Our series during Ordinary time will explore the revelation of God’s Kingdom through his Son. We will look specifically how the incarnation—the ministry, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ—reveals the long-promised Kingdom of God breaking into human history demonstrating God’s love, destroying the powers that ravaged creation, and displaying the Messiah’s promise (to continue reading this essay, click on image above).

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YOUR KINGDOM COME
Pastoral Resources | 2025-26 Themes At-A-Glance

The Throne of David: The Messianic Promise for David’s Eternal Reign, 2 Samuel 7:1-17; Luke 1:30-33
In this pivotal passage, king David, having achieved rest from his enemies and dwelling in his palace of cedar, expresses concern that God’s ark remains housed in a mere tent and desires to build a permanent temple. Although Nathan initially approved David’s idea, his plans were met with divine reversal when God spoke through Nathan that night, reminding David that he has never required a house and has been content to dwell in a tent among his traveling people. Rather than allowing David to build him a house, God promises to build David a house—not of cedar and stone, but an eternal dynasty; David’s son would be the heir of an eternal kingdom.

Yahweh recounts his past faithfulness in elevating David from shepherd to king, granting him victory over enemies, and establishing for him a great name among the nations. God promises David that after his death he will raise up David’s offspring who will build the temple, and whose throne God will establish forever. The LORD enters into a father-son covenant relationship with David’s offspring marked by steadfast love that, unlike with Saul, will never be withdrawn despite necessary discipline. This unconditional covenant promise that David’s house, kingdom, and throne shall endure forever transcends any earthly monarchy and finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of David, whose eternal reign the angel Gabriel announced to Mary, declaring that her child’s reign would never end.

Our Focus Today
God Will Provide David With Offspring Who Will Build the Temple, 2 Sam. 7:12-13
God promises David that his offspring raised up after his death will establish the Kingdom and build a house for God’s glory, which was initially fulfilled in Solomon but ultimately points to Jesus, the builder of God’s true temple, the Church, his body.

Invocation
Gracious Father, you promised David that his offspring would build the temple he longed to construct. I admit today that I have struggled with wanting to be the one to accomplish your work. Yet, in David I see how your redemptive work extends across generations and transcends our individual lifetimes. Like David, I have often sought to accomplish great works for your glory in my own way and time. Yet, I see that you call me to the path of investing in those who will come after me. Grant me patience and wisdom as I yield to your plan and give me the grace to faithfully prepare the way for those you will raise up after me to complete what you started in me, all for your glory. Amen. 

Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, amen.

Chronological Scripture Readings for Today
These Scriptures allow us to read through the entire Bible in one year in chronological order.
Thursday: Numbers 30-31

Psalms and Proverb for Today
These Scriptures allow us to read through the Psalms and Proverbs each month.
Thursday: Psalm 5, 35, 65, 95, 125 and Proverbs 5

God Will Provide David With Offspring Who Will Build the Temple, 2 Sam. 7:12-13
God promises David that his offspring raised up after his death will establish the Kingdom and build a house for God’s glory, which was initially fulfilled in Solomon but ultimately points to Jesus, the builder of God’s true temple, the Church, his body.

Reflection
God’s greatest works are often accomplished through those who come after us. Our faithful participation in God’s purposes requires us to invest with the knowledge of a future legacy that will extend beyond our own lifetime. The promise that David’s offspring, not David himself, would build the temple shows how spiritual awareness involves surrendering our desire for personal accomplishment to prepare the way for those whom God will raise up after us to complete what we have begun. God raises up offspring and establishes his Kingdom through those who follow us; even our most carefully nurtured successors and spiritual children ultimately succeed through God’s sovereign empowerment and providential establishment of their work. We must embrace our role in God’s multi-generational purpose—faithfully preparing, praying for, and releasing the next generation to build the spiritual house that we may long to construct ourselves, yet whom God has delegated to those who will come after us to build. 

Engaging God’s Word Today
What spiritual legacy are you investing in right now that may not come to full fruition in your own lifetime? How may God be calling you to release your desire to accomplish something for him in order to prepare and empower the next generation to build and complete it, after you are gone? 

Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, The Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.

We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God,
Begotten of the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God,
Begotten not created, of the same essence as the Father,
through Whom all things were made.

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became human.
Who for us too, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried.
The third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and life-giver,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Who together with the Father and Son is worshiped and glorified.
Who spoke by the prophets.

We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sin,
and we look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the age to come. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen.

Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Benediction
Now may the God who raises up spiritual offspring to accomplish his eternal purposes after us grant me the faith to invest in legacy rather and not only in my own achievement. Show me how to plant seeds of kingdom work that will bear fruit long after my days are done and fulfilled. Give me the joy of participating in your multi-generational story, preparing the way for those who will build upon the foundation I have laid, just as Christ and his apostles built on the foundation who he is. Help me to walk in the truth that what I faithfully began in obedience God will sovereignly complete through those he chooses and raises up. Sustain me with this hope, and grant to me this confidence, that I can learn to wait on you. Amen. 

Scripture Memory for this season
Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV): The Prophet’s Vision of the Messianic King: Isaiah’s Testimony
⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Scripture Engagement
As disciples of Jesus, the Churches of Christ the King strongly seek to engage the Scriptures to discover the centrality of Christ and his Kingdom in the prophetic and apostolic writings. You will find a rich treasure of resources on engaging Scripture at the Center for Scripture Engagement of Taylor University.

Books We Are Reading this Church Year, and When
• The Most Amazing Story Ever Told, Dr. Don Davis (during season of Advent)
• Get Your Pretense On, Dr. Don Davis (during season of Christmas)
• Destined for the Throne, Paul Billheimer (during seasons of Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, and Resurrection)
• The Presence of the Future, George Eldon Ladd (during seasons of Ascension and Coming of Holy Spirit)
• Kingdom, Church and World, Howard Snyder (during seasons of Headship and Harvest)
• The Gospel of the Kingdom, George Eldon Ladd (during the seasons of Hope and Remembering the Saints, Exalting the King)

Book Reading Reflection: Destined for the Throne
(Reading “Destined for the Throne” during season of Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, and Resurrection)

“Prayer is not begging God to do something which he is loath to do. It is not overcoming reluctance in God. It is enforcing Christ’s victory over Satan. It is implementing upon earth heaven’s decisions concerning the affairs of men. Calvary legally destroyed Satan and cancelled all of his claims. God placed the enrollment of Calvary’s victory in the hands of the Church (Matthew 18:18 and Luke 10:17-19). He has given to her “power of attorney.” She is his “deputy.” But this delegated authority is wholly inoperative apart from the prayers of a believing church. Therefore, prayer is where the action is. Any church without a well-organized and systematic prayer program is simply operating a religious treadmill.

A program of prayer without faith is powerless. The missing element that is necessary to energize prevailing prayer that binds and casts out Satan is triumphant faith. And the missing element that is necessary to energize triumphant faith is praise–perpetual, purposeful, aggressive praise. Praise is the highest form of prayer because it combines petition with faith. Praise is the spark plug of faith. It is the one thing needed to get faith airborne, enabling it to soar above the deadly miasma of doubt. Praise is the detergent which purifies faith and purges doubt from the heart. The secret of answered prayer is faith without doubt (Mark 11:23). And the secret of faith without doubt is praise, triumphant praise, continuous praise, praise that is a way of life. That is the solution to the problem of a living faith and successful prayer.

The secret of success in overcoming Satan and qualifying for the throne is a massive program of effective prayer. The secret of effective prayer is a massive program of praise.”.

~ Billheimer, Paul. Destined for the Throne: How Spiritual Warfare Prepares the Bride of Christ for Her Eternal Destiny. Bethany House, Minneapolis, MN, KS, 1975. Electronic Edition. Location 17-18.

On Eagles Wings Prayer Focus: A Long Time Comin‘
The Time is Fulfilled: The Fall of Humankind and the Curse Overturned, Mark 1:14-15 (cf. Gen 3:1-15)

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