Lesson 10

Well ladies. We did it. We finally finished the Grand Biblical Narrative - God's story for the world and for me and for you! And we accomplished it in only 10 weeks! Way to Go! High fives all around! :)

Today's lesson was awesome and those that were absent were totally missed! You missed some gooey homemade cookies. Some good laughs. And an almost hour-long message! What can I say? We toured Revelation in our last lesson, so it was naturally way longer than the other lessons!

In our lesson today, we looked at the conclusion of God's story for His Daughters - the account of the final restoration of the heavens, the earth, and all the nations (Rev. 4). We learned that the restoration process comes wholly through the Son, the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, the Perfect Lamb of sacrifice (Rev. 5). And we learned that directly prior to the restoration of his people, God must first eradicate sin and evil through judgment (Rev. 20). It is the same message of the prophets in the Old Testament - a message that is like a two-sided coin bearing judgment and hope. The judgment must come first in order for rest to really be permanent and lasting. The book of Revelation is not without controversy or gore, but the truth it reveals is necessary for us to be able to confront the sin in our lives today and give us hope for tomorrow. Restoration comes in the new kingdom and it is even better than the idyllic state of the Garden of Eden (Rev. 21).

Look at the promises of God in Rev. 21-22 that we see fulfilled in this restored kingdom through Christ, and tell me if you think life won't be better!

• God's People: In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were God's People. They shared an intimate fellowship with their Creator. And they served as His Sub-regents under the King. But in the new kingdom, our relationship with God will be even more intimate. Look at what Rev. 21:7-8 says: "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son." In this newly restored kingdom, you and I will not only be the King's sub-regents. We are the inheritors of the very same kingdom we co-rule with Christ! And we become these inheritors by virtue of our relationship with God - his very own Daughter. We are Daughters of the King.
• God's Place: In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve dwelt in the presence of God. They lived a beautiful garden and enjoyed God. But in the New Jerusalem, our dwelling with God will be even more intimate. Look at what Rev. 21:22-24 says: "But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it." There is no longer any need for a temple or tabernacle in which to worship God. The Lamb is its very temple and His light radiates for all of us to dwell in it. So our location in the new kingdom will be even better than it was in the Garden of Eden. For we have the very temple Himself dwelling among us and we will bask his light directly, permanently, more intimately than Adam and Eve ever imagined!
• God's Rule and Blessing: In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were promised great blessings (a restful life of service) that were contingent upon their obedience to God's rule. The blessings they forfeited due to sin are restored back to us through Christ's perfect adherence to the law on our behalf. But in the restored kingdom, the blessing we receive through Christ will be even better than they are now (because we still struggle with sin). Look at what Rev. 22:3-5 says: "And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever." In the new kingdom, there will be no more curse! That means we will no longer struggle with our own sin or the sins of those against us. Furthermore, we will forever be able to enjoy those blessings through Christ because we will be dwelling before His very face!!!!! We will forever belong to him (with his name marking our lives and our foreheads). And this is the kicker gals...in the new kingdom, we will reign with the King forever! Adam and Eve had a pretty good set up in the Garden, right? They had sub-regent responsibilities - but the task to reign and the subsequent blessings were contingent upon obedience. We see that our dwelling with Christ makes it such that our reigning with him is forever guaranteed as well. We will never be able to forfeit those blessings of his rule. They will given to us forever our's!!!!

I began the lesson with a quick look at a missionary family, Steve and Susan Vinton. They are examples of the living, breathing priests that God has called each of us to be as Daughters of the King. The Vinton's are shining examples of what it means to be a priest in the King's Kingdom and to draw others into His marvelous light (1 Pet. 2). They are shining examples of what we are to be doing as we await the final restoration process. The book of Revelation ends with this sentiment. We are to "continually wash our robes" in Christ (i.e: follow His commandments) as we wait to receive our eternal inheritance (Rev. 22:12-14).

Here is a little bit more information about the Vintons and their ministry. Visit them online at http://www.villageschools.org/.

Here are a few videos that showcase their heart and passion as priests of the Kingdom. They will encourage you to act as though you are living in the kingdom 'now' even though it is 'not yet' completed in Christ.

Lesson 9

What a difference a week (and a powercord) can make! I know this is late, but I was waiting on the arrival of a new cord to resurrect my silly laptop! Thanks for your patience. We missed so many of you last week, and we hope everyone has overcome their colds and busy schedules. This next lesson will be our last lesson in Daughters of the King - Nov. 17. To close out our study, we will lengthen our time together from noon to 1:00 pm. Our actual lesson will still run the first 30 minutes. The last 30 minutes we will save time for questions, comments over what we've learned, and a time for praise. Childcare arrangements have already been made, so come with your Bibles, lunch, and a snack (or lunch) for your child if needed.


