Lisa Godard (Lisa)

TITLE: Kingdom Bound: Kingdom Thinking – Matthew 5:1-12 AIM: Developing kingdom attitudes & ways of thinking. INTRO: Said a few wks ago that the gospel of Matthew was called by some the gospel of the King/kingdom. That being so, the passage which contains what is called “The Sermon on the Mount,” ch.5-7, might be thought of as Jesus’ “declaration of the kingdom” or what the kingdom is all about. David Gudzik wrote that the Sermon on the Mount “is recognized as the sum of Jesus’ ethical teaching…expressing the spiritual implications of the rule of Jesus in our lives.” Several yrs ago I read a book entitled The Gospel Dilemma, The Gospel Solution, by Tom Weaver, who argued that not only the Sermon on the Mount, but most if not all of Jesus’ teaching in the gospels was intended by Jesus, at least in part, to express our absolute need of a Savior, & the absolute impossibility of our doing anything to save ourselves. That’s the gospel dilemma. Of course, the Gospel Solution is Jesus & His atoning work. We can certainly understand why Matthew wanted to convey such a message, writing to the Jews. Their keeping the law/traditions could not save them. That being so, the Beatitudes are a very fitting introduction to the Sermon on the Mount. Someone has said they are the “Be attitudes” or “the attitudes that should be.” But the wd beatitudes actually means “blessings” & each beatitude begins w/“Blessed are…” Another expression for blessed is “happy,” or “truly happy.” That, of course, is what most of us are looking for – true happiness. 2014 theme: Kingdom Bound – bound for eternal life in the future kingdom of God by the grace of God thru faith in Christ, but also bound by the kingdom here & now – the present kingdom of God, rule of Christ as Lord marking our lives today. As we look into the Beatitudes, I would submit to you that true happiness in life comes thru kingdom of God thinking. Matthew 5:1-12 [READ]. When it says that Jesus “opened His mouth & taught them,” it means He had something imp to say. C.H. Spurgeon wrote, “Jesus Christ spoke like a man in earnest; He enunciated clearly & spoke loudly. He lifted His voice like a trumpet & published salvation far & wide, like a man who had something to say which He desired His audience to hear & feel.” Barclay wrote that this was “a solemn, grave & dignified utterance…a most weighty saying.” He started this discourse w/the wd, “blessed.” Again, blessed means happy – truly happy, in the deepest sense of the wd. Gudzik wrote, “It is that joy which has its secret w/in itself…which is serene & untouchable & self-contained… which is completely independent of all the chances & changes of life.” Spurgeon wrote, “Notice that the last wd of the OT is ‘curse’ (Malachi 4:6) & …that the opening sermon of our Lord’s ministry commences w/the wd ‘blessed.’” Jesus took the curse for us & brings us blessing. Again, Spurgeon wrote, “This wd ‘blessed’ is in the present tense. It is happiness now to be enjoyed & delighted in.” So, what does Jesus say will make us blessed/ happy? “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” Right away this seems an oxymoron. How can we be happy if we are poor in spirit? But I think it very significant & intentional that Jesus begins here. He was laying a foundation upon which we can build our lives/true happiness. That wd “poor” means “reduced to begging; destitute of wealth, influence, position, honor; helpless, powerless to accomplish an end; poor, needy” (Strong’s). Again, that doesn’t sound happy. But what Jesus is saying is simple: it’s when we recognize our abject spiritual poverty, our spiritual bankruptcy, our spiritual destitution, our desperate need, it’s then that we are able to look up to the only One who can make us spiritually rich w/redemption & justification & forgiveness & relationship w/Himself & the gift of the Holy Spirit & the gift of eternal life & the gift of the Kingdom of Heaven, which encompasses all of this. But not only these gifts of salvation, but the gift of sanctification – transformation of our lives to be more & more like Christ. We can’t save ourselves nor change ourselves, but God can. It’s when we recognize our desperate need of Him that we look to Him who alone is the source of our salvation & sanctification. And, we are spiritually bankrupt when it comes to handling our own lives & relationships. We desperately need God’s help & His rule. We need to do life His way if we would be happy. Someone asked me once, “Doesn’t God want me to be happy?” This person was wanting to leave their spouse & family to escape the struggle of marriage. Yes, God wants us to be happy, but we won’t be happy if we don’t do it His way. And to do it His way we need His help. We have no spiritual resources on our own. If we don’t recognize our need, we are left w/only ourselves, trying in vain to reach God & secure a happy relationship w/Him & happiness in this life, & it won’t work. Again, this is foundational, because all of life flows from this – our recognition of our desperate need. Then Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn…” Again, seems the opposite of happiness. But recognizing our spiritual poverty should lead to mourning over our sin & its affects in our lives & society. And that should lead to our crying out to God who alone can help us. It’s when we lament our spiritual destitution that we look up to Him & find comfort in His provision for our redemption thru the work of Christ & provision for our daily Christian walk thru the Holy Spirit He has given us & provision for the ills of a sin-sick society thru us as the salt of the earth & light of the world, pointing others to Jesus. That wd “comfort” means to come alongside to hold up, walk w/, encourage, exhort, instruct, etc. That’s what Jesus has done for us. That’s what the Holy Spirit does for us. There’s where we find happiness – deciding to follow Christ, walking w/, in the Spirit, being about His business. “Blessed are the meek…” That wd “meek” means “mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit” (Strong’s). Gudzik wrote that being meek “is not [being] passive or easily pushed around, but [it means having] strength under control – like a strong stallion trained to do a job instead of running wild.” It’s “anger w/out sin, being restrained,” it’s a “willingness to submit & wk under proper authority,” “submitting to God’s will & word, submitting before men – not feeling superior…strong, yet also humble, gentle, patient, long-suffering.” The meek, Jesus said, “will inherit the earth.” In other wds, as Gudzik wrote, “God will not allow His meek ones to end up on the short end of the deal.” That doesn’t mean that thru meekness we will gain the riches of this world. The gospel of Christ is not a prosperity gospel. We will gain much in this life – God’s provision & blessings as we seek Him 1st; but also we will inherit the riches of Christ now & the New Earth Kingdom spoken of in Rev.21. We are fellow-heirs w/Christ the King! I think what Jesus is saying here is that we should not build our kingdoms here & now which cannot last, but will only crumble. Rather, we should humbly receive His salvation, commit our lives here to seek Him 1st & serve Him & we will gain His kingdom here & now & in eternity. That’s borne out by the next beatitude. “Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness…” This hunger & this thirst are desperate needs. Few, if any of us have ever suffered true hunger or thirst, like many children/ adults in our world today actually do. It’s a longing that can’t be satisfied by a snack or sip. Jesus says that’s how we ought to long for righteousness, which is, according to Strong’s, “the state of one who is as he ought to be” & “the condition acceptable to God.” Thankfully, thru Christ we have, as Paul wrote (Phil3:9), “a righteousness…which comes thru faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith…” That is the condition acceptable to God, the basis of our right standing w/God. But God also desires us to be righteous in practice – like Christ in our day to day lives. So we should also hunger & thirst for the way things ought to be in our lives. We hunger & thirst for many things – acceptance, esteem, success, power, riches, or just relief, but the kingdom thinker hungers/thirsts for righteousness in his/her practical life. Someone has said that righteousness is right living & right relationships, & I think that is a huge part of it – how we live & relate to others. In our relationships & in all of life God should be 1st, but then our spouse, then our children/family, then our church family & work family, etc. Those who hunger & thirst for righteousness will be satisfied – filled up, sated. That’s true happiness. “Blessed are the merciful…” We have already received mercy if we have recognized our spiritual poverty & cried out to God & embraced Christ by faith. So, we are expected to show mercy to those around us, those who offend, hurt us. How can we not? We who have been forgiven so much & received so much. Unforgiveness will not lead to happiness. There is no blessing in bitterness. Cry out to God for the grace to be merciful, forgiving. You will enjoy God’s mercy as you give mercy to others. “Blessed are the pure in heart…” That wd “pure” means “clean, pure – like a vine cleansed by pruning & so fitted to bear fruit; free from corrupt desire; free from every admixture of what is false…” (Strong’s). Gudzik wrote, “In ancient Grk, it is the idea of straightness, honest & clarity, a single undivided heart – not ceremonial purity, or visible, but in heart – whether or not anyone sees.” It’s single-minded focus on what is good, right. This thought in itself should make the best of us mourn our spiritual bankruptcy, for who of us can achieve it? Yet we can – not on our own, but by the Holy Spirit’s wk in us. It takes that ongoing realignment we talked about last week. It takes Christ living His life in us as we submit to Him. And what a wonderful reward – “they shall see God!” That is, enjoy a greater intimacy w/God. Sin has a definite blinding effect, but purity in heart enables us to see. Poole wrote, “Tho no mortal eye can see & comprehend the essence of God, yet these [pure in heart] shall by an eye of faith see & enjoy God in this life, tho in a glass darkly; & in the life to come face to face.” You/I know that those who are His thru faith in Christ & who look for Him see God everywhere & in everything – nature, Scripture, prayer, bro/sis in Christ, a baby’s laughter, touch of someone love – God’s gifts, thru which we see God’s true character, enjoying intimacy w/Him, & that is the marrow of life/happiness. Still, the best is yet to come, when the King comes again. Gudzik wrote, “Ultimately, this intimate relationship w/God must become our greatest motivation for purity, greater than a fear of getting caught or a fear of consequences.” “Blessed are the peacemakers…” These are those, as Gudzik wrote, “who bring about peace, overcoming evil w/good” – seeking “live peaceably w/all” “as far as it depends on” them (Rom.12:18). Restoration of relationship – 1st w/God, but also w/in the body of Christ & everywhere else – is the goal, not self-serving cutting off of relationship or seeking revenge. It is also helping others be at peace, again 1st w/God – we are ministers of reconciliation, pointing others to Christ & urging them to embrace Him by faith & so be right w/God. But also seeking to help others reconcile w/each other, thru prayer & exhortation. Those who are peacemakers are recognized as son (& daughters) of God, like their heavenly Father who has reconciled us to Himself. The last 2 beatitudes really go together as one. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…Blessed are you when others revile you & persecute you & utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account…” Why might we be persecuted or reviled or falsely accused? Jesus said it in John 3:20 – “Everyone who does evil hates the light.” Today more people are persecuted for their faith in Christ than in any other time in history – imprisoned, beaten, put to death. You may not suffer that (tho it is coming), but you may be falsely accused or spoken of despairingly, or hated if you stand for Christ, for what’s right, because this way of thinking is so counter-cultural & it exposes the darkness of others’ lives. That’s not to say that some are not reviled for their own foolish acts (such as those who parade about at funerals carrying placards & yelling “God hates fags!), but if we lovingly hold up the light of Christ, those in darkness will hate us & revile us. But Jesus said if this is so, “rejoice & be glad” – jump for joy! “Yours is the kingdom of heaven. Your reward in heaven is great.” And you’re in good company, “for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” David Brown wrote, “As the kingdom of heaven, which is the 1st & the last thing here promised, has 2 stages – a present & a future, and initial & a consummate stage – so the fulfillment of each of these promises has 2 stages – a present & a future, a partial & a perfect stage.” In Christ, ours is the kingdom now & it marks our lives by the rule of Christ in us; but ours is also the kingdom to come, when all will be made right. We are Kingdom Bound!

