Embracing the Kingship of Christ: A Lenten Reflection
Summary
Good morning, church. Today, we embark on a journey together as we prepare for Easter, reflecting on the symbols of Jesus' passion. Our focus today is the purple cloth, a symbol of royalty and repentance, reminding us that Jesus is our King and Savior. As we delve into Mark 15:16-20, we witness the soldiers mocking Jesus with a purple robe and crown of thorns, ironically acknowledging His kingship. This symbol calls us to reflect on Jesus' role as King in our lives and how we respond to His reign.
Jesus' kingship is not of this world; it is a heavenly kingdom where He reigns eternally. Throughout Scripture, Jesus proclaims His kingship, and the prophets, like Daniel, foretell His eternal dominion. As King, Jesus will return to judge the nations, separating the faithful from the unfaithful. This calls us to live in obedience, surrender, and service to Him, seeking first His kingdom in all we do.
Our response to Jesus as King involves accepting His invitation to follow Him, committing to a life of discipleship, and embodying His teachings. The parables of the wedding banquet, the unmerciful servant, and the sheep and goats illustrate the importance of being prepared, forgiving, and serving others as expressions of our faith. We are called to use our gifts for His kingdom, not just in worship but in action, reflecting His love and grace to the world.
The benefits of living under Jesus' kingship are profound. We are justified through faith, experiencing a right relationship with God and others. We find peace and joy, knowing that Jesus is in control, and we have the assurance of eternal life. As we journey towards the cross, let us embrace our place in His kingdom, following Him wholeheartedly and sharing His love with others.
Key Takeaways:
- The purple cloth symbolizes Jesus' kingship and calls us to reflect on His role in our lives. It reminds us of His eternal reign and our need for repentance and submission to His authority. [34:55]
- Jesus' kingdom is not of this world; it is a heavenly realm where He reigns eternally. Our response should be one of obedience, surrender, and service, seeking first His kingdom in all we do. [38:36]
- The parables of the wedding banquet, the unmerciful servant, and the sheep and goats teach us about being prepared, forgiving, and serving others as expressions of our faith. We are called to embody these teachings in our daily lives. [51:51]
- Living under Jesus' kingship brings justification, peace, and joy. We are justified through faith, experiencing a right relationship with God and others, and finding peace and joy in knowing that Jesus is in control. [59:21]
- As we journey towards the cross, let us embrace our place in His kingdom, following Him wholeheartedly and sharing His love with others. Our lives should reflect His love and grace, inviting others to experience the benefits of His eternal kingdom. [01:02:41]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Prayer for Lloyd Mitchell
[02:00] - Church Announcements
[04:15] - Introduction to the Journey
[06:45] - The Symbol of the Purple Cloth
[09:30] - Reading from Mark 15:16-20
[12:00] - Jesus as King
[15:20] - The Heavenly Kingdom
[18:45] - Prophecies of Jesus' Kingship
[22:30] - Jesus as Judge
[25:00] - The Return of the King
[28:15] - Our Response to Jesus' Kingship
[32:00] - Parables of the Kingdom
[36:30] - Benefits of the Kingdom
[40:00] - Invitation to Follow Jesus
[43:00] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Mark 15:16-20
2. John 18:36
3. Matthew 25:31-33
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Observation Questions:
1. In Mark 15:16-20, how do the soldiers mock Jesus, and what is the significance of the purple robe they place on Him? [09:30]
2. According to John 18:36, what does Jesus say about the nature of His kingdom, and how does this contrast with earthly kingdoms? [38:36]
3. In Matthew 25:31-33, what imagery is used to describe Jesus' role as a judge, and how does this relate to His kingship? [42:48]
4. How does the sermon describe the symbolism of the purple cloth in relation to Jesus' kingship and our call to repentance? [34:55]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. What does it mean for believers to live under the kingship of Jesus, and how should this influence their daily decisions and actions? [38:36]
2. How do the parables of the wedding banquet, the unmerciful servant, and the sheep and goats illustrate the expectations of those who follow Jesus as King? [51:51]
3. What are the implications of Jesus' eternal kingdom for how believers view their current circumstances and future hope? [59:21]
4. How does the sermon suggest believers should respond to the invitation to follow Jesus, and what does this look like in practical terms? [51:51]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on the role of Jesus as King in your life. Are there areas where you struggle to submit to His authority? How can you work on surrendering these areas to Him? [34:55]
