dead. Lazarus lived in one of the suburbs of
“Blessed is the
king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest!”
When told to silence the crowd Jesus refused. He said if the people were silent the rocks would cry out. He looked like a Messiah. He sounded like the Messiah. The people were correct in identifying Jesus as the one for which they had been longing. Unfortunately, their expectations did not meet with reality.
What We Want from a King
The people of
The Jewish people were looking for a Messiah who would:
These people were looking for an earthly king. Perhaps they
thought Jesus would march right to the
The arrest and trial of Jesus were all in secrecy (in the middle of the night and early in the morning). Most of the people didn’t even know what was happening until the verdict had already been rendered. However, those who did know turned on Jesus. He was not what they expected, so they rejected him as a loser and a fraud.
Many people today are still disappointed with Jesus. They want a charismatic leader who will make them “believe in themselves again.” They want someone to tell them they are doing great and that there is nothing to worry about. They want someone who will indulge their desires and erase all their problems. They want a fairy godmother rather than a Savior.
People reject the idea of one who would have to give His life as a payment for sin. They don’t like talk of a Savior because they don’t believe they need a Savior. They want someone to be their cheerleader not someone who will call them to follow Him.
The King We Need
The people of
seated him at his right hand in the heavenly
realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and
every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one
to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed
him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body,
the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:20-23)
Someday “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”.
Our Lord Jesus can certainly guide a country, defeat military foes and overcome financial mismanagement. However, even though these things occupy top spots in network news stories, they are not the greatest needs of our lives.
Jesus is the One who has the authority to
grant forgiveness and new life. When Jesus was on the cross one of the
thieves recognized and acknowledged that Jesus was someone who had the power of
forgiveness and new life. He called out to Jesus and said, “Remember me”. Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in
paradise.”
Four friends brought their crippled friend to Jesus. When Jesus looked
at the man he said, “Your sins are forgiven”. The leaders standing around Jesus
were aghast. They believed Jesus was blaspheming. They said, “Who can forgive
sins but God alone?” Jesus, knowing what they were thinking, verified his
authority by telling the man to take up his mat and go home.” The crippled man
got up, took his mat and walked out (for he was crippled no longer) (Mark
2:5-11; Luke 5:19ff)
What a powerful and instructive passage. A Doctor can help you with
physical problems but no amount of money or position of influence can grant us
forgiveness for our sin. Only Jesus can make us right with God. Only Jesus can
give you that new beginning you long for. Only Jesus can set you free from the
stain of your past and overcome the cancer of regret and shame. Only Jesus can
heal us from the deepest wounds in our lives.
It has been observed by many that the majority of people could be
released from mental institutions if they could only believe they had been
forgiven. We all have those things in our lives we wish we could undo. It may
be
Jesus is the only One who can bring the forgiveness and deep healing
that we need. He is the only One who can pay for our sin. He is the only one
with the power to free us from the grasp of the Devil.
Jesus is the only One who can replace the
hate of our lives with love. He is the only One who can help us see past the
superficial things so we can see the treasure He created in those around us.
Jesus is the one who makes it possible for the Amish community of Nickel Mines,
Jesus is the only one who can give us
strength for the most difficult times of life. The government can give us money but only
God can give us strength. Paul learned that when he was weakest (and had to put
his trust in Christ), he was actually stronger than at any other time. Jesus
told us, “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, for I have
overcome the world.” (John 16:33). Paul said he had learned that the Lord would
supply all his needs.
Jesus is the one who alone can “grant us
rest”. He is the one who can finally bring peace to our restless hearts. Many
people spend their lives trying to “find themselves”. The problem is they don’t
know where to look. Jesus knows us. He has loved us since the beginning of the
world. He can help us be what we were created to be. In this world when so many
people are churning and being pulled in a hundred directions, Jesus said,
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world
gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” [John 14:27)
What It Means to Follow
this King
The Apostle Paul said, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you will be saved.” Paul is telling us that if we are willing to make Christ the king of our lives we will be saved. This is more than words we say, it is the conviction of our lives. It is a conviction that changes our orientation.
If someone is your “boss” at work it means they are the one who decides how something is done and when it is done. If someone is the coach of a team it means they are the one who calls the plays. If someone is the Head chef in a kitchen it means they are the one who determines the recipe used for the entrée. In the same way, if Jesus is Lord it means He calls the shots. It means we live by His agenda and do it His way.
