There are invitations we might be tempted to reject: an invitation to an event you are not interested in, an invitation to a party that takes place at the same time as something else you want to do. There are other invitations which people would say you’ve lost your mind to reject: an invitation to go on a free tropical vacation, an invitation to go backstage and meet your favorite musical group, an invitation to the Super Bowl. We get so many invitations. Some we accept; others we reject.

Where does God’s invitation to participate in his heavenly banquet rank? Scripture often pictures eternal life as a joyful party, full of friends and family, laughter, and the finest foods. Through a story Jesus teaches us how ridiculous it would be to reject God’s gracious invitation to that eternal celebration. More, Jesus tells us what we need to get into that best of all banquets.

The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 22:1-14.

This is Part 3 in our worship series - Tell Us a Story.

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

For the past few weeks, Jesus has told us stories about his kingdom, about following him, about life with him. Yet what will we tell others about him? When Jesus told that trio of stories, he did so on the Tuesday of Holy Week. Mere days later, Jesus would give his life on a cross. Three days after that, he would take that life back up again by rising from the dead. Why did Jesus do all that? Why come into our world in the first place? Why live a perfect life in a world so opposed to him? Why give his life for a world full of people who deserved it not? Why conquer death? All that he did because he loves us with an endless, undeserved love. For that reason, we share that story of our Savior’s love—the good news that sins are forgiven, troubled hearts are at peace, and dying souls find life through our Savior Jesus Christ. What a story to tell!

The Bible reading for this message is Acts 8:26-39.

Video for this message can be found here.

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

Patience is a virtue. But can too much patience be a vice? If you are too patient, waiting to see if that pain in your stomach goes away with time, you might make a problem worse. If you are too patient with an incompetent employee, you will lose productivity before the inevitable—his firing—occurs anyway. Too much patience would seem not to be a virtue, but reckless behavior.

Yet that is exactly what God demonstrates to a rebellious human race—reckless patience. Through a story Jesus teaches exactly what God’s patience means for us.

The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 21:33-43.

Video for this message can be found here.

This is Part 2 in our worship series - Tell Us a Story.

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

You have maybe heard the accusation or perhaps even made it yourself: “He’s so fake!” That charge claims someone’s friendliness or kindness is a sham. Such insincerity bothers us. We would generally rather someone be honest about how they feel about us than be fake.

Through a story Jesus teaches us that God feels the same. God doesn’t want us to simply go through religious motions like some sort of show. He sees right through that. God’s desire is that our repentance would demonstrate sincere sorrow over sin. God wants us to see the grace and forgiveness he has shown us in Christ, and in response, to love him back deeply and sincerely.

The Bible reading for this message is Matthew 21:23-32.

Video for this message can be found here.

This is Part 1 in our worship series - Tell Us a Story.

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

When you look at the world around us, it’s easy to think that life isn’t fair. Some suffer though they seem to have no reason or explanation for it. Others have to deal with the consequences of the actions or decisions of others. Still others do not receive the justice they deserve. We all have an incredibly strong sense of fairness. That is why it can be so perplexing when we see how God dispenses blessing and grace. We see people who mock God who are more prosperous than believers. We see people who convert on their deathbed.

If we think God isn’t being fair, we need to remember the Lord does not give us what we deserve. If he did, we would be separated from him for all eternity. Instead, he does the most unfair thing possible. He forgives us of our sins. He treats us as if we have never sinned. He loves us so much that he punishes Jesus for our sins. Yes, it’s true. God isn’t fair, but that is because our God is breathtakingly generous.

The Bible reading for this message is Jonah 3:10-4:11.

Video for this message can be found here.

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

“Pay it forward.” That phrase means that when someone does something for you, instead of paying that person back directly, you pass along kindness to another person instead. Doing something kind for someone else is a way of thanking the person who originally did something kind for you.