Title: Kingdom Bound: 6 Letter Words – Matthew 4:12-25 Aim: To understand the imp of repentance & following Christ. Intro: As a child, I was taught not to say certain 4 letter wds, as I’m sure you were also. Of course, didn’t know they were bad wds until you heard someone else say them & then repeated them in front of your mother/father/teacher. These days, many of the 4 letter curse words we were to avoid as children are all too acceptable & if you don’t curse you’re considered a little weird. But there are some wds that are almost thought of as curse wds, because people don’t want to hear them or do them. Some 4 letter wds considered curse wds by some: work (tho we are designed to work), wait, stop, and obey. They cramp our style. And there are several 6 letter wds that many don’t like as well, considering them almost curse wds: commit, submit, and give up (4+2). Jesus used 2 6 letter wds that have almost been forgotten & certainly may seem like curse wds to many, even Christians: repent & follow. Let’s consider these wds today. 2014 theme: KB – bound for the Kingdom, but also bound by the Kingdom. If we are in Christ (or not) the kingdom of God has claims on our lives. I would submit to you that if we are to enter into relationship w/God, & thereby enter into the kingdom of God thru faith in Christ, we must repent & follow Jesus. Belief, repentance, following must go together or none will stand on their own. Matthew 4:12-25 [READ] After His baptism/commissioning to ministry & His temptation by Satan in the desert wilderness, Jesus got wd that John the Baptist had been arrested (which led to John’s death by beheading under King Herod). Hearing that, Matthew recorded that Jesus "w/drew into Galilee,” back to His hometown of Nazareth. But He soon left Nazareth to live in Capernaum, still part of the region of Galilee, but NE of Nazareth & on the NW side of the Sea of Galilee. There Jesus began His 3 yr ministry which culminated at the cross. As Matthew was writing primarily to the Jews, he pointed out that Capernaum was “in the territory of Zebulun & Naphtali, (2 of the tribes of Israel) so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled,” & he quoted Is.9:2, how that the lands of Zebulun & Naphtali, in Galilee of the Gentiles & the people dwelling there in darkness & under the shadow of death, have seen a great light; on them a light has dawned. That light, of course, is Jesus. Then Matthew wrote that “From that time Jesus began to preach.” The wd means “to proclaim, be a herald, w/the suggestion of formality & gravity & authority” commanding a listening & obeying audience (Strong’s). What was Jesus’ message? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In vs23 we read that Jesus “went thruout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues & proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom & healing every disease & every affliction among the people.” So Jesus was proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven/God was at hand & then He was showing them that the kingdom was at hand in His very person, by healing, delivering those who were sick, oppressed by demons, etc. Quickly His fame spread. People were naturally caught up w/hearing this new authoritative voice & seeing His accompanying miracles. Was this the one of whom John the Baptist spoke, who would baptize w/the Holy Spirit & fire? Could this be the Messiah? But, if they were to become part of/enter this kingdom; if they believed He was the King/Messiah & so put faith in Him, there were 2 steps they must take – not works to be performed, but natural byproducts of their faith. Same is true for us today & anyone who would enter into this kingdom of God by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior/Lord. We must repent & follow Jesus. May seem like dirty wds because we understand that we are saved by grace alone thru faith alone in Christ alone, which is absolutely true. We can’t be saved by works, tho we are saved to works. But repentance & following are not works, they are the natural follow-thru of genuine faith, which we will see. May seem like dirty wds also because we want to go our own way & call our own shots & we think that to repent & follow will cramp our style. Instead, however, they are the steps to life as it is supposed to be by God’s gracious design. To repent means to “change one’s mind” (Strong’s). It is to turn around & go another way. Repent is a forgotten wd today, altho as David Gudzik wrote, it was the “1st wd of John the Baptist’s gospel (3:1-2), & the 1st wd of Jesus’ gospel (4:17), the 1st wd in the preaching ministry of the disciples (Mk6:12), the 1st wd in the preaching instructions Jesus gave after the resurrection (Lk24:46-47), the 1st wd of exhortation in the 1st Christian sermon (Acts 2:38), & the 1st wd in the mouth of the Apostle Paul thru his ministry (Acts 26:19-20).” I often like what David Gudzik writes, because he thinks like me, but articulates it better. I like what David Gudzik wrote about repentance: “Repentance is not something we do before we can come to God, but what coming to God is like.” He explained, “If you’re in NY & want to go to LA, you must leave NY. If you don’t leave NY, you can’t go to LA. And you can’t come to God thru faith in Christ unless you leave your past & self-life behind.” Repentance leads to following Jesus. To repent is to follow Jesus. Matthew expressed following in 2 different ways. The 1st was when Jesus called His 1st disciples, Peter & his brother Andrew (vs18-19). He said to them “Follow Me & I will make you fishers of men.” They were fishermen, so they understood, at least in part, the concept of catching men. But that wd “follow” is actually 2 wds in the Grk – “deute” & “opiso.” “Deute” means “come hither, come now, w/the force of an interjection: come!” “Opiso” means “after” (Strong’s). “Come after Me, now! Follow Me.” And Jesus called James & John in the same way, & all 4 of them immediately left everything – work, possessions, and family – to follow Jesus. But the wd translated “followed” is another Grk wd – “akoloutheo” which means to “join w/one as his attendant/disciple, accompany, follow after one who precedes” (Strong’s). Following, then, flows from repenting, & repenting leads to following, & both are outworkings of faith. If we turn our gaze onto Christ, placing our faith in Him, then we naturally turn from what was to follow Him. Must be true for us or we have to question our faith in Christ. We must leave our old self, w/its practices, behind, if we would truly follow Christ in whom we believe & upon whom we are banking our life. You may be a murderer, thief, sexual deviant, adulterer, homosexual, idolater (worshiping anything/one else), gossip, liar, sinfully angry, selfish, prideful, arrogant, etc. – but you cannot stay that way if you would follow Christ. If you truly believe, depending solely on Christ for your salvation/relationship w/God, you must repent & follow Christ. Of course, that presents a dilemma, because we can’t do it, tho we must & will if we truly believe. It does take our thought & commitment, but God must & will do it in us who are His by faith. As we’ll see next week in the Beatitudes, we are in desperate need of help because we are spiritually impoverished, but recognizing that leads us to the blessing of God’s help, as we look to Him in faith. But repentance & following are not simply one time decisions/choices; rather they must be repeated, perhaps daily – not to keep ourselves saved, but to keep our focus on Christ, who by His Spirit is continually sanctifying & transforming us. Our part is conscious realignment (still w/God’s help). The potholes are really bad this year, aren’t they? Probably many of us will need to take our cars/trucks to the garage to have the wheels aligned, straightened so they are lined up w/each other & not working against one another. We need the same spiritually & for the same reasons, not only for our own sake, readjusting our focus on Christ, but for the sake of the body, household of God, that we’ll be lined up w/each other, working together, not against each other. That realignment is called repentance – turning our minds/hearts/lives back to Jesus, so that we can follow Him. Repentance must be repeated if we would keep following Jesus. We read in vs 25 that “great crowds followed” Jesus – same wd used in vs20 & 22, describing Peter, Andrew, James & John. They followed Jesus because they wanted to see/experience the miracles. But in John 6:66 we read that “After this (some of Jesus’ hard teachings & conflict w/Jewish leaders) many of His disciples turned back & no longer walked w/Him” (no longer followed Him). Jesus asked the 12, “Will you also go away?” Spokesman Peter replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, & we have believed, & have come to know, that You are the Holy One of God” (vs68). They were true believers, yet Peter himself denied knowing Jesus at His trial. All the disciples fled & forsook Jesus at His arrest. After His resurrection, Jesus again said to Peter, 2ce - “follow (akoloutheo) Me.” Peter needed an alignment, to turn again to Jesus, Jesus being His focus, & follow Him. How often we need realignment! When we’re chased by the demons of our past, when we lose sight of Christ in time of crisis/need, when like Peter our gaze is taken off of Christ when the winds of storm arise & we begin to sink, when the temptations of the past pull on us & the lusts of the eyes/flesh & boastful pride of life demand our attention. We must repent – turn & gaze again upon our Savior & follow Him. We may have to do this 100 times a day some days, but we must do it. Don’t quit, give up – turn to look at Him again. Cry out to Him again, not for your eternal salvation which is secure in Christ, but for salvation from that moment, for the light/life of His presence & reign in us. Thru John the Revelator, Jesus said to several of the churches in Asia Minor – Ephesus, Pergamum, Sardis & Laodicea: “Repent” – turn around again & follow Me. To the church at Ephesus He said, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, & do the works you did at 1st.” Return to your 1st love – Me. Is He saying that to our church today? Is He saying that to you today? Bro/Sis, we are Kingdom Bound! Bound for the Kingdom – hallelujah! But also bound by the Kingdom, the Kingdom marking our lives, the King shaping now. May we daily be kingdom minded & King Jesus focused!

