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The Message for Nov 26, 2017Thankful for our KingMatthew 25:31-46Rob Miller, Pastor

This is the last week of our four week series on Living Faith (image). We live by faith – which means we live thankful lives.

Throughout this series we’ve been talking about being thankful… We talked about being…

Thankful for the Saints

Thankful for the Church

Thankful for

This week our topic is: Thankful for our King

Today we celebrate Christ the King Sunday! It’s the day we lift up Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior – our king. But what do we mean when we say “Christ is our King?” What does the word “King” mean?

Here are some of the ways people use the word king…

Ole’ King Cole Was a Merrie Old Soul

Nat King Cole

Martin Luther King

Billie Jean King

the King of Pop

the King of Rock & Roll

the King of Soul

the King Mardi Gras

the King Midas

the King of Queens

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Burger King

A man is king of his own castle

Lead On, O King Eternal

The King of Love my Shepherd Is

When we think of a king, we probably think of someone who is in charge of a country or a nation, someone with final say and authority in all matters.

Usually this person has great power or charisma, someone who plays the political cards just right, staying on top of the popularity wave. Or, in the case of a cruel and selfish king, we see a ruler who cares little for others or their opinions -- acting only to ensure their own wellbeing, even to the point of oppressing their subjects.

But Jesus was a different kind of king. He didn’t rule with a heavy hand, or cater to the whims of being popular. He didn’t exercise control over nations or defeat massive empires. In fact, his kingdom was spread individually and personally, one person at a time.

one leper out of ten who gave thanks for the gift of healing,

a widow who gave thanks for her son being brought back to life,

a woman who was thankful for being freed from hemorrhaging,

children who were welcomed into the Savior’s loving embrace.

So too it is with us. Christ Jesus has touched our lives through the people around us. We have come to know him as our king and we are thankful for what he has done for us. Jesus brings God’s love into our lives - joy comes from following Jesus as our King. So today with thankful voices we proclaim, “Christ is the king!”

But I have to ask, “So What?” What does that mean for our lives when we leave this place of worship? What does it matter on Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday that Christ is our King?

It’s awesome that we proclaim Christ is king when we’re here in worship, among the faithful, but what happens when we dare to proclaim “Christ is King” in the company of people who may not agree with us?

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What happens when we dare to proclaim “Christ is King” in the presence of those who do not believe in Jesus, or do not experience him the same way we do?

Some people may say that Jesus has little or nothing to do with their lives, but he does. Christ Jesus wants to be king of their lives just as much as, if not more so, than being king of our lives.

There is a story in the Bible about the lost sheep that proves this point. Jesus said to his disciples,

“What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.” (Matthew 18:12-14)

I don’t know about you but for me that just doesn’t make any sense. It seems like foolishness…

Let’s say I found 100 one dollar bills sitting outside near the front door on a windy day. If one blew away, do you think I’d leave the other 99 sitting there so I could track down the one that got away? No way! I’d grab up that stack as fast as I could, thankful that more didn’t get away.

But not God… For God, the one that gets lost becomes more important than the 99 that aren’t lost. That’s the nature of Christ Jesus who we call King. Jesus gave himself, sacrificing his own life, so that not one would be lost. So that the lost would be found…

What are we willing to sacrifice, so that the lost will be found?

I realize that we live in a world filled with lost souls. Many people don’t even know that they are lost. There are people all around us whose identity and purpose in life are unclear.

Have you ever been lost? It’s not a fun place to be.

Being lost means: you are unable to find your way, not knowing your whereabouts.

Christ Jesus gave his life so that we may never be lost so that we may never be separated from God. So that we would know who we are and why we are here.

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We are people who are loved by God and we are people who are to share that love with others.

That’s our way… That’s what Jesus our King makes possible.

Today we celebrate this Christ the King Sunday, the invitation is for you to answer the question, So what?

How is Christ king in your life?

How is your life different because of Jesus?

How can you love him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength?

We find an answer to these questions in our reading for today…

Read Text - Matthew 25:31-46.

Jesus is the King of kings. He is our king and we are called to live accordingly -- by the way we treat the people around us. So be it for Jesus’ sake. Amen