Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?” It’s the most important question in the world, and it is a question every human being must answer. The expected answer may be dead wrong. Some in Jesus’ day thought he was John the Baptist. Some thought he was the prophet Elijah who had come back from the dead. Today plenty of people believe that Jesus existed. They think that Jesus was a wise teacher or a role model for love. Both answers are expected. Both miss the main point. Jesus is a real human being, the Son of Man. He is also Lord and Savior, the Son of the living God. This unexpected truth is the core of saving 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 @ [email protected]

Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!

All are welcome!” Is that true at our church? Or is church meant only for people of the right heritage who behave the right way, “good church folk”? Is it conceivable that a stranger could walk into church unexpectedly and for some reason you would ask yourself, “What is someone like that doing here?” Or perhaps you ask that question about yourself. “There seem to be godly people here. I’m not like them. Do I really belong?” Today Jesus shows us that the Church is for all people. All of us—regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, or social status—have the same problem of sin. And we all have the same Savior. Anyone who comes to Christ’s Church and cries out “Lord, have mercy!” is welcome.

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 @ [email protected]

Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!

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 @ [email protected]

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 @ [email protected]

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 @ [email protected]

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 @ [email protected]

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 @ [email protected]

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 @ [email protected]

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 @ [email protected]

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 @ [email protected]

Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!