SERMON  NOTES: 1/29/12

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Deuteronomy 18:15-20

How Do We Know?

INTRODUCTION:  A group of children were asked to name the most amazing invention of all time.  The answers were about what you would expect –   iPods and iPads, Wii and Xbox and the like.  But then one little boy said the Thermos.   The surprised teacher asked him why he thought the Thermos was the most amazing invention of all time, and he said, “It keeps hot things hot.  It keeps cold things cold.”  “What’s so amazing about that?” the teacher asked, to which the little boy responded, “How do it know?”  

            As Christians, we believe a lot of stuff about God and Jesus, about the Spirit and the church, about forgiveness and how to live and where we are going.  But how do we know?   How can we be so sure that what we believe is true and accurate and right?

            We can know because we are told.  The Scripture we read this morning relates to this question, so let us consider what Moses says in this chapter of Deuteronomy.  In it I think we will discover the truth of what C.S. Lewis said,   “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”[1]

I.          First of all, we read of a promise given by God through Moses stating that God will raise up a prophet or prophets.   Prophets are those who speak forth the Word of God, which may or may not include predictions of what will happen in the future.  God says of these prophets, “I will put My words in the mouths of the prophets, who shall speak to [the people] everything that I command.”  This passage has been understood on two levels.  First, that God will regularly and always send prophets to His people.  These are those who will speak forth the true Word of God.  The second understanding is that this refers specifically to Jesus, the ultimate prophet.  Now these two understandings are NOT mutually exclusive.  The fact is that both are true.  In every time,   God sends prophets to speak His Word.  And at the right time   God sent into the world His only begotten Son, Jesus – one of whose roles was to be the prophet of all prophets.

            God promises to send prophets, but He also tells us in this passage that we are to listen to God’s prophets, “Anyone who does not heed the words the prophets shall speak in my name, I Myself will hold accountable.”   In other words, when we are given the Word of God, we better pay attention to it.  It is not me or the elders of the church or higher church courts that will render judgment if anyone fails to listen to what the Word of God says.  God Himself is the judge.  God Himself renders the verdict.  We are accountable to Him, and I don’t think He is going to want to hear, “I didn’t know,” or “I wasn’t paying attention.”

            In addition to the command to listen to God’s Word, there is a warning to the prophets themselves, “Any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in My name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak – that prophet shall die.”   Those in every age who are called to speak the Word of God bear a heavy responsibility.  We are not to misrepresent God’s Word.  We are not to make the words of “other gods” – be they other religions, philosophies, social conventions, political expediency, or any other word – we are not to make them equivalent to or replacements of the Word of God that has been delivered to us.

            God promises to speak to us.  He commands us to listen to Him.  And He warns us not to speak any false word and claim it is His.

II.        But how do we know   if what a prophet says is true, right, really from God?  This is the pertinent question whether that prophet lived in Old Testament times, in Jesus’ day, at any time in church history, or in our own day.  How do we know?  There are two tests, according to the passage we read today,   “If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the Lord has not spoken.”

            So, first of all, the prophecy will come to pass.  One source cites that of approximately 2,500 prophecies in the Bible, 2,000 have already “been fulfilled to the letter.”[2]   Another source lists 351 prophecies in the Old Testament that refer to the Messiah   and which have been fulfilled in Jesus the Christ.[3]  If the prophecy includes some detail of the future, and if it is a true prophecy, it will happen.

III.       But not every prophecy, not every word of the Lord is a prediction of some event to come.  Most prophecy is the speaking forth of God’s Word.  Most of it tells us what we need to do.  Most of it informs us of God’s standards, commands, and warnings.  The test for this type of prophecy is simply this: Does it prove true?  

