Christ Is King

Scripture reading NLT

Happy Christ the King Sunday

Christ The King Sunday explanation

Pope Pius XI instituted The Feast of Christ the King in 1925, to be celebrated throughout the universal church, in his encyclical Quas Primas. He connected the increasing denial of Christ as king to the rise of secularism throughout much of Europe. At the time of Quas Primas, many Christians (including Catholics) began to doubt Christ's authority and existence, as well as the Church's power to continue Christ's authority.

Pius XI, and the rest of the Christian world, witnessed the rise of non-Christian (or nominally Christian) dictatorships throughout Europe, and saw Catholics being persuaded by these earthly leaders. These dictators also often attempted to assert authority over the Church. Just as the Feast of Corpus Christi was instituted when devotion to the Eucharist was at a low point, the Feast of Christ the King was instituted during a time when respect for Christ and the Church was waning, when the feast was needed most.

Pius hoped the institution of the feast would have various effects. They were:

1. That nations would see that the Church has the right to freedom, and immunity from the state.

2. That leaders and nations would see that they are bound to give respect to Christ.

3. That the faithful would gain strength and courage from the celebration of the feast, as we are reminded that Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies.

Today, the same distrust of authority exists, although it could be argued that the problem has gotten worse. Individualism has been embraced to such an extreme, that for many, the only authority is the individual self.

This secular philosophy is I believe directly tied to why so many of us get caught in a cycle of fatalism and depression. It is one of the greatest ways for us to lose our smile.

When the only opinion that matters is our own then it is very hard to hear God through those whom He is speaking. Or in other words…when the individual is more valued than the Kingdom of God we will always have an inflated sense of self importance.

This is a very lonely place to be. It is a place where no one meets our expectations and so instead of remembering What Jesus did for us, what He is doing for us now, and what is in Store for us in the future we focus on What is not happening for us right now.

This is what we have been talking about the last few weeks. We have been talking about how to recover the joy of our salvation by fighting for our smile, taking responsibility for our smile, and making others smile.

I can do everything I have talked about but if I fail to acknowledge who Jesus really is then I cannot fully embrace or live in the Joy of Salvation.

I can say this with confidence because I have done these things. I have been in great circumstances in life and ministry and still fallen short of the Joy that God wants for me. Because in the midst of doing all the great stuff for Jesus that we have talked about I failed to celebrate Jesus as King.

New Living Translation ().

4 This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia.

Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world.

All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. 6 He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

This touches on let week in that Jesus sacrifice for us make us a Kingdom priest…that is a people who have intimate and unfettered access to the Holy of Holies.

7 Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him—even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen!

Even those who mock or disregard Jesus will acknowledge Him as King. Those of us who have already acknowledged Jesus as King have a unique foreknowledge of this that should help us to overcome this idea of self importance.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

What an incredible reminder for us. Our Salvation was won yesterday for Today and is assured for tomorrow…by the King of the universe.

This should bring us a fresh perspective. This should bring us to a place where we want to know Jesus more not simply be satisfied with what we already know.

The greatest challenge to modern day Christians is staying engaged. Staying excited about the King of the universe. Understanding that He Has always been…Is Now…and always will be! One day we will be with Him in His Awesome perfection…

When I feel like I have arrived…I find myself wanting to know Jesus more and more. Because I find that in that moment that I am satisfied I find myself losing my smile…losing the awe and awesomeness of who Jesus is and What he has done for me.

DO YOU KNOW HIM CLIP

DO YOU KNOW HIM?

I mean do you really know him? When you hear the words used in this clip to describe Jesus does it make your heart and spirit want more?

I am convinced that if we look forward with anticipation of the resurrection we can find our smile. We realize that that best is yet to come not in the next life but in the next chapter of our life...

When we realize that Christ is King of our Past, Present and Future we are able to rejoice in the midst of suffering.

Instead of life being something to be survived it becomes and adventure to be sought after.

The Best is yet to come…not because this life is not worth living but because Jesus is King now and in the future.

Do you know Him

Do you want to know Him?

Altar Call….

Altar Call….

Communion