Sunday Jan. 29, 2023

Call To Worship:

Exodus 34:6

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished;”

Songs:

How Great is our God

Verse 1

The Splendor of the King

Clothed in majesty

Let all the earth rejoice

All the earth rejoice

He wraps Himself in light

And darkness tries to hide

And trembles at His voice

And trembles at His voice

Chorus 1

How great is our God

Sing with me

How great is our God

And all will see how great

How great is our God

Verse 2

And age to age He stands

And time is in His hands

Beginning and the End

Beginning and the End

The Godhead three in one

Father Spirit Son

The Lion and the Lamb

The Lion and the Lamb

Misc 1

(Bridge)

Name above all names

Worthy of all praise

My heart will sing

How great is our God


How Deep the Father’s Love For Us

Verse 1

How deep the Father's love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the Chosen One

Bring many sons to glory

Verse 2

Behold the Man upon a cross

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

Verse 3

I will not boast in anything

No gifts no pow’r no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

How Great Thou Art

Verse 1

O Lord my God

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds

Thy hands have made

I see the stars

I hear the rolling thunder

Thy pow'r thru'out

The universe displayed

Chorus 1

Then sings my soul

My Savior God to Thee

How great Thou art

How great Thou art

Then sings my soul

My Savior God to Thee

How great Thou art

How great Thou art

Verse 2

When through the woods

And forest glades I wander

And hear the birds

Sing sweetly in the trees

When I look down

From lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook

And feel the gentle breeze

Verse 3

And when I think

That God His Son not sparing

Sent Him to die

I scarce can take it in

That on the cross

My burden gladly bearing

He bled and died

To take away my sin

Verse 4

When Christ shall come

With shout of acclamation

And take me home

What joy shall fill my heart

Then I shall bow

In humble adoration

And there proclaim

My God how great Thou art

Teaching: “Seeking God’s Kingdom First: A King”

Every Kingdom has 4 things

  1. A people

  2. A king

  3. A land

  4. A law

  1. Kingship in scripture begins in the Garden in Genesis 1 where God tells Adam and Eve to “rule” over everything that has been created. 

    1. This word in Hebrew carried with it a sense of royal obligation…to rule

    2. No other “kings or Kingdom” at the time so the standard for kingship was set by God himself in his nature & Character.

    3. In Exodus 34:6 God shows up to declare his character and nature to Moses. 

      “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished;”

      1. Merciful

      2. Compassionate 

      3. Gracious

      4. Slow to anger (patient)

      5. Steadfast love

      6. Faithfulness

      7. Keeping steadfast love for generations

      8. Forgiveness

      9. Just

    4. God’s rule is defined by his nature and character. 

      1. Adam & Eve are called to rule with the same nature and character of God. 

  2. Kingship began in the garden, in the sinless, unbroken perfection of God’s original creation in the garden. 

    1. So what happens after Adam & Eve sin and brokenness occurs?

  3. 1 Samuel 8 is a dialogue between Samuel, the leaders of Israel, and God

    1. 1 Samuel 8

      “When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

      4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

      6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

      10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle  and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

      “19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

      21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

    1. Israel wants a King like the rest of the nations

    2. God tells Samuel they have rejected MY kingship

    3. Israel still wants a King

    4. God says ok, but here is what having a King will do…pain, suffering, your possessions and land taken, etc. 

    5. Israel, “no worries…still want a king.” 

    6. God…”ok”

  4. Sometimes leading people means letting them make decision for themselves. 

    1. God was willing to allow his people to have a King, even though he knew it would cause them pain and suffering. 

    2. He still created regulations and limitations for the King

      1. Deut. 17:14-20

        “When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you may indeed set over you a king whom the Lord your God will choose. One of your own community you may set as king over you; you are not permitted to put a foreigner over you, who is not of your own community. 16 Even so, he must not acquire horses for himself or return the people to Egypt in order to acquire more horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You must never return that way again.’ 17 And he must not acquire many wives for himself or else his heart will turn away; also silver and gold he must not acquire in great quantity for himself. 18 When he has taken the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 It shall remain with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, diligently observing all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 neither exalting himself above other members of the community nor turning aside from the commandment, either to the right or to the left, so that he and his descendants may reign long over his kingdom in Israel.

