The Great Coronation

How does a person go about building a life worth living?

How do you build a good life?

How do you build a life that is a life of meaning, a life of purpose,

a life that is reasonably happy, but also a life that can bear the weight

of suffering and loss, a life that can hold up in the face of

its own finitude, a life that can hold up

to the challenges of life in the real world?

How do you build that kind of life?

And where do you look to learn how to do this well?

Our culture emphasizes that such a life should be authentic,

that we should build a life that feels true to us.

But beyond that, there's not a lot of guidance.

And if we're honest, no one, at least no one I know,

has the time or energy to develop a comprehensive and rigorous worldview.

We just don't have time or energy for that.

Where would we start?

And so what most people end up doing, if we're honest,

is sort of cobbling together a life out of this and that, right?

There might be this that we saw on Instagram,

or that that we heard in a particularly compelling podcast,

or this snippet that we got from a friend,

or this that these friends who seem to be doing a better job in their life than us,

and we copy them.

We sort of cobble together a life.

But a life built this way is fragile.

It tends to fall apart when things get tough.

A life built this way is also a life that feels meaningless,

because we know deep down we're making it up as we go along.

Matthew chapter 28, this passage that Hillary just read,

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

speaks directly into this question.

It shows us the kind of life that is on offer through the risen Christ

that we cannot find anywhere else.

It's a life built around three things.

A life built around a new center.

A life built around a new identity.

And then a life built around a new purpose.

So let's pray, and then we're going to open God's Word together.

If you have a Bible and you want to turn to chapter 28 of Matthew,

you can do that.

Let's pray together.

Lord, we thank You for Your Word,

and we thank You that it is not mere ink and paper,

that we are here in the presence of the living God.

We pray that as we open Your Word, Your Word would open us.

As we read Your Word, Your Word would read us.

Lord, and that as we come to understand Your written Word,

we would come face to face with the living Word, Jesus Christ.

And it's in His name that we pray.

Amen.

So what does it take to build a good life?

What is on offer through the risen Christ to the world?

The first thing is that we find in Jesus a new center.

After seeing Jesus crucified,

this happened previously in Matthew's Gospel.

After seeing Jesus crucified,

the disciples felt as though their lives were falling apart.

They felt as though their lives were meaningless.

They felt as though everything they thought they knew

had just come undone.

And they were trying to rebuild their lives as best they could.

But suffice it to say, they were profoundly disoriented.

But when they encounter the risen Jesus, everything changes.

He appears to them.

He says, meet me in Galilee.

Go there, wait, I'm coming.

So they go to Galilee.

They go to the mountain,

and they're waiting for Jesus on the mountain.

And when Jesus arrives,

it says some of them immediately fall prostrate on the ground,

and they worship Him.

And then it says others still doubted.

They still had their doubts.

Now we're going to come back to that.

The first thing Jesus says is this.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Now he's not just saying some authority.

He's saying all authority everywhere is now mine.

For those who know their Old Testaments,

this is a reference indirectly to Daniel chapter 7.

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

There's a prophecy that Daniel makes in the Old Testament

that the Son of Man,

a title that Jesus had used for Himself,

the Son of Man one day would be enthroned

as the ruler of the world.

And Jesus is saying,

that has been fulfilled in your hearing.

That was fulfilled through the resurrection.

I have become the King of the world.

In other words, at this moment,

Jesus is announcing His coronation

on this mountain to His disciples

as the King of heaven and earth.

So for those who say or argue

that there's nowhere where Jesus actually

announces that He is divine

or makes the claim that He is God,

you're going to have to figure out

how to make sense of this passage

because that seems to be exactly

what He's saying here.

And here's the thing that we want to wrestle

with this morning.

If all authority in heaven and on earth

belongs to Jesus,

that means that Jesus is the center

of reality itself.

It means that Jesus is the center

of everything.

And if that's true,

then any vision of life

that doesn't begin that way,

in other words,

any vision of life

that assumes we are at the center

is already doomed to fail

because it doesn't line up with reality.

It's already disconnected

from what is most true.

So there's a lot of wisdom

to be found in the world.

The ancient Greeks

had a lot of wisdom.

They talked about,

Aristotle talks about

the cultivation of virtue.

