The Messiah is an important person. “Messiah” is the same word as “Christ” or “Anointed One.” He issomeone who has been anticipated for a long time. Now we look at a time when his arrival is imminent!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 ask Christ to empowerus to do just that. We rejoice because God fulfills all his promises in Jesus.

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 judge is an important person. You stand when he enters the courtroom. What he says must be obeyed. If you are the one on trial, his determinations make a big difference in how your life will continue. You might be quite nervous if the judge is about to arrive. John invited people to turn their nervousness to repentance. He says that the arrival of the Judge is imminent, and the kingdom of heaven is near! You are invited to hear John, repent, and believe the good news of the coming Savior.

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!

Imminent Arrival of the King The king is an important person. His arrival at our place can mean something quite different to us depending on our relationship with him. We might fear his arrival if we expect him to punish us. We might welcome his arrival if we expect him to validate us. Either way, we expect his arrival to be a big deal.  

Advent marks the start of a new Church Year. We begin at the end, watching  for King Jesus to return as the conquering King on the Last Day.  Because he lived, died and rose again to bring us victory over all of our enemies, we  anticipate his imminent arrival not with worry but with 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 @ [email protected]

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

JUDGMENT / PEACE If you were making a list of things that might make society more peaceful, would you include “more judgment”? Likely not. Many people assume that judgement leads to conflict, not peace. However, a lack of judgment is a luxury many cannot afford. Our world is full of victims of abuse, violence, and oppression. In many cases this evil goes unnoticed and unpunished. A future without the hope of judgment means no peace. If there is no hope of judgment, victims would be driven either into total despair or to be consumed by the desire for revenge. A future that includes judgment, however, gives those who are wronged the peace of knowing that one day there will be perfect justice. When we are horribly wronged, what are our options? Taking matters into our own hands? Despair? Jesus provides a better option. Trust that he will keep his promise to return, bringing judgment. The effect of that promise? We have peace, knowing that every wrong will eventually be righted by the one righteous Judge.

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!

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 @ [email protected]

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 @ [email protected]

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 @ [email protected]

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 @ [email protected]

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 @ [email protected]

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 @ [email protected]

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