Today God applies that concept to forgiveness. God forgave our countless sins. He was willing to pay an incomprehensible price—the death of his Son. Obviously, we will never have occasion do the same for God. We will never have to forgive God because everything he does for us shows perfect love and care. God never wrongs us. But others may do us wrong. Others may cause us pain. And when we are quick to forgive, it is one way we thank God for being so quick to forgive us. This is what God wants in his Church—people who, like him, are quick to forgive.

The Bible reading for this message is Genesis 50:15-21.

Video for this message can be found here.

This is Part 5 in our worship series - The Church God Wants.

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

Imagine, late one night, you notice the house across the street is on fire. You see no activity inside. You say to yourself, “Pounding on the door in the middle of the night might scare the family. I’m sure they’ll realize what’s going on eventually.” Ridiculous! You would never do that! To let a family sleep while flames surround them would be cruel. Your inaction would make you a killer. The truth is you would pound on their door at 3 am, screaming. You would throw a brick through their front window if that was what it took to warn them. You would not care if it startled the family. This is a matter of life and death! Love compels you to do whatever it takes.

God wants the people of his church to be willing to say hard things to people when that is what is necessary to save them from an even worse type of fire. Warning against sin is not easy. It upsets people, even offends them. But saying hard things is the loving thing to do when it is a matter of eternal life and death.

The Bible reading for this message is Galatians 2:11-16.

Video for this message can be found here.

This is Part 4 in our worship series - The Church God Wants.

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

Some churches teach that if one follows God, God responds by granting prosperity and peace. Today Jesus teaches that is nonsense. The Son of God tells us that if we are his disciple, if we are part of his Church, we will have to bear crosses. Believers will suffer in this world, oftentimes for no other reason than they are believers. It is painful to struggle against the temptations and priorities of this world. It can be agonizing to face the same scorn and ridicule Jesus faced.

Why bother? We carry our crosses in gratitude for Jesus carrying his cross, one too heavy for us to bear because it was weighted down with our sin. We carry our crosses because we know that in those moments of struggle, we are forced to turn to Christ and rely on his strength. The church takes up its crosses, because this is the Christian path, the one Jesus himself walked: first the cross, then the crown.

The Bible reading for this message is Jeremiah 15:15-21.

This is Part 3 in our worship series - The Church God Wants.

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

Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Make no mistake. That is the most important question in the world. And it is a question every human must answer. A complimentary answer can still be dead wrong. Some in Jesus’ day thought he was John the Baptist or the prophet Elijah come back from the dead. Complimentary, but dead wrong. Today plenty of people believe Jesus existed. They believe he was a wise teacher or a role model for love. Complimentary, but dead wrong if missing the main point.

Jesus is both Lord and Savior, the Messiah, the Son of the living God. This truth is the core of saving faith. It is the central message God has called our church to proclaim. What does God want in a church? He wants a church that really knows Jesus.

The Bible reading for this message is Exodus 34:5-9.

Video for this worship service can be found here.

This is Part 2 in our worship series - The Church God Wants.

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Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.

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

“All are welcome!” Is that true at our church? Historically, it rarely is true. In the gospels, the average Jewish person would have thought it odd, even offensive, if someone who wasn’t an Israelite walked into their place of worship. Taking it a step further, some of the Jewish religious leaders would imply that church was meant for those who zealously followed religious customs and traditions. Those were “good church folk.” So church was meant for people of the right heritage and who behaved the right way. What about us? Is it conceivable that a stranger could walk into our church and for some reason you would ask yourself, “What is someone like that doing here?” Or, just perhaps, you are asking that question about yourself? “There are some seemingly godly people here. I’m not like them. Do I really belong?”

Jesus shows us that God wants church to be 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. Therefore, anyone who comes to Christ’s Church and cries out, “Lord, have mercy!” is more than welcome.

The Bible reading for this message is Ephesians 2:13-22.

Video for this worship service can be found here.

This is Part 1 in our worship series - The Church God Wants.

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Messages from the King is produced by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.

To find out more about King of Kings...

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