The King of Kings..Craig Denison Ministries

 The King of Kings

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

What a gift we have in the Christmas season. God himself took on flesh and dwelt among us that we might find eternal relationship in him. His coming serves as a continual reminder of his grace and pursuit of us who are lost without him. As we look to Jesus this week to celebrate who he is and what he’s done, may you find life-giving hope and foundational joy.

Scripture:

“On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Revelation 19:16

Devotional:

The fate of so many nations has historically rested on the strength of its leaders. From Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great to King David, we look to kings as the catalyst for either victory or defeat, success or failure.

Scripture tells us in Revelation 19:16 that we as the people of God find our fate in the One True King. Scripture says, “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Isaiah 9:6-7 says,

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

This Christmas season we celebrate the truth that our lives are hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3). Our fate is wrapped up in his. Our victory and success is assured because our King sits enthroned on the heavens. He is high and lifted up, and his heart is filled with steadfast love for us, his bride.

If your future feels uncertain, if your heart is filled with anxiety, look no further than your Savior on whose robe and thigh is written, “King of kings and Lord of lords.” If the furthest thing from your heart seems to be peace, look to Jesus, whom Scripture calls, “Prince of Peace.” If you feel heavy and burdened from the weight and weariness of this world, look to God, our “Wonderful Counselor.”

God’s desire is to be near to you this season. His purpose is to pull you in closely to him and remind you that you are his and he will never let you go. Sometimes all we need to get through the day is a little perspective. Sometimes all we need to experience victory over our current circumstances is to remember that Jesus has already won us.

Take time today to bring your cares and weights to the feet of the “King of kings.” Allow him to declare over you both his unceasing affection and limitless power. May you find abundant peace today in the person of Jesus.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on what Scripture says about your Savior. 

“On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Revelation 19:16

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

2. What cares are weighing you down today? What’s keeping you from the abundant life Jesus came to bring you?

3. Bring your cares to Jesus in prayer. Ask him for a revelation of who you are in him. Take time to rest in his steadfast love and nearness.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7

You and I are made to look to someone or something for leadership. We aren’t created to rule our own lives. If we don’t look to Jesus, we will undoubtedly look to this world, which only has the power to lead us away from abundant life in God. Where are your eyes set today? What are you looking to for provision, peace, and life? Fix your eyes on Jesus today, the “founder and perfecter” of our faith, that you might find transcendent peace and steadfast hope (Hebrews 12:2). May your day be filled with all the goodness of one who serves the “King of kings.”

Extended Reading: Revelation 19

What Is the Answer for a Suffering World?..Lynette Kittle

 What Is the Answer for a Suffering World?

By Lynette Kittle

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” - John 3:16

In today’s culture, death is being presented more and more as a compassionate and caring solution for suffering. Whether facilitating assisted suicide, abortion, or euthanasia, countless voices around the world encourage death as the answer to ending human suffering. Those who are ill, disabled, distressed, or just unhappy are being told death is the compassionate way to end their pain and struggles.

As well there are those who are fervently protesting, marching, and more for the right to kill unborn babies, saying death is better than being unwanted, disabled, or conceived at an inconvenient time. Celebrities are lending their voices in celebration, applauding their private choices to abort their own unborn children. But God has a different answer for a suffering world. His answer is His love because He alone knows how to heal the deepest wounds. His way of dealing with suffering brings life and freedom, whereas death leads to more suffering and destruction.

Why Do People Avoid Suffering?
Most people are uncomfortable with suffering and don’t know how to go through it or want to deal with it. So when experts and those in government push the idea that it’s best to end suffering through ending lives, people start to believe it. 

Because most people don’t want to suffer or see others suffering, death starts to seem like the quick and easiest way out of the pain. But ending lives hardens hearts, whereas going through personal suffering or alongside others has the ability to soften and transform hearts like no other experience can do. Suffering’s effects help us to develop compassion, kindness, longsuffering, unconditional love, selflessness, and much more in our lives.