The Stoics talk about

the value of self-mastery.

There's a lot of modern wisdom

to be gleaned, right?

Tim Ferriss can help us

optimize our habits, right?

Andrew Huberman can help us

use science to improve

our quality of life

and our bodies and minds.

Or Brene Brown can urge us

to embrace vulnerability.

All valuable,

all worth considering,

all worth maybe incorporating.

There's value in these ideas,

but listen,

they all share the same limit

because all of these realities,

all of these visions of life

assume that I should be

at the center of my life.

And that's the problem.

And that's the limit.

Scripture actually says

that this is how things

originally went wrong

in the world,

that human beings

became convinced

at some point along the way

that life would be better

if we were at the center

instead of God.

And that's when things

began to fall apart.

All right,

so think of the solar system.

How do massive planets

move with such precision

and beauty and order?

Why aren't they constantly

crashing into each other

or flying out into space?

And the answer is

because they all share

the same center.

They're all held in place

by the one thing

that has the gravity

and the power to do it,

and that's the sun.

So our lives are very much

like the solar system.

There are all kinds of things

floating around in my life

and in your life, right?

Our loves are floating around out here.

Our desires are floating around.

Our fears are over here

and they're floating around.

Our ambitions,

our duties,

our obligations,

our relationships,

all of these things

are floating around.

That's what makes up

the stuff of our lives.

when we try to sit

at the center of all that

and when we try to hold

all of it in balance

and all of it,

get it all moving together

and flowing in harmony

and peace,

we find very quickly

it doesn't work.

Nobody I know,

despite all of our efforts

in all of the podcasts,

has that kind of life.

the reality is

our lives are disordered

because we were never really

meant to be at the center.

We lack the gravity.

We lack the authority

to hold it all together

the way it should fit.

And so what we find

is that sometimes

things hurl off into space.

They just get neglected

altogether.

Much more often,

at least if you're anything like me,

you find things crashing

into one another.

And our life is actually

made up of a lot of things

clashing with other things

and bringing disorder.

So our ambitions

might crash

into our sense of self-worth.

And you find

that you're a workaholic,

that you can't even

take a day off,

that you work seven days a week

because your ambitions

have crashed

into your sense of self-worth.

Our fears may crash

into our relationships.

And when that happens,

we either become

highly self-protective

and disconnected.

Or we become

overly needy

because our fears

are crashing

into our relationships.

Or our need for approval

crashes into our values.

And we find that we let people

walk all over us.

And we become people pleasers.

Or our desires

and urges

crash into our ethics.

And we become immoral

or maybe even hypocritical.

So things are crashing

into each other

all the time.

Our lives don't work

when we're at the center

of them.

Jesus is the only one.

And this is part

of what he's claiming here.

He's the only one

with the gravity.

He's the only one

with enough authority

to bring order

to the solar system

of your life

and your soul.

In order to build

the kind of life

we were created to live,

the first thing

we need to realize

is that everything

in our life

all of this stuff

belongs to Jesus.

It's his.

Right?

So your family,

your kids,

your money,

your body,

your ambitions,

your suffering,

your politics,

your future,

your past.

This moment

all belongs to him.

It's all his

to do whatever

he wants

with it.

The invitation here

is to put him

at the center,

allow him

to occupy the place,

the throne

at the center

of our lives.

Everything then

begins to fall

into place.

This is how life

was meant to work.

We need a kind of

Copernican revolution

of the heart.

We need Jesus

to displace us

at the center

of our lives.

However,

right,

it's not as simple

as saying,

okay,

from this moment forward

I'm going to do that

because we can say that

but then there's

the reality

of actually living

that out

and we find

all kinds of resistance

in ourselves

when we try

to actually

live that way

and if we were

to simply resolve

to start living

that way

then this would

be no different

than any of the other

podcasts

we listen to

throughout the week.

Just another way

to optimize

and improve.

So in order

to actually have

this Copernican revolution

we need a new identity.

We need a new identity

and this is the second thing

we see in this passage.

If we follow Jesus' words

he says,

all authority

has been given to me

therefore

go and make disciples

of all nations.

Disciples are

one way of thinking

about a disciple

is a disciple of Jesus

is someone who lives

with King Jesus

at the center

of their lives.

