Authority – God’s Loving Rule: Joshua to 2 Samuel

If you could turn in your Bibles to Joshua. I haven't got a page number.

I always encourage people to have a Bible.

And today we, I don't want to say especially need a Bible, we always need a Bible,

but we're going to be looking at a lot today.

We're going to be covering a thousand years, at least, and about six books.

So that's why you need a Bible to be able to follow along as we look at God's big story.

So a thousand years in 30 minutes, thereabouts.

Well, let's pray and ask for God's help.

As we look at his word together.

Our Father God, we thank you for your word, the Bible.

We thank you for the way in which it has been preserved over many hundreds and thousands of years for us today.

Your word written down in our language.

So that we today can hear the voice of God speaking to us.

Father, we ask for the help of your Holy Spirit that we may understand better the big story of God.

And what it teaches us about you.

And what it says to us about us.

And that we would be people who are shaped by this story.

And who learn what it is to live as your subjects.

People who follow the King of Kings.

We ask for your help this morning in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, to us, it's just another death notice that you would read in the local newspaper.

But for the people of Israel, it was absolutely devastating.

Look at Joshua chapter 1, verse 1.

Joshua 1:1

See what it says?

After the death of Moses.

Now we only need to read his obituary to see what a loss Moses was to the people.

Just look back one page to the very end of Deuteronomy, the book before.

Deuteronomy 34, verse 10.

Deuteronomy 34:10

Here's what appeared in the Israelite daily news the day Moses died, if you like.

Verse 10.

Since then no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,

who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt,

to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land.

For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

So this great leader who had led the people for over 40 years,

bringing them out of slavery from Egypt into a new place,

their leader Moses is now dead.

So what are God's people going to do?

Who's going to lead them now?

Who's going to be the one to speak God's word to them?

Who's going to step in when they fail and fall?

Well, Moses may die,

but God in his love continues to rule over his people through the person he has chosen.

So let's read Joshua chapter 1, verses 1 to 3.

Joshua 1:1–3

It's like a new big section in the story.

Moses has died.

Enter Joshua.

Verse 1.

After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord,

the Lord said to Joshua, son of Nun,

Moses' assistant,

Moses, my servant, is dead.

Now then, you and all these people get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give them to the Israelites.

I will give you every place where you set your foot as I promised Moses.

So leaders may die,

but God in his love continues to provide his people.

And look what happens when God's leaders and his rule is followed.

If you go to the very end of Joshua, chapter 23, verse 14.

Joshua 23:14

The very end of the book.

So Moses has died.

Joshua has raised up.

And God's promises continue.

So look what it says, chapter 23, verse 14.

Now I am about to go to the way of all the earth.

In other words, I am about to die.

You know with all your heart and soul

that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed.

Every promise has been fulfilled.

Not one has failed.

You see, when God's rule is in place,

when his chosen leader is in place,

there is great blessing.

God's rule is always best and always right for his people.

But, when his rule is absent or ignored,

it is disastrous.

Have a look in the next book, Judges, chapter 2, verse 8.

Judges 2:8

Joshua, or Judges, chapter 2, verse 8.

Judges 2:8

Joshua, son of Nun, the servant of the Lord,

but he died at the age of 110.

So, another leader has died,

and we're asking the same question again.

Now what are the people going to do?

Well, look down at verse 10.

After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers,

another generation grew up,

who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.

Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord

and served the Baals.

They forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers,

who had brought them out of Egypt.

They followed and worshipped various gods of the peoples around them.

They provoked the Lord to anger,

because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

In his anger against Israel,

the Lord handed them over to raiders who plundered them.

He sold them to their enemies all around,

whom they were no longer able to resist.

Whenever Israel went out to fight,

the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them,

just as he had sworn to them.

They were in great distress.

Do you see what happens when God's loving rule is ignored and rejected?

When there's no leader in place,

it's just chaos and disorder.

But as we know with the story that we've been looking at so far,

God always continues to provide for his people.

And he continues to restore when things have been broken.

So look down at verse 16 of chapter 2.

Then the Lord raised up judges.

So here come new leaders,

new people,

who saved them out of the hands of the raiders.

Verse 18.

Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them,

he was with the judge,

and he saved them out of the hands of their enemies

as long as the judge lived.

For the Lord had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them.

But when the judge died,

the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers,

following other gods and serving and worshipping them.

They refused to give up their evil practices and their stubborn ways.

You see,

without a leader,

without the rule of God,

the people rebel.

In fact,

the book of Judges ends in absolute anarchy.

Have a look at chapter 21,

verse 25,

right at the very end of the book of Judges.

Judges 21:25

Chapter 21,

verse 25.

When God's loving rule is rejected,

it just brings chaos and disorder,

and it ends in absolute anarchy.

Chapter 21,

verse 25.

In those days,

Israel had no king.

Everyone did as he saw fit.

It's a terrible end

to what has been going on.

Now,

I know some people are studying for their leaving cert.

When I did my leaving cert a few years ago,

on the English syllabus was William Golding's Lord of the Flies.

I don't know if any of you have ever read it.

It's a fictional story

about a group of well-educated English schoolboys

who get marooned on an island,

on this desert island,

a tropical island.

They're without adult supervision.

There's no leadership.

And very quickly,

disorder and chaos begin to reign.

The children,

who are all young teenagers,

all begin to bully each other.

They start fighting with each other,

and they form rival groups.

One of the children

stands out amongst all the rest.

He's given a nickname,

Piggy.

And he kept insisting to everybody else,

we need rules.

And here's what he says.

We've got to have rules and obey them.

After all,

we're not savages.

Which is better,

to have rules and agree,

or go hunting and smashing and breaking things up?

Well,

he got his answer.

Not long after his desire for rules,

Piggy is violently killed by the other children.

You see,

it's a social comment of what happens

when you remove authority from society.

Anarchy.

All hell breaks loose.

And this is what we see around us

every single day.

Everyone,

just as it was at the end of Judges,

everyone does as they see fit.

The only rules are,

there are no rules.

Whether it's the gang lords in Dublin streets,

or our breaking of the speed limit.

Whether it's people's desire to change the Eighth Amendment,

or refusing to pay our water tax.

We don't want to be told what to do.

We want to live as we please.

And all of this is a reflection

of a much deeper and more serious issue.

It's a rejection of God's loving rule.

You see,

life for the nation of Israel

has spiraled into complete disorder.

From the time of Moses,

as they'd come out into the promised land,

or towards it,

things were going well.

But as soon as they start rejecting leadership,

as they start pushing God out the way,

everything descends into chaos.

So they turn

to one of the last remaining priests,

whose name is Samuel.

Have a look at 1 Samuel,

1 Samuel 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8.

So it's a few pages on from Joshua.

You go from Joshua to Ruth,

and then into 1 Samuel,

1 Samuel 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8.

1 Samuel, chapter 8,

1 Samuel 8:4

verse 4.

So all the elders of Israel gathered together,

and they came to Samuel at Ramah.

They said to him,

Samuel, you're old,

and your sons do not walk in your ways.

Now appoint a king to lead us,

such as all the other nations have.

Now it seems very honourable,

doesn't it?

Give us a king.

Maybe they want to get their act together

and start living in a right way.

Well, let's read on.

Verse 6.

But when they said,

give us a king to lead us,

this displeased Samuel.

So he prayed to the Lord,

and the Lord told him,

listen to all that the people are saying to you.

It is not you they have rejected,

but they have rejected me as their king.

As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day,

forsaking me and serving other gods,

so they are doing to you.

You see, the request appears to be good.

But deep down,

it's just another attempt to get rid of God's rule and authority.

Do you see what the people are asking for?

Look back at the end of verse 5.

They say,

we want a king to lead us,

such as all the other nations have.

You see,

we don't want to be God's people anymore.

We want to be like all the other nations.

We want to have a king of our choice.

A king who will do what we tell him to do.

We want to do things our way.

Verse 9.

God responds to them.

Now listen to them.

But warn them solemnly,

and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.

It will be brutal

if they get the king of their choice.

It will be like them going back into Egypt all over again.

We're told what the king would be like.

Verse 17.

Talking about taxes.

He will take a tenth of your flocks,

and yourselves will become his slaves.

