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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2007
THE LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Luke 23:35-43 (The in-breaking
Kingdom)
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TODAY’S SERMON THEME:
God’s
Kingdom is breaking into this world all around us, all the time -- whenever and
wherever someone turns his life over to the King of Kings. In a world filled with false kingdoms, we
have the privilege of becoming citizens of an eternal kingdom. A Kingdom that will never fail. And that is the truth.
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1. Once upon a time, many years
ago, there was a smart little boy who loved to tell fibs. Fortunately, while he was still very young, he got
caught. And here is how it
happened: It was a very cold winter, by
Texas standards, with lots of snow and freezing rain -- by Texas standards,
again. And the little boy, who was about
4 or 5 years old, started to brag, and brag, and brag about how proficient he
was in shooting basketballs. This little
guy could not let a moment pass without telling everyone around him what a
great basketball player he was. PLEASE
UNDERSTAND: This little boy had never
really touched a basketball. He had only seen a couple of basketball games
on his family’s old black-and-white television. And he had heard some of his
older relatives talking about the game of basketball. And he had seen -- once or twice -- some
older kids shooting baskets in the park.
It didn’t matter. He just started
bragging about how good he was. It
didn’t seem to matter that he knew nothing about the game. And it didn’t seem to matter that he had
never touched a REAL basketball. He just
kept talking about how good he was. So,
after a couple of weeks of this, the little boy was finally given an
opportunity to prove himself. His father
came home from work one day with a real basketball. And they got into the car and drove to the
neighborhood playground. At first, the
little guy was excited beyond words. He
could not wait to prove his greatness.
And all the way to the playground, he kept up his non-stop
chattering. As he and his dad walked
from the parking lot to the court, he kept up his chattering. Finally, they walked out onto the court,
across the free-throw line and up to the basket. The little guy took the basketball into his
arms and looked up. IT WAS AT THAT
PRECISE MOMENT THAT HE LEARNED HOW TALL 10 FEET IS. With all his might, he positioned both
hands under the ball and hurled it upward with all his strength. It went up about 8 feet. He took a deep breath and tried again. With all his might, he shoveled the ball
upwards. Eight feet. Over and over and over, he tried to hurl the
ball upwards. Eight feet each time. After a dozen or so shots, the little guy was
pretty upset. His frustration quickly
turned to anger, which quickly turned into tears. Finally, he dissolved to the court in a heap,
sobbing his eyes out. As they were
walking back to the car, the dad put his hands on the little guy’s shoulders
and said: “You know, the most important
thing is to always tell the truth.” For
several days, the little boy thought about the lesson. For several days, he pondered his dad’s
words. And then one sunny morning he
started to brag about what a great BASEBALL PLAYER he was. Some lessons take time to learn.
2. How did YOU learn the truth
when you were growing up? Did your
parents explain it to you? Did your
teachers? Or did you learn the hard way,
like I did, by getting caught in a fib? You know, the world’s
greatest philosophers have wrestled with THE TRUTH since the beginning of time:
(1) Some have said that the TRUTH
is a statement which agrees with verifiable facts. This would be the sort of truth that a
jury would seek to determine during a trial.
“Based on the evidence presented, the jury finds the defendant not
guilty.” And THAT is the truth. Or is it?
In some fairly prominent trials in the last few years, we might have
some doubts about this.
(2) Others have said that TRUTH
is a quality of being -- part of our inward makeup as humans. This type of understanding makes truth a
part of our CHARACTER, similar to sincerity in words and actions. But we have also been through a 15-year
period in our nation’s history when we have been told repeatedly that CHARACTER
doesn’t matter, that ACTION is more important, that it is possible to SEPARATE
our private lives from our public lives.
So maybe this is not a satisfactory definition, either.
(3) Still others have said that
TRUTH is a moving target that is always determined by whether things turn out
OK in the end. This type of
understanding, of course, means that situational ethics could be replaced by
situational truth. And that what is true
today could be false tomorrow. Or that
what is true for you would not be true for me.
(I don’t know about you, but I grew tired of these types of philosophers
a LONG time ago . . . Back when I was learning my lesson about little fibs.)