TITLE: Kingdom Bound: Conflicting Kingdoms – Matthew 3:13-4:11 AIM: Understand that there are rival kingdoms to the kingdom of God. INTRO: Today we begin to look at the kingdom of God in the gospel of Matthew, which will probably take us the rest of 2014. Matthew has been called by some the gospel of the king (or kingdom). Matthew wrote with the Jews in mind, longing for the Jewish nation & those Jews scattered thruout Asia Minor to know Jesus as the Messiah & their king. So Matthew purposely emphasized much of what Jesus said about the kingdom of God, which certainly fits w/our theme for this year (or rather the theme fits w/the gospel). Theme: Kingdom bound – rejoicing that we are bound for the kingdom, Christ being our Savior & coming King. But also realizing that we are bound by the kingdom, the rule of God & Lordship of Christ touching, shaping our lives now. But we should understand that there every day there will be temptation to choose (settle for) other kingdoms, other rule in our lives, instead of the kingdom of God, rule of Christ. 2 of the most imp events in the life & ministry of Jesus Christ are recorded for us in this morning’s text. These 2 events occurred back to back at the beginning of His earthly ministry – baptism & temptation. They were both pivotal to His success as God’s Messiah. John the Baptist proclaimed that all who heard him should “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Kingdom of heaven = kingdom of God – interchangeable. John could offer that challenge because he knew that Jesus represented the kingdom of God & would be ushering in that kingdom. He was called as a forerunner to Christ, announcing His coming. And, if people were going to encounter the King, they needed to repent – turn from self-life to a life of following Jesus, the King. Matthew 3:13-4:11 [READ] John (called the Baptist for obvious reasons – wasn’t his denomination) was baptizing in the Jordan River whoever would come to him, confessing their sins & repenting. He must have been greatly surprised to see Jesus, John’s earthly cousin & the One about whom he had been talking (“He who comes after me is mightier than I…He will baptize you w/the Holy Spirit & w/fire…” – Mt.3:11), come down to the river to be baptized. John naturally & humbly resisted Jesus, argued w/Him. He knew that instead of Jesus being baptized by him, he needed the Jesus’ Spirit & fire baptism. But Jesus said, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (3:15). David Gudzik wrote, “It wasn’t that this one act in itself fulfilled all righteousness, but it was another imp step in the overall mission of Jesus to identify w/fallen & sinful man, which was ultimately fulfilled at the cross.” G. Campbell Morgan made an interesting statement, w/which I’m not sure I agree entirely, but it stimulates the thinking: “In baptism He (Jesus) confessed as His own sins which He had not committed & repented of them before God. He was #ed w/the transgressor & bore the sins of many.” By His baptism, Jesus indeed ided w/mankind, but also very significant, by being baptized Jesus made a clean break w/His life up to then & prepared to begin His 3 yr ministry which would end at the cross. He chose to obey His Father & take up the mission to which He had been called & for which He had come to earth & taken on our likeness. F.F. Bruce wrote, “In accordance w/the symbolic significance of the rite denoting death to an old life & rising to a new, Jesus came to be baptized in the sense of dying to the old & natural relations to parents, neighbors & earthly calling, & devoting Himself henceforth to His public Messianic vocation.” So Jesus ided w/us in His baptism & laid aside His ordinary life as a carpenter & family member in order to begin His mission. However, there is yet another significant point to His baptism: affirmation & commissioning. At issue was His identity as Son of God & Messiah & His ability to carry out the mission. In my humble opinion, Jesus probably humanly struggled w/His identity & w/confidence that He could carry out the impossible mission to which He was called. Those human self-doubts were answered at Jesus’ baptism. In Luke 3:21 it is recorded that Jesus prayed while He was being baptized. Wouldn’t we like to have heard that prayer? Jesus needed the Father’s enabling & affirmation, & His Father didn’t disappoint. Matthew tells us that as Jesus came up out of the water, “the heavens were opened to Him, & He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove & coming to rest on Him…” The apostle John recorded that John the Baptist saw this, as an affirmation for him that Jesus was indeed the Messiah (Jn1:32-34), but it’s not clear that anyone else but John & Jesus saw this. The Father’s answer to Jesus’ concern of being able to do what He had come to do was to send the Holy Spirit, who would be w/, w/in Jesus. The Holy Spirit “rested” on Him & stayed w/Him, on Him over His yrs of ministry. The Holy Spirit was Jesus’ divine helper, counselor & friend – just as He is w/us! Charles Spurgeon wrote, “It was the Spirit of God who gave success to Jesus Christ’s ministry.” At the same time as the Spirit came upon Jesus like a dove lighting on Him, He heard a voice from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, w/whom I am well pleased.” Again, whether or not anyone else heard it, Jesus did. The Father was affirming His Son & commissioning His ministry. It was as if God the Father was quoting Isaiah 42:1 – “Behold My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen, in whom My soul delights; I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.” How vitally imp for Jesus to receive such confirmation & empowerment! What happened next seems like a total contradiction to that confirmation/ empowerment, but it’s not. The very 1st leading of the Spirit that is recorded was into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The Spirit didn’t tempt Jesus, but led Him to a place where He would be tempted. Why? Just as Jesus ided w/us thru His baptism, so He ided w/us in His temptation. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus can fully “sympathize w/our weaknesses” because He is “one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet w/out sin” (4:15). That’s another reason for the temptation of Jesus, so that He might prove/ demonstrate His righteousness, His own holy, sinless character, w/out which He could not have taken our place on the cross to pay for our sins. Matthew tells us that Jesus fasted 40 days/nights. Gudzik points out that “Jesus’ fast wasn’t just self-denial, but a forced dependence upon God the Father.” Heb.5:8 – “He learned obedience thru the things that He suffered.” Luke indicated that Jesus was tempted for the entire 40 days/nights (4:2), so perhaps what is recorded in the synoptic gospels is the last of that time, when the weakness was greatest. These temptations really were offers of lesser kingdoms, which are also offered to us. Are we going to be bound by – give allegiance to the kingdom of God or set up our own kingdoms? There are many so-called kingdoms we are tempted to erect, just think about it. There are 3 good examples seen here. The 1st temptation of Jesus which Matthew records is the temptation to turn stones into bread. Doesn’t seem so wrong, does it? Jesus was obviously hungry, perhaps even close to starving to death. He had needs. And He could have easily done it. “If You are the Son of God…” – Satan wasn’t denying it, but tempting Jesus to prove it, to take advantage of His deity for His own selfish purposes, cater to Himself. F.F. Bruce – “Hunger represents human wants, & the question was whether Sonship was to mean exemption from these, or loyal acceptance of them as part of the Messiah’s experience.” Gudzik adds, “It isn’t that Jesus refused supernatural help in feeding Himself. He was more than happy to eat what the angels brought Him when the time of testing was over (4:11). It was a matter of submitting to His Father’s timing & will in all things.” The temptation for us is to establish the kingdom of “my needs now.” We have needs, like Jesus did (perhaps not as dire, tho sometimes…) – cancer, wayward children, financial uncertainty, fears, struggles, pains. We just want it to go away; we want God to fix it. Needs become demands & affects our relationship w/God & others. Then too, we confuse wants w/needs. We get upset when traffic is against us, when the weather doesn’t cooperate, when others don’t seem to understand & comply. Feed me; meet my needs, now. That’s where credit comes in, or adultery, or crime. My needs now! Of course, God has promised to meet the needs of His children, but He calls us to “Seek 1st the kingdom of God & His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mt.6:33). Jesus confronted this temptation & all of them in the same way we should & can: w/Scripture. “It is written” – 3 very imp wds. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every wd that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Deut.8:3). One of those wds from the mouth of God is “wait;” “trust Me & wait.” The 2nd temptation we read about here was for Jesus to thrown Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. Whether Jesus was somehow literally transported to the temple or was on a precipice in the desert, envisioning the temple, the temptation was for Jesus to, as Gudzik wrote, “force the Father into a supernatural event; the desire to sense approval from God & have that approval publicly demonstrated.” Satan borrowed Jesus’ tactic – quoted Scripture (Ps.91:11-12), but not correctly. Gudzik wrote, “He made the promise say what in truth it never suggested. He [also] left out, ‘to keep you in all your ways.’” Poole wrote, “God had never promised, nor ever given, any protection of angels in sinful & forbidden ways, nor dangers into which men voluntarily throw themselves.” To do such a thing as to throw Himself off the top of the temple would tempt God to do something spectacular to display His love for His Son or display who His Son was. Jesus replied, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Deut.6:16). This temptation, which we face as well, is to establish the kingdom of “I’m special.” “If I’m a child of God then I want God to show others how special I am.” “If God really loves me, then I want this experience or that. I want people to recognize my spirituality, my status in the church/society, I want to be noticed. Look at me.” The truth is, if we are in Christ, then we are special to God – we are His children, heirs w/Christ. He has set us apart as His own. But in the kingdom of God we are called to deny self, die to self, & follow Christ. In the kingdom of God, the 1st shall be last & the last 1st. In the kingdom of God, God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. Then Matthew records the 3rd Jesus faced in the desert, tho we should be clear that Jesus was certainly tempted many times in the 3 yrs He ministered & moved toward the cross. Again Luke tells us that when Satan left Jesus at the end of the desert temptation, he “departed…until an opportune time.” This temptation must have been the most difficult for Jesus (my speculation). Satan showed Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world & their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down & worship me.’” In actuality, all the kingdoms of the world were not Satan’s to give, tho he is temporarily ruler of this world. What a triumph for Satan it would have been, if Jesus bowed before him. The wd for “fall down” means “descend from a higher place to a lower, from an erect to a prostrate position” (Strong’s). The wd for “worship” means “to kiss the hand towards one, in token of reverence; fall upon the knees & touch the ground w/the forehead as an expression of profound reverence” (Strong’s). This was really a temptation for Jesus to take a shortcut around the cross. Gudzik – “Jesus came to win all the kingdoms of the world & their glory back from Satan. The temptation was to do so w/out enduring the cross.” How thankful we should be that Jesus didn’t succumb to this temptation! Jesus was already King over all, but He had to endure the cross. This is the kingdom of “no sacrifice,” & oh how we want to establish this for ourselves. We want eternity w/out surrender to Christ. The wonderful truth is that we will reign w/Christ, but now we must sometimes suffer w/Him. We want to be like Christ w/out working out our salvation w/fear & trembling (not working to save ourselves, but living out what God has put w/in). Again, we are to deny ourselves & follow Christ. Jesus ided w/us, let us id w/Him. Bro/sis, we are kingdom bound – bound for the kingdom, but also bound by the kingdom. Let us be kingdom minded & King focused!