When that day comes,

you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen,

and the Lord will not answer you in that day.

But the people refused to listen to Samuel.

No, they said.

We want a king over us.

Then we should be like all the other nations,

with a king to lead us and go out before us

and fight our battles.

Their persistence to get rid of God

is frighteningly similar to today.

Why is it that nations around the world,

nations like North Korea,

Iraq, or Eritrea,

if you read the magazine I referred to earlier,

why have they made it illegal

to worship and to meet as we are right now?

Why is our media open to every kind of worldview,

but silences a biblical view?

Why do our universities and colleges

champion tolerance,

but encourage intolerance towards Christians?

Well, I don't think it's any difference

to what is going on in chapter 8 here,

because we want to be like everyone else.

We don't want God as king.

We want to live as we want

and do as we please

and make rules that we like

and live as ever we want.

Look at verse 21.

When Samuel heard all that the people said,

he repeated it before the Lord.

And the Lord answered,

listen to them

and give them a king.

You see, sometimes God in his judgment

gives us what we keep asking for.

You want a king?

You want to live life without me?

Well, here's your king.

And you can live under your own rules.

And it brought further chaos

and disorder and destruction.

You see, if we persist long enough

in wanting to live life our own way,

we get what we deserve.

And I think as we look across

even our own nation,

across the nations of the world,

why are there in so much turmoil?

Why are nations fighting against others?

Why is there terrorism?

Why is there brokenness?

Because God gives us what we ask for.

A world where there is no king.

Rather a king of our own choice.

A king that we want.

Well, as the story goes on,

they get the king as God had promised.

It was King Saul.

He was a brutal king

who treated them harshly.

But even though

God has been rejected by the people,

God's authority over the people remains.

So look what God has to say about it

in chapter 13, verse 13.

1 Samuel chapter 13.

1 Samuel 13 · chapter mention

So God is speaking to Saul

through Samuel.

Saul is the one who's the king.

But he has something to say to him.

Verse 13.

You acted foolishly,

Samuel said.

You have not kept the command

the Lord your God gave you.

If you had,

he would have established

your kingdom over Israel

for all time.

But now your kingdom

will not endure.

The Lord has sought out a man

after his own heart

and appointed him leader of his people

because you have not kept

the Lord's command.

Do you see this ongoing theme

that we've come across

time after time?

God loves his people.

He's jealous for his people.

He will not give up on the world

that he has created.

So God promises.

He says,

I'm going to step in once again

and I'm going to provide for you

a king of my choice.

A king who has a heart like God.

A king who's going to restore order.

A king who's going to bring blessing.

And that's what we find

that happens.

God installs his own king.

Have a look at 1 Samuel chapter 16

1 Samuel 16 · chapter mention

and verse 1.

The Lord said to Samuel,

How long will you mourn for Saul

since I have rejected him

as king over Israel?

Fill your horn with oil

and be on your way.

I'm sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem.

I have chosen one of his sons

to be king.

So Jesse, the father,

goes and gets all his sons together

except for one,

if you remember the story,

and brings them before Samuel.

Look at verse 7.

But the Lord said to Samuel,

Do not consider his appearance

or his height,

for I have rejected him.

The Lord does not look at the things

man looks at.

Man looks at the outward appearance.

But the Lord looks at the heart.

And so all these brothers,

strong and as rugged

and as brilliant as they are,

they're all rejected.

And one is chosen.

David.

Verse 13.

So Samuel took the horn of oil

and anointed him,

that's David,

in the presence of his brothers.

And from that day on,

the Spirit of the Lord

came upon David in power.

Samuel then went to Ramah.

You see,

this is how God works.

He provides the king

of his choice.

He had called Moses.

He had called Joshua.

He had raised up judges

to rescue and deliver.

And now he brings his own king,

David,

and puts him in place.

And when David became king,

well, life under King David

was great.

It was a time of peace

and prosperity.

The people were living

under God's loving rule.

They had rest

from all their enemies.

Things were the way

they were meant to be.

It was almost as if

they were back

in the Garden of Eden

all over again.

Living under God's rule.

In relationship with God.

Enjoying rest

and prosperity.

But what God was going

to do through David

was only a taste

of something greater to come.