            What does that mean?  Two things: one, it is consistent with the whole council of God as found in the Bible.   God will never deliver to any prophet a word that is contrary to what He has already told us in the Bible.  “God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.”[4]  Therefore His Word is going to be the same.  So if somebody comes to you saying that God has changed His mind about morality or faith or His commandments – run, do not walk, run away from that person!  (You don’t want to be there when the lightning strikes.)  Here is an example I’ve given before.  A man comes to his pastor and says, “God told me,” so he is claiming to have a word from the Lord, “God told me to leave my wife and marry my secretary.”  No, He did not!”  Malachi 2:15 – “Do not let anyone be faithless to the wife of his youth.”  Jesus, after quoting Genesis, said of husband and wife, “So they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”[5]  Test every word that is claimed to come from God.   If it is true, it will agree with what it says in the Bible.

            Does it prove true?  The second way to judge that is this: does it work?   Does what God tells us by the Word He gives through His prophets actually work?  Perhaps the most blatant example of using this principle is proclaimed by God Himself in Malachi.  “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse … and thus put Me to the test …; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.”  There are many places in God’s Word that tell us we are to be faithful in tithing.  Here God actually says, “Try it and see if it works!”  Pay your tithe, and watch the blessings flow.

            This works in every area.   When we live by God’s economic standards, our needs are met.  Try living by God’s moral standards, and we will be safer, healthier, and have better self-esteem.  Walk by the rule of faith, and peace and confidence will follow.  In every aspect of life, if we live by God’s Word our lives will be better.  I even heard of an Episcopal priest who used to say to unbelievers, “Live for one year as if the Gospel were true.  If at the end of that time you can honestly tell me your life is not better, I will leave the priesthood.”

            That doesn’t mean that everything will be easy for us.  Sometimes we have to go through tough times, even walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but if we are walking with God, then we have no need to fear.   God will not only see us through, He will provide for all our needs.

CONCLUSION:  Psalm 111 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”   To “fear God” means to stand in awe of Him, to recognize His majesty, glory, and power.  If we do this, then we will have the wisdom to recognize His Word when we hear it.  We will also know to reject the false words, false teachings, and false prophecies of those who would deceive us.  C.S. Lewis once said, “If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth – only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.”[6]

            God has promised to raise up prophets.  Look for them.   God will give His Word to the prophets.  Listen to them.   But there are false prophets out there as well.  Test them.   If we learn how to distinguish God’s true Word from the lies of the imposters, then we will have God’s own guidance for our lives and   blessings will abound for us in His Word.  Amen.  

SERMON  NOTES: 1/22/12

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Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

You Know Me

Introduction:  People want to know, or at least we want others to think we know.  You even find this in little children.  I remember some of the talks I had with my daughter when she was about 3 years old, which can be like talking to a wall some times and like talking to a parrot at others.  I particularly enjoyed conversations that would go something like this: 

         “Stacy, do you know what this is?”

         “Uh huh.”  Nods head.

         “What is it?”

         “I don’t know.”

         Even little ones want us to think that they have all the answers, and we are no different.  Of course, the truth is that we don’t.  We don’t know everything about the world around us, even if some of us act as if we do.  We don’t know the solution to the world’s problem, in fact we don’t even know which candidate to vote for – and honestly, they don’t seem to know a whole lot either.  We don’t even know ourselves very well.  We are usually surprised when someone else puts their finger on some aspect of our motivations, character, or emotions that we didn’t realize about ourselves. 

         As much as we want to know about, well everything, we also want to be known.  I think a lot of the popularity of the old TV show Cheers came from the attraction of its theme song which was all about a place where “everybody knows your name.” 

I.       Guess what.  There is a place where the one that matters most knows your name and everything else about you.  God knows us.  The Psalmist tells us just how completely God knows us.  And he says it in a very personal way.  God knows our inner and our outer workings. 
Whether we are resting quietly or frantically busy, God knows what we are doing.  Whether we are following Jesus or going off in some stupid direction, God knows our ways.  Whether we are thinking deep thoughts or zoning out, God knows our thoughts.  Whether we are out in public or hiding away in some secret getaway, God knows our resting places.  Whether we blurt it our or bite our tongues, God knows our words – even the unspoken ones.