It's someone

who has put Christ

at the center

of their lives

or is seeking

to do that.

Right?

But notice how

disciples are made.

This is very important.

Two things happen

in order to make

a disciple.

Jesus says

go and make disciples

number one

baptizing them

in the name

of the Father

and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit

and then

teaching them

to obey everything

I have commanded you.

Baptism

gives us

a new identity.

Then the teaching

gives us

a new way to live.

But notice

before we can be taught

a new way of life

we have to be baptized

into a new identity.

The new identity

comes before

the new way of life

and that is

extremely important.

It's one of the things

that makes Christianity

entirely unique

when compared

to other religions

and worldviews.

The claim is

that before we can

change how we live

we need to change

who we are.

That's what baptism does.

Right?

For those who were here

last week

we saw two young women

baptized up here.

Claire and Sunny.

It was so hard

not to call them

Sunny and Claire.

Sunny and Cher.

So I reversed it

and on purpose

I said Claire and Sunny.

Claire and Sunny

were up here

because I didn't

trust myself

and they were baptized.

And if you were here

and you saw them

baptized

you saw them kneel here

you saw us

pour the water

over them.

When that happened

it wasn't just

a ritual.

Right?

It wasn't just

a kind of

teaching aid

or visual device.

Something happened

fundamentally in them.

each of those women

became

in a way

someone new.

Because if you remember

the words we said

we baptized

each of those women

into the name

of the Father

and the Son

and the Holy Spirit.

Notice by the way

it's not names.

Three.

It's the name.

The name of a God

who is Father, Son

and Holy Spirit.

They were baptized

into that name.

And what that means

is that they were

joined into

and took on

the identity

of that being.

Their old self died

there was a new self

that emerged

that is joined

into

the essence

of God Himself.

Right?

So they emerge

as someone

who has been adopted

by God the Father.

Who has been

united

to God the Son.

Who has been

filled by God

the Holy Spirit.

God the Son

Listen,

unlike all other

forms of identity

in our society

that we have

to construct

ourselves

this is not

an identity

that we can construct.

It's an identity

that can only

be received

by grace

through faith.

It's a gift

made possible

by the death

and resurrection

of Jesus Christ.

And once we have

that new identity

once we are

then sharing

in the life

of God.

Right?

Once we are

sharing in the

dance of the Trinity.

Right?

There's this lovely

image of the Trinity

the three persons

of the Trinity

and the word

that theologians

use is perichoresis

and there's this

idea of this

perichoretic dance

that has been

happening for all

of eternity

the mutual indwelling

of the Father

and the Son

and the Spirit.

Right?

This eternal dance

of three persons.

And in baptism

we see someone

who's invited

to dance.

they join

into that dance

they join

into that life

they join

into that love

and only then

can we begin

to learn

a new way

of life

and we can begin

to learn

a new way

of living

where we join

with Christ

in the renewal

of all things.

Identity

and then behavior.

And you know

listen

there are a lot

of people

in this city

those of you

who live here

you know

there are a lot

of people

in the city

a lot of people

in the world

trying to bring

renewal to our society.

Most everybody agrees

that things are not great

and most everybody agrees

that we need

some kind of change

and a lot of those efforts

are really wonderful

don't get me wrong

go out there

and do some good

in the world

right?

We're not going

to argue with that

but most of these

approaches

are outside in.

There are a lot

of people here

working on

getting better policies

great

some of you

are working on that

great

more education

for everybody

absolutely

some people

really care

about moral reform

let's get back

to the way

things were

the good old days

somebody really

want better programs

and more access

right?

For more people

all of that is good

but the truth is

we cannot change

society

unless we can

change ourselves

unless we can

change ourselves

it's like that

well-known

and somewhat

apocryphal story

about G.K. Chesterton

where the newspaper

put out the question

what's wrong

with the world

and invited submissions

and Chesterton

famously responds

actually with a

longer response

if you look at it

but the summary

of the response

is this

what's wrong

with the world?

