Jesus the King - Risen. Ascended. Coming Again.
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…popularity replaced credibility
simple — complex — simple
some things we disregard because they seem simple and basic. But when things are concentrated and compact, it expands in our hearts and minds over time.
Simple things have profound impact.
a simple text from friend and we feel loved, wanted, and seen.
a poem strikes a cord in our hearts, awaking real purpose
a simple life-hack and you feel you’ve unlocked a sense of effectiveness.
a lyric in a song and you are transported back to an experience of real delight
a truth about God leaves you feeling safe and secure.
This is the beauty of poetry, lyrics, stories, and parables. Their simplicity is genius. The more you contemplate them, the more profound and expansive they become. This is what Creed does for us; simple, yet profound truths that expand life’s meaning, purpose, safety, and longing.
illus: concentrated powder. potent and expands in water.
1Corinthians 15:1-27a
1 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed. 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. 15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. 20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he abolishes all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death. 27 For God has put everything under his feet.
“On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.”
“On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.”
Three key phrases today: risen, ascended, and coming again.
King Jesus is Risen.
King Jesus is Risen.
What resurrection is not:
• Coming back from the dead (Resuscitation)
• Soul or spirit going to heaven (Escape)
What resurrection is:
Defeat of Death…he went toe-to-toe with death and won. He got the title belt of earth
New Creation (the completion and perfection of creation)
Remember God the maker of heaven and earth?
In Jesus, God is the Redeemer of all He created!
“…in accordance with the Scriptures…” means God keeps His promises
Because Jesus is risen, we have victory.
Because Jesus is risen, we have victory.
God’s victory is stronger than your sin. God’s ability to redeem is stronger than your liability to fail.
King Jesus Ascended.
King Jesus Ascended.
“…he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.”
What the ascension is not:
Jesus going “home”
Jesus going away
What the ascension is:
Jesus going to the throne
Matthew 26:63–64 “63 But Jesus kept silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” 64 “You have said it,” Jesus told him. “But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Daniel 7:13–14 “13 I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. 14 He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.”
• Jesus filling the world;Not absence but presence via the Holy Spirit; We are not alone. We have the Spirit; Jesus: “It is good that I go…”;
Ephesians 4:8–10 “8 For it says: When he ascended on high, he took the captives captive; he gave gifts to people. 9 But what does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth? 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, to fill all things.”
• Think of a king ascending to the throne (like in ancient palaces)
• But read vs. 8 again… “gave gifts…”
His ascension unleashed our empowerment.
Acts 1:8–9 “8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight.”
Because Jesus ascended, we have the Holy Spirit.
Because Jesus ascended, we have the Holy Spirit.
• Sometimes saying that Jesus is on the throne makes us passive
• Jesus being on the throne is meant to empower us for our mission in the world
King Jesus is Coming Again.
King Jesus is Coming Again.
“He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.”
What Christ’s return is not:
Jesus’ revenge tour; where God is mad at the whole world.
Not A “different” Jesus (Revelation reminds us: He’s the same, yesterday, today, and forever!)
Christ has an encore appearance to make as Judge.
“we need a wider lens for judgment. Judgment is not purely punitive or even retributive. It is more than punishment and payback. Judgment, when God does it, is also restorative. In other words, there is a perfect kind of judgment that goes beyond punishment and payback to put all things back together again.”
Jesus is the most interesting person in the world. He forces us to make a decision. You cannot be ambivalent around who He is. I think Jesus is the most interesting and significant figure in all of Human history.
TIME Magazine: “Jesus is the most persistent symbol of purity, selflessness and love in the history of humanity.”
No serious historian would dispute that Jesus lived and died and that a movement arose in his name…
not just better life now, but resurrection life later too.
Because Jesus is coming again, we have hope.
Because Jesus is coming again, we have hope.
• Christian hope is not a wish nor is it optimism.
1 Corinthians 15:50–52 “50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.”
1 Corinthians 15:56–57 “56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”
He is here reminding you that He is the beginning (last week) and the end (this week); that He is faithful and true; and that one day, He will make all things new.
• It is confidence for the future grounded in the past.
• Your worst day will not be your last day.
Julian of Norwich (1300s):
“In my folly, before this time I often wondered why, by the great foreseeing wisdom of God, the onset of sin was not prevented: for then, I thought, all should have been well…“But Jesus…answered with these words and said: ‘It was necessary that there should be sin; but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.’”
You may not be able to say, “It is well,” but you can say, “All shall be well.”
You may not be able to say, “It is well,” but you can say, “All shall be well.”
illus: multi-act play with cliff-hangers. like marvel movie where half the planet is gone and it all seems lost, until the next movie comes out..
you may feel disillusioned by life, maybe by past church experiences.
The earliest followers of Jesus felt this too after His death. They thought all was lost, 3 yrs wasted.
Resurrection means grief is not a dead-end road.
God has been telling story through the ages, of His desire to be among creation and enjoy the delight of the unbroken partnership.
illus: King Charles coronation in . All present had a moment participate and affirm fidelity to the King, saying,
“I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God.”
Your allegiance to King Jesus places Him on the throne of your life.
Your allegiance to King Jesus places Him on the throne of your life.
It is the right response to His heavenly enthronement
Jesus is seated on the throne in heaven. The has gifts available to you - love, forgiveness, wholeness in your soul - His presence and power through the Holy Spirit. The gifts are yours IF you have King Jesus seated on the throne of your life. If you choose to make Him your LORD who sits on the throne of power in your life. Give Him the power and control of your life, and You will FIND real, true, eternal life NOW. You have to repent, renouncing and evicting whatever is seated on the throne of your life…sports, money, sex, pleasure, selfishness, power, popularity, etc.
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Talk it Over (being honest & open with friends, a spouse, or your Group)
The message was centered on what WE believe about Jesus the King. What is one idea from Sunday’s message that impacted you?
Read 1Corinthians 15:1-27a. What do you notices about Jesus in the passage?
In what ways does Jesus’ death seem like a dead end when viewed without the resurrection?
What are some of the skeptical questions you’ve had about Jesus?
If you’ve found the answers to those questions, where did you find them?
What do you think it means to truly know Jesus?
Why do you think Jesus’ ascension was necessary?
How do you feel when you think about Jesus’ final judgment?
