Messages from the King: Recent Episodes
Pr. Jeremiah Gumm
Sermons from King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL - For more information, visit VisitKoK.com. #ConnectWithTheKing
The hardest times to trust God are the times we need him most. It’s easier to trust God when your job is going great, your health is fine, your relationships are fine, and your family is good. It’s easier to trust God when the sun is shining, but what happens when your life is suddenly overshadowed by dark days? When tragedy strikes, we may wonder if God continues to care for us. At those times, Christians do not despair like those who have no hope. Instead, Christians focus on certain foundational facts. We are chosen and adopted as God’s dear children. God provides us innumerable spiritual blessings and promises us an eternity of peace and joy. If we recognize those spiritual blessings, how can we doubt that God will give us everything we truly need at the right time? Christians trust God to provide.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Wherever faith clings to the promises of God, doubt is always lingering. Doubt asks the serpent’s garden question, “Did God really say?” People doubt God’s care, God’s promises, or God’s providence. The answer to doubt is not found in loud, dramatic demonstrations. The true answer to doubt is found in the still small voice of our Savior God whispering to us in his Word. Through Word and sacrament,Christ reaches out to us with nail-scarred hands, proof of his great love. Jesus gently says, “Why did you doubt?” Our faith is restored. Christians answer doubt with faith.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
The wheat that grows in the Middle East is a variety that looks much like wild grass or weeds. It is difficult to tell wheat and weeds apart until shortly before harvest time, when the wheat stalks develop a head containing the kernels of grain. Pulling the weeds out of a wheat field could lead to accidentally pulling up a fair amount of wheat. People need to wait for the harvest to separate wheat from weeds. Jesus uses that image to illustrate life this side of heaven. What makes Christians different? They are wheat planted by the Lord. Unbelieving evildoers are pictured as weeds. We might want God to take care of evil now, pulling up all the weeds. But he tells us to wait for the harvest of judgment day. So we live as wheat among weeds, being faithful, fruitful, and mindful of the coming harvest.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
What do you consider your life’s top priorities? Many people start with family and friends. Financial security and health follow closely. Reputation and recreation make the cut. How about faith? Is it the top priority? What if other priorities must be sacrificed to keep faith the top priority? The Bible helps Christians keep worldly wealth in perspective. It can buy the things of this world, things that rust and decay, but there is something more valuable. True wealth is spiritual wealth. It can be found only in God and his eternal blessings for us in Christ.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Planting seed by hand can be extraordinary. In your hand, the seed looks lifeless and insignificant. You put the seed into the soil, and suddenly, all by itself, the seed germinates and sprouts and reaches to the sun. Except when it doesn’t! Plant multiple seeds, and often only some will grow.The Bible describes Christians as planted by the Word. Why do some people grow in faith, and not others? What makes Christians different? The Bible describes the supernatural process by which God calls people to faith through the gospel. He promises that his Word always accomplishes his purpose. It is powerful all on its own, without our help. As we grow in faith, we give God thanks for the miracle of his work in our lives.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
This weekend is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of the Independence of the United States of America. American citizens from many backgrounds are celebrating in many ways. What makes Christian citizens different? Christian citizenship is not connected to a particular political party. Christian citizenship is not connected to particular civic activities. Christians understand that they live in two kingdoms. God does not need our good works, but our neighbors do. God’s Word informs our choice of political activities as we seek to be faithful to our calling as Christian citizens.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
SAY IT OUT LOUD! JESUS LEADS US The Law was given through Moses. He was a marvelous leader of his people, but he could not take them to the Promised Land. The Law can never get God’s people to the promised land. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Joshua, the successor of Moses, defeated the enemies of the people and led them into the Promised Land. Jesus defeats our enemies and shepherds us as his flock. The gracious Gospel of forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus is the only way to the promised land of heaven. Jesus leads us all the way there.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Not all love is good. It is self-destructive to love bad things. It is just as harmful to love good things in a bad order. For example, it would seem to be a good thing for a man to love his dog. But if he loves his dog more than he loves his wife, his “love” for both is disordered. For love to be healthy, it needs to be properly ordered. Christians love the people whom God has placed into their lives. But when those people desire something that God does not desire, Christians love and serve God above all. Properly ordered love leads us to be faithful to God and his Word. We love God above all because he first loved us.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Believers in God and their ministers have always been persecuted. Religious leaders in Jerusalem tried to muzzle the truth, but they only succeeded in sending people to preach the Word throughout the land. The Roman Empire persecuted Christians with stakes and lions, but God’s Church exploded with growth. In Martin Luther’s day, both pope and emperor tried to limit the gospel movement that was spreading from Germany, but God led many people to speak his truth. God wants his people to keep the faith and preach the Word even in the face of opposition.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
We believe in the triune God. He is the only true God. The festival of the Holy Trinity is a time to celebrate God revealing himself to us as one God in three persons. The triune God wants his people to teach this mystery in its biblical truth and purity. This festival of the Holy Trinity begins the second half of the Church Year with a proclamation of people being baptized and blessed in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, the only true God.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
King David once said that guilt makes you feel like your very bones are rotting. Guilt makes you feel weak . . . sick. Guilt can make it hard to focus on anything else . . . hard to function. And guilt is an inescapable fact of life. Everyone carries guilt about something. Worse, our efforts to deal with guilt—minimizing our mistakes, making excuses for our sin—don’t help, but only make us feel worse. What alleviates the burden of guilt? Just one thing—God’s gift of grace. Christ’s love is undeserved and unconditional. He pardons every sin. This is the entire reason Jesus came to earth. This was his mission—to give the gift of grace! When we receive that gift, our guilt melts. Left in its place is the joy of our salvation.
The Scripture readings for
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
God grants the status of “saint” (which means “holy one”) to every believer. It might appear that status is of little practical value. If you achieve the status “billionaire” or “celebrity” or “senator” your life is going to be vastly different than most other people, most likely better. But if God calls you a saint, just like everyone else, you will struggle with trials, temptations, and sin. Being a saint does not make life easier. In some ways it makes life more difficult as we struggle against a world that is hostile toward Christ. This might lead us to ask, “Is it really that big a deal that God calls us saints? ”For centuries, the Church has answered that question by celebrating the Festival of All Saints. This week we get a peek at the saints who have died and now live in the glory of Christ’s light. Through eyes of faith, we see the saints enjoying glory in the place where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:1-6). We realize what a precious gift this status of saint actually is. We understand that soon enough we shall join all the saints in that glorious heavenly city. And that gives us amazing stamina to face the challenges of this world with the strength Christ gives to all his saints.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Over 500 years ago, Lutheran Christians were under tremendous pressure. They were forced to defend themselves on battlefields both metaphorical and literal. But they took comfort that Christ himself was by their side upon the plain with his good gifts and Spirit.Just 175 years ago, the Lutheran Christians who founded WELS were also under tremendous pressure.The pressure continues today with opposition to the truths of the Word of God. But we take comfort that Christ is with us in Word and sacrament, and we move forward with the promise of his presence.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
As someone rises through the ranks at work, there are typically benefits: higher salary, more authority,better benefits. However, there is often a corresponding increase in responsibility: longer hours, more meetings, raised expectations. So, if someone is offered a promotion, they might ask, “Is this worth it?”It is similar in God’s kingdom. As our faith grows, there are obvious benefits: the comfort of knowing you are a redeemed and loved child of God, the peace of knowing your eternity is secure. However,increased faith also increases duty. There are ever more opportunities for service. This week, Jesus has sharp words for those who want the benefits of being Christian but would shirk those responsibilities.However, to lead us to take up those responsibilities, our Savior doesn’t threaten or cajole. He helps us see that while increased faith increases duty, increased duty increases delight. The believer knows he serves the One who came to serve us first. Just as Christ’s service brought him great joy, so does our service to others.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Christ through us can only be understood properly if we first establish the concept of “Christ For Us” (Christus pro nobis in Latin). Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection were not for his own benefit but specifically for humanity’s salvation. He lived a perfect life, fulfilling God’s law on behalf of sinners, and his death was a substitutionary atonement for our sins. The phrase “for us” underscores the idea that salvation is entirely a gift, granted by God through Christ’s actions, and is not earned by human effort or merit. “Christ For Us” is central to the Bible’s explanation of justification, where believers are declared righteous before God solely on the basis of Christ’s work, received through faith. Christ’s vicarious suffering and resurrection assure Christians that God’s wrath against sin has been fully satisfied, and through Christ, we are reconciled to God.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
From one seminary in 1865, one world mission in 1893, and 800 congregations mostly in the Midwest as of 1965, we can now easily see how Christ has worked through his good news of salvation in Word and sacraments to move this body of believers to establish a Scripture-based ministerial education system, world missions in 45 countries, and more than 1,200 congregations across the United States. The “Christ Through Us” theme will also inform the work of WELS in a ten-year detailed plan to proclaim our Savior’s love.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
What do John D Rockefeller, King Solomon, Henry Ford, and Joseph Stalin all have in common? Two things. First, they are all in the list of the twenty wealthiest individuals who ever lived. Second, they are all rotting in the ground. The reality is that while money may help you achieve some objectives, it fails to prevent death. So Jesus speaks some sharp words this week, warning that those who live with hearts filled with love for money and void of love for God will receive the only eternity that money can buy— one void of God and filled with torment. Money seems helpful, but it fails in death. Conversely, what often seems of little help in this life will be our only source of help in death. The world scoffs at those who set aside plenteous time to listen to Jesus’ words and eat his holy meal. “Of what practical good are such things?” Only this. Such things enable us, at death, to receive a reward that dwarfs even the best things money can buy.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
There are more than 2,300 Bible passages that speak about money. Why? Money is a master Satan frequently tempts us to serve. In fact, out of all the masters competing for our service besides God, money is probably at the top of the list. Money provides us with a false comfort and sense of security. Money serves as a source of pride. This week, Jesus’ sharp words identify the impossibility of serving more than one master. More, Jesus teaches that if we dedicate our lives in service to money, money will always let us down. In contrast, God has proven that he is a master worth serving. When we serve God, money is put in its proper place. Instead of it being a master to serve, it becomes a tool in our service of our true Master.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
“He’s lost.” We use that term not only to refer to someone who is bewildered about where they are but also to refer to someone who is in a helpless, hopeless state. Mankind’s natural state is one of complete spiritual helplessness, a profound lostness. It manifests itself in countless ways. The one who simply wants God to leave him alone: lost. The one who feels she can handle life on her own: lost. The one who thinks he has the right to repent of his sins on his own timetable and terms: lost. The one who thinks God owes her in some way: lost. Wandering around physically lost can lead to winding up in bad places. Jesus’ wounding words this week teach that wandering around spiritually lost puts you in the worst place of all. Fortunately, Jesus does not leave us in our lostness. He relentlessly seeks us. He involves the rest of the Christian community in seeking the lost and rejoicing over the found.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Everyone knows that humility is a positive trait and pride is a negative one. So, why bother talking about what we already know? Because in spite of that knowledge, we still helplessly fall into the trap of pride. We all desire acclaim, recognition, and praise. Jesus’ sharp words this week teach us that seeking exaltation in futile and fleeing ways will only result in receiving the opposite. Those who attempt to exalt themselves will eventually be humbled by God. In contrast, Jesus promises that those who leave their exaltation to God will receive honor and glory far greater than any that can be awarded in this life. Our exaltation does not need to be our responsibility, because Jesus has already made it his.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
This week Jesus’ sharp words expose our desire to pursue comfort and avoid pain at all costs. Jesus explains that following him will be hard. Jesus’ disciples will be called to let go of things they love and embrace things we naturally loathe. Jesus promises that discipleship comes with crosses—a unique type of pain. So, Jesus tells us that we must count the cost of following him. He wants us to do that now, ahead of time, rather than waiting until we are in the heat of the moment and emotions are running high. However, our calculations must not only consider what we might give up for Jesus. They also entail calculating what we get through him! When we perceive the infinite blessings we find in Christ, the decisions we just make, while difficult, will be clear. Whatever is lost as we follow Jesus pales in comparison to what we gain.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
When it comes to the uncomfortable topic of who goes to heaven and who goes to hell, it is natural to want to avoid the issue. One way we do that is to direct our attention to more theoretical questions. “What is heaven like?” “How old will we be there?” Today someone asks, “Lord, are only a few going to be saved?” Jesus brushes all such questions aside. Instead, he answers the question we should be asking. “How might I be saved?” Jesus explains there is only one way—entering through a very narrow door. Jesus’ words cut deep! For he teaches that it is very easy to develop a false sense of security about our standing before God based on some superficial familiarity we have with him. Jesus warns that many who think they are on the path to heaven will end up shut out. These wounding words of Jesus provide healing, pushing us toward that narrow door: faith in him.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
We often divide humanity into groupings that are not really significant: this ethnic group versus that one, men versus women, wealthy versus poor. Yet, every ethnic group is under God’s law. That law equally convicts men and women of sin. Because of sin, both the wealthy and poor will die. Only through faith in Christ is sin forgiven and the sting of death removed. God’s Word creates that saving faith, but not in everyone who hears it. Fallen mankind retains the awful power to reject the Word and God’s gift of faith. Therefore, God’s Word produces the only people distinction that matters—believers and unbelievers. We desire to live in peace with other people. But Jesus teaches, this side of heaven, that desire is a pipe dream. Those who embrace the gospel in faith will inevitably face hostility. Following Jesus will come at a price. Yet he promises that our perseverance will be rewarded.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Last week Jesus warned us against overvaluing earthly wealth. This week Jesus warns against undervaluing heavenly treasure. Last week, Jesus exposed the folly of greed. This week, Jesus exposes the folly of worry, even when faced with the prospect of having a seeming shortage of resources. This week might be the bigger challenge! When it seems we lack providence or protection for our daily lives, it can be hard to avoid worry. So, Jesus asks us to give our undivided attention to him, that he might take our worries away. Jesus points to creatures that do not labor or toil yet eat every day. Even more, Jesus points to our Father who promises to give us the heavenly treasures of his kingdom. Jesus assures us that our Father will throw in any needed earthly possessions as well. We can rest from our worries, confident that our loving Father knows all we need.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Money. Possessions. Perhaps more than anything else, those things have the power to turn our attention away from what is truly important. It is no surprise, therefore, that Jesus frequently teaches about wealth. Christ wants us to understand that it is our heavenly Father who provides us with those useful resources. But we need to know why our Father gives them: what they are useful for, and what they are not useful for. Those resources cannot give purpose or meaning to our lives on earth. They cannot give us security for life after this earth. However, the blessings God provides can bring some joy to our lives. More importantly, our wealth is extremely useful in our efforts to serve God and others. This week let us give our undivided attention to what Christ says about the useful resources our gracious Father provides to us.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
In a sense, prayer comes naturally to us. We want so we ask. We hurt so we cry out. We are frustrated so we vent. We are blessed so we give thanks. Natural! What does not come naturally, however, is a proper understanding of the privilege of prayer. Prayer is a privilege, based entirely on the unique and unearned relationship we have with God, our Father. And the purpose of prayer is really not to tell God what we want, but to claim that which God wants for us. Prayer provides the opportunity to bring our will into conformity with God’s will, not the other way around. This week, we give our undivided attention to what God says about this access we call prayer. Along with Jesus’ disciples we say, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Green Berets. Rangers. SEALs. Delta Force. These special forces groups are part of the United States military. They are elite: highly trained with unique skill sets. Many of their important missions are carried out in total secrecy.
