Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Daniel 7:13,14
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date: November 21, 2021

Long ago, England was ruled by a king named Canute. And like many who are successful, Canute was surrounded by a bunch of “yes men,” people who were constantly praising him. But with Canute, it was over the top. Every time he walked into a room, the flattery began. “You are the greatest man that ever lived,” one would say. “O king, there can never be another as mighty as you,” another would insiste. “Your highness, there is nothing you cannot do,” someone would fawn. “Great Canute, you are the monarch of all,” another would sing. “Nothing in this world would dare to disobey you.” 

Now, Canute was a smart guy and he grew tired of hearing such foolish speeches. One day, as he was walking by the seashore, and his officers and officials were praising him as usual, Canute decided to teach them a lesson. “So, you say that I am the greatest man in the world?” he asked them. “O king,” they cried, “there has never been anyone as mighty as you, and there will never be anyone so great, ever again!” “And,” Canute continued, “you say all things obey me?” “Absolutely!” they replied. “The world bows before you and gives you honor.” “I see,” the king answered. “In that case, bring me my chair, and we will go down to the water.” “At once, your majesty!” And so they scrambled to carry his royal chair over the sands. “Bring it closer to the sea,” Canute called. “Put it right here, right at the water’s edge.” 

He sat down and surveyed the ocean before him. “I notice the tide is coming in. Do you think it will stop if I give the command?” His officers were puzzled, but they did not dare say no. “Give the order, O great king, and it will obey,” one of them assured him. “Very well. Sea,” cried Canute, “I command you to come no further! Waves, stop your rolling! Surf, stop your pounding! Do not dare touch my feet!” He waited a moment quietly and then a tiny wave rushed up the sand and lapped at his feet. “How dare you!” Canute shouted. “Ocean, turn back now! I have ordered you to retreat before me and now you must obey! Go back!” And in answer, another wave swept forward and curled around the king’s feet. The tide came in, just as it always did. The water rose higher and higher. It came up around the king’s chair and wet not only his feet but also his robe. His officers stood before him, alarmed, wondering whether or not he was angry. “Well my friends,” Canute said, “it seems I do not have quite as much power as you would have me believe. Perhaps you have learned something today. Perhaps, now you will remember there is only one King who is all-powerful, and it is he who rules the sea and holds the ocean in the palm of his hand. I suggest you reserve your praises for him.”

King Canute could not have been more correct. There is only one King who is all-powerful and he is Christ! As we close out our study of The King and Life Forever After, we will see that There Has Never Been a King Like Christ!

If there was ever someone qualified to testify to the greatness of a king, it was Daniel. Daniel worked and prospered under the greatest kings of his day, kings of he Babylonian and Persian Empires. As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, Daniel was so knowledgeable and so qualified, King Darius was ready to put the whole kingdom under his control. When we were in chapter 7 the last time, we heard about the terrifying visions Daniel saw: visions of four beasts, four kingdoms that would rule the world, each beast more horrible and powerful than the one before. But at the end of that vision, Daniel saw something different from those other kingdoms, something special. “I kept watching the night visions, and there, in the clouds of heaven, I saw one like a son of man coming. He came to the Ancient of Days, and he was brought before him.”  

Many things set apart this last kingdom from the rest. Instead of a beast, Daniel sees a man. But no ordinary man. Daniel sees “one like a son of man,” This is Jesus himself. How do we know? Jesus often chose to take this title, “Son of Man.” Over 70 times in the gospels, Jesus calls himself “the Son of Man,” to emphasize to his listeners that he is the fulfillment of Daniel’s vision. He was the one they should expect to establish the kingdom that would never end.  When Daniel saw the beasts, he said, “Four large beasts were coming out of the sea, each one different from the others.” These other kingdoms arose from the sea. They had their origin here. But the Son of Man didn’t arise from the sea. No, “there, in the clouds of heaven, I saw one like a son of man coming.”  The Old Testament picture of riding on the clouds was reserved for God. The Psalmist writes, “He makes clouds his chariot. He travels on the wings of the wind.”  The prophet Nahum also writes, “The Lord is slow to anger, yet great in power. The Lord will certainly not let the guilty go unpunished. He marches out in the whirlwind and in the storm. Storm clouds are like dust stirred up by his feet.”  This Son of Man was coming in the way that was reserved for God. So what does this all mean? It is clear that this Son of Man is Jesus, true man to be sure, but also True God. Daniel sees what Jesus promised, that he would return to the earth to judge the living and the dead. Matthew records it for us: “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. And at that time all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.” 

