An Advent to Behold: Behold Your King

Pastor Duane Brooks emphasizes the significance of worship as more than just singing, focusing on presenting oneself as a living sacrifice to God. We give ourselves to God in worship. The pastor contrasts the attitudes toward Jesus, highlighting Herod's pretentiousness and manipulation, and emphasizes the importance of recognizing Jesus as the central figure. He reads from Matthew 2:1-12, outlining the story of the Magi seeking Jesus and their recognition of him, drawing parallels with prophecies about the long-expected Jesus and the expectations of the people of Israel.Throughout this message, Pastor Duane Brooks challenges the audience to consider their response to encountering Jesus as a king, emphasizing the joy and significance of seeking and beholding their king, drawing parallels with the Magi and the importance of worshiping in the presence of God.Quotes:George MacDonald: They were all looking for a King to lift them high; thou cam’st a little baby thing that made a woman cry.T. S. Eliot:  For the Joy of finding Christ we would go a long way.Michael Card: There is a joy in the journeyThere's a light we can love on the wayThere is a wonder and wildness to lifeAnd freedom for those who obeyAnd all those who seek it shall find itA pardon for all who believeHope for the hopeless and sight for the blindTo all who've been born of the SpiritAnd who share incarnation with HimWho belong to eternity stranded in timeAnd weary of struggling with sinForget not the hope that's before youAnd never stop counting the costRemember the hopelessness when you were lostThere is a joy in the journeyThere's a light we can love on the wayThere is a wonder and wildness to lifeAnd freedom for those who obeyAnd freedom for those who obeyC. S. Lewis: In a kingdom the king is the law. In a kingdom people do what they are told without quibbling, questioning, or asking if the monarch might take less than he ordered. In a kingdom the king expects obedience instant and full.In the Bleak MidwinterChristina RosettiIn the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,In the bleak midwinter, long ago.Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficedThe Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,The ox and ass and camel which adore.Angels and archangels may have gathered there,Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.What can I give Him, poor as I am?If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.To discover more messages of hope, go to tallowood.org/sermons/.Follow us on X and YouTube @tallowoodbcFollow us on Instagram @tallowood.baptistFollow us on FaceBook @tallowoodbaptist