(4) And then, of course, there
are those who say that genuine TRUTH always verifies itself. The preamble to our Declaration of
Independence says, “We hold these truths to be SELF-EVIDENT -- that all men are
created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights, that among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness.” In other words, when we
encounter the TRUTH, we will know it, and it will verify itself to us.
3. So what is the truth? And how do we recognize it when we find
it? These questions lead to my main point
today. And here it is: God’s Kingdom is breaking into this world all
around us, all the time -- wherever and whenever someone turns his life over to
the King of Kings. In a world filled
with false kingdoms, we have the privilege of becoming citizens of an eternal
Kingdom. A Kingdom that will never
end. And that IS the Truth. This is the enduring message of our faith:
(1) First of all, Jesus Himself
tells us that He is the Truth (John 14:1-6).
He also says that when we become His disciples, we will know the
truth, and the truth will set us free (John 8).
(2) Second, Jesus reveals to us
WHO HE IS by the THINGS HE DOES. There
is NO disconnect between Jesus’ words and His actions. It is not just His words that testify to Him;
His actions also show us who He is -- with full authority over sickness,
disease, darkness, demons, nature, life, and death. The 27 books of the New Testament bear
unmistakable evidence of the identity of the Lord.
(3) Our second lesson this
morning from Colossians identifies Jesus as the “image of the invisible God,”
the One “in whom the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” This same passage says that Jesus is here
“to reconcile” -- to bring together -- all persons with their loving Heavenly
Father. The same statement about the
divine nature of Jesus is made in John Chapter 1: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among
us, full of grace and TRUTH.”
(4) Our loving, caring Lord
engages us, encounters us, in all we do.
Wherever we go, whatever we do, whatever we say, whatever we think, HE
IS THERE. And He is constantly, ceaselessly,
consistently, caringly calling us to come into His Kingdom. A Kingdom that is breaking into the world all
around us.
4. Our Gospel lesson today from
Luke 23 illustrates -- as graphically as it is possible to do -- the TWO TYPES
OF RESPONSE who can make to our Lord. Let us look briefly as this
passage from Holy Scripture:
(1) The setting. Jesus is hanging on the Cross between two
criminals. It is Good Friday, the day of
His crucifixion. Jesus has been nailed
to the Cross. The apostles have fled,
except John. The women remain. The soldiers scoff and gamble over His
seamless garment.
(2) The two thieves. One of the criminals hurls insults at
Jesus and makes angry demands of Him.
“Are you not the Messiah? Save
yourself and us!” he screams. The second
criminal sees all that is happening, and believes: “Jesus,” he says, “please remember me when
you come into your Kingdom.”
(3) The two responses. Disbelief or belief. Insults or humility. Anger or repentance. One thief argued and shouted his way into
oblivion. The other bowed his head,
humbled his heart, and received eternal life.
As a matter of fact, the penitent thief is the only person we know of
with certainty who is in heaven today.
We know this from the very words of Jesus addressed to him: “IN TRUTH I TELL YOU,” Jesus says to him,
“today you will be WITH ME in Paradise.”
And, yes, there is the word TRUTH again.
5. Quite simply, God’s Word IS
the TRUTH. Jesus IS the Truth. And He is ushering in God’s Kingdom into this
world right here. Right now. God’s Kingdom breaks into this world whenever
and wherever someone gives his life to the King. And in a world of false kingdoms, false
dynasties, false empires, and transitory powers, we have the opportunity -- and
the privilege -- to become citizens of a Kingdom that will never end. A Kingdom that will stand forever.
On this final Sunday in the Season
of Pentecost -- on this Christ the King Sunday -- we are reminded that God’s
love for us will never end, will never fail. He has done all things necessary
for us to become citizens of His Heavenly Kingdom. And for us to claim our inheritance as His
sons and daughters. An inheritance we
can claim right here. And right now.
And all we have to do -- the ONLY
thing we have to do -- is to follow the example of the penitent thief: To make the choice to turn to Him and
believe. For all who turn to Him will be
welcomed. Now. And for eternity.
And THAT is the truth.