2. The sermon emphasizes the importance of being prepared, forgiving, and serving others. Identify one area where you can improve in these aspects and make a plan to act on it this week. [51:51]
3. Consider the benefits of living under Jesus' kingship, such as peace and joy. How can you cultivate a deeper sense of peace and joy in your life, even amidst challenges? [59:21]
4. The sermon calls for using our gifts for His kingdom. What specific gifts or talents do you have, and how can you use them to serve others and reflect Jesus' love? [56:46]
5. Reflect on the parable of the sheep and goats. How can you actively seek opportunities to serve "the least of these" in your community this week? [51:51]
6. How does the assurance of Jesus' eternal kingdom impact your perspective on current world events and personal struggles? [59:21]
7. The sermon mentions the importance of sharing Jesus' love with others. Identify one person in your life who needs to hear about Jesus' love, and plan a way to share it with them this week. [01:02:41]
Devotional
Day 1: The Purple Cloth: A Call to Reflect on Jesus' Kingship
The purple cloth, a symbol of royalty and repentance, serves as a powerful reminder of Jesus' kingship and our response to His reign. In Mark 15:16-20, the soldiers mock Jesus by dressing Him in a purple robe and placing a crown of thorns on His head, ironically acknowledging His true kingship. This symbol invites us to reflect on Jesus' role as King in our lives and how we respond to His authority. It challenges us to consider whether we truly recognize Him as our King and Savior and how this recognition influences our daily actions and decisions.
[34:55]
"And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, 'Hail, King of the Jews!'" (Mark 15:17-18, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways can you acknowledge Jesus' kingship in your life today, and how might this change your actions or decisions?
Day 2: Jesus' Heavenly Kingdom: A Call to Obedience and Service
Jesus' kingdom is not of this world; it is a heavenly realm where He reigns eternally. This understanding calls us to live in obedience, surrender, and service, seeking first His kingdom in all we do. The eternal nature of Jesus' kingship is proclaimed throughout Scripture, and the prophets, like Daniel, foretell His everlasting dominion. As followers of Christ, we are called to align our lives with His heavenly kingdom, prioritizing His will and purposes above our own. This involves a daily commitment to live out His teachings and to serve others as an expression of our faith.
[38:36]
"And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever." (Daniel 2:44, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?
Day 3: Parables of the Kingdom: Preparedness, Forgiveness, and Service
The parables of the wedding banquet, the unmerciful servant, and the sheep and goats teach us about being prepared, forgiving, and serving others as expressions of our faith. These stories illustrate the importance of embodying Jesus' teachings in our daily lives, using our gifts for His kingdom, and reflecting His love and grace to the world. As we strive to live out these principles, we are reminded of the transformative power of the gospel and the impact it can have on those around us.
[51:51]
"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise." (Matthew 25:1-2, ESV)
Reflection: Think of someone in your life you need to forgive. Can you ask God to help you begin to extend His love and forgiveness to them today?
Day 4: Living Under Jesus' Kingship: Justification, Peace, and Joy
Living under Jesus' kingship brings profound benefits, including justification, peace, and joy. Through faith, we are justified and experience a right relationship with God and others. This assurance of eternal life brings peace and joy, knowing that Jesus is in control. As we journey towards the cross, we are encouraged to embrace our place in His kingdom, following Him wholeheartedly and sharing His love with others. This journey is marked by a deep sense of peace and joy that comes from knowing we are part of His eternal kingdom.
[59:21]
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1, ESV)
Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper sense of peace and joy in your life by trusting in Jesus' control over your circumstances?
Day 5: Embracing Our Place in His Kingdom: A Call to Share His Love
As we journey towards the cross, we are called to embrace our place in Jesus' kingdom, following Him wholeheartedly and sharing His love with others. Our lives should reflect His love and grace, inviting others to experience the benefits of His eternal kingdom. This involves a commitment to live out the gospel in our daily interactions, using our gifts and talents to serve others and to advance His kingdom. By doing so, we become ambassadors of His love and grace, drawing others into a relationship with Him.
[01:02:41]
"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20, ESV)
Reflection: Who in your life can you reach out to today to share the love and grace of Jesus? How can you be an ambassador for Christ in your interactions with them?
