KING of GLORY Illustrated Study Guide

I magine yourself walking through a lonely forest. Which would you rather meet—a lamb or a lion? At His first coming, the King of glory was called The Lamb . He came in humility to save sinners. When the King returns, He will be called The Lion . He will come in majesty to judge unrepentant sinners. When Jesus comes back, will you rejoice in the presence of your Savior-King or will you tremble before your Judge-King? It all depends on your response to God’s message. When Jesus began to travel and teach, some of His first words were, “Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). “Repent”means to change your mind about what you are trusting in for the right to live in God’s kingdom. It means to stop trusting your own way and to start trusting and following God’s way. “Believe the good news”means to put your faith in the Savior who died for your sins and rose again to give you new life. But what does it mean to put your faith in someone? Let me illustrate with a first-hand story fromWest Africa. It’s about two women, Fatu and Bintu. Both had infections in their eyes. Fatu went to the hospital. The doctor gave her antibiotic eye drops. Her eyes were cured. Bintu went to the traditional healer. He rubbed his “cure” into her eyes. Her eyes turned white and she became blind. Both Fatu and Bintu had faith. Both women acted on their faith by going to a healer they trusted—but how different the outcome. When it comes to eternity, everyone trusts in something or someone. Many hang their hope on the religion of their parents. Some side with those who say that life ends at the grave. Others come up with their own ideas about life, death, and eternity. In the end, only one question will matter: Did you choose the truth? As for me, I’ve made my choice. I trust the King, who said, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37). He is the One I want to live with forever. He’s the One “who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20) . He is not just a king. He’s my King! T he M essage in the S tory • 4 Y our R esponse to T he K ing T he first man was made to reflect God’s image. That image was spoiled by sin. Jesus Christ, “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) , came to give you new life and to restore God’s image in you. If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, the King of glory, then, in the eyes of God, you are no longer in Adam . You are in Christ . You are a favored citizen of heaven and a beloved child of God. You are God’s own treasure, which He ransomed with the blood of His own Son. As a newborn member of God’s family you can now call God Father . But with great privilege comes great responsibility. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do (1 Peter 1:14-15). As a follower of Christ, you are called to forgive, love, and pray for all people, even your enemies. Jesus says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). As you submit to Him, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, who came into your heart when you believed the gospel, will help you overcome sin and reflect His holy character. The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT). As a child of the King, you have a new purpose in life: to honor Him. You are His ambassador to a lost world. Represent Him well. One day you will see Him face to face, and then you “will be like him” (1 John 3:2) . Until then, talk to Him at any time. Praise Him in every situation. Worship and serve Him with others who love Him and His Word. Study the Scriptures daily (start with Luke , John , Acts , and Romans ). The Holy Spirit is your Teacher. The Bible is your spiritual food and weapon against Satan, who does not want you to think, speak, and act like Jesus. The more you meditate on the Scriptures the stronger you will become spiritually. I love this word picture from the Psalms: As the deer pants for streams of water,  so my soul pants for you, O God (Psalm 42:1). Can you say that? The choice is yours. resources@rockintl.org 166 167