Yet so many individuals go to great extents to avoid it. The thought of opening their hearts and minds to deal with the pain and sorrow of suffering, whether in themselves or with others, feels like too much for them to face. So instead, they miss out on suffering’s refining process to cultivate enduring love, forgiveness, and so much more. Romans 8:18 explains, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Choosing to Walk Alongside Others
Rather than turn the other way, some choose to walk alongside those who are suffering, understanding how doing so helps to keep their hearts softened and in tune with the anguish of others. Although most of us try to avoid suffering as much as possible, there are those who have chosen to suffer alongside others.

“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:24.25).

Moses understood that turning away from his people’s afflictions would harden his heart towards them, so he chose to join them in their mistreatment.

How Do We Face Suffering?
As well there are those who willingly choose to suffer for the sake of Christ, knowing it will cause them to become more like Him. “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like Him in His death” (Philippians 3:10). Opposite to the world’s solution to end suffering through death, Colossians 1:24 describes how the Apostle Paul faced it. 

“Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.”

Paul knew, “For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:5). The Apostle Peter also urged, “But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13).

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Do you know someone who is suffering this holiday season? If so, are you willing to walk alongside them? If not, there are plenty of organizations to help direct you in giving, praying, and volunteering to those who are afflicted and could use some encouragement, comfort, and support in their lives.

On The Mountainside ..Jennifer Waddle

 On The Mountainside (Matthew 5:1-2)

By Jennifer Waddle

“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.” - Matthew 5:1-2

There’s an open space at the top of one of the mountain trails a few minutes from my house. It’s a place where hundreds of sunrise services have taken place and where thousands of people have hiked to view the surrounding beauty.

As I picture it, I can’t help but liken it to the mountainside where Jesus taught the multitudes. Without a microphone or a way of projecting His voice, Jesus spoke words of blessing, warning, and wisdom to His followers. Miraculously, His message was carried through the crowds as they held on to every word He spoke!

When was the last time you or I held fast to the words of Jesus? In our day-to-day lives, how have we recalled His blessings, His warnings, and His promises? I don’t know about you, but I find that I have a few Bible passages I carry with me. They are passages that comfort and guide, and I’m deeply grateful for them. However, I want to place myself on the mountainside and eagerly listen to every word Jesus spoke—not just the feel-good passages that are familiar to me.

Along with the beauty and encouragement of the beatitudes, I want to hear the warnings Jesus spoke in Matthew 5:21-48. For just as He commended the peacemakers, calling them the “sons of God,” He also warned that angry people would be liable to God’s justice. Whether a blessing or a warning, every word Jesus spoke was righteous, holy, and just.

Theologically, it’s important we don’t ignore the side of Jesus that called sin “sin.” It’s beneficial to receive both His words of love and gentleness as well as His words of conviction. This is how we grow in our faith—by submitting to all of Jesus’ teachings.

So what do you say? Will you join me on the mountainside? Are you willing to hear all the words of Jesus spoken throughout the Scriptures? The great thing is, you don’t need an actual mountaintop experience to hear the words of the Savior. They are written and recorded for us throughout the Gospels.

To get started, here are a few study guides to consider:

Jesus: A Study on the Words of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Study Guide
Experiencing the Words of Jesus
In The Words of Jesus

While we can’t go back and join the multitudes during the Sermon on the Mount, we can join Jesus right where we are. We can tune our hearts to receive every word He offers—the messages that are easy on the ears and the commands that are a bit difficult to hear. In the end, we will join Him on a heavenly mountainside, renewed and restored. But until then, let’s purpose to meet with Him and listen intently to His words of blessing, warning, and promise. After all, they are words we can count on!

A Prayer for God to Be with Us..Tiffany Thibault

 A Prayer for God to Be with Us

By Tiffany Thibault

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23 NKJV

I love to read the scriptures and hear them read by others aloud. The precious words bring peace to my heart and encourage my faith with its truth. In the midst of all the sights and sounds of this Christmas season and the extra busyness that this time of year brings into our already full lives, it is so easy to gloss over the powerful words found in this Bible verse. There are two significant things that we see in this verse.