Pastor Mark Driscoll writes,
Jesus rules over angels and demons, Christians and non-Christians, moderns and postmoderns, men and women, young and old, rich and poor, healthy and sick, Republicans and Democrats, simple and wise, and the living and the dead.
Jesus is not just the King who rules over nations on the earth and principalities and powers in the heavens, but he also rules over our pants, web browser, refrigerator, debit card, cubicle, and car horn. As our king, Jesus demands and deserves obedient loyalty to his commands over every aspect of our life. [1]
Driscoll observes that conservative, Bible-believing Christians readily embrace Jesus the Prophet; we understand that His Word is the truth. We are quick to say, “The Bible says.” We also celebrate Jesus the Priest who cares about people and has come to rescue the lost and hurting. However, we fall short of making Him the King and Ruler of our lives. We call Jesus Lord but surveys have shown that our moral life, our ethical life, our priorities and passions are virtually indistinguishable from the average non-Christian. He adds,
In this form of religion, people know that Jesus speaks the truth as their prophet and loves them as their priest. So when they sin, they know that Jesus will forgive them and still love them. But they still rule over their own life. When they need help, they read the Bible or ask Jesus to serve them. Practically, they don't see Jesus ruling over them, but rather coming alongside them to help them to achieve their objectives. He is only allowed to do so when he is invited. The result is a double-life of hypocrisy in which we call Jesus Lord, call his Word true, and then do whatever we want in some areas of our life because the pants are mine, the money is mine, the web browser is mine, the food is mine, the alcohol is mine, the schedule is mine, the life is mine, and the glory is mine, and I will rule as king over aspects of my own life with Jesus as little more than my trusty assistant. [2] (italics mine)
Following Jesus as Lord means following His commands even if it means giving up something in the present, or going against the culture, or doing something which is hard. It means we put Jesus first above our hobbies, our amusements and the myriad of other obligations on our time. Let me speak directly. Whatever we are not willing to subject to His Lordship; whatever has a higher priority in our lives than He does; whatever we find ourselves justifying in explaining our inability to serve the Lord, that very thing is the true King in our life; the source of our idolatry.
Our challenge is to get past catchy slogans and really embrace Jesus as Lord. Our job is not to fashion Him into the King we want but to follow Him as the King we need.
We should do so first, because He is worthy or our submission. He deserves our respect. He is a worthwhile commander. He has proved His superior wisdom, power, and ability. Just as a soldier trusts a seasoned commander, or an intern soaks in the counsel of his instructor, so we should soak in the wisdom of God’s Word. The Lord has proved himself deserving of the throne. He has proved Himself to be King by his example, his teaching, his miracles, and his sacrifice. He has proved it by His Resurrection from the dead.
Second, we should follow Him because He wants what is best for us. A good parent does not let their child live on junk food. The child may clamor, cry and have a fit, but the good parent holds out. They know the child needs more than junk food to be healthy and to do their best. The parent sets down rules that are often resisted by the child. The enforcement of those rules is often a struggle. However, the good parent sees the bigger picture. Their goal is not simply to have a happy child TODAY. They want to develop a healthy and well adjusted child for life.
Jesus wants the best for us in the same way. He proved His love at the cross. He proved His love by the compassion He showed to people. We may not like all of His commands. We may not want to live by His priorities (because it will mean saying no to some things we desire) but He sees the big picture and is leading us to a better end.
Third, we should submit to the Lordship of Christ because every other road is a dead end. Everything else we crave will not satisfy. The applause of men can distract us for awhile but it will not ultimately satisfy. The indulgences of our lives can keep us amused but they cannot create a new heart within us. The philosophies of life may dull our conscience but they cannot make us right with God. Nothing else can give us strength in the storms of life. Nothing else can bring us peace. Nothing the world can offer can enable us to live even though we die.
So what about you? Is Jesus your King, or do you see Him merely as your trusty assistant? Are you asking Him to bless the Kingdom you are trying to build or are you a loyal part of His Kingdom? As the old saying goes, “if Jesus is your co-pilot, you need to switch seats!”
None of us are following Him the way we should. We need to evaluate and adjust our lives every day. We must do this prayerfully, because the person we most regularly deceive is ourselves. We are great at telling ourselves that we are doing our best. We are experts at convincing ourselves that “God understands” the times when we put Him second, third, or lower in our lives. We are practiced in giving our allegiance to another.
The people outside of
©Copyright April 5, 2009 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche Palm Sunday