1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
These words, found in Hebrews chapter twelve, are the words that we focused our attention on last week as we concluded our series on the book of Hebrews. They are words which remind us to run the race with endurance, to turn neither to the right nor to the left, but to fix our eyes on Jesus. They are words which remind us that Jesus has already ran this race, and endured more suffering than we will be called to bear. Indeed, much of the theme of Hebrews is about the journey to glorification which first leads through the valley of suffering. The good news of Hebrews is that our Great High priest goes with us through that valley, and all we need to do is to follow hard after Him. “We are not of those that shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.”
The author of Hebrews presented a stunning picture of faith as a great marathon—a race that we are called to run. This image is one that the Apostle Paul uses in his writings, most notably in his letters to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, and to Timothy. “Run the race in such a way as to win the prize,” he says. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
These are words that inspired Eric—both spiritually and physically. Eric was a runner—oh, he wasn’t your typical runner, he ran with his head tilted back and his mouth wide open. He flailed his arms with little grace and had a high-stepping gait. And yet, he was one of the fastest runners the world had seen in 1924. Eric, or “The Flying Scotsman,” was born in 1902 to a Scottish missionary couple serving in China. It was during his time at Edinburgh University that his true athletic abilities began to gain notoriety, and it became clear that Eric would be a contender in the 1924 Olympic games.
Perhaps you know about Eric Liddell from the movie about him, “Chariots of Fire.” If you’ve seen the movie, you know that Eric ran “for the glory of God,” and that when he won, he won “for the glory of God.” Perhaps you remember this quote from the movie, in which Eric says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”
Eric used his athletic ability as an opportunity to preach the Gospel. After deepening his faith during a Wesleyan revival meeting in Scotland, he began to travel with the tent-meetings, setting up races with all of the young men in town, beating them, and then inviting them to the tent-meeting that evening. He would often speak about how the life of faith was a race, and that we were to “Honor God with our lives…every aspect of it.” Eric believed that even in his running, he was able to honor God.
And in fact, Eric was able to honor God through his running, for what the world most remembers about Eric Liddell is that he refused to take part in the 100meter race in those Olympics because the qualifying heats were scheduled for Sunday. Even being called a “traitor to Scottish sporting” by the press, hearing of the disappointment from friends and classmates, and receiving political pressure from the Prince of Wales did not deter him from his conviction that it would not be possible to “run for the Glory of God” at the same time as he was running on the Lord’s Day. Eric held fast in his convictions and withdrew from the competition, surrendering one of Great Britain’s certain Gold Medals.
While Eric was unable to run in the 100meter (his best race), he was able to completely upset the competition in the 400meter, by not only beating the favorites for the race by more than 15 feet, but by setting a new world record as well. When asked how he knew where the finish line was (despite his unconventional way of running with his head back and his mouth open), Eric replied by saying, “The Lord guides me.” When asked the secret of success, he said, “I run the first 200 meters as fast as I can. Then, with God’s help, I run harder.”
Eric’s unwillingness to compromise his faith was a demonstration of his philosophy of life—a phrase that he would later use during his work on the mission field in China—“Complete Surrender.” Eric believed that there was no goal higher than serving God, there was no political or national allegiance that was greater than his allegiance to the Kingdom of God. In the movie, when the Prince of Wales attempts to pressure him to compromise his convictions in order to run in the qualifying heats, he replies by saying “God made countries, God makes kings, and the rules by which they govern. And those rules say that the Sabbath is His. And I, for one, intend to keep it that way.”
And when the Prince of Wales says, “There are times when we are asked to make sacrifices in the name of that loyalty. And without them our allegiance is worthless. As I see it, for you, this is such a time,” Eric replies by saying, “Sir, God knows I love my country. But I can’t make that sacrifice.”
Today is a holiday in the Christian Calendar that Eric Liddell probably would have loved. It is the day when we remember that Jesus is “God of all creation, of water, earth and sky.” We remember that the “Heavens are His tabernacles and that the universe declares His majesty.” On Christ the King Sunday, we are reminded that Jesus was not just a baby born in a manger, nor was He just a man hanging on a cross. While Jesus was fully human, we also know that He was fully divine—He is “Lord of creation and Lord of my life. Lord of the land and the sea.” He was “Lord of the heavens before there was time, and Lord of all lords” He “will be.”
The Flying Scotsman understood His allegiance to the Kingdom of God. He understood that God came first and king came second. In fact, later in life, Eric followed the call of God into remote mission areas, even though it meant leaving his wife and children behind. God first—family second.
I know it sounds radical—we are told to put ourselves first, and then our family, and then our faith somewhere later down the list of priorities. With everyone trying to claim a piece of our time, the Church, our jobs, our families, our toys, our country, and more, it’s a wonder we have any time or energy left to follow hard after God. How can we possibly claim to be citizens of His Kingdom when we have so many competing allegiances?
