Thanksgiving For Our King

Greetings Saints, it is an honor to be here today in the place where our friend Pastor Ralph Sims led you for so many years. I met him when he first came to Yucaipa as your Pastor, as at the time I was serving on the Credentials Committee for the Association of the Church of God, and we wanted to make sure your new Pastor was qualified and called. And he was, and he served your faithfully and lovingly until the Lord called him Home. We connected whenever we met in meetings or events through that time. I miss him, and I know you do as well.

It is good to know that Pastor Perry has been serving you as your interim pastor these last months. I have met him through some on-line meetings.

I am grateful for the opportunity to share the Word of God with you today, as we are in this First Sunday after Thanksgiving but not yet into the Advent season: Today is what happens every few years, bu accident, and that is . . .

The Sunday Between

the 26 weeks after Pentecost and the beginning of the new church year which starts next week, December 3, the First Sunday of Advent.

So what do we do with that? It’s not still Thanksgiving as an American Holiday. We already had our annual Black Friday buying binge, where retail stores count on getting their accounts in the black because of Christmas shopping. And, if you have email you look at much, you already have started to get lots of the the sales info for Cyber Monday (which has over the past few years been one of the biggest on-line shopping days of the Christmas season).

But this Sunday Between does have a purpose in the liturgical calendar of the church: today is designated the Reign of Christ in the church calendar. A chance to celebrate our King, and to think about his power and love and care.

So although we are between some major breaks in the Church calendar, we have an exciting assignment giving by the lectionary that many churches use each week: That assignment is to focus on Christ our King and what that means for us.

I am tagging on to the Season of Thanksgiving theme I have been using all month, so gave this Sunday’s message the title of “Thanksgiving for our King”. Since we aren’t, or most of of aren’t citizens of the United Kingdom, we are not talking about King Charles. We are talking about King Jesus.

A chorus by Dave Moody goes like this:

All Hail King Jesus — All hail Emmanuel.

King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Bright Morning Star.

And throughout eternity, I’ll sing His praises,

And I’ll reign with Him, throughout eternity.

Important features of our Christian Faith are these: Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords; He is the reality of God with us, Emmanuel. He is the Son of God, bringing light to our lives like the sun, our bright morning star, brings light to our world.

Christ Jesus Is Our Exalted King

One of my favorite passages in all of the Bible is the Hymn to Christ Jesus that we find in Philippians 2:5-7.

In just 7 verses, this passage tells the story of the pre-existent Christ, the birth of Jesus, the obedient attitude of Jesus, the sacrifice of Jesus, and the glorification of Jesus to the position of exalted King. Paul uses this hymn to illustrate Christian humility, so that we don’t get to full of ourselves. Christ started out full of himself, but that’s OK if you are actually the eternal God existing as the Son in triunity of the Godhead. He was full of godness, but willing to be used for the plan of salvation that would bring many of us home to Glory.

Philippians 2:5–11 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Christ is King because our Father God exalted his Son Jesus to the place of highest honor because of his humble obedience to the plan of Salvation.

So, as we prepare for our celebration of the Birth of Jesus, let’s get a picture of what it means that God loves us so much that there isn’t anything He wouldn’t do to give us a way to live with Him forever. And a little snapshot of why that means, through the work of the Cross, that Christ is King.

In the Beginning, God

John 1:1–2 ESV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

John 1:3 ESV

3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Light for the World

John 1:4–5 ESV

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:9 ESV

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

Isaiah 9:2 ESV

2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

Christmas is About the Incarnation

Philippians 2:5–7 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Christmas is About God With Us

John 1:14 ESV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

This is Emmanuel.

Christmas is About God’s Love for Us

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

God’s Love Risks Rejection

John 1:10–11 ESV

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

God’s Love Brings the Willing Home

John 1:12–13 ESV

12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

In John 3:3, Jesus makes the need clear that we need a new birth when he says to Nicodemas,

John 3:3 (ESV)

3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Paul’s Prayer for the Church

A Famous Faith

Ephesians 1:15–16 ESV

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,

Know the God of Glory

Ephesians 1:17 ESV

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

This is the Father of Glory and the God of Jesus the Son, our Lord Christ, showing up for us in the Spirit of wisdom so that his spiritual riches will be revealed and we might know him deeply.

See What God Has For You

Ephesians 1:18 ESV

18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

Know His Power

Ephesians 1:19–20 ESV

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

See Christ as the Exalted King

Ephesians 1:20–21 ESV

20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Ephesians 1:22–23 ESV

22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Thank God for Our Savior King

Philippians 2:8–11 ESV

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.