         God knows us so thoroughly that it is as if He has encircled us with His presence and rested His hands upon us.  Like St Patrick’s prayed, “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down….[1]  God’s knowledge of us is incredibly intimate, so much so that we cannot even fully understand it and we certainly can’t attain it – it is a gift from Him.

         This knowledge that God has of us is both wonderful and a little frightening.  It is wonderful to know that we are never out of God’s sight or His care.  It is wonderful that He knows our inner yearnings for that which is good and kind and faithful.  As Shakespeare wrote, “What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like
a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals….”[2]  God knows what He created, and He knows that He created it good.

         But it is also a bit frightening to think that God knows all our weaknesses and evils.  God hears our every word spoken in anger or spite or hatred, and He even hears the words we somehow refrain from voicing.  God knows what we are thinking – and we’re in a heap of trouble! 

         Psalm 139 says, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me.   You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.  You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.  Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely.  You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.” We can pretty well sum up what it says in that sign up there, “God knows.  God cares.”  Yes, God knows us.  And God loves us in spite of our short comings, in spite of our sins.  And yes, God cares about us.  He wraps us up in His presence.

II.     God knows us and cares for us in a way only our Creator can.  As the Psalm says, “…it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. … My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.  In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.”

         In the field of art critics often argue about what a painting or a sculpture means.  It seems to me that if you want to know, you should ask the artist, for who can better understand his work than the one that did it?  Rival companies are often trying to reverse engineer some product so they can duplicate it, but who understands the workings of a product better than the one who developed it?  God made us – “fearfully and wonderfully” – as I am constantly telling the FCDC kids.  So God knows us better than anyone, even better than we know ourselves.

         And if God made us, if the one, transcendent, all powerful, all knowing God put us together, what does that do for our self-esteem?  What is the value of a painting done by a Rembrandt or a Van Gogh?  What is the value of a sculpture done by Michelangelo or Rodin?  If we think so highly of the value of the works of these artists, what value can be placed on the work of the one who created those artists?

III.    God knows us, and that is both wonderful and frightening.  God made us, and that is awesome and wonderful.  And God is always s with us.  “How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!  How vast is the sum of them!  I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you.”  Even if we could number God’s thoughts, which are infinite and would take an infinite amount of time, God will never abandon us. 

         It is comforting to know that God is always present with us.  No matter what kind of jam we may be in, God is there.  No matter what danger or trouble assails us, God is there.  Way back in 1981 I was visiting a shut-in from the church I was serving at the time.  This was a woman who was “all alone,” near the end of her life, ill and suffering.  Yet her words to me, the pastor who came to comfort her, were, “God has always been with me.  He cares for me.”

         Still, it is a bit frightening to think that God is with us, even when we don’t want Him around.  Jonah wanted to get away from God and God’s command.  He tried to run away in the opposite direction from which God was leading him.  But even if we try to flee from God’s presence, like Jonah did, we fail.  Anywhere we go, God is there.  Whether we are on earth or in heaven, whether we travel east or west, whether we are out in the light or hiding in the darkness, God is right there with us, reaching out His hand to lead us in His way and holding us up when we can’t go it alone.

Conclusion: “O Lord, you have searched me and known me.   You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.  You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.”  Amen.

SERMON  NOTES: 1/15/12

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Psalm 62:5-12

Relying on God

INTRODUCTION:  Life is stressful.  After making such a brilliantly insightful, yet blindingly obvious statement, I should probably just sit down and shut up.  But you all know that I am not going to do that.  As one speaker has said, “I understand that it's my job to talk to you.  Your job is to listen.  If you quit before I do, I hope you'll let me know.”[1]

            Now our general reaction to stress is to work ourselves into lather, or, as the old poem goes, “When in trouble, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.”  This is not only unproductive, it is incredibly tiring and can even be quite dangerous!  Having been there recently, I enjoyed the story I read of a man who was taking a tour of the Holy Land in Israel and inadvertently fell into the Dead Sea.  He began kicking and yelling, trying to keep himself above water, but the more he kicked, the deeper he sank.  The tour guide yelled over to him, “Stop fighting and relax......the water is full of minerals and you will sink if you keep moving.  Trust me!”  When the man relaxed and stopped kicking, he began to float up to the top due to the influence of the high mineral content of the water.[2]  He was in real danger if he had continued to struggle, because, as Pauline and I learned from one of our tour mates, that water is actually highly poisonous if swallowed.  A good thing this man took the guide’s advice.