Perhaps the greatest sickness of our sinful world from the time of Daniel until now is that people don’t believe that Christ will come. Many of the people at Daniel’s time didn’t believe that the Messiah would ever come. The dominance of the Babylonian and Persian Empires made it very hard to believe that a King greater than all those would come. Then, when Jesus came, he didn’t look like those great earthly kings. He was humble and gentle. He looked just like everyone else. And the people, by and large, rejected him. Even in our own time today, people view Christ’s return as a fable or myth. John Lennon wrote in one of his later albums, “There ain’t no Jesus gonna come from the sky.” The former governor of Minnesota once said that religion was just a crutch for the weak-minded. People today live their lives with no concern at all that Christ is coming again. Even in our own minds, don’t we often rationalize our behavior with the thought, “I’ve got a long time before Christ returns, so I can do whatever I want for now.” God forgive us for those complacent thoughts! Jesus is coming and his kingdom is like no other! Listen to what else Daniel saw.

“To him was given dominion, honor, and a kingdom. All peoples, nations, and languages will worship him. His dominion is an eternal dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.” Just look at how different Christ’s kingdom is from every other kingdom! Daniel says, “To him was given dominion, honor, and a kingdom.” Who gave him these things? The Ancient of Days, God the Father himself. Daniel sees into this heavenly throne room where Jesus, the Son of Man is given all of these things. And we caught glimpses of that dominion while Jesus was on earth, didn’t we? He told his disciples right before he ascended to heaven, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” When he calmed the seas, when he raised the dead, when he taught and spoke, Jesus displayed that authority. Daniel continues, “ All peoples, nations, and languages will worship him.” It certainly didn’t take long to see this fulfilled in the life of Jesus, did it? Even as an infant, he was worshiped by Anna and Simeon in the temple courts. As a baby, Wise Men from the East, men of other nations and languages came to worship him. On Palm Sunday, when Jerusalem was filled with people from every nation, Jesus was worshiped as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Again Daniel says,  “His dominion is an eternal dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.” Although Jesus didn’t look like a king, that didn’t mean he wasn’t ruling, that he wasn’t in control. Pilate candidly asked Jesus in our Gospel if he was a king. And what did Jesus say? “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” “You are a king then?” Pilate asked. Jesus answered, “I am, as you say, a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”” Jesus’ dominion would not be destroyed by Pilate ro the Jews or some other earthly king. They tried to destroy him, but Jesus fulfilled the promise he made when he told the Pharisees, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 

There Has Never Been a King Like Christ! Daniel saw this King, the Messiah, only in a vision. He knew God’s promise and he knew that he was coming, but that’s all he knew. We, however, are blessed to be living in the New Testament age. We can read the historical record that Christ, the King, did come. “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree…” Christ, the King, entered our world wearing the form of a servant. And even though the Old Testament describes the Messiah as both a King and a suffering servant, a great many people were not looking for a suffering servant King. They rejected the truth that they needed a Savior from sin. They viewed Jesus’ death as a mockery of every claim that Jesus made to be the King. 

But there’s never been a King like Christ. He’s the only King who kept every single promise. He’s the only King who defeated death and rose from the grave. And even though he’s chosen to remove his visible presence for a time, he continues to rule over us. Paul writes, “It is as great as the working of his mighty strength, which God worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion, and above every name that is given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. God also placed all things under his feet and made him head over everything for the church.” 

During this “in-between time,” Christ, our King, is gathering men and women under his kingly reign. He “conquers” people for this kingdom through the gospel in Word and Sacrament. As New Testament believers, we are in the “last days.” The only thing yet to be fulfilled is our King’s return. On that day, he will be visibly present again. On that day, his full power and glory will be revealed for all to see. On that day, he will take his gathered kingdom to his side and we will be with the King in Life Forever After. As we close out another Church Year and look forward to the next, may God bless us to keep on eye to the sky, certain that Christ will indeed come again! May he bless us to live for and serve him, our true King, for There’s Never Been a King Like Christ!” Amen.