Quotes
In that scripture that we read, we see Jesus in the last moments of his life here on earth. And the soldiers, as they were taking him to be crucified, did some things that we're going to talk about next week. But one of the things they did was they put a purple robe on him with a crown of thorns and then they called him, they mocked him, king of the Jews, and they bowed down on the ground and paid fake homage to him before they led him off to be crucified. [00:32:34] (43 seconds)
And so purple, it represents Jesus is king, that he is our savior. It's also a symbol of repentance and penance, that as we gather in worship, as we walk through this season, that we look inside our hearts and inside our lives to see where God needs to work and things that we may desire for change or things that the Holy Spirit may convict us that we need to change. [00:34:22] (33 seconds)
What does it mean that Jesus is king and how does that impact our lives? Do we really process that? I love how Mark paused during that song to get us to reflect on the Scripture and on the picture of what's going on. Jesus is on the throne, right? He's king over the world. It's the heavenly throne, the throne of eternity, right? [00:35:03] (27 seconds)
Uh, and it's that heavenly realm is where his kingdom is. Again, the throne where all of the heavenly hosts, all the saints who have gone before are bowing down that throne, that every person in the world, every person that has ever lived, uh, every person who will live. If there's a time after ours, they will, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Notice that passage doesn't say every knee will bow and every tongue confess and get in the kingdom of heaven. That's not what it says. It says everyone will acknowledge that Jesus is King. [00:37:52] (44 seconds)
And so Jesus as king, part of what he's going to do is not only reign over the world, not only will his kingdom be everlasting, he will be the judge of all humanity, right? So important for us to get that. Along with this verse is the next point that Jesus as king, he's going to come back again. He is going to come back again. That's when he'll ascend to the throne for all time. It's when all powers of evil and death and sin will be defeated for all time. [00:43:11] (36 seconds)
We are called to be in that relationship. Jesus, while he was here, told us what our response should be. In Matthew 6, verse 33, he says, Seek ye first the kingdom of God, right? Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will fall in the place. Everything else will fall in the place. But seek first the kingdom of God in all that we do. That's why it's so important we talk about it. So important while we understand the purple cloth, that it's not just for these 40 days. [00:48:16] (35 seconds)
And one of the points of the message is, will we respond to the invitation of the kingdom? It's one of Jesus' kingdom teachings, right? Our response has to be that we hear the invitation, that Jesus says, come, follow me. Come and pick up your cross daily and follow me, right? And so we're given that invitation. So one of the responses is, how will we respond to that invitation? Will we follow him? [00:51:10] (30 seconds)
And so the king calls the servant back in and says, you will not be a part of my kingdom because of what you have done. I showed you mercy. I showed you compassion. I showed you forgiveness. And yet you fail to show it to others. And so I'm taking that gift away. A kingdom teaching, right? The unmerciful servant. Forgive 70 times 7 was Jesus' message before he told the parable. [00:54:07] (31 seconds)
And he told all of the sheep, hey, you come and enter into glory because you did these things. And they're like, when did we do these things? And he's like, when you did this, when you did this, when you fed the hungry, when you visited the sick, when you visited those in prison, when you welcomed the stranger. And then he turns to the goats, you all are going to be consumed by hell. You're going to the place of gnashing of teeth, a place of eternal punishment. [00:55:05] (28 seconds)
And so we've got to be careful with all of these. A final parable I'll bring up is a parable of the 10 minas. Why did I choose these? These were the ones that Jesus taught from the kingdom perspective. When he refers to himself, he refers to the king, right? And so in the parable of the minas, Luke chapter 19, verses 12 to 25. And he said, hey, the king goes away and leaves in care of servants, 10 minus 5 minus 1 mina, right? And then when he returns, he goes after years, he returns to see what happened. And the one who had 10 minas had made 10 more. [00:56:05] (46 seconds)
Another benefit of the kingdom is in Romans chapter 8, verse, chapter 14, verse 17, is to have a better life, is to have a better life as a part of the kingdom of God, right? It says the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy is what that verse says. The kingdom of God is righteousness, a right relationship with him, a right relationship with each other, a right relationship with the world. [01:01:08] (31 seconds)
The kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. There it goes. Jesus is creator, King Jesus. He's been there from the beginning. He is creating. He tells us in John, I'm going to prepare a place for you so that when the time is right, I'll bring you to be with me for all eternity. Your kingdom has been in creation from the beginning of the world, right? And he's saying, come all you who are faithful and take the kingdom that's been prepared for you. [01:02:35] (36 seconds)
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