            What this points out to us is that contrary to what most of us think, stress is not the problem.  The problem is how we deal with it.

I.          Some people internalize stress.  It bottles up inside of them until they reach a point that they can’t take it anymore.  That’s when they explode, in one way or another.  One doctor’s website says, “Internalized stress keeps the mind agitated, throws the nervous system out of balance, interferes with the functioning of the immune system, and produces the many stress-related disorders so common in our society.”[3]  Common stress-related disorders are hypertension, indigestion, insomnia, headaches, etc.[4]

            I do this sometimes, don’t you?  My stomach gets upset, and I can’t eat.  My blood pressure goes up, I get agitated and fidgety, and I can’t sit still.  It’s not a pretty picture. 

            It is simply not good for us, physically or psychologically, to hold that stuff inside.  David recognized this when he wrote, “Trust in God at all times … pour out your heart before Him….”  The best way to deal with stress is to give it away to the one who can handle it.  I am not suggesting that we are without responsibility to do something about our situations, but what we do must be constructive and the action taken only with the guidance of God after prayer.

II.        Some people take their stress out on other people or objects.  This can be exemplified by anger, destructive behavior, power grabbing, cheating, character attacks on others, etc.  We recently heard about the series of arson fires in Los Angeles apparently caused by an angry German citizen whose mother was being threatened with deportation.[5]  Joran Van der Sloot’s attorney claims that the murder to which Van der Sloot plead guilty was the result of “post traumatic stress” resulting from the Natalee Holloway case, in which he was also a suspect.

            David also alluded to the negative outcome of trying to relive stress by taking it out on others or society, “Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hope on robbery; … do not set your heart on them.”  Again, I am not suggesting that we are without responsibility to do something about our situations, but what we do must be constructive and the action taken only after seeking God’s will and with His guidance.

III.       Neither internalizing nor externalizing stress is helpful.  The way to deal with stress is to rely on the Lord.  Trust in Him.  As David wrote, “For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.  On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.  Trust in him at all times, O people....”  If we take our rest in God, if we will hide in Him, our fortress, if we will be established on Him, our rock, then we can stop all the quaking and shaking. 

            Do we think you can solve your problems on our own?  If so, I’d be worried about a misplaced confidence in an unqualified source.  WE ARE NOT CAPABLE OF RESCUING OURSELVES FROM OUR PROBLEMS!  Have you seen those drug commercials, “You wouldn’t want your doctor doing your job.  Why are you trying to do hers?”  Simply put, it is above our pay scale to solve even our own problems.  That is God’s job.

            On the other hand, if we allow God to handle our problems, what does He promise us?  Deliverance and honor.  A rock on which to stand, a refuge in which to hide, and a fortress in which to be defended.

            We need to stop running in circles.  We need to be more like the missionary in the jungle that E. Stanley Jones tells about.  He got lost with nothing around him but bush and a few cleared places.  He finally found a small village and asked one of the natives if he could lead him out of the jungle.  The native said he could.  “All right,” the missionary said, “Show me the way.”  They walked for hours through dense brush hacking their way through unmarked jungle.  The missionary began to worry and said, “Are you quite sure this is the way?  Where is the path?”  The native said. “Bwana, in this place there is no path. I am the path.”  Our path out of the jungle of the stress of this world is God in Christ.  We may have parents, teachers, and pastors but we are all like the missionary.  We rely not upon men but Christ who is our path.[6]

CONCLUSION:  John H. Krahn wrote these words back in the 80s, “After the tomb was found empty and Jesus appeared to the early church on many occasions, doubt disappeared, and the early church had overwhelming confidence in the Lord.  The church today must live and be about its ministry with the same Easter confidence.  We say we rely on God's mercy for our salvation; we need to give over all areas of our lives to God's control.  What aspects of ourselves are outside God's control?  Our temper?  Our money?  Our time?  We need join the psalmist and say, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.’  Our trust in the Lord must be complete.”[7]  Or as our Scripture today says, “… Power belongs to God, and steadfast love belongs to You, O Lord.”

