In the beginning of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus prepared His disciples for the destruction of the temple and the end of the era of sacrifices and the Jewish life they were used to. Their job in the midst of impending judgment and the temple's demise is the proclamation of the Gospel - still our job in making disciples today!

The reign of King Ahaz of Judah was significant in the history of that nation. His wickedness resulted in the LORD bringing in multiple nations against him. With many casualties and captives from Judah, Ahaz faced a dire situation and yet still refused to believe God's promises or turn to Him for help.

The evil of Ahaz is particularly egregious. Not only did he break with four generations of kings who at least paid lip service to following the LORD at the beginning of their reign but he introduced evil to the people of God previously unknown even in the evil northern kingdom of Israel. Child sacrifice - a tenet of our own America - is especially evil in the eyes of the LORD and will bring judgment.

Jesus redefines our understanding of hope, ambition and treasure. Like the scribes of His day, we all struggle to seek glory for ourselves rather than for God. In addition, we also often fail to see the true Kingdom of Jesus, which is not of this world.

Jesus never indicated that commandments are not important. He does indicate that two commandments summarize all of them. But even agreeing with this assessment is not enough to be "in" the Kingdom. Hear Jesus' message of love and law to an unnamed scribe.

These two kings, one the penultimate king of Israel, the other the last of the kings "like" Joash in Judah, lived with their people in the undercurrents of judgment to come. One "evil" and the other "good" how does the LORD teach us in these times to live in our own times?

When a nation spirals down into assassinations, chaos and a vacuum of leadership, God does not simply go away. It turns out that God has been there all along, sometimes in judgment and sometimes in great preserving grace.

Q&A followed by closing address on Covenant Theology: "The Administration of the Covenant of Grace - Fulfillment in Christ"