Title: Kingdom Bound: Prophetic History – Daniel 2:31-45 Aim: To understand the Kingdom of God as the big picture. Intro: The older I get the more I appreciate history – perhaps because most of my life is now history. According to the dictionary, history is “that branch of knowledge concerned w/past events, especially those involving human affairs.” It is “a record or account, usually written & in chronological order, of past events…” We can learn much from history, & should – especially to avoid the pitfalls to which our forebears fell prey. The saying goes, “Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.” Not sure if mankind has really learned much from history, because we continue to fall into the same pits/snares. But if you add God into the mix, or rather, because God is before history, if see history from the understanding of God’s sovereignty, you get a clearer picture. He really is “God of the ages, history’s maker.” History is truly “His story.” History reveals to us much of the “big picture” plan of God & where we fit. And history teaches us that God is in control, that He is faithful/true, & that His word is sure. Nowhere is that more evident than in Biblical prophecy. If we consider the myriad of prophecies in the Bible that have been fulfilled to the last iota, we are then emboldened to trust God regarding things not yet fulfilled, at least not completely. Our theme for 2014, which we are still developing, is “Kingdom Bound” – We are bound for the kingdom of God – eternal life, reigning w/Him (if we are in Christ), but we are also now bound by the kingdom – God’s rule in our lives now. It touches/shapes our lives now, as we seek to follow Christ. As we think about this & look at history, esp the history of the Kingdom of God, then we learn the sureness of God’s word. History tells us that God’s word is sure. There’s a great account in Daniel 2 that declares this truth loudly. In Scripture we have both history & prophecy. The book of Daniel is quite a good example of that. We know from Daniel 1 that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, w/his mighty army laid siege to Jerusalem, conquered Judah & Jerusalem, & took captive the king of Judah, Jehoiakim, & some of the people of Israel, especially those considered “the cream of the crop,” including Daniel. Babylon was a great empire, spanning almost all of what they knew of the world. Also learn from Daniel 1 that Daniel & 3 other young Hebrew men – Hananiah, Meshael & Azariah – were part of a group set apart to be educated & trained to be servants to the king. They appealed to the steward over them to let them eat vegetables & drink water instead of the king’s choice food & wine, which would defile them. They were blessed by God to be found healthier, wiser & more skilled than all the rest, so they were chosen ones, Daniel even one of the king’s counselors. One night, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, which greatly disturbed him. So he called for his top magicians, enchanters, sorcerers & Chaldeans (men considered the wisest in all the land) & asked them to tell him his dream & its interpretation. They naturally told him that no one could do that – how could they know what he dreamed? But the king decided that if they couldn’t tell him the dream & its interpretation then they were of no use to him. He ordered that all his counselors be executed. That included Daniel, tho he didn’t know what was going on to this point. When they came to get Daniel he asked why he was to be executed, was told the story, & appealed to the king to give him some time & he would tell him his dream & the interpretation. King consented & Daniel prayed & asked his friends to pray. He didn’t know what the king’s dream was, let alone the interpretation, but God knew. We read in 2:19 that “Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night.” Daniel thanked God (vs20-23) & went to the king. Told him, “No man can do what you’ve asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, & He has revealed this to me.” So we come to Daniel 2:31-45, where Daniel related to the king his dream & revealed the interpretation [READ]. So here it is – Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a great image, representing 4 great world empires, followed by a mixture of kingdoms, not united, try as they may. Except for the head of gold, all of this was prophecy to Daniel – had not transpired in history yet, but God was revealing to Nebu what was going to be. To us, except for the very last piece, it’s all history. The 4 empires represented by the image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream were the Babylonian empire, which was the present reality at that time – spanned 66 yrs, from 605-539 BC; then the Medo-Persian empire, spanning 208 yrs, from 539-331 BC; then the Greek empire, spanning 163 yrs, from 331-168 BC; and the Roman empire, spanning 519 yrs, from 168 BC – 351 AD. Daniel explained that Nebuchadnezzar (& Babylonian empire) was the head of gold. Talbot wrote that “Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was likened unto gold because it was an absolute monarchy.” All the power/authority rested in Nebuchadnezzar. David Gudzik agreed w/Talbot & wrote that “the 3 successive empires which came after Babylon were inferior to Nebuchadnezzar’s reign in the sense of their centralization of absolute power. Nebu was an absolute monarch, but the succeeding empires were progressively less so. They were larger & lasted longer, but none held as much centralized power.” Newell further wrote, “Babylon, the head of gold, was an absolute autocracy. [In the Persian Empire] (chest & arms of silver) [its] nobles were equal to the king in all but office. Greece (middle & thighs of bronze), indicated the still lower value of its aristocracy of mind & influence. [The Greek empire was the largest in its territory – “rule over all the earth,” again, all of what they knew of the earth]. Rome (legs of iron) was a democratic imperialism, w/military dominion dependent on the choice of army & citizenry & administered in the spirit of martial law.” These empires are recorded for history. The Medes-Persians conquered the Babylonian empire & assumed its reign. The Greeks defeated the Persians & assumed their realm; & the Romans defeated the Greeks & assumed their territory (or most). I know this account doesn’t take into consideration other great world empires (Chinese dynasties, Mayans, Incas, or even British Empire). This is primarily because these 4 empires directly impacted Israel & the Jewish people, God’s chosen ones thru whom the Messiah would come. After the legs of iron (Roman Empire) the image had feet & toes partly of “potter’s clay & partly of iron.” Robert Jameson wrote that this is still Rome, “represent[ing] a 2-fold state, 1st strong, w/legs of iron, then weak, w/toes part of iron & part of clay…pointing to the 10 kingdoms into which the Roman kingdom was finally to be divided.” Others think that the toes could represent the ultimate redevelopment of the Roman empire just before Christ comes again, “a confederation of kings yet to be fulfilled,” maybe the same as the 10 horns of the beast in Revelation 17. I confess to you that I really don’t know, tho in my humble opinion the 10 toes may represent all the kingdoms of the world since the time of Christ & the birth of the Church. But what Gudzik wrote is definitely true: “As a whole, the image accurately represents human power & empire. It seems invincible, but is actually unstable at its base. Since the fall of the Roman Empire there has never been world-dominating empire equal to Rome. Many have tried – Huns, Islam, so-called Holy Roman Empire, Napolean, Hitler, Stalin, etc, but none have succeeded. The image describes devolution, not evolution – it has lesser & lesser value, devaluing from gold to dust.” But, Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, “in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break into pieces all these kingdoms & bring them to an end, & it shall stand forever…” The rock/stone that was cut out of the mountain w/out human hands is Jesus Christ & His kingdom. In his 1st epistle (2:6) Peter quoted Isaiah 28:16, where God said, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen & precious, & whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” The King & His kingdom are 1 & the same. Jesus said (Mt. 21:42-44, the 1st part a quote of Ps.118:22-23), “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, & it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you & given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; & when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” Israel rejected Christ as the Messiah & thus the rejected the cornerstone of the kingdom. As said, the kingdom of God was Jesus’ primary focus. He preached that all should “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” It was at hand because He was there. Jesus came to die for us, yes; but He also came to usher in God’s kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.” The kingdom of God is not the Church, tho they are vitally linked. The Church is God’s vehicle to expand His kingdom thru the whole earth, by taking the gospel thruout all the world. The cutting out of the stone can be associated, I believe, w/the 1st coming of Christ & all that He did – setting in place all that will be, including judgment. The stone becoming a great mountain & filling the whole earth (vs35) can be seen in the spread of the gospel of the kingdom & the furtherance of the kingdom thruout the centuries since Christ’s death & resurrection. The breaking into pieces of the image (& thus all these kingdoms) certainly speaks of final judgment, when Christ shall come again. Like the kingdom of God itself, so this prophecy is a now & a not yet. It’s like (as Lyle once said in our Wed. night Bible study) looking at the tops of mountains – can see the tops but not all the valleys between. Looks like one mountain & like one fulfillment, but it spans many mts & much time. The breaking into pieces or crushing is not the gradual salvation of the world by the Church, but judgment by Christ the King. Heslop wrote, “Smashing is not salvation. Crushing is not conversion. Destroying is not delivery, nor is pulverizing the same as purification.” There is a coming judgment & a destroying of the kingdoms/governments of the world. 