Two weeks ago, we acknowledged that we are in the middle of a massive spiritual war. Today, we thank God that we fight this war with the protection of special forces. Since the fifth century, Christians have observed the Festival of St. Michael and All Angels. We commemorate that God has sent Michael, one of the great archangels described in Scripture, and countless of his fellow angels to protect and serve mankind. Let us rejoice that followers of Christ have powerful allies!
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
What is the worst war in human history? One might point to World War II, which has the highest death toll of at least 90 million people. Or consider the Three Kingdoms War, which not only resulted in over 40 million deaths but also lasted for most of the third century. There is no end to the sad list of nominations: the Thirty Years War, the Taiping Rebellion, the American Civil War, World War I.
None of those is the correct answer. The worst war in human history began when the first shot was fired in Eden. It has been raging since. It is a war against “spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12). This is not a war over land or resources. It is a war for souls. The reality is that there are demonic forces that want to do more than kill you; they want to claim you for all eternity. The good news: Christ has already called you his own and equipped you for this war. Followers of Christ are armed for the battle.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Followers of Christ are Humble Servants. Humility and pride are polar opposites. Pride exalts self at the expense of God and others. Humility exalts God and others at the expense of self. Pride is the essential vice, for it increases one’s hunger for all other sins. Humility increases one’s hunger for the forgiveness and healing found in Christ. The one who is proud demands to be served. The one who is humble is not content unless serving others. St. Augustine described it this way: “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” As we see all Christ did to serve us, our hearts melt. Within us grows a Christ-like obsession to serve others, without counting the cost, without any desire to be repaid. Those who are in positions of Christian leadership understand that their leadership can only be achieved through service. For followers of Christ are humble servants.
This sermon focuses on selected verses of 2 Corinthians 4 using the theme: "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize"
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Power is neither inherently good nor bad. Fire is powerful. The chef uses fire to create meals. But the arsonist uses fire to destroy homes. Nuclear fission is a powerful force. The engineer harnesses it, producing abundant electricity. The tyrant harnesses it, threating others with nuclear weapons. What matters is the purpose of the one who has that power.
Jesus has limitless power, as the numerous accounts of his miracles demonstrate. Those who witnessed those miracles understood that Jesus used his power for good. That doesn’t mean they all understood Jesus’ true purpose. Some thought Jesus’ purpose was to make this temporal life better. And while Jesus did that at times, his ultimate purpose was to save us from sin and give us the gift of eternal life. Followers of Christ see the true purpose of his power.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
A loving father gives his son and daughter a list of rules and regulations. Chores, curfews, civilities, dress code—the father makes his will clearly known. The son strives to follow the rules for two reasons. 1) He wants to get his allowance. 2) He is afraid that if he breaks the rules, his father will punish him. The daughter strives to follow the rules, also for two reasons. 1) She believes her father established those rules not to control her but for her safety and blessing. 2) She wants to demonstrate how much she loves and trusts her father. Those two children’s actions might look almost identical. Their hearts are very different!
Likewise, following Christ is not simply a matter of outward observance of laws. It is a matter of the heart. The Law was given so we could see God’s heart and demonstrate how his heart has affected our own. The followership Christ seeks flows from hearts that have been radically transformed by God’s law and gospel. Christ wants his followers to be less like the son described above, and more like the daughter. This week we see that followers of Christ obey his law from the heart.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
As Jesus concluded his Bread of Life discourse, many said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” and walked away. Read carefully. They did not say the teaching was hard to understand. The meaning was clear enough. Jesus was teaching that the only chance to enjoy eternity in heaven is through a close connection to him. He is the only bread that gives eternal life. That isn’t hard to understand, but it is hard to accept. Eating this bread means reordering our lives so that Jesus is by far our highest priority. It means loving the Blesser infinitely more than his earthly blessings. It means realizing that Jesus is the only thing we really need. If we had nothing but him, we would not lack anything that ultimately matters.
Jesus watches the multitudes walking away from him. He turns to the Twelve—he turns to us this week—and he whispers, “You do not want to leave me too, do you?” May the Spirit give us the wisdom to answer, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
There are many different theories about the healthiest way to eat. There’s the old food pyramid, built on a foundation of whole grains. There’s the Mediterranean diet, the Atkins diet, the Paleo diet, and many others. We can debate which is best, but what is undebatable is that whatever your diet, you are going to die. Perhaps a vegetarian diet is indeed easier on your heart. Still, your heart is going to stop eventually. But in his Bead of Life discourse, Jesus offers food that enables us to live forever.
There are foods you might never have tasted without someone working hard to convince you to try them. Likewise, this spiritual food that Jesus describes is something no one finds appealing at first, but distasteful. And so today Jesus explains that we need God to work within us, so that we have the wisdom to see that this food gives life and the faith to find this bread most delicious.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Physical food is a blessing from God without which we would literally wither away and die. That is why Jesus lovingly and miraculously fed thousands of followers with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Yet, while physical food is a good thing, it is far from the greatest thing God provides us. The greatest blessing God provides is spiritual food. The best thing God gives us is his Son, the bread of life. Without that spiritual food, we wither and die in a much worse way.
This week we see the multitudes coming to Jesus looking for two things: ever more temporal blessings—full bellies, healthy bodies—and an explanation of how to gain them. Jesus explains the greater need for spiritual food. He assures us that there is nothing we do to earn it. Our Father urges us to come to him for our daily bread, asking him to provide for our temporal needs. But may we hunger most for our greatest need: spiritual food that Christ freely gives.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Shortly before he ascended, Jesus told his followers they were to engage in meaningful ministry—to work their way through the world, sharing the good news of salvation. Our loving Lord knew that was a big and often intimidating task. So, his next words were a promise. “Surely I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). God’s people still need to hear that promise.
For several weeks, we have been discussing the reality that the Lord of the Church has called all believers to meaningful ministry. Ministry will come with challenges. It can cause fears to arise: the fear of rejection, the fear of inadequacy, the fear of persecution. So, listen again to your Savior. “I am with you always.” We conclude our series on meaningful ministry empowered by that gracious promise.
Elisha’s ministry had resulted in Elisha and his servant being surrounded by an enemy army. But they didn’t need to fear, for the LORD and his mighty army of angels were with them.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
St. Paul establishes qualifications for those who serve in public ministry and stresses that their authority comes from holding firmly to God’s Word.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
King David explains, “The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1). That word “everything” doesn’t leave any wiggle room, does it? That word “everything” means that your home and all its furnishings, your vehicle and all that’s in the trunk, your bank account, the twenty-eight dollars in your wallet, the wallet itself, and the pocket in which you carry your wallet all belong to God. Everything you have was given to you by your good and gracious Father. We need to understand that.
But it is just as important that we understand why God provides for our physical needs. As we have seen throughout this worship series, God has called us to ministry. He asks us to reflect his love in meeting the physical and spiritual needs of others. Believers want to serve others in those ways. By providing for us, God meets our need to meet others’ needs. This week Jesus promises that he will provide the resources necessary to conduct meaningful ministry.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
In the ancient Middle East, a shepherd needed certain skills to do his job well: knowledge of edible grasses, ability to trim hooves, capacity to fend off predators, competency to birth lambs. However, the greatest qualification of a shepherd is much simpler. A good shepherd needed to care for his sheep. Without that, none of those other skills would be fully utilized.
In Scripture meaningful ministry is often pictured as a compassionate shepherd caring for his sheep: Jesus’ care for us; a spiritual leader’s care for his “flock.” Certainly, gospel ministry requires specific skills: ability to actively listen to people, aptitude for applying the gospel to someone’s situation, etc. But ultimately, meaningful ministry requires a compassionate heart—a profound caring for others. An individual might know God’s Word backwards and forwards. But if they lack compassion, they will not fully perform meaningful ministry. Today, we ask the Spirit to see how Jesus models a compassionate shepherd’s heart so that we might be filled with that same compassion.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
If ministry involves serving others with love and compassion, you would think that people would respond only with glee and gratitude for the help they received. Sometimes, but not always. If you offer to help a family member who is having trouble paying his bills, he might be offended, wondering if you are implying that he is not a good provider. Likewise, if you try and share the gospel with someone, he might resent the message that he is a sinner in need of salvation. You are trying to minister to this man’s greatest need. Your intentions are loving. Yet he responds with rejection and resentment.
When our ministry efforts are met not with glee and gratitude but rejection and resentment, we are in good company. The prophets, apostles, and even Jesus himself all had those who responded negatively to their ministries. When that happens to us, it doesn’t mean our ministry is no longer meaningful. For if others do not appreciate our efforts to serve them, God still appreciates our efforts to serve him.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Most people fear death to some degree. Some fear death because they assume it is the end. Others fear death because they assume it isn’t the end at all, but that there is some sort of reckoning after death which might not go well for them. And have you seen what happens to a dead body? It is far from pretty. So, it is understandable that most people would fear death.
Not so for those to whom God has given a top-down faith. Christianity teaches that for God’s children death is not discipline but deliverance. The living Lord gives Christians such a radically different view of death that they can have confidence to face death in their effort to give Christ glory. They understand that death does not cut us down, but only raises us up. Finally, the Christian has been given the top-down faith that believes Jesus can wake us from death as easily as we can wake a sleeping child from his nap.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
It would not be productive to look for help in a cemetery. A corpse can do only one thing—rot. This is the source of the crushing sorrow Jesus’ followers felt. He was the one in whom they had placed all their hope for a better reality. Now he was dead, so they thought. They were overwhelmed with sorrow, not just because they missed their friend. It now all seemed so pointless: the years and miles following Jesus, witnessing his miracles, listening to him. He was dead! And a corpse can only do one thing.
The resurrection changed everything. The disciples saw clearly that Jesus is who he said he was and did what he said he’d do. They realized their faith rested on a rock-solid foundation. Here is the resurrection reality. If Christ had not been raised, our faith in him would be futile. He could do nothing to help us, but Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
The Bible reading for this message is 1 Corinthians 15:12-20.
The video for this worship service can be found here.
This is the first in our Easter worship series: Resurrection Reality.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
We use the word “appetite” to describe a powerful desire for something. So, what is it you crave the most? Where does your mind go in those quiet moments? What do you want? Power? What do you dream about? Prestige? For what do you hunger? Pleasure? Are our appetites healthy?
A truly healthy appetite is one that aligns with our deepest needs: forgiveness, salvation, communion with God, loving relationships with others. The believer is ravenous for such things! And all of those blessings are on the menu of the Lord’s Supper. Some view Holy Communion as just a religious ritual. Far from it! In this meal, Christ satisfies our greatest appetites.
The Bible reading for this message is Mark 14:12-26.
The video for this worship service can be found here.
This is the seventh in our Lenten worship series: Rethinking Religion.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
When we feel that the world is against us, it is easy to feel self-pity. We make ourselves the victims and wallow in our trouble. Jesus refused to do that, though. Rather, he felt compassion for those he knew would suffer after him and even forgave those crucifying him. Likewise, rather than pitying ourselves, we feel pity for those who have no idea of the destruction that awaits them and want them to know the Father’s forgiveness.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 23:26-34.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the fifth in our midweek Lenten worship series: God on Trial.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Religious sociologists sometimes divide Christians into two groups: committed Christians and cultural Christians. The former are usually defined as those who are active in a congregation, who pray regularly, who read Scripture, etc. The latter are those individuals who call themselves Christian and perhaps have some Christian beliefs. Yet, they do not strive to live a Christian life. They are not interested in church involvement.
Those definitions are interesting when trying to understand shifts in American Christianity. However, they demonstrate a false assumption about the Christian religion. There is indeed a devoted commitment at the center of Christianity, but it is not man’s commitment to God. Even believers will at times demonstrate lukewarm commitment at best. Instead, at the heart of Christianity we find God’s devotion and commitment to us. It is a devoted commitment so strong that it put God on the cross.
The Bible reading for this message is John 12:20-33.
The video for this worship service can be found here.
This is the fifth in our Lenten worship series: Rethinking Religion.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Whether Pilate’s tone was sincere or sneering or something else, he expressed what may be the most important question in our day: What is truth? Pilate clearly was not on the side of truth, at least not Jesus’ truth. We can be tempted to question God’s truth, especially with the seeming uncertainty of everything going on around us. However, God has given us truth in a person: his only Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus stood before Pilate as a real flesh and blood person. He gave his real life as a payment for sin, and his empty tomb is proof of God’s truth that life overcomes death!
The Bible reading for this message is John 18:33-40.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the fourth in our midweek Lenten worship series: God on Trial.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
While not every religion uses the word “sin,” they all embrace the concept. Every religion acknowledges that mankind’s flawed attitudes or misguided actions are a source of pain, both now and potentially in eternity. So, every religion offers a solution: a set of laws, a moral code, a path to more enlightened behavior. What do they have in common? We are to solve sin through human effort. Be better! Try harder! This is the heart of every false religion. Those who correctly understand they will never overcome their sin are crushed by guilt. Those who ludicrously believe they have defeated their sin are killed by pride.