Jesus took His disciples to Caesarea Philippi to ask them an important question, “Who do people say that I am?” After hearing their answers, He asked them an even more important question, “Who do you say that I am?” Do you think I’m just a good rabbi? A teacher who has a new and unique interpretation of Torah? Do you think I’m a prophet? Or one of the Patriarchs? Peter answers with the confession that will be repeated for all of eternity – “You are Christ, Messiah, the anointed one, the Son of the Living God.”
Note that Peter moves beyond a confession that Jesus is Messiah—there were lots of messiahs (anointed ones) throughout Hebrew history. Peter further clarifies his confession by saying “You are the Son of the Living God.” In other words, Jesus is more than just a good man—He is divine…the very Son of God.
Pontius Pilate must come to terms with these during the trials of Jesus before His crucifixion. I invite you to hear our Gospel lesson today, found in John chapter 18:
28Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
30"If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."
31Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law."
"But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected. 32This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.
33Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
34"Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"
35"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"
36Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
37"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
38"What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. 39But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ’the king of the Jews’?"
40They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.
The Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ
Pilate probably didn’t know how to handle these responses from Jesus. Had Jesus claimed to be the rightful king instead of Herod, the solution would have been obvious. Had he indicated that He was prepared to overthrow Rome, Pilate’s course of action would have been set for him. But instead, Jesus (in true rabbinic fashion) engages Pilate in dialogue about the claims of his kingship. Jesus claims that His Kingdom is not of this world…it is not a kingdom of weapons or armies. In short, this Kingdom that Jesus speaks of is one that is completely foreign to Pilate’s understanding of a kingdom.
B. W. Johnson, author of the explanatory notes in “The People’s New Testament” wrote these words: It would be hard for Pilate to form any conception of a kingdom not of this world, a kingdom of which the subjects did not fight with carnal weapons to defend its king, or to extend its borders. He was a soldier and the representative of a monarch whose power rested on the sword. But such a kingdom was Christ’s. It was not of this world, did not spring from it, was heavenly in its origin, and hence his servants would not fight that he should not be delivered to the Jews. Christ’s kingdom is supernatural, not of human origin. It is in the world, but not worldly. It is maintained, not by carnal weapons, but by spiritual and moral means.
It is this Kingdom to which all true Christians belong. Those who have confessed their sins, by faith believing that Jesus died on the cross and rose again, are adopted sons and daughters of God…You are, in fact, a child of the King!
When we talk like this, we realize that we need an attitude adjustment. Too often our focus is on the physical problems that we face instead of the spiritual realities around us. When we go through trials and tribulations, we forget that we are a prayer away from our Heavenly Father. We see the things that we don’t have, forgetting the many blessings that we do have.
Eric Liddell would tell us that our attitude adjustment needs to be one of “Complete Surrender” to the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. When we truly surrender ourselves to His Lordship, our priorities change and our perspective shifts. We no longer are concerned with the things that we want, but look for ways to meet the needs of others. We become able to forgive those who have sinned against us, because we see Christ who forgave those who crucified Him. We delight ourselves, not in rumors or gossip, but in the truth—the truth that sets us free.
Complete surrender means that we give every aspect of our lives to His service. Whatever it is that you do—from the most mundane task to the highest spiritual calling—is to be an offering upon God’s altar.
Eugene Peterson translates Paul’s words to the Romans this way:
1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.
If Eric Liddell can run races for the Glory of God, then you too can do your job, your calling for the Glory of God. Simply do it all with complete surrender to Christ the King.
In a moment, we will join together in the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. As we feast at His table, we are called upon to make a bold statement—for in eating of this spiritual food, we are, in a sense, swearing our allegiance to the Spiritual Kingdom of Christ. We recognize that there is no king, president, governor or ruler who holds greater claim to us than does Christ. We acknowledge that our jobs, our families, our social responsibilities, and even our church, cannot pre-empt our citizenship in the Kingdom of God.
On Christ the King Sunday, we are called, not simply to acknowledge that Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, but that He is my King and my Lord. He is not simply the Lord of the universe, the land and the sea…but He is also Lord of my life. When we acknowledge His kingship in our lives, we may feast at His table and be fed by His food.
Let me remind you today that this table is not my table. I do not get to decide who may feast at it and who may not. However, let me also remind you that it is His table, and He invites to it those who have made Him Savior and King of their lives. Your participation in this table is not to be taken lightly, but with sincerity of heart. For when you dine at the table of the King, it is expected that you will serve Him all the days of your life.
In preparation for our celebration of Communion, let us affirm our faith together in the reading of the Apostle’s Creed, found at number 8 in your hymnals:
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirt,
born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended in hades;
the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Church universal,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
Benediction: Numbers 6:24 The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
Sources:
http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?ContributorID=&SermonID=63831
http://www.firstpresbyterianwellsboro.org/2005Sermons/serm050424.htm
http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/christ_the_king_lord_of_land.htm
http://chi.gospelcom.net/GLIMPSEF/Glimpses/glmps161.shtml
http://www.intouch.org/myintouch/mighty/portraits/eric_liddell_213688.html
(You can listen to this sermon online at http://www.capenazarene.org/ftp/sermonaudio/CECN_112606_King.mp3. Or, you can subscribe to our podcast at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=129585252.)