4 things that came to mind as I considered this prophetic history which I think are important for us to understand: 1) God rules over kingdoms & kings, raising/setting them up & removing them. Nebuchadnezzer’s dream involved 4 specific kingdoms, but they could easily represent all the kingdoms/nations/rulers of the world thruout history, including the United States. There is no authority except what God gives & no kingdoms/nations that God hasn’t raised up for His purposes (just like Babylon was used by God to punish Israel). Kingdoms come & go, as do kings & presidents & despots. But the kingdom of God & the reign of Christ the King shall never come to an end. 2) God’s rule spans history & determines the future. None but the Babylonian empire had come on the scene when Nebu had his dream, but God knew what would happen, because He determined it & brought it to pass. Under Persian rule, the Hebrews were allowed to go back to Israel. Under the Greeks the language of the New Testament spread. Under the Romans, their infrastructure of roadways allowed the gospel to be taken all over Asia Minor/Europe. Think of other historical events – the invention of the printing press gave rise to the Protestant Reformation, w/the Word of God translated/printed in the language of the people; the spread of the British Empire & the settlement of America led to the work of missions all over the world; even the rise of communism, w/the attempt to wipe out Christianity, became the seed bed of faith for millions in China, Russia. God has always been at work carrying out His eternal plan & building His kingdom. That means that 3) Christ is not just a personal king, but a universal King & Judge. This is a big picture matter. It’s huge, spanning all of history & all of the future. As said last week both in SS & message, it’s not about my best life now, it’s about God’s kingdom come & His will done. It’s about finding our place in God’s big picture – not making much of ourselves, but making much of Christ, being used of Him to further His kingdom until the King comes again. Talk about life purpose! And finally, 4) The historical fact of these empires prophesied by Daniel assures us that the final “piece” will also be fulfilled completely. God’s word is sure. Christ the King will crush the world’s kingdoms & rule over all. Don’t you want to be on the side of the King when He comes? I have always thought of that vs in Mt.21:44 in this way: those who fall upon the stone (Jesus) are broken – we lose our lives to Him, but gain His life. He restores, saves those who fall upon Him. But those upon whom the stone falls are crushed – destroyed. These are those who reject Him & are judged by Him. Which are you? I urge you to fall upon the Stone, lest He fall upon you. We who are in Christ are kingdom bound – bound for the Kingdom & eternal life. But if that is so, we are also bound by the kingdom now. Can’t have one w/out the other. It’s imp that we see the big picture & surrender to the King & be about His business.

TITLE: Kingdom Bound: Would You Reject Your King? – I Samuel 8:1-9 AIM: Develop kingdom of God thinking – ways we reject God’s rule. INTRO: In 1972, at age of 87, E. Stanley Jones wrote a book entitled The Unshakable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person. In the introduction he made the claim that “Jesus made the kingdom of God His central emphasis.” That being so, then he further stated that “the greatest need of man, as [he saw] it, is to rediscover the kingdom of God.” “The Church,” Jones wrote, “has lost the kingdom of God,” not by outright rejecting it, tho some may do so, but by reducing it to “a reward thrown in at the end” (eternal life). “The central sickness of our age” is that we have lost “God’s redemptive totalitarianism, the kingdom of God.” It is the kingdom of God & obviously the person of the King (Jesus) that gives meaning & belonging & direction for life. Rhetorical nonsense? Or foundational thinking? I challenge you to seriously think about what the kingdom of God has to do w/you, & what it means to know & follow & obey the King. Think about what it means that the kingdom of God is not just a not yet, future glory to be anticipated, but a here & now reality to be surrendered to. Theme: Kingdom Bound – bound for the kingdom, yes! But also bound by the kingdom – it touches my life now, & should mark/shape my life now. And, as we look at the scripture passage we have for today, we ought to consider ways in which we reject our king, outright or subtly reducing the kingdom of God & the King to something/someone out there in time/space. We’ve talked about how God desired/designed a kingdom from the beginning. From Scripture we know that the spiritual realm of God’s kingdom is from everlasting to everlasting. His throne, the Psalmist wrote (103:19), is “established in the heavens” & “His kingdom rules over all.” But He has desired a people in connection w/this kingdom – a people to follow Him, to be His people. Created Adam & Eve, thru whom mankind was multiplied. But thru the 1st few centuries, He was known only by a few, like Job, Enoch, Noah, etc. Called Abraham out from Ur of the Chaldeans, in order to raise up a nation/people of His own thru him. Established the Hebrews as a formidable people, delivered them from captivity in Egypt thru His servant Moses. Promised thru Moses that He would make them a “kingdom of priests & a holy nation.” Established them in the promise land/Canaan, led them 1st thru Moses (got them to the Promised Land) & then thru Joshua (led them in conquest of the land), & then by the judges. But it’s imp to emphasize that it was God who ruled over them & led them – thru the leaders He established. They had no king but God. The problem was that from the beginning of their being a nation they continually rebelled against the God who made them a nation. In discipline, God gave them over to crisis, oppression, & then when they turned back, cried out to Him, raised up judges thru whom He delivered them. Judge was leader raised up by God for a specific time/need. They had no “government” per se, but led the people thru time of difficulty, the hand of God upon him/her. Gideon expressed what the heart of the judges was to be (Judges 8:23) – “I will not rule over you, & my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.” But time & again, they rebelled, the closing verse in bk of Judges (21:25) pronouncing the sad commentary: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” No king? What about God? Move to book of Samuel. God raised up Samuel to judge over Israel & he called the nation to return “to the Lord w/all your heart…& serve Him only…” (7:3). Samuel “judged Israel all the days of his life,” traveling on a circuit year by year to various places where people could come to him & he could hear their disputes & counsel them concerning their difficulties. As he grew old & not as able to travel, he appointed his sons Joel & Abijah to be judges under him. Then an imp transition took place, certainly under the sovereign hand of God, but against His rule over the people. I Samuel 8:1-9 [READ]. According to commentator Robert Jameson, “Samuel was about 54…, (old?) having been the sole judge of Israel for 12 yrs. Growing infirmities [rendered him] unable to prosecute his circuit journeys thru the country [& so he] confined his magisterial duties to Ramah & its neighborhood, delegating to his sons, as his deputies, the administration of justice in the southern districts of Palestine, their provincial court being held at Beersheba.” But Samuel’s sons were not like him – they were shady characters at best – selfish, dishonest. What would happen if/when Samuel died? It wasn’t wrong, but right & good for the elders of Israel to recognize the problem & gather to decide what to do & to (as David Gudzik wrote) “not accept leaders who were obviously ungodly & unfit to lead.” The people of every nation of the world should be so discerning. But the thing they wanted stung Samuel & essentially spit in the face of God. They asked Samuel to “appoint a king to judge us like all the nations.” I think it significant that they didn’t say “rule over us” but “judge us.” They were short-sighted in their understanding of a king. Again, God raised up judges for a specific time & need. A king would hold office & rule over them as long as he lived & then his office would pass down to his descendants. A judge didn’t have a government, but a king would establish a standing government, accompanied by bureaucracy bringing both blessings & curses, provisions & demands. Note that God told Samuel to explain to the people what they were asking for, what it would mean. David Gudzik wrote, “It was not entirely wrong for Israel to ask for a king. 400 yrs before God gave instructions to Israel about their future king (Deut.17:14-20).” A king was in God’s plans for Israel – in His time, of His choosing. Yet, Gudzik wrote, “the reason they wanted a king was wrong. They wanted to be ‘like all the nations.’” G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “This is the revelation of the supreme wrong. They had been chosen to be unlike the nations, a people directly governed by God,” which by the way is what God intended to restore thru Christ. But Israel, by asking for a king “like all the nations,” was essentially “rejecting this plan of God & declaring that they do not want the Lord God to rule over them.” Samuel was shocked/taken aback, perhaps in part because they were rejecting his sons & thus his judgment in appointing them as judges, but God said to him – “they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.” In reality, Israel had rejected God over & over. Vs8 - “According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking Me & serving other gods…” This request simply formalized their rebellion. It was prophetic really. Jesus knew this same rejection of His own. John 1:11 – “He came to His own, & His own people did not receive Him.” And Jesus heard a similarly formalized rejection statement during His trial. When Pilate brought Him before the people & sought to release Him, he said “Behold your King!” - to which the people replied, “Away w/Him…crucify Him!” “Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked. “The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar’” (John 19:14-15). They formalized what they had long done, rejecting God as King. Israel continued to reject God’s rule thruout their history, & but for a few they rejected His Christ, the King who came to earth to ransom those who believe & usher in God’s kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.” We understand from Scripture that it was part of God’s sovereign plan that Israel reject Christ, so that we Gentiles could be grafted into God’s vine. Whosoever will to the Lord may come, & be made part of His family & Kingdom. Yet many of the world have also rejected God’s rule & rejected Christ as Savior/Lord/King. Yet, the very fact that you are in church today suggests that you would not outright/openly reject Christ as King, the rule of God in your life. However, you may still reject Him, practically speaking. How so? Consider the ways. We reject the rule of God & the reign of Christ as King of our lives if: 1)We do not embrace Christ by faith as Savior & Lord. We can only come into relationship w/God by accepting His rule in our lives & embracing Christ as Savior/ Lord. Most want the saving grace of God for eternal life, but haven’t a clue about what it means that He is Lord. He is Savior & Lord, not one or the other. Understand, if Jesus is not your Lord, He’s not your Savior. 