Christ's Own Claims to Kingship

The point: Beware of wanting Christ to be the king of your political hopes, financial security, or nationalistic dreams — He refuses such a crown and withdraws from those who offer it.

After the miracle of the loaves, the people tried to take Him by force and make Him king — and Jesus withdrew to the mountain alone, refusing to be the political king they wanted.

Jesus therefore perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force to make him their king. You see, I wasn't preaching by imagination.

11:36 - 11:48 Read in full sermon

The Pharisees demanded Jesus silence the cheering disciples at the triumphal entry — and He answered, 'If these should hold their peace, the stones would cry out,' refusing to disown His kingship.

How did our Lord respond to this designation? The cry that said Hosanna to David's son, Matthew 21, 9, Mark 11, 9, and Luke 19, 37. How does our Lord respond to this praise that acknowledges him to be nothing less than a true king? Verse 38 of Luke's Gospel 19 Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord.

20:07 - 20:38 Read in full sermon

The point: Stop trying to build Christ's kingdom with worldly means — its nature and method are utterly foreign to this world, advancing only by the word and the Spirit.

Pilate, the pagan Roman, recognized that Jesus was indeed claiming kingship in a way beyond politics — while the religious Jews refused to see their own King standing before them.

My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then would my underlings, my servants, fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews, but now is my kingdom. And in the original, the manner in which our Lord says, my kingdom is peculiarly emphatic, The kingship that is mine is what he says literally three times. Pilate, what's your question?

30:36 - 31:15 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The thief with more faith than all the disciples saw a bleeding, mocked, helpless man and said, 'Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.'

One crucified criminal, with nothing but his own death before him, looks at the bleeding, naked, mocked Jesus and calls Him Lord — asking to be remembered when He comes into His kingdom.

and we realize that amidst all of that taunting There is the taunting of the two who hang with him, one on the right hand, one on the left, and in Luke 23, 37 we read, I'm sorry, 39, one of the malefactors that were hanged railed on him, saying, Matthew tells us that they were both railing on him. There was a time when both of them were pushing as it were salt into the open wombs of our Lord soul by their shameful speech Now Luke focuses on a subsequent incident One of the malefactors that were hanged railed on him saying

41:09 - 41:55 Read in full sermon