For God would make a promise

to David.

Go on to 2 Samuel chapter 7.

2 Samuel 7 · chapter mention

2 Samuel chapter 7.

2 Samuel 7 · chapter mention

And here God makes

this amazing promise

to King David.

We'll pick it up

in verse 11.

Halfway through verse 11.

The Lord declares to you

that the Lord himself

will establish a house for you.

Not a physical building

made of bricks

and mortar and wood

but a dynasty.

A family.

The Lord himself

will establish a house for you.

When your days are over

and you rest with your fathers

I will raise up

your offspring

to succeed you.

He will come

from your own body

and I will establish

his kingdom.

He is the one

who will build a house

for my name

and I will establish

the throne of his kingdom

forever.

I will be his father

and he shall be my son.

When he does wrong

I will punish him

with the rod of men

with floggings

inflicted by men.

But my love

will never be taken

away from him

as I took it away

from Saul

whom I removed

from before you.

Your house

and your kingdom

shall endure

forever before me.

Your throne

shall be established

forever.

You see

it's the promise

of another king

to come.

But this king

is going to be

different

to every other

kind of king

that there's been.

First

he's going to be

a king

like God.

He's going to be

a king

like God.

Look back at

verse 14.

He says,

I will be his father

and he shall be

my son.

Now years ago

going back a long

long way

sons usually did

what their fathers did.

So if your father

happened to be

a blacksmith

well there was a good

chance that your son

would become a blacksmith

or if he was a baker

he would become

a baker.

sons did

what their fathers

did.

And that's the idea

that we have

in verse 14.

The son

is going to do

what the father

does.

In other words

God is saying

a king is going

to come

who will be

just like

me.

Just as God

rules over his

people

so this

son who

comes

will rule

just like

God.

He will act

justly and

fairly.

He will be a

king with

absolute power

and supreme

authority.

So this promise

is going to be

a king like

God.

Second

this is a

king

who will

endure

forever.

Look at

verse 16.

He says

to David

your house

your kingdom

shall endure

forever before

me.

Your throne

shall be

established

forever.

Now if we

know anything

about this

we read this

and we go

David that his

kingdom is going

to reign

forever and

ever.

Well we only

need to read

on a little

bit longer

and we

realize that

David dies.

So how can

this go on

forever and

ever?

Well the only

way it can go

on forever and

ever

is for a

king who

would come

who would

live forever

and ever.

A king

without end.

A king

who is

eternal

and whose

rule never

comes to

an end.

And for

us reading

it it seems

impossible that

that could

happen.

But on the

basis of

everything that

God has

promised and

fulfilled so

far in the

story we

would be silly

to discount

it.

So there's

going to come

a king like

God.

A king who

will rule

forever.

And a

king who's

going to

bring blessing.

If you

flick on to

verse 28

look at how

David responds

to what God

promises.

In verse 28

David says

this,

O sovereign

Lord you

are God.

Your words

are trustworthy

and you

have promised

these things

these good

things to

your servant.

Now be

pleased to

bless the

house of

your servant

that it

may continue

forever in

your sight.

For you

O sovereign

Lord have

spoken and

with your

blessing the

house of

your servant

will be

blessed

forever.

forever.

So this

king like

God who's

going to

rule forever

is going to

bring eternal

blessing.

So instead of

the curse of

death there's

going to be

the blessing

of life.

Instead of

disorder and

chaos there's

going to be

beauty and

harmony.

Everything is

going to be

put right again

when this

king comes.

But there's

something else

about this

king that

strikes us as

very very

disturbing.

You might

have picked

it up if

you go back

to verse

14.

Read carefully

what verse

14 says.

I will be

his father

and he

shall be

my son.

When he

does wrong

I will

punish him

with the

rod of

men

with floggings

inflicted

by men.

the father

will punish

his son

who is

a king.

Now it

seems completely

out of place

doesn't it?

How could a

king like

God who

rules forever

and brings

eternal blessing

be punished?

Why would

the father

do that?

And what

would the son

do that was

so wrong

that he

deserves

punishment?

Well as

we follow

through the

story in

search of

this promise

God does

raise up

new kings

to take

the place

of David

and all

seems to

be going

well.