True religion offers a better way—one that frees us from guilt and has no room for pride. Jesus teaches that the solution to our sin is not to work harder. It is to trust in the work he has done for us. Salvation comes through Spirit-wrought faith in Christ.
The Bible reading for this message is Numbers 21:4-9.
This is the fourth in our Lenten worship series: Rethinking Religion.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
The unbelieving world has always insisted on putting God on trial. As our society becomes more secular, we Christians are increasingly aware of the many ways in which God—and his people—are judged. Temptations are many in this environment, so how do we live as people of God in this hostile world? We find our model—and our motivation—in Jesus. This midweek series takes us back to the moments when God was literally on trial before humankind in the person of Christ. In these inspired episodes, we find forgiveness for us and all people, love for our enemies, strength for our faith, and courage to testify to the truth.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 23:1-12.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the third in our midweek Lenten worship series: God on Trial.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Person A never attends worship. He can’t see the point. Person B attends every week out of a slavish sense of obligation. Her mind wanders during the services, for she views the activities of worship merely as tasks for her to complete. Who is worse off? Rather than debating the point, let us just admit neither understand the true worth of worship. And that is exactly what Satan wants.
Many think worship is about what we do for God. It is the other way around. As we gather around Word and sacrament, the Spirit moves us to love and trust in God above all things. Moved by the cross of Christ, we bow down before our God. We commune with him. And that’s exactly what God wants.
The Bible reading for this message is John 2:13-22.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the third in our Lenten worship series: Rethinking Religion.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Contrast Jesus inside and Peter outside. Jesus was respectful, yet he boldly confessed the truth about who he is. Peter fell all over himself to avoid having to make such a confession. We weep at our failures, yet rejoice in Jesus’ perfect witness in our place.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 26:57-75.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the second in our midweek Lenten worship series: God on Trial.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Reconciliation is a process of bringing together two people or groups in conflict with each other and restoring their relationship. Yet how do most people view reconciliation? Is it two opposing individuals or groups coming together in the middle or is it the expectation that one side will come all the way over, while the other does not budge? Most people in conflict with others take the latter view. “I will only be friends with that person or that family or that group if they reconcile with me.”
Where does such a self-centered view of reconciliation come from? It comes from our own sinful natures that want “my way or the highway.” We all naturally have that attitude when it comes to God and his will. Yet in grace—undeserved love for sinners like us, God did the unthinkable. He did all the work and yet reconciled us to himself. He sent his Son, forgave our sins, and restored us to loving him once again. So then, what will we do with that reconciliation? We are called to take that message of reconciliation with God out to the world!
The Bible reading for this message is 2 Corinthians 5:14-21.
Video for this message can be found here.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
We live in an emotionally charged, partisan world. It is important to remember that those against us , like Malchus, are fellow sinners with names and souls, themselves being led astray. There’s no need to attack. If Jesus is in control, as he clearly demonstrates, we can show restraint, even love, just as he did, without sacrificing what matters most.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 22:47-53.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the first in our midweek Lenten worship series: God on Trial.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
“If God loves us, why doesn’t he remove all the trials and tests and temptations that we face?” That question demonstrates the religious assumption that those things are bad. They aren’t. In the hands of a loving God, they are tools by which he refines our faith. He uses tests as a way to compel us to be less self-reliant, and instead trust in his strength. He uses trials to teach us that this broken world is not our true home. God even takes Satan’s temptations and uses them for our good.
Trials, tests, and temptations are not exceptions to God’s love. That’s a false assumption! These are examples of God’s love. Proof is that God allowed his beloved Son Jesus to face trials and temptations, so that he might be our perfect savior and substitute.
The Bible reading for this message is Genesis 22:1-18.
This is the second in our Lenten worship series: Rethinking Religion.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
At his baptism, Jesus heard his Father’s glorious voice: “You are my Son, whom I love” (Mark 1:11). From that day, in word and deed, Jesus began to reveal more about himself. He demonstrated the extent of his authority and power and love. Along the way, we had an epiphany. Jesus has to be the very Son of God! Yet, Jesus looked so normal, like an ordinary carpenter or your average rabbi or just another prophet. Until today. We have traveled from the river to the mountain. Today, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus gives us a glimpse of his true glory. As we see him in his dazzling brilliance, the Father speaks again, this time to us: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
The Bible reading for this message is 2 Corinthians 4:3-6.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the final installment in our Epiphany worship series: Know Jesus, Know Joy.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
That potential promotion at work. The third date, which will signal if there is real potential in this relationship. The test this Friday, which will determine if you make honor roll or not. The game on Sunday with the playoffs on the line. So many things that compete for our attention! It’s easy to think of religion as just another of many activities to cram into our schedules. Sometimes, perhaps, the schedule is just too crowded.
So, Jesus lovingly whispers into our ear, “Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.” Those are the words spoken as a dead body is planted in the ground. The reality is that our time in this world is so short. After comes eternity, spent in one of two very different places. Jesus wants us to grasp that somber truth so we rethink where he should fall among all our priorities. Death can come at any time. So now is the time to cling to Christ in true repentance. Not later. Now. There is no higher priority.
The Bible reading for this message is Joel 2:12-19.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the first in our Lenten worship series: Rethinking Religion.
Support the Show.
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
During this season of Epiphany, we have seen Christ’s divinity, his authority, and his power. Yet as Jesus has revealed himself, one aspect of his character shines through again and again—his care as our Savior. Time and again, we have seen Jesus’s care for sinful individuals, who are struggling with illness or fear or the power of a demon. Today we will see Jesus reveal himself as the Savior who cares for ordinary, hurting, broken, sinful people just like us. In doing so, we see his care was not just for the hurting in one location, but for all of us everywhere. Praise God that we have a Savior who cares for us!
The Bible reading for this message is Mark 1:29-39.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the fourth message in our Epiphany worship series: Know Jesus, Know Joy.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Authority is the power to determine what happens, the ability to give direction or even commands. Authority is limited. Authority is limited in duration. Parents have authority over their children until they grow up and move out. Authority is limited in scope. A governor has authority over the people of his state only, not the neighboring state. Authority is limited by levels. A manager has authority over employees unless the company owner—a higher authority—demotes him. Authority is limited in duration and scope. It is limited by higher levels of authority.
This week we see that there is one man—only one!—who has absolute authority. There is no one, not even the demons, who is outside his authority. As the Son of God there is no higher authority than Jesus. And his authority is everlasting. But here is the best part of this epiphany: Jesus graciously uses his absolute authority for our benefit and blessing.
The Bible reading for this message is Mark 1:21-28.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the third in our Epiphany worship series: Know Jesus, Know Joy.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
To whom does the work of salvation belong? Simple question. There is only one Savior. But this is how good Jesus is. So that our lives might have profound meaning and eternal purpose, he shares some of that work with us. He calls us not just to be followers, but to be follower-makers. Jesus asks some—prophets, apostles, pastors, missionaries, teachers—to do this full time. But ultimately Jesus asks all believers to serve as his ambassadors, sharing the gospel with whomever he brings into our sphere of influence. This lofty charge requires commitment—a willingness to abandon everything else should faithfulness require it. This is the life-changing revelation for this week. Jesus has committed us to a lofty charge: the privilege to play a role in his saving work.
The Bible reading for this message is 2 Corinthians 5:14-21.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the second in our Epiphany worship series: Know Jesus, Know Joy.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
At his baptism in the Jordan River Jesus was publicly anointed with the Holy Spirit and designated by God the Father as his chosen Messiah. Thus, Jesus’ baptism was the beginning of his public ministry. Jesus’ baptism revealed that he was not just a nice guy who could make a sturdy table. He was God’s chosen servant, the one who had come to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. Jesus is the one willing to stand in our place as our substitute and Savior.
Jesus’ baptism reveals to us who he really is. Our own baptism does the same! Our baptism was the beginning of a new and better life—eternal life!—a gift graciously given to us by our truest friend. Jesus’ ministry and our eternity with him. It begins with baptism.
The Bible reading for this message is Romans 6:1-11.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the first in our Epiphany worship series: Know Jesus, Know Joy.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
On Christmas Eve a choir of angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace, goodwill toward mankind.” So, where is this peace on earth? Between nations? There are always wars going on somewhere. In our country? Disagreements have only grown more contentious, one group screaming angrily at another group. We might not even have perfect peace in our homes! So, what were the angels singing about?
They were singing about peace between a holy God who hates sin and human beings who sin every day. Because of what Christ did as our Savior, there is no hostility between us and God, only peace and love. We have the peace of salvation in our hearts. As we draw near the end of life, like elderly Simeon or Anna, we have the peace of knowing of the glorious eternal life that is to come. As this peace with God fills our hearts, it moves us to live in peace with each other too.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 2:22-40.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the third in our Christmas worship series Good News of Great Joy.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
On Christmas Eve the angel told the shepherds, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10). One wonders if those words struck those Jewish shepherds as odd. For centuries, God had given special attention to one nation—Israel. There were Jewish religious leaders who taught that only members of that special people would be saved. Not according to the Christmas angel! The birth of the Savior was good news for all people.Today we celebrate the Epiphany of our Lord. Epiphany comes from a Greek word meaning “reveal.” When the Savior was born, he was first revealed to Israelites: the shepherds, Simeon, Anna. But today, the Lord miraculously guides foreigners across countless miles, so the Savior could be revealed to them as well. How did the magi respond? “They were overjoyed” (Matthew 2:10). Epiphany is sometimes known as “The Gentiles’ Christmas.” We Gentiles (non-Jews) rejoice in the good news that this Jewish baby is not just the Savior of Jews. He is for all people—the Savior of the world.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 2:1-12.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the fourth in our Christmas worship series Good News of Great Joy.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
We find lasting comfort in Jesus, who gives us confidence in his life, death, and resurrection. This message was preached for the Christian Victory Service of Garnet Haggerty on 10 December 2023 @ King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
The Bible reading for this message is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Scriptures teach that King Jesus is the Son of God in flesh and the only hope for salvation. Jesus himself claimed that he is the only way into the glorious kingdom of heaven. You do not approach meeting someone like that casually or carelessly. You prepare meticulously. What does that mean? What does a life of readiness—ready to meet such a King—look like? In one word: repentance. If we insist on hanging onto our sins, how can we receive the One who came for the very purpose of taking those sins away?
Throughout history, God has raised up called servants—like John the Baptizer—to preach a message of repentance. This repentance is central to our preparation for the Lord’s coming. Without repentance, the King’s coming only terrifies. But all those who believe and repent look forward to the coming of the King and the consummation of his everlasting kingdom.
The Bible reading for this message is 2 Peter 3:8-14.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the second in our Advent worship series The King Shall Come.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Rulers plan and administrate and govern. They typically do not save. If your house is on fire, it will not be the mayor who shows up to save you from the flames. If America were attacked, the President would serve as the commander in chief of the armed forces. The President would not pick up a weapon, go to the front lines, and fight to save you from the enemy.
Jesus is different. He is both infinitely greater than all other rulers, yet also infinitely humbler. He does not consider it beneath his rank as King to risk his life for his subjects. He is willing to fight for us. He is willing to die for us. For King Jesus came into our world for one reason—to save us.
The Bible reading for this message is Mark 11:1-10.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the first in our Advent worship series The King Shall Come.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
The historic Christian Church gave Latin titles to each Sunday. They titled the Third Sunday in Advent “Gaudete,” which means “Rejoice!” As we reach the midway point of Advent, we remember that when the King shall come, he will bring us perfect and everlasting joy.
Joy is not the same thing as happiness. Happiness is an emotion. Joyfulness is a condition. Happiness comes from your circumstances. Joyfulness comes from your King entering into your heart and assuring you of his abiding love and your glorious future. Therefore, happiness is fleeting. Joyfulness is enduring.
The Bible reading for this message is Isaiah 61:1-3, 10-11.
Video for this message can be found here.
This is the third in our Advent worship series The King Shall Come.
Support the show
Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Wherever faith clings to the promises of God, doubt is always lingering in the back of our mind, constantly asking the serpent’s garden question, “Did God really say?” How striking to think that one must have faith in God before it is even possible to doubt him!
It is not uncommon that, in times of aversity, doubt rears its ugly head—doubts about God’s care, God’s promises, God’s providence. In those times, the true answer to doubt is not found in some great miracle that removes adversity, but in the still small voice of our Savior God whispering to us in his Word. Through that Word Christ reaches out to us with nail-scarred hands, proof of his great love. Jesus gently says, “Why did you doubt?” Our faith is restored. The Christian answers doubt with faith because Jesus makes it so.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 14:22-33.
Video for this worship service can be found here.
This is Part 7 in our summer worship series - Define: Christian.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
The hardest times to trust in God are the times we need him most. It’s easy to trust God when your job is great, your health is fine, your relationships are strong, your family is well. It’s easy to trust God when the sun is shining, but what happens when your life is suddenly overshadowed by dark days?
When tragedy or conflict affect us, we may wonder if God continues to care and provide for us. At those times the Christian focuses on certain foundational facts. The Christian was chosen, predestined, and adopted as God’s dear child. God has provided the Christian with innumerable spiritual blessings and promises the Christian an eternity of glory, peace, and joy. If we look at those spiritual blessing God provides to us, how could we doubt that he will, at the right time, give us everything we truly need? The Christian trusts God to provide.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 14:13-21.
Video for this worship service can be found here.
This is Part 6 in our summer worship series - Define: Christian.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
What do you consider your life’s priorities? If you made a list, what would be near the top? Faith, family, and friends would probably head the lists of many. Financial security and health would be right up there. Reputation and recreation would likely make the cut. But perhaps a more interesting question than “What do you consider your life’s priorities?” is “Which of the items on that list would you be willing to sacrifice to save your top priority?” What if you had to give up the whole list—family, friends, finances, health, reputation, recreation—to save just one priority: faith?
This week we are given an honest assessment of what really matters in life. The kingdom is worth everything. Worldly wealth can buy the things of this world, the type of things that rust and decay, things that will not last. True wealth is spiritual wealth. It can be found only in God and his eternal blessings for us in Christ. The Christian seeks first spiritual wealth and will sacrifice anything to obtain it.
