Behind Enemy Lines // Who is This King

Introduction

Imagine if King Charles III were coming to meet you today!

A King is Coming!

Just use your imagination! Imagine if King Charles III, the King of England, called me earlier this week and said, “Dylan! There is a man (woman) in your congregation, and I’d like to meet them this Sunday morning. Would you let them know that I will be there? I will have my driver pick them up and bring them to church. I will be in the church waiting on them that morning, I’d like to sit with them in the service! After that, I’ll have my royal caravan bring us to their home and I’d like to have lunch with them!” How would you react?

You’d have new outfits!

Your home would be spotless!

You might even hire a cook to prepare the best meal you’ve ever eaten because a King is coming to your home!

There is a King coming this morning.

But what if I told you this King wasn’t interested in meeting the high and mighty?

What if I told you this King wasn’t interested in meeting you when you have a clean home, the finest clothes, and the best meals? What if I told you this King was only willing to meet with you if you knew that you didn’t deserve it and if you didn’t try to impress?

The King that is going to invite you to sit with Him this morning is only interested in meeting the liars, the thieves, the pornographers, the cheaters, the violent, the low-down!

How can I say that?

Luke 5:32 NKJV

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

This King that I am talking about is more than the King of England, He is the King of the Cosmos! His name is Jesus Christ, and if you’d like, I will introduce you to Him at the end of the service this morning.

Before I introduce you, I need you to know some things about Him…

I. Who He Is

We are here to celebrate Easter! We are here this morning to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead! Who is He? Well, He is the only man who ever defeated death.

Jesus was put on the cross…the inscription read, “The King of the Jews”…He was placed in a grave…

Luke 24:1–5 NKJV

Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?

Luke 24:6 NKJV

He is not here, but is risen!

Who is He? He is the Son of Man! He is the Son of God! He is the Savior of the World!

The reason I want you to know exactly Who He is before I introduce Him is because I don’t want you to miss the moment!

Don’t Miss the Moment!

Queen Elizabeth II is staying in her summer home at Balmoral Castle. Queen Elizabeth went out walking one morning in the country side dressed in regular clothing, accompanied by two of her royal guard.

Along the path came two American Hikers who started talking with the plainly dressed woman…and they asked her, “Have you ever been here before?”

She replied, “I come here from time to time.”

Then they asked her, “Have you ever met the Queen while out here? We heard that you can see her if you’re lucky!”

She pointed to one of the guards and in a warm friendly tone she said, “I haven’t ever met her, but he has! He told me he’s been coming here for years!”

The hikers, still walking, go over to the guard and say, “She says you’ve met the queen! Will you tell us what she’s like?”

The guard just smiled, and he said, “She loves a good prank! She’s got quite the sense of humor!”

The American hikers laughed, they thanked the guard, they took a picture with the guard, and they said, “We’ll come back tomorrow and maybe we’ll meet her then!”

If I were to introduce you to the King this morning but you didn’t know who He was, you’d miss the moment! I don’t want you to miss the moment!

A. He is the Son of Man

82 Times in the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as the Son of Man.

Luke 19:10 NKJV

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Why is Jesus called the Son of Man?

1. A Title of Humanity

This divine King came as a man. He came in the flesh. He was born of a woman.

John 1:14 NKJV

And the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

2. A Title of Humility

This King was dressed in less that ordinary clothing. He left His eternal glory to be dressed in a mortal body.

Philippians 2:7 NKJV

Jesus made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

B. He is the Son of God

So, not only is Jesus fully man, He is also fully God!

The Bible says that everyone born of Adam, the first man, was filled with sin. But it was not so for this King! He was from Adam, He was from God!

C. He is the Savior of the World

He didn’t just come to live as a man, He didn’t just come to die as a man, He came to save the world!

John 3:16–17 NKJV

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

II. What He’s Done

What exactly did this King do that makes Him so special?

A. He Worked Miracles

Mark 3:10 NKJV

For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.

This King worked all kind of miracles, and healings.

