IN CHRIST ALONE!: FROM OUR BRETHREN... A CHRISTIAN DENOMINATION THAT IS IN UNION WITH US IN OPPOSING THE FALLACIES OF THE RH/RP BILL: “Excellent Confession"

“Excellent Confession"

November 25, 2012

The 26th Sunday of Ordinary Tine

A.K.A.

Kingdomtide 

and 

Time of the Church

THE GREAT FEAST OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SOVEREIGN KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

Daniel 7: 9 – 14/Psalm 93/Revelation 1: 1 – 8/John 18: 33 – 37

His Eminence

The Most Reverend Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines D.D.

Archbishop of Manila

and 

Primate 

of the 

National Church in the Philippines 

and 

the Territorial Church of Asia

International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church

We come to the end of what we call “time.”   For God there is no end.  His kingdom is eternal; it will never come to an end.  But that which man has created basically in contrast to God’s kingdom will come to an end.  It will pass away and the kingdom of God will be the only kingdom that will be left. 

Jesus, in front of Pilate, spoke some very powerful words which is vital for us to understand.   John 18: 33 - 37. “Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?’ Pilate answered, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You up to me; what have You done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jew; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.’ Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘So You are king?’  Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’ Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’” 

As the people of God, it is very necessary that we know the truth, that we comprehend what God has spoken to us.  In the gospel, Jesus Himself says, “My kingdom is not of this world.  He is talking about a system.   did not come be  Lord over business; He did not come to be Lord over government; He did not come to be Lord over education, over self-centeredness or other things.  He came to be the Lord over His creation – that which He created. 

Christ says very clearly, “I came for this reason.”  Talking about confession, was not the birth of Christ a major confession?  Was it not a witness of God’s love for man?  Was it not a proclamation that the earth, with its system, was not sovereign, powerful enough to keep out the Lord of Lords? 

For many, we have said what a shame that Christ will be born in a manger.  No attention given to Him at all.  No royalty to welcome Him.  No one to sing a song to Him.  There were only the animals.  The sheep, the cows and the oxen and the others in the manger welcomed Christ.  Maybe they had more recognition of who He was that He was their creator that is why they were there.  But the fact that we would think that there was no recognition of Christ’s birth is not correct. 

If there was ever a reaction to the birth of Christ, it could have no higher honor given to it than all the universe responded.  The angels were singing in the heavens, “Glory to God in the highest and peace to men on earth.”   What other king has been crowned when angels sang at His crowning?  What other time was there when angels responded with joy over an event that has take place upon the earth?   There was none! 

The universe, the star coming forth making a declaration and the proclamation. Is this not a confession of who Christ was?  Is this not a confession of His ministry and His purpose of life?  Where were the Jews?   Who was it that came to see Him?  The wise men from the East.  Today, we would call them Muslims.  They were more sensitive to that which God was doing than God’s own people were. 

This witness is what Christ gives to us.  In a midst of a world that is corrupt, in turmoil, embittered among themselves, He came as a light in the midst of the darkness.  A hope in the midst of despair. A joy in the midst of sorrow. 

What a great confession of who Christ was.  When He was twelve years old, His parents took him to the temple for the Feast – a confession of His ability and lineage.  He spent three days in conversation with the high priests.  He was that wise that He could keep them in an interesting conversation, perhaps questioning them.  He had this much wisdom.  Here was a confession of who He was. 

What about turning the water into wine?  Is this not a confession of His ability, power and authority?    When He healed the crippled, did He not make a statement, a confession that His power is greater than the sickness or disease?  When He opened the blind eyes, was He not confessing His authority and His dominion? Was He not speaking to us to tell us, “It doesn’t matter what has happened.  Greater is He who is with you than he who is against you.” 

When He raised the dead, was this not a confession of His power?  Was this not a proclamation of His authority given to Him by His Father?  How could anyone not be captivated by these events that were confessing His ability and His authority?  He was showing His divine lineage. He casts out evil spirits.  The woman with the issue of blood was healed instantly.   Those with leprosy were healed.  He was showing that there was nothing that was more powerful than He was.  He could feed the five thousand from just a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. He could calm the storm on the sea.  Was this not a confession of who He was? 

But the people were blinded.  In their blindness, they could not see and comprehend.  They could not understand.    We would look at a blind man for an example – a person that could not see at all.  You might put a brick of solid gold in front of him.   He could not see what it was and he could not comprehend its value.  You might put a large diamond worth millions in front of him. He would not know but that it was glass.  In front of him was the most expensive things that could be given to him and yet because of his blindness he could not comprehend or understand. 