The Bible reading for this message is Psalm 63.
This is Part 5 in our summer worship series - Define: Christian.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
The wheat that grows in the Middle East is a variety that looks much like wild grass or weeds. It is difficult to tell wheat and weeds apart until shortly before harvest time, when the wheat stalks develop a head containing the kernels of grain. Try and pull the weeds out of a wheat field and you will likely pull up a fair amount of wheat accidentally. So you need to wait for the harvest to separate wheat from weeds.
This week Jesus uses that image to illustrate life this side of heaven. Christians are pictured as wheat planted by the Lord. Evil and unbelieving evildoers are pictured as weeds. We might want God to take care of evil now—to pull up all the weeds. But he tells us to wait for the harvest. God is going to fix the problem of evil in this world, but it might not be today or even tomorrow. What does God want us to do while we wait? He wants us to live like wheat among weeds, serving the purpose for which he planted us. That means being faithful, fruitful, and mindful of the coming harvest.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.
Video for this worship service can be found here.
This is Part 4 in our summer worship series - Define: Christian.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
We find lasting comfort in Jesus, who has prepared a heavenly home for us. This message was preached for the Christian Victory Service of Sharon Coombs on 15 July 2023 @ King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
The Bible reading for this message is John 14:1-7.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Planting seed by hand can seem magical. In your hand the seed looks insignificant and lifeless. Yet you put the seed into the soil, and the natural process of life begins. All by itself, the seed germinates and sprouts and reaches to the sun. Except when it doesn’t! Plant multiple seeds and often only some, perhaps just a small amount, will sprout. As these few sprouts grow, birds and pests and weeds and weather attack. The reality is that once the seed leaves your hand, you are at the mercy of forces beyond your control.
Today, God uses that experience from nature to explain the supernatural process by which God calls humans to faith through the gospel. The Christian is planted by the Word. The Christian can plant the seed of the gospel into the soil of another’s heart. What happens after that is completely beyond our control. Yet God promises us that his Word always accomplishes his good purposes. God’s Word is powerful, all on its own, without our help.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 13:19, 18-23.
Video for this worship service can be found here.
This is Part 3 in our summer worship series - Define: Christian.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Without rest, we suffer. Studies show that after 36 hours without sleep, most people will experience extreme fatigue and hormonal imbalances, resulting in decreased attention, poor decisions, and even speech impairment. Other studies show if someone takes no breaks during their workday, their productivity is lower than those who do take periodic breaks. We need rest.
Christians know they need more than sleep or breaks. We need more than physical rest. We need spiritual rest. The Christian knows that the only place to find that type of rest is Jesus. Jesus provides more than a pause in work, more than enjoyable recreation. Jesus provides the removal of our sins, the cleansing of our guilty conscience, and a gentle new yoke of discipleship. In Jesus, the Christian finds rest from his burdens, rest from his battles, and rest forever in heaven.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 11:25-30.
This is Part 2 in our summer worship series - Define: Christian.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
June 25 marks the day in 1530 when God-fearing leaders took their stand for the gospel and presented their confession of faith before Emperor Charles V in Augsburg, Germany. Even more than October 31, this day marks the birth of the Lutheran Church. Centered in Christ and focused on the free gift of salvation by grace through faith, the Augsburg Confession continues to shape what we believe, teach, and confess today.
The Bible reading for this message is Philippians 1:3-11.
This is Part 3 in our summer worship series - The Holy Ministry.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
“When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them” (Matthew 9:36). The Greek word translated “compassion” refers to a type of love that almost overwhelms one’s emotions. Imagine a father looking at his little girl lying in a hospital bed near death. The father’s heart aches. That father would allow the surgeon to cut any organ out of him, without anesthesia, and transplant it into his daughter, if that’s what it took to save his little girl’s life. That’s the idea behind the Greek word for “compassion.” Jesus looks at the people and is willing to do anything for them—to make any sacrifice, even the ultimate one at the cross.
In that same compassion, the Lord of the Church raises up ministers. As those ministers share his grace and mercy, Christ saves eternal lives. More, he fills those ministers with his Spirit, so that they also feel compassion for God’s people.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 9:35-10:8.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 2 in our summer worship series - The Holy Ministry.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
What does God provide to his ministers to carry out their work. While the Spirit gives different gifts to each individual believer, only one gift changes hearts and strengthens faith—the gospel. That’s the reason why those who serve in the holy ministry are called “ministers of the gospel.” The gospel first gives life to those who serve in ministry, and then those ministers use the gospel in Word and Sacraments to change the lives of others. That gospel of the love of Christ encourages and compels God’s people to live lives of service to one another.
The Bible reading for this message is Acts 11:19-30; 13:1-3.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 1 in our summer worship series - The Holy Ministry.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
In the first half of the Church Year (Advent through Pentecost) we look at the life of Christ—his birth, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, and the sending of the Holy Spirit. In the second half of the year, we look at the teachings of Christ. We begin by looking at one of the most mind-blowing truths: that God is triune.
Already in the very first chapter of the Bible we read, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image…” (Genesis 1:26). Note the singular “God” and the plural “us.” Scripture teaches us that there is only one God but that he exists as three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is triune (three-in-one). This teaching is not some logical exercise or philosophical excursion. The doctrine of the Trinity is central to our salvation. The triune God is our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. Lose this doctrine, and as the Athanasian Creed says, you lose it all. A Jesus who is less than God is also less than a Savior.
So often, when life gets hard, we get frustrated. We don’t understand how God is working always for our good. But the doctrine of the Trinity teaches us we cannot even comprehend God’s existence. How then, could we ever comprehend all his workings? On this Holy Trinity Sunday, let it be enough to know that all three persons—Father, Son, and Spirit—love us with an everlasting love.
Today we give thanks as our youth confirmands—Matthias Gumm and Aubrey Luetzow—publicly confess their faith in Christ after receiving instruction in the Word of God.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 28:16-20.
Video for this service can be found here.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Fifty days after the Passover, God’s Old Testament people celebrated Pentecost (Greek for “fifty”). Pentecost commemorated the gathering of the harvest and was also used to remember the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai, the start of the Church of Israel. Christ chose Pentecost to be the birthday of his New Testament Church too. By pouring out his Holy Spirit, Christ empowered the Church to gather in the great harvest of souls won by the Son.
Pentecost is the third great festival of the Church, along with the Nativity and the Resurrection. The early church fathers mention the Festival of Pentecost often enough to lead many to believe it was celebrated annually already at the time of the apostles. Pentecost closes the fifty-day period after Easter and ends the festival half of the church year. The Church dresses in red this day to remind us of the tongues of fire that marked the Spirit’s gift, as well as the blood of the martyrs which was the seed of the Church.
The Bible reading for this message is 1 Corinthians 12:3-11.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 9 of the Easter sermon series He Lives!
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
We understand why God became man in the person of Christ. The Savior needed to be able to suffer and die to atone for mankind’s sin. What is fascinating is that when the work of redemption was completed, the Son of God did not set aside his humanity. The God-man ascended into heaven. It is a human, our brother, who sits on heaven’s throne.
The ascension marks the completion of Jesus’ earthly mission, but it does not signify the end of his work. While on earth, Jesus had set aside so much of his divine power. But Jesus now picks all that power back up again. He ascended to exercise his limitless authority for the Church as we carry out our mission to be Christ’s ambassadors of grace to the world. He lives! And he is in absolute and perfect control, ruling over Creation for the eternal well-being of his friends. And that is what we are!
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 24:44-53.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 8 of the Easter sermon series He Lives!
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
“The LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die’” (Genesis 2:16,17). In giving that command, God showed love to man by making it clear that it is lethal to live contrary to God’s will. In giving that command, God provided man with the ability to demonstrate love for God—through obedience. True love involves obedience. Jesus did not simply say he loved his heavenly Father. He proved it by obeying his Father, even when that obedience meant dying on a cross for our sake.
Love for God who lives in us leads us to a life of obedience. The God who lives in us calls us to live for him. It is as simple as that. Love for our risen Lord means obedience to his commands.
The Bible reading for this message is John 14:15-21.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 7 of the Easter sermon series He Lives!
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
The gospel is the most inclusive message in the world. The benefits of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are meant for every man, woman, and child who ever lived. The gospel is also the most exclusive message in the world, for it maintains that salvation can only be found in one place—the person of Jesus Christ. Just listen to how Jesus speaks: “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Jesus doesn’t say, “I will show you the true way to eternal life.” The prophets and apostles could say that. But Jesus says, “I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life you crave.” And note that definite article: “the,” not “a”! Jesus is not a way into heaven. He is the way. There is no other way than through faith in the One who died and rose again.
The unbelieving world finds this claim—that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven—to be the most offensive teaching in all of Scripture. Yet this is the very truth upon which Christ builds his Church.
The Bible reading for this message is John 14:1-11.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 6 of the Easter sermon series He Lives!
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Every culture has the concept of an ideal citizen, someone who typifies its values. For much of the United States’ history, the ideal citizen was the American farmer: hardworking, innovative, vital to our collective well-being. Even some of our first presidents were farmers.
For the people of Israel, the farmer wasn’t their ideal citizen. It was the shepherd. Sheep were an invaluable source of clothing and food. But they were hard to keep in the Judean countryside. Its sparse grasslands are intermixed with desert. For sheep, food is sparse, but predators are plenteous. The survival of sheep was dependent on their shepherd. There he is. Weather-beaten. Sleepless. Armed. In the dusk, he scans the land, counting his sheep, making sure they are all accounted for, every one of them on his heart. You see why Jesus chose the shepherd to illustrate how he cares for us. He feeds us with his Word. He protects us from that roaring lion, Satan. Jesus is leading us into the green pasture of eternal life. For centuries, the Church has observed this Fourth Sunday of Easter to celebrate that he lives to be our Good Shepherd.
The Bible reading for this message is John 10:1-10.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 5 of the Easter sermon series He Lives!
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Imagine someone you love is near death. Their only hope of survival is a risky brain surgery, one so complicated only one surgeon in the state will attempt it. The surgery is scheduled. But as that doctor drives to the hospital, he is killed in a car accident. Any hope you had for your loved one’s salvation died along with that surgeon.
That is how Jesus’ disciples felt after his death. “We hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel,” they said (Luke 24:19). Their hope for a better life died along with Jesus. They had let their personal wants and expectations cloud their view of Scripture which said that the Messiah’s death and resurrection were actually the source of all hope! So, the living Lord appeared to his disciples. He explained. He opened their minds to the truth of God’s Word. And in doing so, he restored their hope.
There is little worse than a feeling of hopelessness. Christ’s disciples have victory over that feeling. He died, but he is dead no longer. The one who can heal us and give us life to the full lives! He lives to restore our hope.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 24:13-35.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 4 of the Easter sermon series He Lives!
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Thomas had been taught and trained by Christ himself. He heard Jesus predict his death and resurrection. Yet, even after hearing the eyewitness testimony of friends, who all saw the resurrected Jesus, Thomas had doubts: "Rising from the dead. That can’t be possible!"
Today is a day of great comfort for any follower of Jesus who wrestles with doubt concerning Christ’s promises or doubts about God’s Word. Jesus does not come to rebuke Thomas’ weak faith. Jesus comes to strengthen Thomas’ faith, giving him proof of the mind-bending reality of the resurrection—to let him feel it, touch it, explore it. Jesus didn’t reject Thomas. Jesus engaged Thomas and gave him peace.
Still today, Jesus comes to his disciples in Word and sacrament. The living Lord speaks to us. He lets us partake of his true body and blood. When we show weakness of faith, he does not reject us. Just as he did with Thomas, Jesus engages us, giving us proof and peace.
The Bible reading for this message is 1 Peter 1:3-9.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 3 of the Easter sermon series He Lives!
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
A dead Jesus would do no one any good. But a resurrected Jesus? That would change everything; that would make Easter the most important event that has ever happened. Today God wants us to know with certainty that Jesus lives. If Jesus lives, then we will too!
Christ is risen indeed! Mankind is redeemed! Jesus has removed the fear of eternal death. Jesus has transformed physical death. It is not punitive. For the believer, it is the pathway into Paradise. Jesus has made us spiritually alive by giving us faith in his resurrection. Someday faith will become sight and eternal life will be ours because Jesus lives! So, in every possible way, Jesus takes us from death to life. Christ is risen!
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 28:1-10.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 2 of the Easter sermon series He Lives!
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Today we no longer see a crucified and dying Savior. No, the tomb is empty, and we hear the angels joyfully proclaim, “He is not here; He has risen!” Christ has overcome death! Our Savior is alive! With our Easter celebrations today, we conclude the larger celebration of our deliverance in Christ that started on Thursday evening and continued through Good Friday. Rejoice! Sins are forgiven! Guilt is gone! Our relationship with God has now been made right. The solution to our grief, sadness, doubt, uncertainty, fear, and loneliness is found in the empty tomb. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The Bible reading for this message is Isaiah 12:1-6.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 1 of the Easter sermon series He Lives!
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Salvation requires a perfect savior. Though Jesus faced endless temptation, “He did not sin.” Jesus was the first and only human being who lived a perfect life. Therefore, he is the only person who did not deserve to die. Yet, today Jesus dies on a cross. “He was pierced for our transgressions,” Scripture says. Note the singular “he” and the plural “our.” If Jesus were just a perfect man, his sacrifice would only have been enough to pay for the sins of one sinful man. Yet Jesus is more than a perfect man. He is the perfect Son of God. That is divine blood pooling at the foot of the cross. That makes his death valuable enough to pay for the sins of the entire world. Jesus looked at a world full of sinners. He saw that we needed mercy. He fulfilled our greatest need by becoming the perfect sacrifice.
The Bible reading for this message is Isaiah 53:5-6.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 9 of the Lenten sermon series Our Greatest Needs.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
We often think of the word communion as a synonym for the Lord’s Supper. “I took communion” means “I received the Lord’s Supper.” Yet, the Latin word communionis means “community” or “association” or “sharing.” When people come together and share their lives with one another, the result is blessing—a blessed communion. When God comes to us and shares himself with us, the result is eternal life.
