The Shepherd’s Voice
Archive for November, 2009
Readings for Sunday, November 22nd
Dan 7:9-10, 13-14
Psalm 93
Rev 1:4b-8
Jn 18:33-37
Truth In God’s Kingdom – The Shepherd’s Voice from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Vimeo.
Christ The King Sunday
This is Christ the King Sunday. I have a feeling that Jesus would not be all that comfortable with that term, Christ the King Sunday. When Pilate challenged him about being a King, Jesus said, “My kingdom is not from this world.” Jesus didn’t come to be a normal King in a normal world. His kingdom was not from this world.
When we talk about God’s kingdom we are talking about theology, the study of God. Theology can be tricky so it’s important that we develop the truth about God’s kingdom.
There are other kingdoms in this world, that are not of this world.
Dogs for example, they have own kingdom and goes like this: “You feed me. You pet me. You shelter me. You love me. You must be God!”
On the other hand cats have a slightly different take on kingdoms. It goes like this: “You feed me. You pet me. You shelter me. You love me. I must be God.”
We all understand kingdoms differently, we have different perspectives. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not from this world.” So how should we understand truth in God’s kingdom?
In the verse just after our text today, John 18:35, Pilate asks the question “What is truth?”
Obviously Pilate was intrigued with Jesus. He wasn’t a Jew. He didn’t understand the issues that were going on in Jewish society. It was obviously alien to him. He said, “I am not a Jew, am I?” Pilate didn’t know the Jewish world.
After Pilate asks this rhetorical question about truth he says I find no case against him. He was not only intrigued, but his head must have been spinning not being able to nail down the facts, but he was on the right track. “What is truth?”
Before we can embrace the truth in God’s kingdom we must know what truth is and how it is intended to play out in our world.
For some in our world today truth is relative, it operates on a sliding scale and for many of us that’s uncomfortable. Merriam-Webster defines truth as fidelity – the quality or state of being faithful, but the dictionary also says it’s sincerity in action, character and utterance.
This secular definition of truth seems a little soft to me, a little weak, sincerity in action, character and utterance? Truth is NOT about sincerity. On Friday Sharon and I were going to a location where Imperial Hwy crossed the 91 Fwy. Initially, I sincerely believed it had to be west of the 57 fwy. I was so convinced I started driving in that direction only to discover through the wisdom of my navigator that I was going the wrong direction. My initial belief was truth to me, but based on hard facts, I was wrong. I changed direction accordingly.
Truth is NOT about sincerity. As a Christian we must have a clear sense of where we are and where we are going before we can discover truth in God’s kingdom. Fortunately for us, God has given us his living Word, His Son, which is our source and norm for understanding life. Jesus Christ was sent to us to give us truth in God’s kingdom.
Each of us must decide on our own to follow our hunches or we must be willing to follow the map, the Bible, the living Word of God by faith. God calls us all into truth. Pilate did not know the truth, he said, “What is truth?” It’s a question we must deeply wrestle with ourselves in order to appreciate what God has done.
If you don’t recognize God’s Word as truth then expositional preaching, sermons using God’s Word will make no sense. If you don’t allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth you will have no desire to study God’s Word because you’ve already decided in your own heart and mind; in other words you have all the truth you need.
Sometimes even objective lessons about truth can be tricky to grasp. So… be careful!
There was a teacher who liked to teach principles or truth about life in her science class by using object lessons. This teacher had 4 glass containers and in each one she put a different environment to see if a worm could stay alive in each one.
In the first she put alcohol, in the second she put cigarette butts & smoke, in the third she put chocolate, and in the fourth she put good rich soil/earth. She continued teaching, making her points and then brought the glass containers to the front to see the results. The worm died in the alcohol, the worm died in the smoke and cigarette container, the worm died in the chocolate as well, but the worm was thriving in the good earth.
So the teacher wanted the class to arrive at the principle of truth for this object lesson using logic and thought so she asked the class, what can we learn from this short experiment? A youngster in the back, whose hand shot up, says “I know, I know.” Well, so what can we learn?
If we drink and smoke and eat chocolate we will never have worms.
Getting to the truth about God’s kingdom can be tricky. Jesus used object lessons to teach his disciples as well as many others what was truth in God’s kingdom. (John 13:12-17) “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.”
The truth in God’s kingdom is that we are to serve one another through acts of love and kindness. Someone who understands scripture literally would say that we should still be washing one another’s feet today, some churches still do as an act of obedience. This is fine.
When we exegete scripture we learn how to look at the context, society, what norms existed, and how they influenced the underlying principle in the culture in which they were presented. The principle of truth that transcends culture is that we need to act as servants to one another. Jesus said was to be an example.
There are many other truths/principles that can be found in scripture. In fact Luke tells us in the first paragraph “I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.” Studying scripture informs us of the truth.
Our two additional readings this morning we see some additional truths revealed about God’s kingdom.
In Daniel 7 we have an apocalyptic glimpse of what a kingdom not of this world might look like. It says a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him. This is a visionary look at how God’s kingdom has no limits, it’s boundless, beyond comprehension.
It’s kind of like looking at pictures from the Hubble telescope. The truth about God’s kingdom is that it’s boundless. http://thetruthorthefight.wordpress.com/2009/06/14/no-to-burst-you-bubble-but-the-hubble/
Scholars believe when Daniel (v7:10) was talking about the “court sat in judgment” he was referring to a Messiah that will come to reign. He will have a court to sit in judgment and he has been given dominion and glory and kingship, over all peoples, nations, and languages, everyone will serve him.
In our reading from Rev 1 it says “on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.” Why?
Should we be happy about this? We often think of God’s kingdom will be one of love and joy, of grace and hope, but John in the book of Revelation and other scripture says, “on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.” With the coming of Christ comes judgment.
The truth in God’s kingdom is that there are consequences to the way we live, the things we say, the things we spend our money, the things or people we love or fail to love. Yes, God is love, but with God also comes judgment. Truth in advertising is important, truth in God’s kingdom; essential.
Visions of God’s kingdom are good, but with Christ comes the ultimate object lesson. Jesus not only taught us how to live, but in dying for our sin and rising we see God’s plan for man illustrated before us. The disciples finally understood it, the Church fathers embraced it, and Martin Luther’s life was transformed by it.
In God’s kingdom the incarnate God, Jesus shows us how to be a servant to one another. The truth in God’s kingdom is that it’s boundless, it is everlasting, the kingship will never be destroyed, even in judgment God provides grace, unlimited, filled to the brim, overflowing.
Jesus “came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” God’s truth is what sets us free to be God’s people. God’s truth is about boundless grace, limitless grace. God’s truth is that Christ died for our sin, He paid the ultimate price through the ultimate object lesson and his kingdom will have no end. God’s truth is that we are loved by the King and it makes my heart want to sing.
In 2006 Chris Tomlin came out with the song, “How Can I Keep From Singing Your Praise?” If we know the truth about God’s kingdom, if we are able to hear the truth from the voice of the Shepherd, that is Christ, how can we keep from singing God’s praise. I want you to sit back, close your eyes and meditate a few minutes while this song plays.
Amen
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