Jesus Is King Over All!

Last Sunday of End Time, Christ the King, 11/20/16
Colossians 1:13-20


Jesus Is King Over All!
I. He rules over all creation.
II. He rules over his Church.
III. His rule brings peace.


I’ve heard it said many times that the person holding the office of the President of the United States is the most powerful person in the free world. Do you agree with that assessment? I’ve thought about it a little and have concluded I do. There are several reasons. One, without question the US military is second to none. Without doubt we have the best trained forces with the best military weapons and intelligence on the planet. The president is the Commander in Chief of our armed forces. The US also enjoys the world’s largest economy and its influence is global. When Wall Street coughs the world catches cold. The president has an influence on our economy. What’s more, our health care system is the envy of the world. Our government, under our president, has a vested interest in our health care system. So, for those reasons and many more, I agree that the President of the United States is the world’s most powerful person.

But if that’s true, then why does he have such a difficult time as he tries to lead? Why can’t he get more accomplished? Why can’t he overcome even the most stubborn opposition if he’s the most powerful person in the world? Because that’s all he is—just a person—a human being—like the rest of us.

Today we celebrate Christ the King. As our King he uses his almighty power to rule over all things. But there are all too many people who deny that rule outright. Others do all they can to oppose it. And when you look at the state of the Church on earth today, even a charitable assessment would be that Christianity is on the decline in our country and in many parts of the world. And Jesus is ruling over the Church as King?

Indeed he is. He has been ever since his resurrection in glory on Easter. As we shake our heads in doubt or disbelief over his rule in our personal lives and over his Church, the truth we need to take to heart and celebrate is right in front of us this morning. Paul’s words to the Colossians proclaim that Jesus is King over all! May that glorious truth not only calm our fears and remove our doubts, but lead us to rejoice this morning.

Part I.

Have you ever considered how overwhelming the human propensity is to worship anything but the only true God? It started with the second generation of humanity in the person of Cain and has continued ever since. Not long after Cain’s idolatry, unbelievers were worshipping the sun, moon and stars, and then idols that they fashioned with their hands. While modern humans are more enlightened than their ancient ancestors, countless millions bow to the almighty dollar. Sinful humans have always had that sinful pull to worship the created rather than the Creator.

The people to whom Paul wrote these words faced the same thing. In fact, false teachers in and around the city of Colosse were actively downplaying the greatness of Christ and promoting the worship of all sorts of other things. Paul doesn’t give us many clues about what those things were; he simply proclaims the truth about the deity of Jesus Christ. Listen to what he wrote to them, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 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.” We rightly confess God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. But that doesn’t mean Jesus took a back seat to his Father when it came to creation. The fact that Jesus now rules over all creation doesn’t mean that’s a recent development. St. John makes it clear in the opening chapter of his Gospel that the Son of God is the Word that was spoken to call all things into being. That includes all visible things as well as the invisible—most notably the angels. It’s apparent the false teachers in Colosse were encouraging the worship of angels instead of Christ. Paul suggests that’s foolish since they owe their existence to Jesus.

In fact, without Jesus the universe would fall apart. Paul says it like this, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” In other words, Jesus controls the laws of nature. If he were to abdicate that role, our world and universe would fall into cosmic chaos.

So, why would anyone want to worship anything or anyone but Christ? Jesus is King over all. He rules over all creation.

But it remains true that sinful human beings have always possessed the propensity to worship anything but the one true God. The fact that you’re seated where you are this morning would indicate that isn’t a problem with you and me. But we’re not immune, brothers and sisters. We have idols that we never knew we had. They come in the form of anything we place ahead of our Savior in that moment of our lives. It’s putting the created ahead of the Creator and we do it daily. What’s so amazing is that the Creator doesn’t demolish his creation and his creatures and start over. Instead he became our Brother in order to redeem us, to die for us, to forgive us. He always put you and me ahead of himself, so that now, by faith in him we can give him the position he rightly deserves in our hearts. Jesus is King over all!

Part II.

I spoke about the decline of Christianity in America a few minutes ago. To what do you attribute that decline? In other words, what threats does Christianity face? One of them is rationalism with its close cousin, humanism. So much of our spiritual lives—even the fact that we have a soul—is beyond human reason. Higher learning rejects anything supernatural. So, when your faith is centered on God becoming a human being through a virgin birth, you’re going to face a world of opposition. What’s more, humanism demands that we are accountable to no one but ourselves. We’re our own little god, so we’ll do what we please and what benefits us. And the Church on earth suffers.

Added to those threats is the decline of morality. Our world has lost its moral compass. Anything goes and people demand the right to do it. And the Church on earth suffers.

Formidable threats to the Church indeed, but Jesus will always rule over his Church. Listen again to these words about your King, “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. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.” Not even death could overcome Christ. He raised himself and now lives in eternal glory. No one and nothing can overcome him. One of the blessed results of his resurrection is that he is over all things, including the Church.

What’s more, his resurrection assures us that he is fully divine. Jesus isn’t simply like God; he is God, from all eternity. In this same letter Paul declared, “In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (2:9). His divine plan for every member of his Church is to bring them into glory with him. That divine plan cannot be thwarted. Everything will turn out as he planned. You can count on that.

Jesus is King over all. He rules over his Church.

Doubts and fears. Those two words sum up a good portion of our lives, don’t they? Whether you’re talking about your loved ones, your health, your job, your finances, your country or your world, doubts and fears surround you. Satan wants to use them to overwhelm you and lead you to despair. So, where do we find our comfort? Where is our refuge in this troublesome life and this evil world? In the Church. In the Church where your Savior rules. Jesus founded the Church upon his death and resurrection. Nothing can undo or overcome those two astounding, saving truths. Our eternity is not based on what Jesus will do for us. It’s based on what Jesus has already done for us. The outcome of your life and mine is certain because Jesus rules over all things. He rules over his Church.

Part III.

I’ve got one more question for you. What’s going right in your life right now—I mean absolutely right, absolutely perfect? Is anything? And if you feel that it is, at least for the moment, how long will it last? A few hours? Just a few more seconds? That doesn’t fill us with much peace, does it?

If that’s how you feel, then listen to these words regarding your King. “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 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.” Everything is absolutely perfect between you and the holy God. But how can that be in light of how we daily offend him with our sins? How can that be when our own guilt drives a wedge between us and our God? Because, in Jesus, “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” The whole point of Jesus’ coming to this earth the first time was to make peace for us with God. That’s the peace we declare at Christmas. It’s the peace we live in each day of our lives as God’s people. Jesus reconciled us to the holy God “by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” What we could never do for ourselves Jesus did for us. He died to remove sin’s curse and punishment. His resurrection is our assurance that’s exactly what his death did for us. And now he lives and reigns in glory over all things. His rule brings peace.

The unfortunate outward circumstances of your life might lead you to conclude that your God has something against you, that he’s paying you back for something you said or did that offends him. But nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that your King sacrificed himself for you to make peace for you with God. His desire and his goal is for that peace to rule in your hearts and minds. That’s your King’s gracious rule in your heart. May that peace fill you as you wait for your King’s glorious appearing! Amen.