Christ the King – November 17/20, 2016
Christ The King Is Concerned About You
Jeremiah 23:2-6 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the Lord. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord. 5“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.
Have you ever felt like nobody cares or that you are all alone? Like nobody really understands your problems and your needs? Do you ever find yourself wondering if there really is anyone who can help? Thinking that life just isn’t fair? The truth of the matter is that if we’re honest, we have to admit we’ve all been there. At one time-or-another the troubles of this life have weighed us down and wore us out. Perhaps that time is even right now. And these feelings can come for any number of reasons.
One of those reasons might bewhat we see when we take a look around us in this world. The ungodly seem to have the charmed life. The irreverent and disobedient seem to be the ones who prosper. While we are hard pressed and beaten down; while we are trampled over and stomped on. We begin to wonder, is following God really worth it? When is it going to be my turn? Does he not see what is going on in my life?
Of course, we aren’t the first ones to think that way. Asaph, the author of Psalm 73 echoed similar thoughts. He said, “I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” After looking at the wicked he concluded, “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.” I wonder if the godly at the time of Jeremiah didn’t feel this way too.
Here they were, in the land God had promised them; still waiting for the Messiah God had promised. Yet while they waited the leaders of the nation – the prophets, priests and kings – were mistreating them. They exploited the poor; stole from the people; and sold their services to the highest bidder. They were more wolf than shepherd.
On top of that, because of the godlessness of the nation now they were going to be carried away into captivity by the nation of Babylon. They must have felt all alone. They must have been looking around thinking, “What good is it for me to follow God’s ways and decrees?” They must have wondered, “Does God even care?” Well, the answer to that question was, “Yes!”
God was concerned about them. He was deeply concerned about them. So Jeremiah was given these words to speak to those who should have been caring for his people, “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done.” God saw what was going on. He knew what was happening to his people. And the wicked would not get away with it. He would repay their evil with evil. He would bring justice upon the unjust. In fact, so concerned was he about them that he said, “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock…and they will no longer be afraid or terrified.” Even though the leaders took no care of them but betrayed them, God would look after them.
This is not only a promise to the believing Jews at the time of Jeremiah;this is a promise to all believers. This is a promise to you. God is concerned about you. He does and will take up your cause. You are never alone. This is a truth that Asaph, that author of Psalm 73 realized. He wrote, “[When] I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood [the] final destiny [of the wicked]…How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors…you hold me by my right hand.” Yes, this is a promise that includes every aspect of our life.
But in the words of our text this morning, the Lord is especially directing our attention to our spiritual cause. “I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified.” This is a reference to the faithful prophets who came after Jeremiah, to the disciples, the apostles, and to all faithful pastors today. But that’s not all God will do, “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.” This is a prophecy about Christ, our King.
If there is ever any doubt as to whether or not God is on your side; if ever you think that you are all alone; if ever tempted to imagine that God doesn’t know what’s going on; if ever you are afraid that God is not concerned about you; if ever you believe God is not in control - thesethree sentences settle it all! In these three sentences God promises to send the ultimate King; the ideal King, the King of kings. That’s exactly what he did!
God ruled and guided history so that it would happen just as he said. You see, the line of kingDavid looked dead. The northern kingdom of Israel had already been destroyed. The southern kingdom of Judah had enthroned faithless ruler after faithless ruler, and was on the verge of destruction. But that was no problem for our God. Out of this dead looking stump of David, he would raise up a righteous Branch.
Now, this isnot a branch in the sense we might think. This is not the type of branch that is dependent upon a fully grown tree for strength and life. Rather, it grows out of a dying stump or from the ground where a tree has recently decayed. It is a fresh, new growth with its own strength and life. This Branch is Jesus. He was born of Mary who was descended from David, so he was David’s ancestor. He would be the ultimate, ideal King. Why? Because he provides righteousness for all!
Now, it’s easy to understand the word righteousness. Righteousness is what a person does when they do what is right. Jesus always did what was right. He never cursed or swore. He never disobeyed his parents or the authorities. He never hurt anyone. He never harbored a lustful thought in his heart. He never stole or coveted riches. He never doubted or worried. Or putting it positively, he always told the truth. He always obeyed his parents. He was always content with what he had. Do you get the picture? Jesus never did anything wrong: NEVER. He didn’t commit a single sin. He didn’t commit a little sin. He didn’t even come close to committing a sin – not even in his mind or his imagination. He always did what was right. He did it when he was supposed to. He did it without fail. That’s what righteousness is.
That is a truth that is both comforting and terrifying. If you are comparing yourself with Jesus, it’s terrifying. Jesus is righteousness. I am not. Jesus is righteousness. You are not. We sin all the time. We sin at times when we try not to; and we sin when we know all too well that its sin. We drive down the road just thinking about all kinds of hurtful and terrible things. There is hardly a sin we haven’t committed in our minds. When we compare our lives to Jesus’, we can only see how much trouble we are in.
Could God possibly want me as his child if I have to compare myself to his only Son, who never did what was wrong and who always did what was right? He shouldn’t. Wouldn’t God have every right to leave me to flounder all by myself in this life? Yes. In fact, one look into our life and we have to admit, God would be totally justified to send me to hell and we wouldn’t have one honest complaint we could charge against him.
But didn’t I say Jesus’ righteousness is also comforting? Yes, and in order to see that comfort look at that one little word sandwiched inbetween the name Lord and the word Righteousness in our text. It’s only three letters long. Do you see it? It says OUR! Jesus is OUR righteousness.
Not only is Jesus righteous in himself, but through his perfect life of obedience he has won for you a gift, the gift of righteousness that we could never have gained for ourselves. With his substitutionary and sacrificial death on the cross, he won for you the forgiveness of your many sins. With his rising to life he secured for you your justification. What he has done, he has done for you. Here, in Jesus, is the message that smashes our unbelief and brings us to faith. Here, in Jesus, is the beginning, middle and end of our faith. Here, in Jesus, is the door that opens heaven and keeps it open. Here in Jesus is your certainty, your hope, your confidence that God is concerned about you.
And so, if God says, “Did you keep the first commandment? Did you give me the glory only in your life? Did you love me with your heart and soul and mind? You can say, “No, Lord, I didn’t. I must confess my sins. I cannot hide them from you. But Jesus did. He always honored you. Even when dying on the cross and you forsook him and punished him, he still honored you. Lord, it says right here that Jesus did that for me. He is the Lord my righteousness. So if you asked if I kept the first commandment, I would have to say yes, Jesus kept it for me!”
Can you even begin to question whether or not God is concerned about you after hearing that? Just look. God sent Christ, the ultimate King, to do battle against sin, death and the devil. And Jesus didn’t just beat them, he absolutely annihilated them. His perfect life demolished sin’s hold on us. His death obliterated Satan’s power over us. His resurrection crushed death’s cold grasp of us. His perfect life is our perfect life. His death is our death. His resurrection is the guarantee of our resurrection. And as King, he now rules in our hearts through his Word.
At the same time, God raised Christ our King to sit on his throne at his right hand so that he can rule all things for the benefit the Church, his believers, us. And if he is in control of all things; and if he was willing to do battle for us; we can have the confidence that Christ our Kingwill lead us safely through this life to our safe arrival in his heavenly kingdom. So we can join with Aseph who put it so beautifully: “You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Amen.