We’re briefly pausing our study on 1 Samuel to celebrate the Sanctity of Human Life. On January 13, 1984, President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation designating January 22 as the first National Sanctity of Human Life Day (January 22, 1973, was the day the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion-on-demand in all 50 states).

On the third Sunday in January, churches around the country celebrate God’s gift of life, commemorate the many lives lost to abortion, and commit themselves to protect human life. As many of you know, Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Dobbs decision on June 24, 2022. However, it didn’t outlaw abortion; rather, it made it a state issue.

So in light of that, Rev. Doug Hart preached on the Sanctity of Human life this Sunday morning from Genesis 1:26-31.

So what Paul teaches us here in Philippians 4:2-9 is not how to deal with false teaching, but rather, how to deal with the petty, insignificant, disagreements that inevitably arise within the church. But he doesn’t stop there. He goes on to give life advice for promoting the peace and purity of the church.

Paul gives us three directives in this passage: The first remedy for handling a petty disagreement in the church is to seek unity in the Lord (vv. 2-3), second, we should pursue joy and gentleness in our interactions with one another (vv. 4-5), and lastly, we should focus on the true, lovely, and excellent (vv. 6-9).

Royal births throughout history have been marked by magnificence and celebration. Bonfires were lit, bells rang, and nations feasted when heirs to the throne were born. Yet, the birth of the greatest King—Jesus—was marked by an entirely different kind of celebration. Shepherds, not dignitaries, heard the first royal announcement, and their fields became the setting for angelic praise. This was not the start of an earthly kingdom; it was the inauguration of God’s eternal and heavenly reign.

You would expect kings’ missions to further their own wealth, power, and accomplishments in order to make their own name great and once they’ve reached the pinnacle of greatness to stop and revel in it.

Which is why Jesus fulfilling the office of a king is so different. His mission wasn’t to build his own wealth or increase his power. His mission wasn’t to take lives, but to lay down his own life in order to save his people from their sins. Jesus’ mission as a king was primarily spiritual in nature.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been looking at different components that Jesus fulfilled and accomplished as a king. Last week we looked at the king’s arrival, this week we’ll be looking at the king’s message, next week, we’ll look at the king’s mission, and we’ll conclude on Christmas Eve with the king’s kingdom.

This is the sort of fanfare you’d expect for a king: You’d expect the streets to be lined, and thousands of people waiting where he will deliver a speech to the people.

And yet, the greatest king to ever set foot on the earth didn’t have a reception quite like that. In fact, very few people knew of his arrival and some of those people were shepherds.

The good news of the promised King’s arrival is the greatest source of joy for all people.

Isaiah 9:6-7 isn’t a prophecy about a random child, it’s a promise of a righteous and eternal King who will bring peace, justice, and stability—qualities that stood in sharp contrast to the fear and instability surrounding Ahaz during his reign.

What Ahaz and most of us for that matter often forget is that the things that consume so much of our time and attention, our immediate circumstances are the least of our problems. Humanity’s primary problem is spiritual - we need salvation from our sin.

And that’s precisely what Isaiah told Ahaz. Don’t put your trust in an army, put your trust in the child of promise, Jesus Christ.

This Sunday we had the privilege of having Rev. John Carroll preach from Matthew 6:5-15.

On Sunday, we were honored to have Dr. Jonathan Master, President of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, preach at Providence.

One of the things that the Reformation did was restore a proper understanding of God’s grace. As I’m sure you can imagine, there would have been mass confusion over God’s grace. Is it something that can be bought?

No doubt, God’s grace was misunderstood during the time of the Reformation, but God’s grace continues to be misunderstood today. Fewer people seem to think it’s something that can be bought, but other misunderstandings have taken its place.

Hopefully, Romans 11:1-6 now makes a little more sense. Because it’s precisely what the Apostle Paul is doing in this portion of Romans 11 - he was helping the church in Rome better understand God’s grace.

This past Sunday we had the privilege of having Rev. Doug Hart preach from Psalm 111.

This past Sunday we had the privilege of having Rev. Doug Hart preach from Psalm 110.

This past Sunday, we had the privilege of having Rev. Taylor King preach from 1 John 2:28-3:3.

If someone was to ask you how Christ’s resurrection is impacting your life right now, what would you say? Even for the seasoned Christian it’s a difficult question.

Well, that’s precisely the question that Peter answers for us in our passage. We learn from 1 Peter 1:3-9 that Christians can have great hope (v. 3), security (vv. 4-7), and assurance (vv. 8-9) in life because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the King, but what we see in Zechariah 9:9-10 is that Jesus’ Kingship and Kingdom was not established by the tip of the sword, but rather through the humility of the cross.

This Sunday we had the privilege of having Rev. John Carroll preach from 2 Corinthians 9:8.

A successful career, wealth, and personal autonomy are not what will give value or meaning to your life.

Only faith in Jesus Christ gives your life meaning. And then, out of His abundant grace, God bestows more blessing upon you, like the blessing of your family.

Your legacy will not be in your work; your lasting legacy will be in your home.

May we all abandon worldly hope, self-reliance and empty religion, and look where Micah points us - a humble shepherd-king born in Bethlehem who came to make peace for us all by the blood of his cross.

Just as God led the people of Israel out of bondage and slavery, so Jesus leads you and me out of bondage and slavery.

God states that he is worthy of all glory, therefore, you and I should believe that he is worthy of all glory.

Why does God need to be glorified? Why should we glorify him? And lastly, is it even possible to glorify him?