Yet is that really possible? How can a holy God associate with people who sin every day? In a miraculous meal, God lets us share in his own flesh and blood, the very blood that was shed to atone for our sin. We celebrate this feast for the forgiveness of sins and restored unity with our Father—a blessed communion with God. But there’s more! As we share this meal together, the Lord who loved us unites us in love for one another—a blessed communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Community is often celebrated with food. When people love one another, they enjoy gathering around the dinner table. On Holy Thursday, Jesus invites us to his table. He serves us Supper. He serves us himself. In doing so, Jesus creates a blessed communion.
The Bible reading for this message is 1 Corinthians 11:23-28.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 8 of the Lenten sermon series Our Greatest Needs.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Jesus is the King of kings, God and man in one person. He knows you intimately. More! He is willing to do absolutely anything necessary to serve and protect you. We see that this Holy Week. It begins with Jesus riding a donkey colt into Jerusalem—as the prophet foretold. As this week nears its end, Jesus is given a crown of thorns. He carries a cross out of Jerusalem and is nailed to it. Placed on his cross was this sign: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” The sign was partially right. Jesus is a king, just not of the Jews. He’s our King, infinitely mightier than any ruler in history, while also being infinitely humbler. King Jesus has come to save us. Other heads of state can serve as blessings, but this is the greater type of king that we need most.
The Bible reading for this message is Zechariah 9:9-12.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 7 of the Lenten sermon series Our Greatest Needs.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
During the weeks of Lent, we follow Jesus to the empty tomb of Easter. However, before he abandons that tomb, Jesus has a mission to accomplish. He must become our suffering Savior.
In Matthew 27, we find Jesus on the cross. While on the cross, Jesus endures suffering at the hands of Roman soldiers, hateful crowds, even the thieves crucified on either side of him. It’s a pathetic scene that breaks our hearts, but why is Jesus there? Why does Jesus allow himself to endure all that suffering? He could save himself! He could come down from the cross. Yet he does not! Jesus remains there to suffer the full punishment for the sins of the world. Jesus remains there to be forsaken by his heavenly Father. Jesus does not come down from the cross, but remains there to save us! Praise God that our Savior did not save himself, but us!
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 27:27-66.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 5 of the midweek Lenten sermon series See Our Suffering Savior.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
The author and poet George Eliot once wrote, “Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them.” The Roman philosopher Cicero said much the same. He wrote, “The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.” What second rate comfort! But that is the best the unbelieving world can offer—the sappy sentiment that our dead loved ones somehow “live on” in our memories. It is a sad way to attempt to cope as you walk through the cemetery.
Jesus provides a better solution to death. He promises life. One day Jesus will give your faithful dead back to you—to love and to laugh and to hug and to dance. Body and soul, living and walking in the new heaven and the new earth. How do we know Jesus can and will keep that promise? Because the Son of God descended into the darkness of death himself and emerged on Easter Sunday as the first fruit of the resurrection of all God’s people. In the creed we confess, “I believe in the resurrection of the body.” Yet again, Jesus satisfies our greatest needs.
The Bible reading for this message is John 11:17-27, 38-45.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 6 of the Lenten sermon series Our Greatest Needs.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
During the weeks of Lent, we ultimately follow Jesus to the empty tomb of Easter. However, before he abandons that tomb, Jesus has a mission to accomplish. He must become our suffering Savior.
Tonight, we see Jesus on trial before Pontius Pilate—the Roman governor. Even though God had established government for the good of humanity, Jesus innocently suffers injustice and torture at the hands of a ruler who fails to see Jesus for who he really is. Nevertheless, through this suffering, Jesus makes his way to the cross that we might see for who he truly is—our Savior.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 27:1-26.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 4 of the midweek Lenten sermon series See Our Suffering Savior.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
We know that unbelief will have consequences in the future—eternal separation from God. But unbelief also has consequences now. It makes you blind, in a sense. The unbeliever is unable to see the world as it really is. That which is harmful the unbeliever considers good; that which is good he considers meaningless. The unbeliever cannot see the danger that lurks behind temptation. He cannot see the blessing contained in God’s Word. The unbeliever cannot see the tragic fate that lies in his future, and he certainly cannot see the Savior.
The Old Testament said that restoration of sight to the blind was one of the works of the Messiah. In his ministry, Jesus healed those who were physically blind. But even if our eyes work just fine, we still need Jesus to give us spiritual vision. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” Christ comes to shine his light into our darkened eyes that we might see him and live. Jesus meets our greatest needs. He provides sight for the spiritually blind.
The Bible reading for this message is John 9:1-7, 13-17, 34-39.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 5 of the Lenten sermon series Our Greatest Needs.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
A person can survive between one and two months without food. But a person can survive only two to three days without water. Water is one of our greatest needs. Research shows that even slight dehydration will adversely affect your mood, memory, and motor coordination. Become seriously dehydrated, and life ends quickly. This helps us understand what Scripture means when it says things like, “My soul thirsts for God” (Psalm 42:2). If one is separated from God, he is adversely affected. If he remains separated from God, he will die an agonizing eternal death.
Not all admit it; yet it remains true for all. Everyone has a deep spiritual thirst. In our heart of hearts, we all long for everlasting life. Unbelievers try to satisfy that deep thirst with worldly things, a strategy doomed for failure. Believers look to the One who has promised, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” Jesus meets our greatest needs. He alone possesses the water that satisfies those who are spiritually parched. He alone grants eternal life.
The Bible reading for this message is Exodus 17:1-7.
Video for this service can be found here.
This is Part 4 of the Lenten sermon series Our Greatest Needs.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
During the weeks of Lent, we ultimately follow Jesus to the empty tomb of Easter. However, before he abandons that tomb, Jesus has a mission to accomplish. He must become our suffering Savior.
Tonight, we find Jesus with his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here the weight of the mission Jesus must accomplish crushes down on his shoulders. As truly human, Jesus recognizes that it would be so much easier to not face the suffering necessary for our salvation. Yet as truly God, Jesus knows what must be accomplished for our salvation. Jesus humbly submits to the will of his heavenly Father and drinks the full cup of God’s wrath, starting with betrayal, arrest, and abandonment. Nevertheless, through all of this agonizing suffering, Jesus continues to proves himself to be our Savior from sin and death!
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 26:36-56.
This is Part 2 of the midweek Lenten sermon series See Our Suffering Savior.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
When assessing the seriousness of need, one factor is how widespread that need is. A homeless individual needs food. During a famine, an entire nation needs food. It is substantially easier to meet the needs of the former than the latter! The more widespread a need, the greater the need.
When Jesus said, “No one can enter the kingdom of God,” he declared that the need for salvation is universal. He rightly condemned humanity as a whole. There is no one on the face of the earth who can make the case that they deserve God’s blessing. Yet, ages ago, God declared that all nations would be blessed. God has declared his love for the world and promised he would save the world. God’s gift of salvation is meant for all people.
Some interpret this to mean that all people will be saved in the end. This is not true. The gift of salvation is meant for the world; however, it is received by faith. “Whoever believes in him…” the Gospel says. However, the good news is that faith is also God’s gift, imparted through that gospel.
The Bible reading for this message is Romans 4:1-5, 13-17.
This is Part 3 of the Lenten sermon series Our Greatest Needs.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
During the weeks of Lent, we ultimately follow Jesus to the empty tomb of Easter. However, before he abandons that tomb, Jesus has a mission to accomplish. He must become our suffering Savior. Tonight we see how the people he came to save—people who should have identified him as the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies—plotted to kill him. We hear how Jesus makes the heartbreaking revelation that every one of his own disciples will betray, deny, or abandon him in his hour of need. The conspiracy of sinful humanity to bring about the suffering and death of humanity’s Savior is one of the darkest moments in history.
Nevertheless, in the midst of such darkness with evil looming large that first Holy Thursday night, Jesus shines the light of life as our suffering Savior. He brings the light of fulfillment to the prophetic Passover celebration and institutes a new covenant in his blood that will bring forgiveness of sins to the world—a covenant made ours through Christ’s body and blood given with bread and wine in his Supper. See our suffering Savior!
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 26:1-35.
This is Part 1 of the midweek Lenten sermon series See Our Suffering Savior.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Our modern English word “champion” comes from an old English word that meant “warrior.” In ancient times, when two armies gathered to fight, sometimes as a prelude to the battle—and sometimes in place of the battle—each army would pick a mighty solider, and these two men would fight each other. These elite warriors, these champions, would represent their people in battle. They would meet in the middle of the field. With everyone watching, they would fight to the death.
Today we are reminded of an ancient war that began in Eden. The perfect peace and prosperity of Paradise was lost when a fallen angel convinced mankind to follow the demons in rebelling against their Creator. When Adam fell, he condemned the world to darkness and death. The enemy of God claimed that the children of men now belonged to him. God was having none of it. He promised he would send forth his champion, his Son. And so, today we see a battle of champions. The demons send forth their strongest warrior—Satan. God sends forth the best of men, Jesus Christ. Jesus does what Adam and we could not. In crushing the devil, Jesus meets one of our greatest needs.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 4:1-11.
Video of this message is available here.
This is Part 2 of the Lenten sermon series Our Greatest Needs.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
To understand our greatest needs, we need to understand our greatest problems. So, here is the irony. One of our greatest problems is we do not think we have many problems at all. This can be especially true of those who are religious. We look to our religious activity—our regular time in prayer, our generous offerings, our volunteerism—as proof that we are just fine, certainly better than most. This belief is reinforced when others notice all the good we do and praise us for it.
Ash Wednesday is the antidote to pride. If we are so good, then why are we slowly turning back into dirt? Ash Wednesday teaches the sobering truth that one day soon, people won’t see the best version of ourselves, but the dead one. “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” That Ash Wednesday refrain echoes the funeral rite that will one day be spoken over us all: ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
On this first day of Lent, God intends to give us what we badly need—a wholly humbled heart that looks to Christ in contrition and true repentance. Such a heart will produce piety without any of the posing and pomp that pride tries to inject.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 18:9-14.
Video of this message is available here.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Throughout his ministry Jesus said astounding things and did astounding things. Yet, he looked like a normal man. The prophet said, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). This would all change one day atop a high mountain. There, Jesus gave his disciples—gave his Church—a glimpse of the glory he set aside to be our Savior. The voice of the Father thundered from the heavens, just as it did at Jesus’ baptism, announcing Jesus’ true identity to the world—the glorious Son of God.
And so the Transfiguration of our Lord serves as a one-week bridge between the season of Epiphany, where Jesus is revealed as the true Son of God, and the season of Lent, where we witness what the Son of God came to do. On the Mount of Glory, St. Peter declared, “It is good for us to be here.” Indeed! For here we see the God of Majestic Glory, who became a man to suffer and die for us, just as Moses and the Prophets had foretold. Oh, how much this glorious God loves us!
The Bible reading for this message is 2 Peter 1:16-21.
Video of this message is available here.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Throughout Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount he describes life in the Messiah’s kingdom. It seems completely upside down. He talked about the meek being the ones who will inherit the earth. He said that those who are poor in spirit are actually the most blessed by God.
Now today he tells us to love our enemies. It seems counterintuitive and a recipe for being treated like a doormat. Why would Jesus ask us to do this? It’s simple. We belong to him and are meant to be like him. Christ calls us to love our fellow man, even when they’re against us, because that is exactly how he loves the world. It is how he loves us, even when we treat him like an enemy. It is as simple as this. A heart that belongs to Christ is a heart that is like Christ’s. And a heart that is like Christ’s has no room for vengeance but is filled with love for all.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 5:38-48.
Video of this message is available here.
This message is Part 4 in our series: The Savior's Sermon.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
The word “holy” comes from an Old English word, which means “whole” or “healthy.” We have a holy God. He wants us to live a holy life, one that is wholly dedicated to him, one that is spiritually and emotionally healthy for us. So, as Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount, he makes a crucial point that not all his followers (including present day followers) understand well. Jesus came to free us from sin. He did not come to free us to sin. God commands that we live a holy life. He provides dire warnings to remind us just how holy he wants us to be. Today we face a rapid decline in public morals and private piety. Yet, Jesus calls his followers to be different. He urges personal purity.
After examining our lives, we can only despair over our lack of holiness. So, the Gospel Acclamation reminds us to flee to Christ who loves us despite our failures and who sacrificed himself for unholy people. Secure in his grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit, each day we strive to live the holy lives to which we have been called.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 5:21-37.
Video of this message is available here.
This message is Part 3 in our series: The Savior's Sermon.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Imagine a beautiful guitar, carefully crafted out of the finest mahogany and steel strings. Now imagine that fine instrument is never played. It is placed atop a bookshelf and never touched. It just collects dust. Tragic, right? What a thing is finds fulfillment when that thing does what it was made to do. Of what use is a guitar that makes no music? What would be the point of turning on a lamp and then throwing a heavy blanket over it. It might still be a lamp, but it provides no light. (It only serves as a fire hazard!) Form and function are intimately connected.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches that the same is true of discipleship. He wants us to see that being a disciple and acting as a disciple are intimately connected. When God called us to faith, he declared that we were something new: light, salt, his children. Jesus now encourages us to be what God says we are, so that God might bless the world through us. As Jesus speaks to us, he means to mold our will to his own.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 5:13-20.
Video of this message is available here.
This message is Part 2 in our series: The Savior's Sermon.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with a series of blessings. “Blessed are…” Jesus says, again and again. In the Latin translation of the Bible, these all begin with the word beati which translates as “blessed” or “happy.” Thus, this portion of the sermon is often called “The Beatitudes.” We often think of them as the doorway to the Sermon on the Mount, but these statements of blessing had to have given Jesus’s listeners pause.
For what Jesus calls blessed, the world never would. The world praises the strong and the self-sufficient. Jesus calls blessed what others would see as weak or stupid. But, like any good preacher, Jesus is trying to drive home one crucial point. The weaker you are, the more ready you are to rely on God’s strength. The more difficult your present circumstances, the likelier you are to yearn for future reward.