2)We consider Christ a “get out of hell free” card only. Titus 2:14 – “…who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness & to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.” We are God’s people & Christ is our King. It’s not “pie in the sky,” but partaking of Christ now, taking Him into our lives by faith, understanding the ramifications of belief – surrender to His rule. 3)We don’t follow Christ. If you/I go our own way, we’re rejecting God’s rule. We are not our own anymore. We belong to Christ. We must follow Him – no ifs, ands or buts. Jesus is our Lord & King. Our lives are to be about Him – doing His bidding. It’s not about me living my best life, being the best me I can be, because this is who I am. Jesus said, “If you’re going to follow Me, deny yourself, die to yourself, & follow Me” (Mt.16:24-25, my paraphrase). It’s not about Bruce Burks, but about Jesus living in me, & that’s hard! So, we reject God’s rule & the reign of Christ w/in if 4)We are not surrendered daily to our Lord. Obviously, this is a day by day, ongoing surrender. We’re to be, as Paul wrote, “living sacrifices.” Someone has correctly said that the problem w/living sacrifices is that they keep crawling off the altar. We say we surrender all, but then the daily decisions of our lives betray us. We do what we want, & we don’t always want what Christ wants. That’s the conflict of our lives, isn’t it – to put Christ 1st & seek 1st His kingdom & righteousness. We must continually realign, & we need God’s help. We need Him to do it in us as we look to Him, set our gaze on Him. 5)We’re not “battle ready.” David rejected God’s rule when, at “the time when kings go out to battle…[he] remained at Jerusalem” (II Sam.11:1). He would have avoided his sin w/Bathsheba & all that came w/it if he had been about God’s work as God’s steward. How much wrong could we avoid if we would be about God’s work. We are soldiers of Christ, armed not w/guns or swords, but w/God’s word & His love & the truth of the gospel. We’re to go forth conquering, not as the crusaders of old who tried to force faith, which can’t be done. Rather, we are to take Christ to the world, 1st in our homes, families, neighborhoods, but essentially to all the world, preaching the same message Christ Himself proclaimed: “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Brothers/sisters, we are kingdom bound – bound for the kingdom, yes, but also bound by the kingdom. Let us be kingdom minded & King focused!

TITLE: Kingdom Bound: The Splendor of the Kingdom – Psalm 145:1-21 AIM: The Splendor of the Kingdom of God depends upon God as King. INTRO: Have you spent much time thinking about the kingdom of God? Certainly would encourage it. Generally we think of a kingdom in terms of a monarchy, which is, according to the dictionary, “government or territory ruled by a hereditary constitutional ruler,” who is called king or queen, emperor, etc. The hereditary part means that not just anyone can be king; usually it is only the current king’s heir who can reign in his place & usually only after he dies. “The king is dead; long live the king!” There is 1 kingdom & successive kings. The kingdom is really the focus. A theocracy is quite different. Christianity is a theocracy. A theocracy is government w/some deity as ruler. Since we recognize no other god but Jehovah God, we would rightly say that God is the only ruler of the theocracy which is Christianity. Instead of 1 kingdom & successive kings thruout the duration of the kingdom, in a theocracy there is 1 kingdom & 1 king for all time. And instead of the kingdom being the primary focus, the king is the focus. Our theme for this New Year, introduced last week, is “Kingdom Bound.” We who are in Christ are bound for the kingdom of God – eternal life in Christ – having very much to which to look forward. But as we said last week & readily understand, the kingdom of God is both a now & a not yet. We’re looking forward to what awaits us in Christ, but we’re already part of God’s kingdom now. We are bound by the kingdom as well as for it. The kingdom of God should mark our lives – we are subjects of the King, bound to follow our King Jesus, surrendering to Him, committing our lives to Him. So it might behoove us to learn what the Bible has to say about the kingdom of God & how that affects our lives. The Bible teaches us that the kingdom of God is splendorous. Israel’s greatest earthly king, David, recognized God as His king & wrote about it in Psalm 145. A. R. Fausset pointed out that “The Hebrew title of [the book of Psalms] is ‘Tehilim,’ which means ‘praises’ or ‘hymns.’ [It is named such because] a leading facture in the contents is praise, tho the word occurs in the title of only one Psalm” (145, which is titled “A Song of Praise”). Psalm 145 is, Fausset wrote, “a Psalm of praise to God for His mighty, righteous & gracious government of all men, & of His humble & suffering people in particular.” An interesting side note from the ESV Study Bible – “This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning w/the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.” [READ] Vs11-13 speak specifically of the kingdom of God, relating that “they” (all God’s works & particularly His saints “shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,” and “make known the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.” The kingdom of God not only will be splendorous; it is now! What do we mean by that? What did David mean? What is it that makes the Kingdom of God glorious, splendorous? How do we recognize the splendor of the Kingdom? I) The splendor of the kingdom is a reflection of the splendor of the King. Again, the focus is the King – God. God is splendorous. W/out Him, the kingdom would be nothing at all – it would not exist. God is the One of whom David rightly says, “I will extol You” – that is, exalt, raise up. Obviously we can’t, by anything we do, lift God higher than He already is, but what is meant by extoling God is to recognize God’s highness. Subjects of a kingdom say “Your highness” – Of whom is that more true than our God? The word “God” is “Elohim,” which is, as Strong’s records, a “plural intensive, w/a singular meaning” – a plural word intended to describe a singular God. We recognize the meaning of that, pointing to the one true God as Triune – 3 in 1 – Father, Son & Holy Ghost. We could spend hours on that & not exhaust the topic. The word “Lord,” which David uses thruout the rest of the Psalm, is “Jehovah” – “the existing One,” “I Am” revealed to Moses at the burning bush, & as Strong’s records, the “proper name of the One true God.” Not Baal or Moloch or Allah or any other but Jehovah. It seems that was David was rightfully filled w/awe, as we should be, as he again wrote, “Great is the Lord, & greatly to be praised, His greatness is unsearchable.” He went on to write of God’s “mighty acts,” & “wondrous works,” “awesome deeds,” “the glorious splendor of [His] majesty,” His “greatness,” His “abundant goodness” & “righteousness.” David declared that God is “gracious & merciful, slow to anger & abounding in steadfast love.” He is “good to all & His mercy is over all that He has made.” He is “faithful in all His words & kind in all His works.” The almighty, eternal, holy, majestic God is faithful, merciful, compassionate, good, etc. Do you know Him, the God of the Bible? Not the god of your own making, not who you want Him to be, but who He is & has revealed Himself to be. Not the god of your limited understanding & your misunderstandings, but the God of Scripture. He is splendorous beyond words, & His splendor shines splendor upon His kingdom. “Great is the Lord!” II) The splendor of the kingdom is reflected in its scope & duration. We think of historical empires as great because of their scope – 4 great empires spoken of in Daniel – Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek & Roman – huge scope, vast territory, but nothing compared to the scope of the kingdom of God. Vs9 – “The Lord is good to all, & His mercy is over all that He has made,” which is all that is. Psalm 97:1, 9 – “The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice…” “You, o Lord, are most high over all the earth…” Psalm 103:19 – “The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, & His kingdom rules over all.” We understand that Jesus is Lord of all, whether or not He is recognized as such. But there is coming a day when, as Paul wrote (Phil.2:10-11), “at the name of Jesus every knee [will] bow…& every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” There is nothing, no one that is not under the Lordship of Christ, the reign of God. He rules over kings & presidents & dictators. He reigns over all nations & people groups, young/old, rich/poor, renowned/unnoticed. It may not seem so now, but it will be made evident someday soon. David also spoke of the duration of the kingdom of God – vs13 – “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, & Your dominion endures throughout all generations.” We think of the Chinese dynasties as great because of their duration, but they were finite, unlike the kingdom of God. As said, earthly kingdoms rise/fall, but from the beginning God’s kingdom has endured & it will last forever. Isaiah 9:7 – “Of the increase of His government & of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David & over his kingdom, to establish it & to uphold it w/justice & righteousness from this time forth & forevermore.” The kingdom of God is everlasting because God is eternal, from everlasting to everlasting. III) The splendor of the kingdom is reflected in its benefits to all who