The Jews were blinded.   Christ was there in the midst of them. They experienced many of these events and yet they did not comprehend.  They did not understand His divinity.  He was speaking the truth.  He was living out the truth.  It was just more than just words.  It was action.  He was showing that He was King over all these things.  As King, He rules.  As King, He had dominion.  As King, He had authority.  Nothing existed that He could not change by just the word or by a touch. 

His divinity, His power, and His authority demonstrated that Christ would be known that He would bring forth hope to man, but man ignored it.   Christ went to the cross, taking our sin and our iniquity.  He knew no sin but He became sin.  He was mocked, made fun of; but on the third day, He rose from the dead. He confessed His power.  Death has no sting.  Death has no authority.  While He was in the grave, He went to hell and destroyed the power of the devil, bringing it to nothing.  He disarmed the forces of evil.   He released all of those who were at that place. 

This was the character, the power, and the confession of Jesus Christ.  Confessing to those at that time and confessing to all men who would ever live the truth where He said, “For this reason I had been born. For this reason, I had come to the world to bear witness the truth.”   Here is the truth.   Poverty did not stop Him. Neither did a lack could not stop Him. He turned the water into wine.   He fed the five thousands from just a few.  He had authority over all these things.  This was His confession. 

When the widow was bringing his only son from slab that was meant for burial, He raised the young lad and gave him back to the mother.  It was all that she had.   He had authority over death.  He called Lazarus from the tomb.   He was already stinking; he had decayed but he came forth because Christ had the authority over death.  He met the needs of the poor. He healed the lepers, the crippled. He opened the eyes of the blind.  He caused those who could not speak to speak.   He demonstrated His power and His authority in front of the people publicly to let it be known who He was. 

Today, we gather to honor Him.  We gather to proclaim Him the Lord of our lives.  Are we blind?  Do we have the faith to believe that He could do for us what He did in Scripture? Can He heal the blinded eye and make it see?  Can He cause the cripple to walk even though they have never walked?  Can He cause the blood to cease from flowing?  Can He feed the multitudes?  Can He deliver the possessed?  Is He still the same today as He was then? 

Where is our hope? Where is our faith?  Can we sing, “Alleluia, Alleluia, my God is great; there is no One like Him?”  It doesn’t matter who comes against me.  It doesn’t matter what happens to me.  My God is able to restore.  He is able to bring restoration.  He is able to bring life. Do we have this faith in Him? 

We were called out of darkness into His marvelous light.  We were not intended to walk in darkness.  We were brought out into life.  We were made to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation.  If God did all of these for us through Christ, why are we denying the confession of God’s love to us?  Should we not as His people be vibrant in joy?  Should we not be excited to know that nothing can come against us successfully because our God is greatest than all things?  Even the mountains, the turmoil melts like wax in His presence. 

This is our God.  This is to whom He has given life, authority and dominion.   He is our God.  As we gather today to rejoice in Him, and to proclaim His Lordship, may it not be words alone, but may it be life itself. 

I remember a song that we used to sing over and over again, “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”   We start slow and we get faster and faster until we can hardly speak the words.   But when we finished and we went out and submitted to the world again, even though we had sung the song over and over again, yet, it had no meaning to us.  There was no value.  It was just something that made our emotions feel good but it did not change our hearts. 

When will we make Him King?  When will He truly be the Lord?  When will we stop being led by the world around us?  When will we cease being intimidated and threatened by the enemy?  These things will pass away.  These things will not last.   Governments may pass laws that are contrary to Christian moral, but they will pass away.   Governments may take more than what God has allowed them to take, but they will only be temporary.  God will straighten it all out because they are all going to be destroyed.  They are going to lose their power.  They are going to lose their authority.  If our faith is in God, He will save us.  We will be redeemed. 

May we make Him the Lord of our lives.  May we recognized how blessed we are to have Christ King of our lives.  May He rule and reign in every aspect of life – in our personal life, in our homes, in our schools, in our businesses, in our government.  May He be Lord and may we recognize Him.  May we put Him above our feelings and our emotions; our likes and dislikes.  May He truly be the Lord.  May we proclaim His greatness. 

Christ gave us a confession.  He did not hide who He was.  He did not hide His purpose. He accomplished exactly what He came to accomplish.  He set us free.  He changed our sin and our iniquity for His righteousness and His holiness. 

We must meditate.  We must put on that which He has given to us so that we walk in this newness of life to the glory and to the praise of God. The truth: Christ is Lord!  Yes, governments may come against Him. They won’t last.  He is patient because He gives man opportunity, but He does not lose the battle.  He will win.  Our faith, our confidence is in Him. King and Lord; Christ Jesus.  My Lord and my God!