The kingdom

gets bigger

and stronger.

The blessings

keep coming.

Everything is

right and

good but

within two

generations

everything is

once again

falling apart.

The great

big kingdom

gets divided

in two

as the

families begin

to fight

against each

other.

We have

Israel to

the north

and Judah

to the south

and each

kingdom

have their

own kings

but the

vast majority

of these

kings turn

against God

and they

reject his

loving rule

and instead

of leading

the people

back to God

they lead

them into

further rebellion

and God

is watching

out throughout

these years

and he

continues to

intervene.

He raises

up good

kings to

restore order

but he

keeps repeating

this warning

to them.

He says

if you

persist

I will

bring my

judgment.

If you

keep turning

against me

my judgment

will come.

And over

a period

of 400

years

of God

patiently

waiting for

the people

to turn

from their

ways

God

eventually

brings

his

judgment.

Israel

as the

northern

kingdom

is

completely

destroyed

by

Assyria

and 150

years later

Judah

is taken

over by

the Babylonian

kingdom

and they

end up

in exile.

It's like

God's people

are slaves

back in

Egypt

all over

again.

They've gone

full cycle

having been

kicked out

of the

Garden

of Eden

where they

ended up

in Egypt

and now

they're back

in as

slaves again

under a

foreign

strange

ruler.

God

may reject

the kings

and God

may bring

his judgment

on his

people

but God

does not

forget the

promises

he has

made.

You see

as people

persist

in rejecting

his loving

rule

so God

persists

in rescuing

rebellious

people

and bringing

about the

king

and the

kingdom

that he

has promised.

So just

as God

had promised

David

that he

would raise

up a king

who would

reign forever

that king

arrives.

Have a look

at Luke's

gospel

chapter 1

in the

New Testament.

Luke

Luke 1:31

chapter 1

verse 31.

So from

the time

of God's

people going

into exile

into

Babylon

there was

never a

king who

came again.

They are

kingless

without a

leader

without a

ruler to

take care

of the

nation

and so

the people

have been

waiting for

God's

promise

to be

fulfilled

and in

Luke

Luke 1:31

chapter 1

verse 31

or verse

30 we

read these

words.

The angel

said to her

do not

be afraid

Mary

you have

found

favour

that is

grace

has come

upon you

and you

will be

with child

and give

birth to a

son and

you are to

give him

the name

Jesus.

But look

how different

this child

will be.

He will

be great

and will

be called

the son

of the

most high.

This is

God's

son.

And the

Lord God

will give

him the

throne of

his father

David and

he will

reign over

the house

of Jacob

forever.

His

kingdom

will never

end.