All the readings for today teach this truth. We have no real strength or wisdom of our own, but before God, we don’t need it. Because God’s strength is enough to give the kingdom of heaven to the humble and poor in spirit.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 5:1-12.
This message is Part 1 in our series: The Savior's Sermon.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
“Christ” is not Jesus’ last name, of course. It is a title. The Greek word “Christ” and the Hebrew word “Messiah” both mean the same thing—“The Anointed One.” Anointing was the practice of pouring liquid (typically oil) over the head of someone to signify selection for some special task. However, when the Lord anointed heroes to do his saving work, what he poured over them was his Spirit.
For centuries people of faith had patiently waited for the promised Messiah, the servant of God who would bring the salvation we so desperately need. The time had come for Jesus to be revealed as the fulfillment of that divine promise. So, Christ our Lord came to the Jordan River to be baptized, that he might be recognized by John and revealed to Israel. At his baptism Jesus was anointed—marked as God's special servant and empowered by the Spirit of the Lord.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 3:13-17.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
As the Christmas season comes to a close, we see that the child born in Bethlehem is the Savior who brings light to the nations. This weekend we hear the full account from Matthew 2 as wisemen from afar visit the Christ Child with precious gifts to worship him as the Light of the nations. Yet the darkness of Herod’s hatred threatens to snuff out that Light. The Savior has to flee, but tragedy will follow as Herod commands that all boys around Bethlehem two years old and younger are to be put to death. Yet Herod was not able to cut down the Christ Child, and horror gives way to hope, as one hymnwriter wrote, “O Rachel, Rachel, weep no more, your sons shall dry your tears. For flowers bloom where darkness loomed, since Christ our Light appears.”
The Bible reading for this message is three separate portions of Matthew 2 - Matthew 2:1-12; Matthew 2:13-18; Matthew 2:19-23.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 4 in our series: A Savior Is Born.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
We find ourselves in a unique place this weekend. On the one hand, our celebrations of the Child born to the Virgin Mary on that first Christmas continue. On the other hand, this weekend bridges our journey from the close of 2022 to the opening of 2023. This weekend we look back at the joys and sorrows, the blessings and the challenges, the additions and the losses, the consequences of sin and the outpourings of God’s grace. At the same time, we see all that through the saving work of the Child of Bethlehem, born to be rescue us from sin and death. That Child first came to bless us through his saving work. That Child has come to bless us now as he provides for us through the vocations of others and the Gospel in Word and Sacraments. That Child has also come to bless us not just now, but forever as has promised. This Savior is born to bless us as we look back to the past year and look ahead to the future. Glory to God in the highest!
The Bible reading for this message is Psalm 121.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 3 in our series: A Savior Is Born.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
For centuries on Christmas Day, the Church has read chapter one of St. John’s Gospel. There, in just a few simple words, Scripture describes the indescribable: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). The word God had spoken in the Garden, promising to send a Savior who was part of mankind, came true. God himself became flesh and blood—to be born under law, to suffer, and to die that he might redeem us. God came into our broken world to dwell for a time, so that one day we might go to God’s perfect home and dwell for all eternity.
Unlike the Christmas Eve shepherds, we cannot see Christ with our eyes. Yet still he dwells among us, because he is the Word made flesh. As we listen to the Word today, we truly are hearing the voice of Christ. As we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we partake of his true body and blood. In Word and sacrament, still today, our Savior dwells among us, feeding our faith, preparing us for our true home.
The Bible reading for this message is Hebrews 1:1-9.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 2 in our series: A Savior Is Born.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Families cherish their Christmas traditions. When it comes to family Christmases, people generally don’t like things to change. Christmas traditions are wonderful, but make no mistake about it. Christmas is all about change. Jesus came to change the world by becoming part of the world. Because we are part of the world, that means Christmas changes us too. This Christmas Eve, see how!
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 2:6-14.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 1 in our series: A Savior Is Born.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
During this time of year, it is so easy to get caught up in the beautiful trappings of Christmas and forget why this birth had to take place. Mankind fell into sin. Sin brings an awful burden. Hatred and oppression. Suffering and pain. Guilt and shame. The devastation of death. These are all natural consequences of sin, but what can we do about any of it? Nothing of substance. We can numb ourselves to pain, but we cannot avoid it. We can fill our life with distractions in an attempt to forget about our guilt. Yet our conscience is always nagging. And death… no one avoids that.
None of us can do anything to shake off the burden of sin. Therefore, the Church prays that God would come in power to remove that burden for us. Since the Garden, there has been only one plan to do that: God would take on flesh and blood. To do what mankind could not do—remove all the burdens of sin—God became man. When you look into the manger, what do you see? A baby? Yes. But, more. That is Immanuel, “God-with-us.” The Son of God became Mary’s son, so that he could do for us what we could not do for ourselves.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 1:18-25.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 4 in our series: Come, Lord Jesus.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Jesus promised, “I am coming soon.” Yet what does soon mean to the one who is the eternal God? We don’t know. We want Jesus to return quickly, because we know the Last Day will be a day of great deliverance for us. Yet how long will we have to wait? Will it be in a few months or a few millennia? We cannot know.
As we await Christ’s return, we want to avoid two extremes: impatience and indifference. Let us not despair if the deliverance of the Last Day does not come as quickly as we would like, but let us never doubt that that deliverance will come. How do we avoid those extremes? How does Christ’s church remain ready and watchful? In this last week of the Church Year, our Savior does what he has done all year—point us to his Scriptures. The Scriptures record countless promises that have already been fulfilled in Christ. That assures us that the not-yet-fulfilled promises are as good as done. There is no doubting that the Last Day will come. There is no doubt that that day will be a day of blessed deliverance for God’s people.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 12:35-40.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 2 in our series: The Last Day.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Our world is full of victims of abuse, violence, and oppression. In many cases, this evil goes unnoticed or unpunished. Injustice can drive victims in two possible directions. They can be filled with despair over the unfairness of the situation. Or they can be filled with hatred and a desire for revenge. While Christians wait for Christ’s return on the Last Day, they are by no means the only ones who suffer at the hands of others. They are, however, often included among them. Believers have always faced opposition from a world who rejects the one we believe in. When we suffer, what are our options? Do we throw up our hands in despair? Do we take matters into our own hands and seek vengeance? The certainty of that Last Day gives us a better option. We can leave justice up to the Judge. We can be confident that on the Last Day every wrong will be righted. We can look forward to the Last Day—also known as Judgment Day—because we are confident of where we stand with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Bible reading for this message is 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 1 in our series: The Last Day.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
We believe in “the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints” (Apostles’ Creed). All with saving faith in Jesus as their Savior are holy. (Saint comes from the Latin word sanctus which means holy.) God grants the status of saint to all believers. Since sainthood is achieved through faith in Christ, we refer to believers as the invisible Church. Members are unknown to us since only God can see the heart. Furthermore, even if we knew the identity of each saint on earth, they would not look all that different from the rest of mankind. Believers still struggle with trials, temptations, and sin. Nor does membership in the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints make life easier. In some ways it makes life more difficult as we struggle against a world that is hostile towards Christ.
However, some members of the communion of saints no longer struggle with trial and sin. They are not oppressed by an anti-Christian world. These are all the saints who, through their Christian death, have triumphed over all these things. The blessedness of being God’s saint is no longer invisible for them. They live in the glory of Christ’s light. This week, we thank God for those members of the communion of saints who have gone before us and now enjoy everlasting life. We feebly struggle, just as they once did. But now, thanks to Christ, they in glory shine. Their example encourages us as we patiently wait to join them.
The Bible readings for this message are Revelation 21:1-6.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Throughout the history of the church, the story of faithfulness to the Word of God has always been the story of persecution. After all, Jesus promised it! Who would send defenseless sheep into a world of ravenous wolves? It makes no sense, yet that is precisely the plan that Jesus describes for his church. It makes no sense—unless you are the Good Shepherd who wants his sheep to utterly depend on him.
Our trust in Jesus doesn’t mean an absence of persecution, but faithfulness despite it. We will witness to the Word of God before brothers, fathers, children, governors, and princes. Jesus promised, “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” What comfort that must have been for Martin Luther, whose faithful witness caused him to be expelled from his order, excommunicated from his church, and outlawed from his empire. Before the kings and princes of Europe, Luther gave faithful witness at Worms: “Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”
The Bible readings for this message are Matthew 10:16-23.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Recently, we were reminded to trust not in our own ability or understanding, but to trust in God’s ability to bless. As we commemorate St. James of Jerusalem, that theme is amplified. We are called to trust in God’s gracious ability, but ability to do what? To change hearts and attitudes? Yes. To bring us joy in the face of suffering? Yes. To help us to grow through that suffering? Yes. To keep his promises even if we have to depart this life for the Christian faith? Yes. God is able to keep his promises, so by faith, we trust in him.
The Bible reading for this message is James 1:1-12.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 3 in our series: Lord, Increase Our Faith.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Disciples of Jesus need to learn how to pray. We need Jesus to teach us to ask for those things which our Father in heaven promises us. We need to learn to claim in prayer what he wants for us more than what we want from him. However, learning to pray is not like many of the other things we learn to do in our lives. Once we know how to write our name, tie our shoes, or ride a bike, the learning is done. There is virtually no danger we will forget how to do those things. Not so with prayer. Prayer is not something we learn to do once and then know how to do correctly for the rest of our lives. Learning to pray consists of a lifetime of persistence and struggle. But when we struggle with God in prayer, it is not an indication that something is wrong but that everything is right. Struggle is part of the very nature of prayer. At the heart of the blessings it brings in our lives of faith.
The Bible reading for this message is Genesis 32:22-30.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 2 in our series: Lord, Increase Our Faith.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
Gratitude is the appreciation and thankfulness we feel when someone does something kind to us or for us. There are two key factors that influence the intensity of gratitude. First, there is the deservedness factor. Say you do a favor for your neighbor, picking up his mail when he is out of town. A month later he does a favor for you, giving you a ride to the airport. You are grateful for his help, but not overwhelmingly so. You feel by doing a favor for him, you deserved his help to some degree. Second, there is the generosity factor. Say you do that favor for your neighbor, picking up his mail when he is out of town. When he gets back, he gives you a hundred-dollar bill. You’re stunned. “I can’t accept. This is too generous.” Apply this to God. Consider the deservedness factor. What does God owe us? How deserving are we of his blessing? Consider the generosity factor. What has he done for us? What blessings has he given us now? What blessings has he promised us in eternity? As Jesus increases our faith, so that we accurately answer all those questions, we become more than grateful. We overflow with gratitude.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 17:11-19.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 1 in our series: Lord, Increase Our Faith.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
This weekend we were going to start our new worship series – “Lord, Increase Our Faith,” but the Lord had other plans. Hurricane Ian made a direct hit on the southwest side of our state and plowed its way northeast over our homes and communities here in Central Florida. Tremendous amounts of rain fell from the heavens, causing lakes and waterways to flood homes and communities. Relentless winds knocked down trees and weaker structures, leaving millions without power. Devastation lay in the wake of the hurricane, especially where it made landfall. Yet in his appointed time, the Lord calmed the seas and stole the breath of the storms. With unfathomable grace, he preserved the lives of many and provided rescue for others. What else can a family of believers do in the aftermath of such a disaster than offer thanks for God’s gracious mercy? The Lord of wind and wave continues to watch over us. To him be glory and thanksgiving this day and always!
The Bible readings for this message are Mark 4:35-41 and Jonah 2:1-9.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
“It’s just too much.” Maybe there are times when you feel like you’ve wronged someone just one time too many. Maybe there are times when feel like you’ve wandered from a close connection to Christ and his people for far too long. Maybe there are times when your guilt weighs on you that much heavier or your hurt cuts that much more deeply or you feel so broken that you can’t put the pieces back together anymore. In those times, in those seasons of life, we might think to ourselves, “It’s just too much.” Resignation, despair, doubt creep in and you feel like you’ve lost all hope or you’re losing it. Yet in his Word, our God shows us time and time and time again that even though “our sins they are many, his mercy is more.” No matter how many wrongs you’ve done. No matter how far you’ve roamed. No matter how heavy the burden or the hurt or the brokenness that weighs on your heart and life, his—God’s mercy is more through our Savior Jesus Christ.
The Bible reading for this message is Micah 7:18-20.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here
Support the showMessages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
To find out more about King of Kings...
- Please visit VisitKoK.com
- Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/visitkok)
- Email us @ info@visitkok.com
Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!
We find lasting comfort in Christ Jesus, our strength and our portion forever. This message was preached for the Christian Victory Service of Gloria Guderyon on 23 September 2022 @ King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.
The Bible reading for this message is Psalm 73:23-26.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
Support the show
There are more than 2,300 Bible passages that speak about money. Why? Money is a master Satan frequently tempts us to serve. And that evil foe knows how successful his efforts with money can be. Money provides us with a false comfort and a sense of security. It serves as a source of pride. It serves as a wonderful tool for a favorite pastime: justifying ourselves in our own eyes and the eyes of others. Jesus knows that serving money makes it impossible to serve God. The human heart is not big enough for both. As a result, Jesus does all he can to expose the futility of serving money. He also helps us see that the only one truly worth serving is our gracious, loving God. When we serve God, money is put in its proper place. Instead of money being a lord to serve, it becomes a resource for serving the Lord. This is the hard truth. There is no way for us to serve both God and money. But we can serve God with our money.
The Bible reading for this message is 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 6 in our series: Hard Truth.
Support the show
“He’s lost.” We use that term not only to refer to someone who is bewildered about where they are but also to refer to someone who is in a helpless, hopeless state. Mankind’s natural state is one of complete spiritual helplessness, a profound lostness. It manifests itself in countless ways. The one who simply wants God to leave him alone: lost. The one who feels she can handle life on her own: lost. The one who thinks he has the right to repent of his sins on his own timetable and on his own terms: lost. The one who thinks God owes them in some way: lost. Wandering around physically lost can lead to winding up in bad places. But the hard truth is that wandering around spiritually lost puts you in the worst place of all. Fortunately, Jesus does not leave us alone in our lostness. He relentlessly seeks us. He involves the rest of the Christian community in seeking the lost and rejoicing over the found.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 15:1-10.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 5 in our series: Hard Truth.