The King that I am going to introduce you today is not a King that is untouchable, He is a King that is ready to embrace you. He is a King that has worked miracles and healed the people.

B. He Served the Sinner

Mark 2:15–16 NKJV

Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus is a King that is not concerned with your status, the only thing He is concerned about is the willingness of your heart to put away your former way of living and to follow Him.

C. He Died on the Cross!

There is Jesus, He is hanging there on the cross, held there by the nails in His wrists and the nail in His feet.

And the Bible says that above Him was an inscription that read:

“THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS”

This King, this God, this Man, came, and He died willingly on a cross! He was mocked, He was beaten, He was spat on…He was humiliated.

D. He Rose From the Grave!

Luke 24:6 NKJV

He is not here, but is risen!

Death couldn’t hold Him! The grave was defeated! He performed His greatest miracle of all when He rose from the dead!

The Greats of the World

Let’s say that you’re on your way to a meeting. Who are you meeting? You have gotten the chance to be in the room with some of the greatest figures in history!

When we think of someone that is great, they may be great at a lot of things, but there is really only one thing that they’re known for.

Let’s say you get into a room with Former Alabama Head Coach, Nick Saban. Imagine you’ve got a limited time and you have to share the room with another. When you get there, the man you’re sharing the room with says, “If you don’t mind, I’ll go first, I have a very important question for Coach Saban!”

You say, “Alright, but we only have a limited amount of time and I have a question I want to ask too.”

If you’re in a room with Coach Saban, it’s only right that you ask him questions about football. He’s probably good at a lot of things but coaching football made him great!

When I go to introduce you to the King this morning, there is only one thing that really matters. That one thing is, “Jesus, tell me about when you rose from the dead. Can you teach me how I can raise from the dead too?”

III. Why He Did It

A. For Justification

The Bible says that Jesus is our justification.

Justification means to be vindicated or acquitted.

When Jesus died on the cross, He opened the door to allow anyone to be set free from the guilt of sin.

Guilt is not a feeling, guilt is a position. A guilty man might plea not guilty but that doesn’t make him righteous. A poor person might plead guilty because they have been pressured by the authorities, that doesn’t make them guilty.

When we stand before Jesus Christ, the only thing that will matter is our positions, not our feelings. You might stand before God and say, “not guilty!”, but God says that everyone who does not accept the blood payment of Jesus Christ and who does not trust in the resurrection is guilty.

Romans 4:25 NKJV

who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

This means that by His sacrifice we were paid for, but by His resurrection we have been declared not guilty!

B. For Assurance

When we think of the resurrection, we need to understand that because He rose, we will also rise!

His victory over the grave is our assurance of His power!

1 Corinthians 15:20–23 NKJV

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

Jesus is the firstfruits!

C. For Victory

We don’t have to wait for Heaven to live like Jesus. The Bible says that once He saves us, He lives in us. And because He lives in us He can give us victory over the everyday struggles of life.

Romans 6:4 NKJV

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

D. For Salvation

John 3:16 NKJV

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Everything that has gone wrong in the world, God has made it all right through Jesus Christ, so long as we will simply trust in Him.

He is the salvation of all man kind. This King that I am going to introduce you to is willing and ready to save you.

Conclusion

Rescue in the 23rd Hour

Just this morning I read that in the 23rd hour of Saturday night, in the hour we call 11:00PM, an American soldier was rescued from behind enemy lines.

Politics aside, I want you place yourself in this man’s shoes.

President Donald Trump gave the following report: “WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. history, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers. This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies. We were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently planning his rescue.

The rescue attempt made last night may have been the most daring in U.S. History, but the most daring rescue attempt in the history of the world has been completed by this King that I want to introduce you to.

This morning, you are behind enemy lines. There is no escape. The King has left His heavenly home, He has paid for your release, He has come to rescue you from the mountains of sin…and all you have to do is take Him by the hand and He will lift you out of certain death!

1. Don’t Miss the Moment!

2. Believe in the Resurrection!

3. The King Who Rose From the Dead is Offering You Life, will you take it this morning?