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© 2025 Messages from the King
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Sermons from King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL - For more information, visit VisitKoK.com.
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Most people fear death to some degree. Some fear death because they assume it is the end. Others fear death because they assume it isn’t the end at all, but that there is some sort of reckoning after death which might not go well for them. And have you seen what happens to a dead body? It is far from pretty. So, it is understandable that most people would fear death. Not so for those to whom God has given a top-down faith. Christianity teaches that for God’s children death is not discipline b...
As another chapter in the life of our King of Kings family comes to a close today, we find encouragement, comfort, and even joy in Christ, as he calls us to go and carry out the gospel work he has entrusted to his Church. This is our God-given task, our labor in the Lord. Yet such mission and ministry work can be difficult, tedious, even frustrating. People reject the gospel or close their ears to what God says to them in his Word. Growth, whether spiritual or physical, comes slowly or at le...
What does life in the family of God look like? What did Jesus intend for us while we live with one another as blood-bought brothers and sisters in Christ? On the night he was betrayed, Jesus commanded his disciples to “Love one another.” (John 13:34-35) What does that mean? Why love one another? What does that look like? Loving one another in the family of God means understanding how and why God loves each of us. God does not love us because of anything we have done or deserved or decided. Ra...
Are you ready for what’s coming? The forces of darkness are arraying against us—the devil, the sinful world, even our own sinful natures within us, and their goal is to win the war for our souls. There is no compromise, no peace treaty, no negotiations with these enemies arrayed against us—only an expectation of unconditional surrender and enslavement to their control. These forces of darkness threaten to overwhelm us on every side. What do we do? Through his Word, our Lord readies us for bat...
No Christian teaching demonstrates that we have a top-down faith more than the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Scripture teaches that there is only one God. Yet that God exists as three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Incomprehensible! It is the type of teaching about which the psalmist declares, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain” (Psalm 139:6). We believe in the Triune God without fully comprehending his existence, simply because the Spirit has...
Jesus told his disciples that, though he was going to ascend into heaven, he wasn’t going to leave them alone. He was going to send “the Advocate,” a title for the Holy Spirit. But Jesus wasn’t sending the Spirit just to keep us company. Jesus would have the Advocate give us spiritual power so that we might participate in Christ’s saving work. Here is the final resurrection reality. The Spirit gives us the ability to raise the spiritually dead to life. The Bible reading for this message is A...
The entirety of God’s Word can be summed up in one word: love. God’s Law is all about love. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37,39). The gospel is all about love: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…” (John 3:16). From his compassion for the sick and broken, to his sacrificial death on the cross, to the peace he provided after his resurrection, Jesus was the perfect embodiment of love. Love is his business...
Generally, our actions are shaped by our beliefs. People who eat low-carb diets do so, probably not because they hate pasta, but because they believe it healthiest. If a man buys stock in a company, it probably is because he believes in their business plan. Our beliefs shape our behavior. This is true of Christians’ belief in the resurrection. We believe that Christ’s resurrection means our resurrection to a glorious eternal life is guaranteed. That inevitably shapes how we will act now. ...
Scripture frequently pictures spiritual care in terms of a shepherd watching over sheep. Even folks unfamiliar with shepherding are able to grasp the meaning. Sheep are helpless animals—an easy meal for predators. For sheep to survive they needed a shepherd who not only leads them to sources of food, but who also is willing to tangle with a pack of wolves. Jesus is such a shepherd. He proved he is willing to lay down his life for his sheep. The word “pastor” comes from the Latin word for “sh...
A platitude is a statement aimed at helping sooth some sort of emotional unease. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Or “Life is a mystery.” Or “Good things come to those who wait.” While platitudes may be well-intentioned, at best they come off as trite. And since platitudes provide no real help, they can actually make a situation worse. Tell the one whose heart is shattering, “Life is a mystery.” They won’t appreciate your platitude or you. The resurrection gives believers the abil...