will recognize/surrender to/serve the King. God’s saints, His holy ones, “shall bless” Him (vs10), for He is good, gracious, merciful to all, especially those who are His. He is faithful & kind (vs13), & we who are His thru faith in Christ are the recipients of His faithful acts/kindnesses. Vs14 – He “upholds all who are falling & raises up all who are bowed down.” He is sustainer & loving shepherd/Father, tending to the needs of those He loves. He is provider for all who look to Him (vs15) giving “food in due season,” satisfying “the desire of every living thing” (vs16). All creation is dependent upon God’s provision. As Jesus declared in His sermon on the mount (Mt.6), God the Father feeds the birds of the air & clothes the flowers of the field. His wonderful promise is that as we “Seek 1st the kingdom of God & His righteousness…all these things [what we need] will be added to…” us (6:33). Our God is also near to us – vs18 – “…near to all who call on Him…in truth” – sincerely, truly seeking Him, truly knowing/loving Him, etc. How we need & how we enjoy God’s very presence as His children! At no time are we alone, w/out God. As David wrote in Psalm 139, there’s no place we could go where God is not. The hymn writer wrote, “Just when I need Him most, just when I need Him most, Jesus is near to comfort & cheer, just when I need Him most.” Surely sometimes it seems that God is far away, but He is not. We may have moved, but God is w/us & w/in us who believe. Let us call upon Him & know His nearness. Another Psalmist – Asaph, wrote in Psalm 73:28, “But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge…” The sons of Korah also wrote (Ps.46:1), “God is our refuge & strength, a very present help in trouble.” Further, David wrote that God our King “fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He also hears their cry & saves them.” To fear the Lord is to reverence Him, to love Him & desire what He desires. He will indeed give the desires of their hearts to those who surrender to His Lordship, subject themselves to His rule, who desire Him. Do you? God hears our cries & counts our tears, & He will lift up our heads. God hears & answers prayer; call upon Him in faith. David further wrote that “The Lord preserves all who love Him…” He will keep us from falling, keep us in His family, His care, His security. Our part is to love Him (& He pours out His love in our hearts & directs it back to Him & out to others). Our forever King will keep us forever part of His forever kingdom. It’s good to be part of the kingdom of God. It’s good to have a king who reigns over all, whose hand is on us. Those who don’t recognize the rule of Christ in their lives & submit/surrender to Him, the Bible calls the wicked. Now, all of us are wicked, left to ourselves. “All have sinned & fallen short of the glory of God.” We need a Savior & Jesus Christ is that Savior who died for us, to pay for our sin, to make us God’s children. All who believe/receive Christ by faith are brought into God’s family & kingdom. Those who don’t believe/receive Christ will be destroyed. Christ is a coming king who will judge & destroy those who deny His kingship. I pray you are not in that number when Jesus comes, but will embrace Christ by faith. Why not today? Brothers/sisters, we are Kingdom Bound – bound for the kingdom (hallelujah!), but also bound by the kingdom (subject to the king). It’s good to have a king & surrender to His rule. Let us be kingdom minded & especially King focused, Christ being the aim & center of our lives.

TITLE: Kingdom Bound – Exodus 19:1-6, I Peter 2:4-10 AIM: Establish & develop kingdom of God thinking. INTRO: Don’t think in these terms so much anymore, but in ancient times world was made up of kingdoms, empires. Kings & kingdoms rose & fell, conquering or being conquered by other kings/kingdoms. These days there are but a few countries which claim a king/queen/ emperor. And most nations anymore are not so interested in conquering or colonizing other nations & expanding their “kingdom reign” – more conflict w/in nations. These days there are many independent nations governed by presidents & parliaments/congresses elected by & representing the people. Democracy is thought to be the way to go, even tho still have dictatorships. But it’s really not that way in Christianity – a Theocracy. God is the Sovereign & His design is a kingdom. We who are His household are His subjects. God has always desired a kingdom & a kingdom is His design. Exodus 19:1-6 The Israelites had come out of Egypt, delivered by God from slavery. God brought them thru the Red Sea, by His miraculous power. After 2-3 mos (3rd full moon), they came to the wilderness of Sinai & encamped at the foot of Mt. Sinai, where Moses 1st encountered God in the burning bush. Picture in my office which Beth had taken when she was in Israel w/her BICS class – sunrise on Mt. Sinai. We read here that “Moses went up to God” – up the mt to meet w/God, who spoke to him “out of the mt.” Talk about mt top experience! Mt. top experiences are so invigorating, exciting, captivating. We like mt top experiences, don’t we? Baptism is such an experience (as is conversion to faith in Christ). Baptism is standing before God’s people, w/Jesus, professing/ confessing faith in, commitment to Christ. But we all come down from mt top – maybe by end of day. Would say to all of you & especially to those being baptized what singer Carmen once said: “Don’t forget in the darkness what you learned in the light.” Don’t forget what you experience here today, what learn, commitment made on this mt top, when you go down into the valley of everyday life, w/its trials/ struggles. God reminded Moses how He had brought the Hebrew people out of Egypt – destroying greatest army of that era. He said, “I bore you on eagle’s wings & brought you to Myself.” That’s essentially what God has done for each of us who are His children thru faith in Christ. He has lifted us out of slavery to sin & brought us to Himself. We are His children by His grace thru the atoning work of Christ. God further said to Moses & thru him to the Israelites, “If you will obey My voice & keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession…” He was speaking that concerning the Israelites, but as Paul tells us in Galatians 3:7, “…it is those of faith [in Christ] who are the sons of Abraham.” And in Ephesians he tells us that all believers are “members of the household of God” (2:19) & “…fellow heirs, members of the same body, & partakers of the promise of Christ Jesus through the gospel” (3:6). So we are God’s “treasured possession.” You who are being baptized, understand & always remember that you are God’s treasured possession! The Hebrew wd is “cegullah,” “from a root wd meaning ‘to shut up’ (encompass); it’s “valued property, peculiar treasure” (Strong’s). God has taken you to Himself as His own. You belong to Him. We are called, as the Israelites were, to obey & keep covenant, but thankfully, our standing depends upon Christ’s obedience & covenant keeping. That doesn’t remove our responsibility to obey & be faithful, but rather it makes it possible. God said further to Moses/ Israel, “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests & a holy nation.” Again I would say that from the beginning God has designed & desired a kingdom. Of course, He already has reign over all, but He desires subjects/people of His own for His kingdom. This sovereign process to establish His kingdom began w/creation of man, continued thru the calling of Abraham & establishment of Israel as a people/nation. God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt & setting them up in the promised land was likewise part of that process, as was His giving them the law thru Moses & establishing their earthly kingdom, w/promise that King David would always have an heir on the throne, as long as they obeyed God & kept His covenant – which Israel failed to do & so the kingdom was lost to captivity, then restored, but only as a puppet kingdom. The nation of Israel was reestablished in 1948 & remains today, but it cannot be said that it is “a kingdom of priests & a holy nation.” So, what happened to the purpose & promise of God? Enter Jesus Christ, humanly speaking “of the house & lineage of David,” who is prophesied to be the One who will reign “on the throne of David & over His kingdom, to establish it & uphold it w/justice & righteousness from this time forth & forevermore…” How can it be? It is being & will be accomplished by “the zeal of the Lord of Hosts” (Is.9:7) The scope of the kingdom God envisioned & purposed has spread from Israel only to the whole world, including now sons & daughters of Abraham, who thru faith in Christ have, like their father, believed God & for whom, like their father, that faith has been reckoned as righteousness. God in Christ has fulfilled & is fulfilling Exodus 19:6. We can see this clearly in I Peter 2:4-5, 9-10 – “As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen & precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God thru Jesus Christ.” “…You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” All who are in Christ are a chosen race, a royal priesthood (kingdom of priests), a holy nation, a people of [God’s] own possession! The thought of our each being priests unto God is that each of us in Christ have access to God our Father, able to come into His very presence & able to represent Him before others, able to introduce Him to others, etc. All of us in Christ are part of a kingdom, w/Christ Jesus being our king. We are part of a kingdom movement, & I want to challenge us today to begin to think more & more that way. The kingdom of God is not just somewhere out there in the heavens or in the future. We are looking for our King to come again, physically & visibly, but He is also w/us here & now, reigning in/over us. As thinking/praying about 2014, whether or not God wanted me to introduce a new theme for our thinking on Sunday mornings, this thought of the Kingdom of God kept coming to me. Thought it would be interesting/challenging to consider many of the passages of Scripture that speak of the Kingdom of God & Jesus as King. Don’t know exactly where God will take us, but at least for now our 2014 theme will be, “Kingdom Bound.” I think it very imp for us to realize that the kingdom of God is both a now & a not yet reality. We are not only bound for the kingdom – eternal life in Christ, but we are bound by the kingdom. The rule/reign of Christ is to mark our lives now in every way. Joe, Mindy, Alex, Sarah, all of us – remember we are subjects of the King. Our allegiance is not to ourselves or any other, but to Christ. I forget that all too often & go my own way & bow down to idols of my own making. But my life & your life is not our own. We belong to King Jesus. We are to obey Him & keep covenant w/Him as He lives in us by the Holy Spirit & gives us His grace. We will need to surrender to Him often, repeatedly. Our King is gracious & kind & patient & gentle, but He is King & Lord. Consider it, bros/sis, & remember it always: we are Kingdom Bound!