I am

we cannot change

society

if we can't

change ourselves

Christ's renewal

has to begin

in us

before it can

flow

through us

so if you're here

and you're not a Christian

some of you are here

and you're not sure

what you believe

and you're in the right place

but I want to make clear

what we're saying

what this means

is that Jesus

is not inviting you

to merely clean yourself up

and become a church person

he's not inviting you

merely to clean yourself up

and become more moral

or more religious

he's offering

a new identity

an identity

that you will never

be able to achieve

that you will never

be able to construct

that you would never

be able to secure

for yourself

it's on offer

for free

through faith

and once we take hold

of that new identity

and become a disciple

then we gain a new purpose

then we gain a new purpose

but before we go there

I want to pause

for a second

and I want to tackle

or engage

a possible objection

that people might be thinking

okay

some people might be hearing

all of this

and be skeptical

because at the very beginning

we said that Jesus

announced himself

as king of heaven and earth

he's king of everything

and so an objection

that we might hear

well if Jesus is really

in the throne of the world

then why are things

still so messed up

why is the world

such a mess

why is my life

such a mess

if Jesus is king

it sure doesn't look

like Jesus is king

you know I read

a health report

on DC

maybe some of you

saw this

I think it just came out

where they found

that people who live

east of the Anacostia river

on average

have a lifespan

that is 30 years shorter

than people who live

west of the park

I'm going to say that again

if you live

east of the river

your lifespan on average

is going to be

30 years shorter

than people who live

west of Rock Creek Park

that's crazy

I don't know about you

but when I read that

I had to read it

several times

to make sure

I was reading it correctly

that's not okay

that's not a world

that seems like

Jesus is king

because there are

so many issues

related to justice

right

that are

that are contributing

to that difference

in lifespan

so many issues

that

that need to be

tackled

right

it doesn't seem

like Jesus is king

here's my response

here's the response

of N.T. Wright

the renowned Bible scholar

to this as well

so maybe

that'll have more credibility

you're right

it doesn't seem

like Jesus

is in charge

the claim

is actually not

that everything

is already healed

the claim

is that the risen Jesus

is at work now

taking the world

from where it was

which is under the rule

under the false king

of death

and corruption

and greed

and evil

and every kind

of wickedness

and gradually

bringing the world

under his rule

of life

giving love

and you say

well where

and how

is Jesus

doing this

through you

through you

through us

through his followers

through people

that he has commissioned

that my friends

is the new purpose

that Jesus gives people

once they become

his disciples

to join with him

in the renewal

of all things

this is the new purpose

and I know

that's a staggering idea

it's also a crucial reminder

of why we exist

as a church

a church

is not just

a social club

not just a service provider

we're not just another

form of support group

with prayer

and singing

a church

is the people

sent by the risen king

to call others

into the life

and the way

of his kingdom

so everything we do

everything we do

our worship

evangelism

pastoral care

children's ministry

youth group

adult education

small groups

hospitality

mercy ministry

it's all part

of this larger purpose

all of that

serves the purpose

of making disciples

who live out

the ways

of the kingdom

and help

bring

renewal

to every corner

of the world

so the purpose

of our church

the reason

that we're even here

is not simply

to provide

religious goods

and services

for people

who already believe

that's part of it

the purpose

of the church

is to make disciples

of all nations

Jesus says

and by the way

because he says

all nations

our purpose

our identity

as a church

can never be allowed

to become tribal

the gospel

is not the

possession

of one nation

or one race

or one class

or one culture

or one political party

if Jesus is lord

of all nations

then the church

has to be for

all nations

moreover

the church

can never be allowed

to become

a private religious club

for the already convinced

we can never allow

ourselves

to become

a chaplaincy

for people

who already know

how to behave

because the church

fundamentally

does not exist

with all due respect

only to meet

our needs

our primary purpose

I would argue

is not to meet

your needs

my needs

it's for the sake

of the people

outside the walls

it's for the sake

of the people

who are not a part

of our church

that's our primary orientation

so everything we do

is not only about

us growing

in our faith

but about seeing

others come to faith

right

folding others in

inviting them

to the dance

of the trinity

that's our purpose

so

if we pull

all of this together

every Christian