            Perhaps you have heard the story of the person who arrived at the portals of heaven.  A voice asks, “What is the password?  Speak it and you may enter.”
“Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved?”
“No,” replies the voice.
“The just shall live by faith?”
“No.”
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus?”
“Those sayings are true,” the voice answered, “But they are not the password for which I listen.”
“Well, then,” replied the person,” I give up.”
“That's it!  Come right in.”[8]

            We need to have a little confidence in our God.  We have the promises of Scripture.  We have the witness of the prophets and the Gospels.  We have the evidence of the history reported in the Bible.  And we have our own faith, the sure knowledge that only God is God, and that Jesus is our Lord and Savior.  David said, “Once God has spoken, twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, and steadfast love belongs to You, O Lord.”  Because it is God’s power and love that support us and guide us and provide for us, we can have our hope in Him, we can wait for God, trusting Him to act when we pour out our hearts before Him.

SERMON  NOTES: 1/8/12

Note: To send a comment or question about this sermon, click on pastormichel@bellsouth.net

Matthew 2:1-12

Are You Looking for the King?

INTRODUCTION:  Last Friday was Epiphany.  That makes today “Epiphany Sunday.”  I probably need to say a word about what that is since unless you are from an Episcopalian, Catholic, or Hispanic background, the word probably means nothing to you.  Epiphany means “God manifest” or one could say, God showed up.  As a liturgical day, it is the time that we celebrate the manifestation of God, in the form of the child Jesus, to the whole world as represented by the three wise men.  Those worthy individuals (and we really don’t know how many there were) were not present for Jesus’ birth.  They showed up later – perhaps as much as 2 years later.  But the event represents that God in Christ as made His appearance before the entire world.

            Now the wise men came from the east in search of a King.  “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?”  This upset Herod and those of his court, but eventually they were directed to Bethlehem, with the added request, “When you find the kid, come let me know, ‘cause I want to honor him, too.”  Yeah, right.  Anyway, eventually the do find Jesus in Bethlehem, acknowledge Him as King, and give their gifts.  As I thought about this event, I began to wonder if we are looking for the King, like the wise men were.  And if we are, are we going about it in the right way?

            Consider the Biblical example we have this morning.  The wise men are looking for the King.  Once he finds out about it, so is Herod.  But if you compare the search, and more importantly the motivation behind the search, we find that they are very different things.  The wise men want to find the true King of the Jews.  Herod wanted to find a rival.  The wise men wanted to worship the King.  Herod wanted to kill Him.  The wise men were moved by faith to seek God and give their gifts to Him.  Herod was motivated by lust for power to seek an enemy and destroy Him.

            In our own time (well, the 20^th Century anyway), we can compare two very brilliant men who were involved in similar searches.  C.S. Lewis was a skeptic who used reason to carefully examine the issues of faith, the reality of God, and the claims of Jesus Christ.  He was sincerely searching  for the King of heaven, and he found Him.  Lewis became a committed Christian and was possibly the most brilliant Christian of the 20^th Century.  Compare that with Albert Schweitzer, and his Search for the Historical Jesus.  He was looking to find a man who was not the King, just another guy in history.  And, of course, that is what he found.  Both were apparently looking for Jesus.  The question for today is, are you looking for the King?

I.          The difference between the wise men and Herod, or Lewis and Schweitzer is clearly the manner of their search.  The wise men and Lewis were seeking the truth.  Herod and Schweitzer, each in his own way, had already decided what they wanted to find, and that was not truth, but rather that which would meet their expectations and desires.  

            What are you looking for?  Are you looking for Jesus who is the King of kings?  Are you open to the truth?  Do you want to find the Jesus of the Bible and take Him as He really is?

