Preparing for the Lord's Day
Kingdoms in Conflict
Norman Buwalda was the chairman of the Canadian Exotic Animal Owner's Association. As the chairman, he fought tirelessly for the right of individuals to keep exotic animals in their homes. He personally owned a 600 lbs. Siberian tiger. I believe this is a terrible idea. Eventually, wild animals show their wild side. Owning a wolf or a bear or a tiger might be novel and fun for a season but eventually, they will hear the call of the wild. Why invite such a dangerous animal into your home? Get a big dog or a fat cat. Why attempt to domestic that which cannot be tamed? As you can imagine one day Mr. Buwalda went to feed his pet tiger dinner and became dinner, himself.
Any sane person can see Mr. Buwalda’s foolishness. Yet we often act in a similar way when it comes to sin. We think that we can tame it. We think that we can keep it close. But the word of God tells us,
Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 ESV)
In our passage for this Sunday, we read that Ahab the king of Israel sought to make friends with a foreign king from Syria, Ben-hadad. This king had attacked Israel multiple times. He had sought Israel’s enslavement. Nevertheless, after the Lord miraculously saves Israel Ahab embraces Ben-hadad as a brother. The Lord gives us the grace to see our enemies destroyed but so often we invite them into our homes and embrace the very enemies from which we have received salvation. To come prepared for the sermon take time this week to read and to meditate upon 1 Kings 20, Mark 5:1-20, Ephesians 1:21, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, Revelation 19:11-16, and Westminster Shorter Catechism #26.
This week we will celebrate that sacrament of the Lord’s Supper during our worship service. As we receive the elements of bread and wine look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. For as we physically receive the signs of the Lord’s body and blood, spiritually we feed upon him and all his benefits. Our hymns for this week include “All People That on Earth Do Dwell,” “Jesus Paid it All,” and “Psalm 117.”
Text: 1 Kings 20
Title: The Grace of Our King
Outline:
Our King's Grace to Restrain our Enemies (vv. 1-22)
Our King's Grace to Conquer our Enemies (vv. 23-30a)
Our King's Grace to Destroy our Enemies (vv. 30b-43)