        1. When you go into the land and ask for a king (he knew they would do this) it must be someone from your community. 

        2. They must acquire horses….why?

          1. Horses represented military strength

          2. God is telling them NOT to build an army but to rather trust in God to provide and protect. 

        3. King David takes a census

          1. A census had 1 purpose….to count the able bodied men in order to draft them into military service. 

          2. David is disobeying God’s regulation on Kingship from Deut 17. 

        4. Ephesians 6 passage on the armor of God

          10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

          1. Belt of truth

          2. Breastplate of righteousness

          3. Shoes of the gospel of peace

          4. Shield of faith

          5. Helmet of salvation

          6. Sword of the spirit

        5. We weaponize Ephesians 6 by making it about conquering the people we don’t like. 

          1. Ephesians 6:10-12: “Finally be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

          2. Cosmokratoras is Greek for “cosmic powers.” Which is often translated “powers of this dark world” as it is above. 

          3. Paul is not saying we fight a physical battle against people or politicians or countries or companies we don’t like. 

          4. It is a spiritual battle. 

      2. God is trying to get the Kings to understand that “ruling” in his kingdom is not about strength of arms and armies. But in trusting in God’s provision and protection. 

      3. God also says not to take hundreds of wives (looking at you Solomon)

      4. Not to accumulate massive wealth (also Solomon)

      5. But to see themselves as part of, members of, the people of God

      6. And to copy the law of Deuteronomy and read it daily. 

    3. God knew that human nature would seek after huge wealth, strength through militarism, and excess in every other arena of life. 

      1. Striking that human nature hasn’t changed in 5000 years because we tend toward the same things today

    4. Earthly Kings will almost always extract from their people wealth, power, he will take and take and take, for his own gain and benefit. 

      1. Jesus is the exact opposite of all earthly kings. 

      2. Rather than extracting and taking from his people, Jesus freely gives all of himself to everyone for their benefit and gain. 

  5. All the kings of Israel failed at God’s ideal for kingship. 

    1. Eventually the Kingdom splits in two and Israel is carried off into exile. 

    2. They are allowed to return decades later to rebuild

    3. Before they return though a prophet named Zechariah begins to prophecy to God’s people about what would happen if the people returned to God in faith. 

    4. He prophecies the coming King of Israel who would be the full living embodiment of every expectation and standard for kingship God had. 

      1. Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout! Daughter Jerusalem. See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.”

    5. God uses Zechariah to remind Israel that the result of their decision to reject God’s kingship wouldn’t last because Jesus was coming. And he would be the fullest embodiment of the nature and character of God. 

  6. The gospels tell of Jesus riding into Jerusalem as King, not on a horse of war but on a humble donkey which signified his kingship. 

    1. Every attempt humanity makes at creating a kingly reality leads to the opposite of Jesus’ model of kingship. 

  7. Kingship is important because it is meant to free us from feeling like we have to eer do anything other than live into the nature and character of God. 

Communion:

  • Jesus as King rules by the nature and character of God. Compassion, Mercy, grace, patience, steadfast love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, forgiveness, and Justice. 

  • As you take communion, reflect on how you live, or not, each of these characteristics of the King.

Benediction:

Our Father in heaven,

May your name be revered as holy.

May your kingdom come.

May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.


May the strength of God pilot us;

May the wisdom of God instruct us,

May the hand of God protect us,

May the word of God direct us.

Be always ours this day and for evermore.


Amen

Further Study: Kingship

Bible Project Video: “Jesus The Royal Priest.” This video is more on Jesus was King/Priest but does a good job illustrating some of the ideas of kingship.

https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/jesus-the-royal-priest/

Bible Project Blog: Isaiah & The Messianic King

https://bibleproject.com/blog/isaiah-messianic-king/

Bible Project Podcast: Gospel of the Kingdom Series, Ep. 3 “God Vs. Kings”

https://bibleproject.com/podcast/kingdom-god-part-3/?utm_source=web_social_share&medium=shared_podcast

Scott McKnight, The King Jesus Gospel.

This book will walk through some of the theology of Jesus as King.

https://biblehub.com

This is a great website that allows you to look at both the Greek & Hebrew Interlinear Bibles. You can do word studies on words like “Cosmokratoras” or other Greek & Hebrew words in specific passages. But it also has a whole list of resources from commentaries, different translations, word study concordances, and more.

Jared King