Here’s a King to Embrace Eternally!

Last Sunday of End Time, Christ the King, 11/25/18
Revelation 1:4b-8


Here’s a King to Embrace Eternally!
I. One who frees you from your sins
II. One who rules all things for you


Another election cycle has just ended. I think, by now, all the results are in. And as those new terms of office begin, let’s see what happens. Will changes occur, and, if they do, will you approve of them? Or, will things go on as they were before the election, with no discernable differences? Only time will tell.

But no matter what happens among our elected officials, another election cycle will begin sooner than we realize. Within months, candidates for the various offices will declare themselves running for office just to see what kind of support they can muster. Soon after that, the ads will begin and we’ll suffer through them for months, all leading up to the next election 23 months from now. Are you getting disillusioned already?

It’s at times like these that a monarchy doesn’t seem so bad. No more elections. No more influence on candidates from big business bucks or political action committees. No more political ads or debates. No more mudslinging politics. Just a king who rules over our country. How does that sound to you?

Fine, as long as you get to choose your king, right? But even if you do, there are no guarantees. History is full of examples of kings who started well, but quickly went sour. And when you have a king who is only concerned with himself and not the least bit concerned for his subjects, the people suffer. They can’t wait until his reign is ended.

So what’s your reaction to today’s worship celebration—Christ the King? Honestly, there’s a part of us that doesn’t want anyone to rule over us. We want to call all the shots. And to be honest, we’re not always happy with the way Jesus is ruling.

And that’s exactly why we need his encouragement this morning. Our sinful hearts and minds need an adjustment on just what Jesus’ rule is all about. Jesus does that for us in these words from John’s Revelation. Here’s a King to embrace eternally. Let’s hold onto that truth this morning and rejoice over Christ our King!

Part I.

No matter how you feel about the last election cycle, or what you hope the next one will bring, there’s a debate that never seems to die, and that’s the discussion over what we need from our government. On one end are those who want as little as possible from the government—just keep law and order. On the other end are those who feel the government needs to provide all sorts of programs for the people. I’m guessing you have your own opinion on the matter.

But we aren’t here to discuss such things this morning. Instead, we’re hear to get what we need from our eternal King, Jesus Christ. So, what is it that you need from Jesus? Wow, that’s a loaded question! Where do you start?

How about starting with the things you pray for? Do you pray for things for yourself, or, do you find that you pray more for things for others? And just what are those “things”? We pray for patience and happiness. We pray for the Lord to alleviate our pain or grant success to a surgery. We pray for the same things for friends and loved ones. We pray that the Lord uses us to help others. Perhaps you pray for the Lord to bless your day at work or school. You pray for him to protect your children. What more would you add to your list? But recall our main question: What do you need most from Jesus?

And with this being Christ the King Sunday, what tends to disappoint you about Christ, your King? That question is closely tied to what things you pray for. After all, if he’s your King, shouldn’t he provide the things you truly need? Isn’t the focus of any good king directly on what’s good for his subjects? And if you find yourself praying to your King for things each and every day, and you aren’t receiving them, are you more than a little disappointed?

But back to our original question: What do you need most from Jesus, your King? Well, what’s your biggest problem? Our Catechism students know that I ask this question just about every class, sometimes more than once. What’s our biggest problem? It’s not pain or poverty or politics. Our biggest problem is sin. We come into this world under the curse of sin and we commit countless sins every day of our sinful lives. That’s bad enough, but the clincher that makes sin our biggest problem is that we can do nothing to remove a single one of them from our record. We’re helpless!

So, if sin is our biggest problem, then forgiveness of sins is our greatest need. So now, take to heart these words of John, “To him who has freed us from our sins by his blood.” Think back to that list of things you pray for. If you received every one of them but didn’t have the forgiveness of sins, none of them would mean anything. They would merely be a spiritual opioid that lulls you into thinking everything is fine because you’re receiving what you want from your Lord and King, but in reality, you’re headed to hell loaded with your sins. Instead, your Savior gives you what you truly need—the forgiveness of sins.

And recall what your sins cost—the very sacrifice of the Son of God and nothing less. The God-man, Jesus, out of the greatest and purest love ever known, willingly sacrificed himself for you. You don’t have an eternal King who simply grants your wishes to keep you happy for 8 or 9 decades on this planet we call earth. He supplies your greatest need every day—the forgiveness of sins!

Bottom line: there’s no need to switch this King out for any other. Instead, embrace him! Here’s a King to embrace eternally—One who frees you from your sins.

We have what we need most from our King every day—the forgiveness of sins. But what’s your reaction to that unlimited blessing? Let’s admit it—too often we’re not impressed. And there are two reasons for that. Either we’re so caught up with this life and what we think we need for it, that our forgiveness simply gets shoved far into the background of our lives, or, we fail to grasp the depths of our sinfulness. We convince ourselves that our sins aren’t so great. And the result is that we want our King Jesus to supply us with what we feel we really need. So, stop for a moment. Internalize this truth of Scripture, “There is no one who does good, not even one” (Rom. 3:12). And every single sin condemns us. What we need more than anything is the forgiveness of sins—and your King supplies it! You have forgiveness full and free through faith in Jesus. So embrace him! Here’s a King to embrace eternally!

Part II.

What’s your personal assessment of how things are going in our world? If you had a meter which measured your outlook on things in our world, with happiness on one side of the meter and alarm on the other, where would your needle be pointing? I’m going to guess that almost every needle here would be pointing somewhere in the middle. You’re neither completely happy nor paralyzed by alarm.

Now, let me ask you something else. How are you managing your life? Are you on top of things, or, are you overwhelmed? Are things going in the right direction for you, or, do you lose sleep over where your life seems to be heading? Are you confident of hitting your goals in life, or have you given up even trying?

One more question and then I promise I’ll stop asking. Ten years from now, if you’re not in heaven yet, will things be better or worse in your life and in our world?

Pretty unsettling, isn’t it? At best we all seem to be striving for, but not achieving, our hopes and dreams. In fact, you may have already concluded that the entire world is on a slow downward spiral and that fairly describes your personal life as well.

It would all be hopeless if it weren’t for one thing. Listen to these words of Jesus, your King, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was and who is to come.” Jesus is the beginning and the end of all things. There is nothing outside of him. He has everything under control. I know it doesn’t look like it at times. In fact, there are times when we’re convinced eternal tragedy is right around the next corner. But your King will come again. He has promised to return on the Last Day and then everything will reach their fulfillment in him. “He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him.” Those who oppose Jesus will never oppose him again. He will return, raise us from the dead, and usher us into eternal life with him.

So relax. Chin up. Be filled with inner hope and joy. I realize things might go from bad to worse now, but that doesn’t mean things are out of control. Jesus rules. Your King rules.

Here’s a King to embrace eternally. Friends, don’t let anything separate you from Jesus. He wants to embrace you through his word and sacrament. Keep a proper Christian perspective on everything in your life and, all the while, keep your spiritual focus on your King, who will return one day to make everything right for you forever.
Now there’s a King to embrace eternally. Don’t ever let him go! Amen.