TITLE: A New Year’s Prayer for the Household of God – Eph.6:10-24 AIM: Follow Paul’s heart (& God’s) in prayer for the people of God. INTRO: Happy New Year! After yr of working thru Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians, we’ve reach the end as we begin 2014. By the way he wrote, we can see Paul’s heart for the Ephesian believers, w/whom spent several yrs. Now that he was in prison & moving toward the end of his life, as well as the end of the epistle, can see that his burden on for them, for their spiritual & overall welfare, that might be healthy & strong. As you know, our theme for 2013 was HofG, understanding from Scripture that we who are in Christ are the HofG, & seeking to understand from Scripture what it means to be the HofG. I hope we have gained some understanding of that. Well, the very matters Paul wrote about in the last of this pastoral letter to Eph are worthwhile prayer concerns for all the HofG & for this local HofG which is VACC. May I offer the following as my pastoral prayer for you in this New Year just beginning. I would be remiss, of course, if I did not pray the prayers that Paul himself prayed in chap1 & 3 – 1st in chap1, that God would “give you a spirit of wisdom & understanding in the knowledge of Him,” enlightening the eyes of your hearts, that you might know “the hope to which He has called you,” “the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,” & “the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe.” May you know Him better & better in 2014, your lives grounded & filled w/confidence in Him. And in chap3, that God would strengthen you “w/power thru His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts thru faith – that you, being rooted & grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend w/all the saints” the immeasurable vastness of God’s love & know that love personally & “be filled w/all the fullness of God.” May you be confident of God’s love for you in Christ, awed & motivated by His love, deepening in your relationship w/Him. Now let’s consider Paul’s thoughts at the end of his epistle, 6:10-24 [READ]. As Paul desired for the Ephesian Christians, I pray that you may also be clothed w/, put on the whole armor of God – the truth covering that God has provided - & thus be able in this New Year to stand strong/firm, against the schemes of the devil. I pray that God’s truth would surround you & guard you; that you would believe & rest in the truth that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to/counts for you who believe. I pray that you would give yourself fully to the Lord Jesus Christ who would impart His righteousness to you as well. I pray that you may be fully confident in your relationship w/God, knowing that your faith in Christ has made you His children. I pray that your faith would be as a shield for you, to extinguish the lies thrown at you by Satan; that the sure hope of God’s salvation & triumph would be as a helmet for you, giving you confidence for each day ahead, knowing that He will always lead you in His triumph in Christ, trusting that He will not fail nor forsake you. I pray that God’s word would indeed be a sword for you, wielded by the Holy Spirit in your life to make you able to stand against & resist temptation, cutting thru the lies, but also piercing your own heart, cutting away the dead flesh of the old man. I pray that your prayers will be led by the Holy Spirit at all times, that you will be able to hear Him & follow His lead, that your prayers will be fully answered because you are praying according to the will of God. I pray that the cries of your heart will touch the heart of God, & even more imp that those things on God’s heart will touch & move your heart. Paul asked the Ephesian believers to pray for him as he spoke the word of God, giving the gospel to those he encountered. I pray that your witness & mine will be bright & effective in 2014, as the Holy Spirit puts upon our hearts those who are lost & moves us to pray & gives us opportunity to share the gospel. As he concluded the epistle, Paul wrote that he was sending Tychicus to them – probably someone familiar to the Ephesians – whom Paul described as a “beloved brother & faithful minister in the Lord.” Very possible he was the currier of the letter from Paul to the Ephesian church. The reason Paul was sending him was so he could tell the Ephesian believers that Paul was doing ok – so their hearts might be encouraged. I would pray that God would encourage your hearts in this New Year. Some of you have been discouraged, because of losses you have suffered & difficulties you have faced, or failures you have experienced. We know that difficulties & losses & failures will come, but may you be encouraged not with the absence of difficulty, but w/the presence of God – His nearness, strength, comfort, help. Then Paul continued his conclusion w/the benediction of vs23-24. He desired “peace to the brothers.” I think this is inner peace, a calm center, come what may, based on their faith in Christ & confidence in God. I pray you may know this peace as well – peace of heart & mind, no matter what the circumstances. As Paul wrote in Colossians, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,” I pray that will be true for you. Rest in peace while you live! Paul certainly desired peace between the Ephesian believers as well. May we have peace w/one another. There’s going to be times of disagreement, but that doesn’t have to mean discord. Paul also desired the blessing of love for his bro/sis in Ephesus. It’s interesting that he stated it as “love w/faith.” May you know love this New Year – believing by faith that God loves you – some of you have a struggle w/that. Oswald Chambers, in his devotional message, “Keep Yourselves in the Love of God,” wrote: “Drink deep & full of the love of God & you will not demand the impossible from earth’s loves, & the love of wife & child, of husband & friend, will grow holier & healthier & simpler & grander.” Knowing God’s love for you enhances your love for others & emboldens your service for Christ. Finally, Paul desired grace for his Ephesian bro/sis. We understand grace as “unmerited favor,” God’s unmerited favor. None of us deserve any of God’s favor, but if we are in Christ we have received all of God’s favor! We are saved by grace & sanctified by grace. God has lavished His grace upon us – grace, grace, marvelous grace; grace that exceeds our sin & our guilt; grace to believe, grace training us to say no to ungodliness. Paul desires grace for the Ephesian believers, & I desire grace for you today & every day you live. God’s grace be w/you. May the grace of our Lord be w/you now & always! Note that Paul said “Grace be w/all who love our Lord Jesus Christ w/love incorruptible.” We actually need God’s grace to love Him as we ought, Him pouring out His love in our hearts & His love flowing thru us back to Him & out to others. Starts & ends w/God. All of what we pray for you depends on God – His grace, His working, His touch. But this very statement also shows us that there is some small sense in which it depends upon us. Our focus needs to be on God, our faith must take hold of His truth/ promises. We need to take up the Word of God – reading, studying, meditating, memorizing, that it might be a sword for us. We must spend time in prayer, seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit. We must pray for the lost & seek opportunities to tell them the gospel. We need to be still & know God, receiving by faith His peace & love & grace. Grace is promised to the humble, so we must humble ourselves before God. In short, by God’s grace & leading, we must begin this New Year as we must begin each day: surrender to our Lord & King. I challenge you, wherever you are spiritually, to commit your life to Christ. Don’t know Him? Bow before your King – receive Him by faith as your Savior/ Lord. Child of God? Surrender your life to Him, to know Him more, to serve Him faithfully, to trust Him w/your life. May we be a healthy & faithful Household of God, effective for Christ in 2014 & beyond! Happy New Year!