God

so a

king like

God

comes

an

eternal

king

a

king

who

brings

blessing

as he

offers

forgiveness

to people

and

restoration

of their

lives

as they

repent

of their

sins

a

king

who

brings

peace

and

brings

order

out of

the

disorder

as he

calms

the rough

seas

as he

provides

for those

who have

nothing

as he

heals

the sick

and he

raises

the dead

he brings

about

the

kingdom

that

people

have

been

searching

for

and

looking

for

and

everything

is

beginning

to be

put

right

you see

Jesus

Christ

is

God's

chosen

king

not

just

for

Israel

but

for

the

nations

for

the

world

and

as

he

comes

with

all

power

and

all

authority

he

demands

that

people

listen

to

him

that

people

obey

him

that

people

follow

him

and

submit

to

his

authority

he

can

claim

and

say

listen

to

me

and

follow

me

but

just

as

Israel

rejected

God's

loving

rule

so

we

along

with

everybody

else

have

rejected

God's

loving

son

like

the

crowds

at the

cross

where

Jesus

hung

we

have

we

have

we

have

we

have

we

have

we

have

joined

in

the

cry

crucify

him

crucify

him

we

have

made

a

mockery

of

him

and

we

put

a

crown

of

thorns

on

his

head

and

go

some

king

you

are

why

because

we

want

to

live

as

we

please

because

we

don't

want

anyone

telling

us

how

to

live

look

at the

final

scene

of

Jesus

death

on

the

cross

Luke

Luke 23 · chapter mention

chapter

23

Luke

Luke 23 · chapter mention

chapter

23

God's

king

has

come

God's

loving

king

who

had

done

all

that

God

would

promise

reaching

out

to

the

broken

healing

restoring

forgiving

renewing

but

yet

he

hangs

on

a

cross

verse

35

of

chapter

23

the

people

stood

watching

and

the

rulers

even

sneered

at

him

they

said

he

saved

others

let

him

save

himself

as

he

is

Christ

of

God

the

chosen

one

verse

39

one

of

the

criminals

who

hung

there

hurled

their

insults

at

him

aren't

you

the

Christ

well

then

save

yourself

and

us

but

the

other

criminal

rebuked

him

don't

you

fear

God

he

said

since

you

are

under

the

same

sentence

we

are

punished

justly

for

we

are

getting

what

our

deeds

deserve

but

this

man

has

done

nothing

wrong

remember

what God

had promised

to David

that the

father would

punish

his son

with the

rod of

men

with the

floggings

inflicted

by men

but not

because he

had done

anything

wrong

he

was

innocent

but he

died

in our

place

because

we

had

done

wrong

this

king

comes

and

serves

you

and I

by

giving

of his

life

for

us

the

loving

king

takes

the

blame

for

our

rebellion

and

our

rejection

verse

42

then

he

said

Jesus

remember

me

when

you

come

into

your

kingdom

and

Jesus

answered

him

I

tell

you

the

truth

today

you

will

be

with

me

in

paradise

you

see

this

king

who

has

died

three

days

later

would

rise

again

from

the

grave

defeating

death

destroying

Satan

reigning

to live

forever

and

forever

and he

rules

today

with

absolute

power

and

supreme

authority

seated

on his

throne

above

all

else

and

one

day

this

king

is

going

to

come

again

king

Jesus

will

burst

into

this

world

and

he

will

bring

his

judgment

on

all

those

who

refuse

him

and

that

separation

will

not

just

be

slavery

in

a

country

but

it

will

be

slavery

for

eternity

in

hell

itself

but

if

we

turn

and

we

trust

in

this

king

just

as

the

criminal

did

those

words

are

true

for

us

you

will

be

with

me

in

paradise

forever

you

will

be

part

of

God's

eternal

kingdom

where

everything

is put

right

where

there

is

no

more

death

no

more

suffering

no

more

pain

the

home

of

blessing

the

garden

of

Eden

just

as

it's

meant

to

be

and

so

we

stay

here

today

because

God

has

us

in

place

if

you

flick

over

to

Luke

Luke 24 · chapter mention

chapter

24

he

tells

his

disciples

in

verse

48

sorry

verse

46

Jesus

said

to

his

disciples

this

is

what

is

written

that

Christ

will

suffer

and

rise

from

the

dead

on

the

third

day

and

repentance

and

forgiveness

of

sins

will

be

preached

in

his

name

to

all

nations

beginning

at

Jerusalem

and

you

are

witnesses

of

these

things

and

I

am

going

to

send

you

what

my

father

has

promised

but

stay

in

the

city

until

you

have

been

clothed

with

power

from

on

high

so

just

as

those

disciples

were

sent

by

the

risen

King

Jesus

to

go

and

declare

the

message

of

the

King

so

we

are

here

today

as

the

subjects

of

the

King

sent

with

that

same

message

into

our

community

to

our

nation

to

the

nations

of

the

world

calling

on

people

to

repent

to

be

forgiven

that

they

too

might

enter

into

God's

eternal

kingdom

one

day

King

Jesus

will

return

are

we

ready

to

meet

him

but

more

importantly

maybe

we

should

be

asking

are

we

ready

to

bring

that

message

so

that

our

friends

our

family

our

community

is

ready

to

meet

the

King

let's

pray

together

father

while we

have

traveled

through

a

thousand

years

and

more

of

history

through

it

all

and

even

now

you

remain

King

and

Lord

over

all

you

are

in

charge

and

so

we

bow

and

we

submit

before

you

today

we

thank

you

that

you

have

given

to

us

the

perfect

King

the

one

who

has

died

in

our

place

risen

again

with

all

power

and

authority

sending

us

as