First, we see a miracle. “A virgin will bear a child.” This incredible sentence shows just how much God truly loves us. He could have easily sent Jesus into this world as a warrior fighting for injustice, or as a powerful leader who would change the world with His government. Instead, He sent a precious little child to an unwed young mother, into a poor community that was oppressed by the Roman government. None of this is at all how you and I may have planned for the Savior of the world to make His grand entrance. Yet God, in all His power, chose to send a little baby, why? Because His plans are always better than ours. 

The second incredible thing that we see in this verse is these words: “they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, “God with us.”

His very name, Immanuel, has a promise for us. The meaning of His name is powerful in just those three words: “God with us.”  Those words should bring comfort to us through their incredible clarity. God is with us. God is with you. God is with you at all times, in all circumstances, in all your high and low moments. God is with you in all your tears and in all your joys. 

Jesus, the Savior of the world, came as an infant, grew to be a man, died on the cross for our sins, conquered death through His resurrection, and will one day return. So, this promise God is with you covers every detail and every little nuance of your life. You can go into this Christmas season comforted with these words. You can begin a fresh new year clinging to this promise. God is with you through your todays, and He will be with you as you go into all of your tomorrows. God is with us. This is the reason we can joyfully celebrate that baby born so long ago who came to change the world in His perfect way. 

Let’s pray:

Dear Lord, 
Thank you for being with me in every moment of my life. Thank you that I never have to be alone because You, God love me so much that you are here with me always. May each moment of my day be filled with that life-strengthening truth. I love you, Lord. 
In your name, I pray, Amen

HAS THE GRINCH STOLEN YOUR CHRISTMAS?..Dr. Jeff Schreve

 HAS THE GRINCH STOLEN YOUR CHRISTMAS?

Dr. Jeff Schreve

And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” 
Luke 2:10-11

Without a doubt, Christmas is to be a time of GREAT JOY.  On that first Christmas night, the angel announced to the shepherds “good news of a great joy.”  The Savior has come!!  WOW!!  Those shepherds were so excited.  That announcement changed their lives forever.  They were filled with joy and wonder and praise.

At Christmas time, are you filled with joy and wonder and praise?  Or has the devil, the original Grinch, the thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy, stolen those things from you?  If so, there is still time to get it back!

Think about the angel’s announcement, “There has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  What does that really mean for you and me? 

1.  The Savior has come to save you from a dark past.  So many people are suffering with intense guilt over bad things they have done in the past.  The devil beats them to death with shame and guilt.  But be beaten no longer!  All the terrible, horrible things you have done are no match for the Savior’s blood that He shed for you on the cross.  The moment you confess those sins to God and repent of them, you are forgiven!!  Remember what the Savior said to Peter, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” (Acts 10:15).

2.  The Savior has come to save you from an empty present.  Many people are surviving and not really living.  Jesus came at Christmas not to fill your empty stocking, but to fill your empty life!  He has a purpose and a plan for you.  Come to Him.  Surrender to Him.  Let Him lead you.  He wants to bring you joy and peace, regardless of your circumstances.  He wants to use your life to make a difference in others, a difference that will last for all eternity.  It makes life worth living to know that everyday is an exciting adventure with the Lord, an opportunity to touch another person with the love and joy of Jesus.

3.  The Savior has come to save you from a hopeless future.  Everyone without God is without hope.  No one comes to the Father without the Savior, Jesus Christ.  But now He has come, and we can really know Him personally, and we can be assured of His presence and provision while we live … and His heaven when we die.  Paul said, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9).  WOW!  What a future is in store for the child of God!

My friend, do not let the devil steal from you and your Christmas time any longer!  The Savior has come, and He has come for you!  Receive the good news and rejoice in the truth!

Love,

Pastor Jeff Schreve