Support the show
It is an unavoidable hard truth. Our relationship with Jesus will put us in situations where we must decide where love for him ranks compared to love for other people and things. And Jesus is not content to be one of many important things in our life; he wants to be first. He wants us to follow his Word unwaveringly, even when he asks us to do difficult things. As a result, following Jesus will force us to let go of things we love and embrace things we would naturally loath. Jesus is loving and honest. He doesn’t hide this hard truth! Instead, he tells us up front that we must count the cost of following him. That means calculating what we might have to give up as his followers. He wants us to do that now, ahead of time, rather than waiting until we are in the heat of the moment and emotions are running high. However, our calculations should not only consider what we might give up for Jesus. They also entail calculating what we get through him! When we perceive the infinite blessings we find in Christ, the decisions we must make, while difficult, will be clear. Whatever is lost as we follow Jesus pales in comparison to what we gain.
The Bible reading for this message is Deuteronomy 30:15-20.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 4 in our series: Hard Truth.
Support the show
Everyone knows that humility is a positive trait and pride is a negative one. So, why bother talking about what we already know? Because in spite of that knowledge, we still helplessly fall into the trap of pride. We cannot help but think that our ascent to the exalted status we desire is our responsibility. We even take our exaltation into our own hands, either by treating poorly those we believe we can stand on top of or by showing favoritism to those we believe can provide us with upward mobility. Rather than minimizing pride as a sin that is common or harmless, Jesus’ words today confront us with this hard truth. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled by God. But Jesus also gives us the promise we need to be freed from pride’s trap. Our exaltation doesn’t need to be our responsibility because Jesus has already made it his. Those who humble themselves Christ will exalt.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 14:1,7-14.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 3 in our series: Hard Truth.
Support the show
When it comes to the difficult and uncomfortable topic of who goes to heaven and who goes to hell, it is natural to want to avoid the issue. One way we do that is to direct our attention to theoretical questions. “What is heaven like?” “How old will we be there?” Today, someone asks Jesus, “Lord, are only a few going to be saved?” Jesus brushes these questions aside. Instead, he answers the question we should be asking. Rather than talking about how many will be saved, Jesus explains how to be among the saved. What he teaches today through his Word is a hard truth. The doorway into heaven is narrow. Scripture consistently teaches that those individuals who are certain they will be first through that door are more likely to be last, if they make it through at all. Instead, the one who believes he is the last one God should let into his kingdom and that his only chance of getting in is through the grace of Christ will enter first.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 13:22-30.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 2 in our series: Hard Truth.
Support the show
We often divide humanity into groupings that are not really significant: this ethnic group versus that one, men versus women, wealthy versus the poor. Yet, every ethnic group is under God’s law. That law convicts both men and women of sin. Because of sin, the wealthy and the poor will both die. Only through faith in Christ is sin forgiven and the sting of death removed. God’s Word creates that saving faith, but not in everyone who hears it. Fallen man retains the awful power to resist the working of the Spirit inside him… to reject the gift of faith. Therefore, God’s Word produces the only people grouping that ultimately matters: believers and unbelievers. We want to overcome division and live in peace with other people. Here is a hard truth: total peace is impossible for the believer to achieve. Those who embrace the gospel in faith will inevitably face hostility and opposition. Following Jesus will come at a price. Yet he promises us our patient endurance will be rewarded.
The Bible reading for this message is Hebrews 12:1-3.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 1 in our series: Hard Truth.
Support the show
In our last message, Jesus warned us against overvaluing earthly wealth. This week Jesus warns against undervaluing heavenly treasure. Last week, Jesus exposed the folly of greed. This week, Jesus exposes the folly of worry, even when faced with the prospect of having a shortage of earthly wealth. This week might be the bigger challenge! When it seems we lack providence or protection for our daily lives, it can be hard to avoid worry. But Jesus focuses us. He points to creatures that do not labor or toil, yet are daily fed and clothed. Even more Jesus points to our Father who promises to give us the heavenly treasures of his kingdom. Jesus assures us that Father will throw in needed earthly possessions as well. We can pursue heavenly treasure wholeheartedly, confident that our Father knows all we need.
The Bible reading for this message is Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 5 in our series: Focused.
Support the show
Jesus wants focused followers. However, one of the things that can most easily get in the way of our focus is our earthly possessions. It is no surprise, therefore, that Jesus’ words so frequently focus his followers on wealth. Jesus’ followers don’t reject earthly wealth or despise it. They can be grateful for every good gift that comes from the hand of God. However, Jesus’ followers value earthly wealth correctly. They understand what earthly wealth can and cannot do. They don’t give earthly wealth a role in their lives it will never be able to fill. This week we focus on the fact that the identity and security earthly wealth can never provide is found fully and freely in Christ.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 12:13-21.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 4 in our series: Focused.
Support the show
In a sense, prayer comes naturally to us. We want so we ask. We hurt so we cry out. We are frustrated so we vent. We are blessed so we give thanks. So we sometimes define prayer as “speaking to God from the heart.” Seems so easy. What does not come naturally, however, is the focused prayer God wants for us. We need focus when it comes to the basis of our prayers. Our prayers are based entirely on the unique and unearned relationship with have with God, our Father. We also need focus when it comes to the content of our prayers. Yes, we can speak from the heart and ask for anything we want. But our Father invites us to pray specifically for the things he wants to give us. Prayer is the opportunity to bring our will into conformity with God’s will, not the other way around. We have much to learn about prayer. So, along with Jesus’ disciples, we say, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 11:1-13.
This message is Part 3 in our series: Focused.
Support the show
We call worship a "service.” Which raises the question: who is serving whom? In answering that question, it is easy to focus on what we do in worship. “I set aside time in my week to come to church. I am singing praise to God. I brought him an offering. Clearly, I am serving him.” True enough. However, as God speaks this week, he clarifies our focus, letting us see that worship is primarily about him serving us. Through Word and sacrament, he delivers every spiritual gift he wants us to receive. Our service to God is good. His service for us is perfect. Our service to God is important. His service for us is essential. God loves our service to him, but we desperately need his service for us as he gives us what he has promised.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 10:38-42.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 2 in our series: Focused.
Support the show
We tend to think of distraction and focus as opposites. If someone is focused, they are not easily distracted by random events and encounters. If someone is focused, every decision about how to spend time and resources is calculated. Apart from Christ that type of focus spells disaster for our neighbor. We may dismiss the needs of our neighbor, thinking, “If I spend time helping him, that will distract me from other things I should be focused on.” Today, Jesus teaches us that he has set us free to live a life of such distractions. No matter the neighbor and no matter his need, we are free to act in ways that seem senseless. We are free to actively seek out a neighbor in need. We are free to bear any cost and go any distance to serve them as Christ would serve them.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 10:25-37.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 1 in our series: Focused.
Support the show
Christ has not only given us his powerful Word. In his grace, he gives us ministers who proclaim that Word to us in whatever ways we need at the time: words of comfort, words of instruction, or even words of rebuke. Those who are entrusted with the care of Jesus' flock are expected to shepherd that flock just as Jesus would. They humbly assume that privilege, not to proclaim their own ideas or opinions, but to speak Jesus’ own words. They share Christ’s words, not just when it is welcomed gladly by those who hear it, but also when it is not. Ministers carry out their calling, not because of what they might gain from the flock, but because of what the flock might gain from Jesus through them. God’s words possess God’s power. Therefore, God provides us with ministers to proclaim God’s Word, so that God’s kingdom might come powerfully among us.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 10:1-12, 16-20.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 4 in our series: God's Words Possess God's Power.
Support the show
There’s the type of fan who follows his team if they make the playoffs. Then there’s the type of fan who, regardless of his team’s record, watches every game and knows the stats for every player. There are different types of followers: the half-hearted versus the committed. Jesus is uninterested in half-hearted followers who shoehorn him into their lives only when their other pursuits provide time for the Christ. Jesus wants followers who are all-in… who love him above all things… who would be willing to leave everything else behind if that were what it would take to be with him. We simply do not have it in us to produce that level of commitment. But Jesus’ words have Jesus’ power. In his gospel Jesus explains how he went all in for our salvation. He tells us he left the comforts of heaven behind to come rescue us. And through those words Christ creates within us the very commitment that he seeks.
The Bible reading for this message is 1 Kings 19:19-21.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 3 in our series: God's Words Possess God's Power.
Support the show
God’s words are so powerful! With only his words, Jesus cured illness and raised the dead. With his words, Jesus created the faith that receives his forgiveness. So we should not be surprised this week when we see that Jesus’ words also have the power to push back the spiritual forces of evil that are in the world. Jesus’ words expose idols as worthless and following idols as self-destructive evil. Jesus’ words are so compelling, even demons must obey them. It is not surprising that God’s words crush evil. It is a surprise, however, to see that Jesus’ words have Jesus’ power even when they are not coming from Jesus’ mouth. Jesus puts his words on our lips. He makes us his witnesses. And as we carry out that awesome role, Jesus continues to drive back Satan and his allies, just as he did when he walked the earth.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 8:26-39.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 2 in our series: God's Words Possess God's Power.
Support the show
The Scriptures never use the words “Trinity” or “triune.” They never even summarize in any single place the entirety of this doctrine. Instead, in the Word, God gives us hints and glimpses of his triune nature. Thus, the doctrine of the Trinity can seem very academic, even abstract. It may seem to have little relevance to our daily lives. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. As God provides those hints and glimpses, his primary focus is on the way in which his triune nature is a blessing to us. God shows us how we benefit from the fact he exists as Trinity. God dwells in a “majesty and mystery” that far exceed our understanding, but here is what we can understand. Every time we gather in the name of our Triune God, we receive indescribable blessings.
The Bible reading for this message is Numbers 6:22-27.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 1 in our series: God's Words Possess God's Power.
Support the show
How does God deal with mankind? By sending Jesus to be the Word made flesh, God changed the paradigm. Now Jesus has ascended into heaven to represent us before the Father, but what the victory march of the gospel? Has it halted because Jesus is no longer visibly among us? On the Day of Pentecost, Jesus answered that question by pouring out the Holy Spirit to be our constant companion until his return. Yet that begs another question: Where is the Holy Spirit to be found? Where do we go to hear from him? God has never left us in doubt. When Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, he indicated that his work would be connected to the Word. Christ’s victory march continues as the Spirit goes out through the gospel to the world!
The Bible readings for this message are John 14:23-27.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 9 in our Easter series: Victorious.
Support the show
When Jesus ascended into heaven, his work on earth was complete. Yet the ascension of Jesus also marks that his work is just beginning. Through the Church, Jesus now proclaims forgiveness throughout the world. The Church consists of people like us who are often weak and timid witnesses for Christ. For that reason, Jesus promised to send his Spirit to give us power that we might take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
The Bible readings for this message are Acts 1:1-11 and Luke 24:44-53.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 8 in our Easter series: Victorious.
Support the show
Easter proves that God can take what normally causes people to weep and turn it into what causes people to rejoice. Sin, death, and shame went into Jesus' tomb. Forgiveness, life, and glory came out. Our risen Savior gives us a joy that remains constant in the highest of life's highs and the lowest of life's lows. It is a joy that can never be taken from us.
The Bible reading for this message is Revelation 21:21-27.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 7 in our Easter series: Victorious.
Support the show
The disciples argued among themselves about who was "greatest" (Luke 22:24). We are not immune from such hubris. Sinful man is entirely self-focused. We often try and prove our goodness by comparing ourselves to others. You see this sense of superiority in the way we prioritize life, typically putting our wants ahead of others. Easter ends this focus on self. Right now, we know we have value, not because of the greatness of our actions, but because of the great things Christ did to save. We also know a resurrection to glory is in our future. Easter helps us avoid the trap of self-glorification and opens our eyes to a more excellent way: selfless love. Christ did not glorify himself, but selflessly did everything for the benefit of others. This week, he promises to be our inexhaustible power supply that we might also put selfless love into practice.
The Bible reading for this message is John 13:31-35.
This message is Part 6 in our Easter series: Victorious.
Support the show
The world is full of talkers. There are plenty of people who say they care about you. Yet we are aware of what many of those people will do when it comes time to put those words into action. Jesus tells you in his Word that he cares for you dearly…that he would do anything for you. How do you know you can trust him? Jesus followed up his words with works. Jesus said he would suffer and die for you, so that you might enter Paradise. He fulfilled that promise. Jesus words are followed by works. He once illustrated that point in a striking metaphor, that of the Good Shepherd. All shepherds use words, calling to the sheep hoping they will follow. What sets the Good Shepherd apart is the fact that his words are followed by his works, including his willingness to lay down his life. Every word our Good Shepherd speaks to us is trustworthy!
The Bible reading for this message is John 10:22-30.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 5 in our Easter series: Victorious.
Support the show
How do you get to heaven? Do you know the way? We all think we do, but by nature, we actually have no idea. Sin blinds every one of us and gets us so desperately lost that we cannot possibly find out way to eternal life, no matter how hard we try. Yet as we commemorate the apostles Philip and James the Younger, the risen Jesus reveals that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life—the only way to his Father in heaven and eternal life with him. So with the faithful apostles, we follow Jesus on the march to eternal victory!
The Bible reading for this message is John 14:1-14.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 4 in our Easter series: Victorious.
Support the show
The good news of the risen Christ is bigger than a single day. The Easter gospel will continue to march across centuries and continents. However, there will always be forces that try to slow that march and silence that good news. Those forces could be self-inflected fears and doubts. They could be various types of persecutions. Whatever the case, the good news of Easter will not be restrained. For it is not some myth or fable, not a hoax or conspiracy. The reality of Easter rests on the testimony of eyewitnesses. Therefore, the gospel cannot be boxed in any more than Christ could be put back in a tomb. Many, including our sinful natures, may try to silence the good news of Christ. Yet the march of Christ’s witness to the world goes on!
The Bible reading for this message is John 20:19-31.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 3 in our Easter series: Victorious.