In most world religions, the alleged foundational event was experienced by only one person. A self-proclaimed prophet would allege he alone had some special encounter with God. “No really! Just trust me. It really happened.” The resurrection reality is so very different. In the Great Resurrection Chapter (1 Corinthians 15), St. Paul writes an entire paragraph listing all the people to whom Jesus appeared after he rose, including a group of over five hundred at one time. It is like St. Paul is...
Studies have shown that most people fear death to varying degrees. One of the biggest reasons people fear death is the perception of its permanency. In the normal realm of human existence, dead is dead. Someone dies, and all you have are pictures and memories. That is the way people typically think, but it is far from reality. Today, Christ proves to us that death is not final at all! Easter teaches us that Christ is the first fruits of those who have died. Just as Christ rose, “so in Christ...
It would not be productive to look for help in a cemetery. A corpse can do only one thing—rot. This is the source of the crushing sorrow Jesus’ followers felt. He was the one in whom they had placed all their hope for a better reality. Now he was dead, so they thought. They were overwhelmed with sorrow, not just because they missed their friend. It now all seemed so pointless: the years and miles following Jesus, witnessing his miracles, listening to him. He was dead! And a corpse can only do...
We use the word “appetite” to describe a powerful desire for something. So, what is it you crave the most? Where does your mind go in those quiet moments? What do you want? Power? What do you dream about? Prestige? For what do you hunger? Pleasure? Are our appetites healthy? A truly healthy appetite is one that aligns with our deepest needs: forgiveness, salvation, communion with God, loving relationships with others. The believer is ravenous for such things! And all of those blessings are ...
Most religions believe in a powerful God. It is assumed that God will use that strength for the benefit of his followers. That is a reasonable assumption, but it begs the question. What is real strength? It is easy to assume that real strength means exerting your will over another by using any means necessary, including force. But this week we see Jesus Christ demonstrate a different kind of strength. We have come to Holy Week. It begins with Jesus humbly riding a donkey colt straight into t...
When we feel that the world is against us, it is easy to feel self-pity. We make ourselves the victims and wallow in our trouble. Jesus refused to do that, though. Rather, he felt compassion for those he knew would suffer after him and even forgave those crucifying him. Likewise, rather than pitying ourselves, we feel pity for those who have no idea of the destruction that awaits them and want them to know the Father’s forgiveness. The Bible reading for this message is Luke 23:26-34. Video...
Religious sociologists sometimes divide Christians into two groups: committed Christians and cultural Christians. The former are usually defined as those who are active in a congregation, who pray regularly, who read Scripture, etc. The latter are those individuals who call themselves Christian and perhaps have some Christian beliefs. Yet, they do not strive to live a Christian life. They are not interested in church involvement. Those definitions are interesting when trying to understand s...
Whether Pilate’s tone was sincere or sneering or something else, he expressed what may be the most important question in our day: What is truth? Pilate clearly was not on the side of truth, at least not Jesus’ truth. We can be tempted to question God’s truth, especially with the seeming uncertainty of everything going on around us. However, God has given us truth in a person: his only Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus stood before Pilate as a real flesh and blood person. He gave his real life as a pay...
While not every religion uses the word “sin,” they all embrace the concept. Every religion acknowledges that mankind’s flawed attitudes or misguided actions are a source of pain, both now and potentially in eternity. So, every religion offers a solution: a set of laws, a moral code, a path to more enlightened behavior. What do they have in common? We are to solve sin through human effort. Be better! Try harder! This is the heart of every false religion. Those who correctly understand they wil...
The unbelieving world has always insisted on putting God on trial. As our society becomes more secular, we Christians are increasingly aware of the many ways in which God—and his people—are judged. Temptations are many in this environment, so how do we live as people of God in this hostile world? We find our model—and our motivation—in Jesus. This midweek series takes us back to the moments when God was literally on trial before humankind in the person of Christ. In these inspired episodes, w...
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