I would say

should be asking

those of us

who are here

Christians

how am I helping

somebody

take the next step

toward Jesus

who am I helping

in my life

who am I

helping to take

that next step

where Jesus

becomes a little

more central

to their life

right

where their life

comes a little

more under

his rule

where their identity

becomes a little

more formed

and defined

by their unity

with him

right

so who are you

praying for

we should all

have people

in our lives

that we're

praying for

who are you

encouraging

who are you

welcoming

who are you

walking alongside

who are you

inviting

you know

for Father's Day

coming up

we're doing

a cookout

and this is

like Mother's Day

something that we

want to reach out

to the community

and invite them

to come

and as long

as the

meat lasts

we're going to be

cooking and slinging

burgers and dogs

and it's going to

happen out in the

courtyard

and so we'll do it

until we run out

and whoever comes

gets food

and it's free

and so this would

be a great opportunity

for families

particularly men

that you know

it's not just for

people with biological

children

it's for every form

of fatherhood

just like mothers

and everybody in this

room

every man in this

room can in some

way

we've all had

fathers

we all

can serve

as spiritual

fathers

right

to others in the

community

and so it's for

guys in your life

that you think

might be encouraged

you should invite

them

that would be a

great step

we actually have

Sharon has printed

beautiful invitations

you can take one

you can give it to

somebody

say you should come

it'll be fun

you'll get a burger

come to worship

with us

and then stay for

the cookout

so that would be a

great thing you could

do right now

now this doesn't

mean that every

Christian has to

become a missionary

or an expert

apologist

or a Bible

scholar

but it does mean

that every Christian

is called to

participate in the

disciple making

life of the

church

we all have a

role to play

and this church

is full

of people

who are being

discipled

who need

others to pour

into their

lives

right

so let's

bring this

back to where

we started

how should

someone go

about building

a life worth

living

this feels

particularly relevant

this time of

year when there's

a lot of people

graduating

and thinking

about what's

next

how should

someone go

about building

a life worth

living

here's what

Jesus offers

he gives us

a new center

it's bad news

and good news

on the one hand

we're not the

center of the

universe

I'm sorry

our desires

are not

sovereign

I'm sorry

on the other

hand guess what

your fears

are not ultimate

your failures

are not final

because Jesus

is king

number two

he gives us

a new identity

he doesn't tell

us how to shape

up and get our

act together

so that we can

fit in

he pours his

love and grace

into our lives

now as we

are

he gives us

a new identity

as people who

share in the

life of God

who share in

the dance of

the Trinity

and then he

sends us out

and he gives us

a new purpose

to make disciples

and join with him

in the renewal

of all things

and if this

purpose sounds

too big for us

as we look around

it's because it is

it's way too big

for us

it's way too

big

it's way too

much

right

remember who

Jesus is speaking

to here

it's the last

point

even after

everything these

people have been

through together

Matthew tells us

that when Jesus

arrives

some get it

and they worship

and others

still doubt

and you'd be

so tempted

to say are you

kidding me

you saw this

guy die

and I was

standing right

in front of

you

and you're

like I'm

not so sure

even the fact

that there are

only 11

disciples

right

there's a

pang when you

read that

number 11

there should

have been

12

so already

before the

movement even

got off the

ground

they've had

deception

and betrayal

by one of

their own

surely these

are not the

kind of people

that Jesus

would use

to go out

and change

the world

are they

right

the answer

is on their

own

no

no

they could

never pull

this off

on their

own

but Jesus

doesn't send

them out

alone

and Jesus

doesn't send

us out

alone

he says

and surely

I am with

you always

to the end

of the age

we don't go

alone

we go with

him

and we follow

him

so ultimately

friends our

confidence does

not rest

in us

it rests

in him

the one who

is here with

us right now

let's pray

Lord we thank

you for your

word

we thank you

for your

spirit

Lord we thank

you

father for

your love

and we thank

you Jesus

and we pray

that as we

come together

and confess

our faith

as we pray

as we confess

our sin

and hear your

grace spoken

into our lives

as we come

around your

table

to receive

your body

and blood

we pray

Lord

that these

ideas

would not

remain merely

ideas

that your

word would

become flesh

in our

hearts

that we

in your

great mercy

would be

displaced

that you

would become

our center

and that we

would be

redefined by

you

and inspired

by you

to live out

the purpose

you've given

us

we pray this

in Jesus

holy name

amen