Support the show
Death hung like a suffocating shroud over us all. It was a constant source of sorrow and shame. Death doesn't just bring life to an end. The impending threat of death spoils every moment of life that leads up to it. The moment Christ emerged from the tomb, however, nothing would be the same. Life was unleashed on humanity and it will reign until death and its effects are no more. The salvation Christ brings is not just a rescue from a world gone bad but a resurrection to a world that will once again be good. Christ's victory restores life to us even now. Even as we continue to wipe the tears that death causes, we can defiantly taunt this fallen tyrant: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 24:1-12.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 2 in our Easter series: Victorious.
Support the show
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Today we no longer see a crucified and dying Savior. No, the tomb is empty, and we hear the angels joyfully proclaim, “He is not here; He has risen!” Christ has overcome death! Our Savior is alive! With our Easter celebrations today, we conclude the larger celebration of our deliverance in Christ that started on Thursday evening and continued through Good Friday. Rejoice! Sins are forgiven! Guilt is gone! Our relationship with God has now been made right. The solution to our grief, sadness, doubt, uncertainty, fear, and loneliness is found in the empty tomb. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The Bible reading for this message is John 20:1-18.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 1 in our Easter series: Victorious.
Support the show
Good Friday is very different than a funeral. At a funeral, we celebrate the blessings of someone's earthly life, but we also mourn the fact of their death. In the case of Jesus, his death is the very thing we gather to celebrate and remember. In fact, we prolong the remembrance. We dwell on the details. We even call this day "good." For we know why Jesus willingly endured the agony of the cross. It wasn't a tragic miscarriage of justice. Jesus suffered this punishment vicariously—in our place. He was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. Because he did, we are now right with our holy God. Jesus' punishment is our peace.
The Bible reading for this message is John 19:30.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 7 in our Lenten series: A Savior Like No Other and served as part of our Holy Week series: His Journey, Our Victory.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
As the sun set on Holy Thursday, the day marked the end of something old and the start of something new. The Old Covenant, which God had established through Moses, was two-sided. God's people would follow God's commands; God would bless his people. However, rather than providing God's people the opportunity to live up to God's demands, the Old Covenant only exposed their flaws. When God established his New Covenant, it was not a two-sided contract. It was more like a will, listing all the blessings God promised graciously to give his people. No matter who you are or what you have done, the blessings of the New Covenant are "for you." Eat the food Christ offers, and all your spiritual and eternal needs are satisfied.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 22:7-20.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is part of our Holy Week series: His Journey, Our Victory.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
Jesus is a Savior like no other. We see this as Jesus confidently entrusts his spirit into the hands of his heaven Father with his dying breath. His work complete, Jesus gives his life for us. In doing so, he allows us to entrust our lives to our loving and forgiving Lord too.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 23:46.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 6 in our Lenten midweek series: A Savior Like No Other.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
People often look to the judgment of experts. That poses a problem when it comes to Christ. The world’s experts and culturally elite generally see little value in Christ or his Word. Today we learn to evaluate the world’s experts properly. They might see heaven’s greatest treasure as trash. Fine. That treasure remains ours for the taking through Christ our Savior!
The Bible reading for this message is Philippians 3:4b-14.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 5 in our Lenten weekend series: Crushed.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
Jesus is a Savior like no other. We see this clearly as Jesus suffers spiritual and physical torment in the darkness. Yet amid his suffering, we see Jesus show unbelievable self-restraint and above all, we see Jesus cling to his task of fulfilling Scripture. He comes to us in our suffering and affliction and forgets us not.
The Bible reading for this message is John 19:28.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 5 in our Lenten midweek series: A Savior Like No Other.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
We assume people get what they deserve. We assume what goes around comes around. We assume God helps those who helps themselves. And all those assumptions must be crushed. Got does not operate on the principle of merit but of grace. Like gravity, grace is a constant force at work in how God deals with us and how he wants us to deal with others. No one is beyond the reach of God's grace. God never turns it off. When the weight of our sin makes us fearful of God's condemnation, he reveals his grace yet again.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 15:1-2, 11-32.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 4 in our Lenten weekend series: Crushed.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
Jesus is a Savior like no other. We see this clearly as Jesus suffers spiritual and physical torment in the darkness. Yet amid his suffering, we see Jesus show unbelievable self-restraint and above all, we see Jesus cling to his task of fulfilling Scripture. He comes to us in our suffering and affliction and forgets us not.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 27:46.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 4 in our Lenten midweek series: A Savior Like No Other.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
Where is God? This is one of human beings' most frequently-asked and incorrectly-answered questions. We are tempted to believe that evidence of God's presence is found in outward circumstances. We equate good fortune with God's favor and bad fortune with his judgment. So, as long as nothing terrible is happening, God must not be too angry with us, right? We are free to go on sinning. Such foolish assumptions must be crushed. Therefore, God must constantly remind us where he intends to be found—in the gospel. He makes himself present in Word and sacraments. Because he is always present, we realize the urgent need to turn away from the sin he despises. Because his presence is graciously hidden, we are drawn to him for forgiveness rather than driven away from him in fear.
The Bible reading for this message is 1 Corinthians 10:1-13.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 3 in our Lenten weekend series: Crushed.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
On Lenten Wednesdays, we are spending quiet moments pondering the great depths of the seven statements our Savior spoke from the cross. What do these statements tell us about Jesus? He is a Savior like no other. We see this clearly as Jesus takes unbelievable care of his mother, even as he suffers agony on the cross. As the son of his mother and the Son of God, he provides for his mother Mary and perfectly obeys his heavenly Father.
The Bible reading for this message is John 19:26-27.
This message is Part 3 in our Lenten midweek series: A Savior Like No Other.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
We would all like a shortcut to glory. Yet to follow Jesus on a path where the cross comes before the crown, well, that puts us out of step with the world. Thankfully, the determination required to walk this path starts with Jesus and not us. Because of his determination, we are offered a glory far superior to anything the world can offer.
The Bible reading for this message is Jeremiah 26:8-15.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 2 in our Lenten weekend series: Crushed.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
Do you sometimes feel “crushed”? In a broken world, it is simply a matter of time before we all feel crushed. This is why we need Lent. Sin is the ultimate source of all the crushing moments we endure. Christ was even crushed for our sins. Yet on Easter morning, Jesus took up his life again and crushed sin, Satan, and death.
Because Jesus fought the battle against our enemy, Satan, as one of us, Jesus won that battle for all of us. He is our perfect substitute. He is our great high priest who puts himself between us and God to set us free from the power of temptation. Even as the devil seethes with rage against us, we can face him and his temptations unafraid, confident that our champion has already won the eternal victory for us.
The Bible reading for this message is Hebrews 4:14-16.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 1 in our Lenten weekend series: Crushed.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
Starting on Ash Wednesday, we are spending quiet moments pondering the great depths of the seven statements our Savior spoke from the cross. What do these statements tell us about Jesus? He is a Savior like no other. In an amazing way, we see this Savior forgive his enemies as they curse and crucify him. What love! What compassion! What sacrifice! What an impact this has on our relationships here and our eternities in heaven!
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 23:33-34.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 1 in our Lenten midweek series: A Savior Like No Other.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
Throughout Epiphany, we have seen that God must uncover for us the truths that could not be discovered by us. As this season ends, we are presented with a twist. For God's glory to be revealed, it actually must be covered. God's glory needed to be hidden in Christ. It is hidden in the gospel. This is how God enables sinful human beings to see his glory and, rather than turning away in fear, stare at it in wonder for as long as they want. The truth God uncovers for us today: when his glory is hidden, it is most on display.
The Bible reading for this message is 2 Corinthians 3:7-18.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 5 in our Epiphany series: Uncovered.
- Thoughts and language received with thanks from a 2022 text study and sermon shared by Pr. Jon Hartmann, as well as notes from The Preacher’s Podcast.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
We find lasting comfort in Christ Jesus, who is our resurrection and life. This message was preached for the Christian Victory Service of Walter and Edith Prosek on 25 February 2022 @ King of Kings Lutheran church in Maitland, FL.
The Bible reading for this message is John 11:20-27.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
When someone is new to something, there is a period of orientation. The same goes for new disciples of Jesus. By nature, we assume that Jesus’ kingdom works the same way the world works. However, the principles on which Jesus’ kingdom runs are the exact opposite of the principles of this world. What the world considers to be a blessing can often be a curse. That which the world calls bad, God always uses for the good of those he loves.
The Bible reading for this message is Jeremiah 17:5-8.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 4 in our Epiphany series: Uncovered.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
There can be a temptation to alter the message we proclaim because of apparent success. If a church makes its central focus things like personal involvement, healing for the sick, or social justice, that church may draw a crowd. It just fails to carry out the agenda Christ has given his Church. The gospel of forgiveness is to be the center of all our preaching and teaching. The agenda for Christ’s Church is set. It’s the same agenda that was followed by the Church’s Christ.
The Bible reading for this message is 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 3 in our Epiphany series: Uncovered.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
On a mountain in Galilee, the risen Jesus gave marching orders to his Church: “Make disciples of all nations!” “Baptize!” “Teach!” Since that time the Lord of the Church has raised up ministers of the gospel to carry out that mission and take that good news of Jesus to the ends of the earth. By God’s grace, he has provided pastors, teachers, staff ministers, and missionaries to carry out that work, but there is so much work to be done. There are so many souls still dying in the darkness of unbelief. How will they hear the gospel of Jesus? God sends you to be his witnesses to the world, even as he raises up the next generation to serve in gospel of ministry and go where we cannot go. Lord of the Church, grant us hearts that desire to fulfill your mission!
Guest preacher is Pr. Evan Chartrand - Recruitment Director for Luther Preparatory School in Watertown, WI.
The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 28:18-20.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
Are the pursuit of God and the pursuit of pleasure two separate paths? Many make that assumption—that life with Jesus is a boring, sterile experience. Yet their assumption is wrong. Jesus came to undo everything that is wrong with our world as a result of sin's curse. He also came to multiply our joy and deliver delight beyond our wildest dreams. Note that when Jesus begins to reveal his glory, it isn't by going to a hospital to cure every ailment. Instead, he starts at a local wedding, one of the greatest sources of joy in this life. The truth uncovered for us this week is that life with Jesus is not a life with less delight, but infinitely more.
The Bible reading for this message is Ephesians 3:14-21.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 2 in our Epiphany series: Uncovered.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
Our sight tends to be the sense we trust most. We say we will believe something when we see it. That presents a problem when it comes to the work of God. So often what our eye sees differs from what God decrees. This is true of the life of Jesus. This is also true in the life of the Christian. To assure his children, God connects his grace, power, and blessing to something we can see--a visible sign: Baptism.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 3:15-17, 21-23.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 1 in our Epiphany series: Uncovered.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
The twelve days of Christmas are coming to an end with the celebration of the Epiphany of our Lord today, a celebration of the first time non-Jewish believers worshiped our Savior in the flesh. They were guided by a special light in the sky to a child who would be a light for all people. We live in a world where sin can divide people along so many lines. Yet the only dividing line Jesus cares about is the one that separated sinful mankind from a holy God. By his death and resurrection, he removed that line and united all believers into one kingdom. For that, we offer him our finest gifts.
The Bible reading for this message is 1 Peter 1:22-25.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 5 in our Christmas series: What Child Is This?
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
As 2021 comes to a close, we look back on a year full of blessings and challenges, joys and sorrows, life and death. All people are like grass, here today and gone tomorrow. Yet the Word of the Lord endures forever. Because it does, we can step into the new year with thanksgiving and hope.
The Bible reading for this message is 1 Peter 1:22-25.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 4 in our Christmas series: What Child Is This?
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
Already as a child, Jesus’ saving work had begun. He served his entire life as our substitute, perfectly obeying God’s holy Law. Just think of how often we neglect the study of God’s Word. Then look at twelve-year-old Jesus, eager to be in the temple learning more about Scripture. However, he would need to do more than be our substitute. Eventually, he would lay down that perfect life as the sacrifice for our sin.
The Bible reading for this message is Hebrews 2:10-18.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 3 in our Christmas series: What Child Is This?
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
The Lord had told Moses, “No one may see me and live.” If sinners cannot even bear to look upon the glory of God, then they certainly could not hope to live with God in the glory of heaven. So, on that first Christmas, God chose to hide his glory under flesh. What Child is this? It is God and man in one person, exactly what the human race needed to deliver it from its enemies of sin, death, and Satan. Christmas Day serves up the deep stuff of Christmas: the miracle and mystery of the incarnation—God became human for us!
The Bible reading for this message is John 1:1-18.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 2 in our Christmas series: What Child Is This?
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
Millions of babies are born every year. Yet there is something that sets this Child, whose birth we celebrate, apart from all others. It is not simply his humble beginnings or the miraculous nature of his birth. There is so much more because this Child is the only hope we have for peace and a future. This Child can wipe away every tear and drive away every fear. What Child is this?
An angel answers that question: “A Savior has been born for you.” What a stunning statement! This child looks nothing like what we would expect in a hero-savior. He’s weak, helpless, and mired in poverty. Yet this Child comes to “for you.” This Child is God’s gift given that first Christmas to save…us!
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 2:6-14.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here and here.
This message is Part 1 in our Christmas series: What Child Is This?
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
By this time of the holiday season, people are often weighed down. They feel guilty about presents that are not perfect, or parties that did not go as planned, or year-end projects that did not get completed. To top it all off, now is when it dawns on people how little attention they have given to the spiritual preparation Advent invites. If that is how we feel, perhaps the frenzy of December has actually done us a favor. We have been stretched to our limits. We have been made aware of our shortcomings. We have been humbled. Perfect! For being made aware of our weaknesses does not disqualify us from God's care. It does the opposite. It is what prepares us for the work he does best. He is a God who lifts up the humbled.
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 1:39-55.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 4 in our Advent series: When the Lord Comes Near.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)
The Christmas season is supposed to be about peace, right? Then why is it so peace-less? We have to rush around to buy presents or attend events, plus the normal lack of true peace in our lives only gets amplified with the emotions of the season. How can we possibly find true peace this Christmas season? Look no further than the One who came to restore peace between God and mankind—our King Jesus!
The Bible reading for this message is Philippians 4:4-7.
Video of this worship service and message can be found here.
This message is Part 3 in our Advent series: When the Lord Comes Near.
Support the show (http://visitkok.com/donate)