            The fact is that many people are looking for the wrong king.  One could even go so far as to say that they are chasing after false gods.  I don’t really understand why people think that their pain, their emptiness, their hopelessness, and their unhappiness can be solved or filled by something other than Jesus the King.  I don’t understand it, but I have experienced it myself, as I am sure all of you have.  Look around you.  People try drugs and alcohol, sex and thrills, possessions and power.  This is all a matter of chasing after the wrong king, because that is just what these things become in their lives – and in ours.  These false kings become the rulers of their lives – and ours.  They think, maybe some of us think, “If I just get drunk enough or high enough, the pain will stop.”  They think,, maybe some of us think “If I just get pleasured enough or excited enough, I’ll be happy.”  They think, maybe some of us think, “If I just have enough stuff or enough control, I will be satisfied.”  People think these things, we think these things, and then don’t understand why it isn’t working.

            It doesn’t work because those things cannot satisfy, please, or warm us.  Only Jesus can do that.  Only Jesus can be the Way, the Truth, and the Life for us.  Only Jesus can fill our souls, lift our spirits, and fulfill our lives. 

            What things are you allowing to sit on the throne in your life? 

II.        Of course, part of the problem in looking for the King is that there are many who do not want a Jesus who is the Lord of our lives.  There are many who are not looking for the King at all because they want to run their own lives. 

            You see, the true King has authority.  He can tell us what to do.  He has the right to tell us how to live our lives.  He can command us to follow, to serve, and to change.  Oh, yes.  If we seek, find and follow King Jesus we will be changed.  What kind of changes, you ask?

~There will be a change in our allegiance.  If Christ is the King, He deserves our honor, loyalty, and obedience.  We put ourselves under His authority and power.  Whatever He says, we determine to do.

~There will be a change in our expectations.  The hope of the kingdom is that there is far more to life than what we see right now.  Jesus made extraordinary promises in regard to a future kingdom, not only for Israel, but for all who follow Him as King.  The kingdom may not yet be fulfilled completely, but it has been established and will last forever.

~There will be a change in our values. Our culture values achievement, success, independence, and image.  But the values of the kingdom reflect what matters to the King.  Kingdom people adopt the King’s values and make choices that reflect those values—in their jobs, families, and communities.

~There will be a change in our priorities.  The real test of people’s values is how they spend their time and money. Jesus did not demean the value of work or diminish the need for material goods.  But He challenged His followers to bring kingdom values into their day-to-day lives.  “Seeking first the kingdom” puts a Christ like perspective on one’s work and its outcomes.

~There will be a change in our lifelong mission.  Jesus gives His followers purpose and a mission—to live as subjects of the kingdom and promote kingdom values in everyday life and work.  Ultimately, He wants His followers to extend His message to the ends of the earth, so that all people have the opportunity to give their allegiance to Him as their Savior and King.[1]

CONCLUSION:  During the Thirty Year's War in Europe (1618-1648), the King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, was slain while his troops were winning the Battle of Lutzen, in what is now Germany.  Sweden was thrown into mourning, and government officials met to determine how to replace the king.  Some suggested a republic; others thought the crown should go to Adolphus' cousin, the king of Poland.  The chancellor of Sweden arose and said, "Let there be no talk of a republic or of Polish kings, for we have in our midst the heir of the great Gustavus, his little daughter, who is 6 years of age."  Some protested that they had never seen her.  The chancellor said, "Wait a minute, and I will show you."  He brought in Christina, daughter of the king, and placed her on the throne.  One of the representatives who was especially suspicious of the move pressed forward and gazed intently into her face.  Then turning to the assembly, he exclaimed, "Look at her nose, her eyes, her chin!  I see in the countenance of this child the features of the great Gustavus.  She is the child of our king!"  From all quarters of the room rang the proclamation, "Christina, Queen of Sweden!"[2]

            When people look at you, will they see a child of the King?  They will if you are truly seeking, and willing to find, the one who is born King of the Jews, and King of kings and Lord of lords.