Last week we looked at the Epistles, the New Testament letters, penned by the apostles to early believers following Christ's resurrection. The apostles were concerned that the early church fulfill their calling to be set apart - a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19; 1 Pet 2). Today, we no longer function as a priest under the Old Covenant (offering sacrifices and representing unholy people to a holy God). Christ is our Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14-16 & 9). But he is also our perfect, eternal sacrifice. That means he forever represents us to the Father. There is no longer any need for a human intermediary between God's people and God. Christ is the eternal mediator on our behalf.

So, why are we called priests? What is there left for us to do? What is God’s purpose in calling us a holy nation, a royal priesthood? First Pet. 2:9 says: “…that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” We are called to a redeemed lifestyle, just like the nation Israel. We are to demonstrate to a watching world what it looks like to be God's kingdom in Christ - God's People in God's Place under God's Rule and Blessing. We are called to live a redeemed life.

As priests, we are to draw others to Christ. We no longer do this by being their representative to the Father (because Christ does that for us eternally), but by serving and ministering in other ways – by praying for one another, by doing good works, and by encouraging one another in living holy lives. I like how Paul puts it in Rom. 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” As priests, we are to present our lives as a living sacrifice (a spiritual sacrifice) mirroring the selfless sacrifice of Christ on the cross (cf. Phil. 4:18). The way we live matters.

Yet the matter of being a priest of the King matters not just in the present, but in eternity as well. Christ promises his priests great rewards if they endure till the end.

• Eternal life (Titus 3:4-7.)
• The Kingdom (Matt. 25:34).

Through Christ, we are called the heirs of God’s Kingdom. All those that place their trust in Christ are called “co-heirs” with Christ. In Romans 8:14-17, the Apostle explains how you and I can be named co-heirs. He says: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

Inheritance is passed from Father to Son, and in this passage Paul is clear. We can become co-heirs with the Son, because God considers you and me his sons & daughters as well. This is what it means to be a Daughter of the King. The Father adopts you and esteems you as His heir, along with the Son. So, as a priest, we are entitled (through Christ and not by our own means) to receive and co-rule the Kingdom with Christ. Do you see how God’s pattern for life continues even today? Adam and Eve were meant to be sub-regents over the earth under God’s rule. But today, you and I (if we trust in Christ) are the King’s Daughters and are named priests and co-rulers with Christ over his new kingdom. WOW!

But as amazing as this sounds, we know that the kingdom is still not perfect.

• Even as we are claimed by God as his people, still we are not perfect. We still sin, we still see sin around us, and are impacted by the sins of others.
• Even as we are given the Holy Spirit as a helper, we still are not totally restored to the immediate presence of God. Rather, the Holy Spirit in our lives is meant as a “foretaste” of what our lives will be like as we dwell directly in the presence of the Creator himself.
• Even as we are living under the King’s rule and experiencing the blessings wrought by Christ today, we are promised an “eternal inheritance” in the near future – an inheritance that involves co-rulership with Christ himself!

Our introduction into the covenant community of Christ is not the end of God’s story. Our role as priests in this age is not the end. An even greater kingdom and priesthood is coming – one perfectly restored to its original goodness.

Next week, we'll finally reach the conclusion of our story of the King and His Kingdom. We will crack open the prophecies of the future that explain the events yet to unfold in our own life stories. And you will be amazed at what we will find. I hope you have goosebumps, because I do.

Lesson 8

Ladies,

The King's Kingdom has finally begun! With his resurrection and victory over death, Christ ushered in the beginning of his new kingdom. A kingdom where you and I might live as true Daughters of the King! A kingdom where he is beginning to finally restore the entire cosmos back to his original design - a kingdom of rest where God's People live in God's Place and under God's Rule and Blessing.

But in our lesson this week, we also learned that we still have to wait a little bit longer for our complete and total transformation and the earth's complete and total restoration. Christ says he won't complete this redemption/restoration process until he comes to earth a Second Time. So, in our lesson this week we learned that there is a DELAY between the RESURRECTION which inaugurates the kingdom and the FINAL restoration of God’s kingdom.

So, where do our lives fit on the biblical timeline? Where do our own life stories fall in the greater biblical narrative? Our lives fall in this period in which the kingdom is both 'now' and 'not yet.' This is the time in which you and I live. The kingdom has begun. At present we can experience victory over sin and are filled with the joy and holiness of the Holy Spirit. But, the kingdom has not been totally instated yet. Look around. Surely life as we know it is not the final perfected kingdom that God envisioned for us. There is still sin, sorrow, pain, heartache, sickness, hatred, strife. The kingdom is not yet totally restored.

Yet, Scripture is clear that believers who have entered into that covenant relationship with Christ can refer to themselves as "citizens" of this new kingdom – even though we haven’t witnessed or received all its blessings yet.

One of the reasons why God is delaying the complete transformation is because he still has a job for us to do. We are to serve as his sub-regeants over creation (Gen. 1:26-28). We are to be a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19). We are to be a witnesses to the nations (Lk 24). We are not just His daughters in name only, but in responsibility as well! And to help us in this royal path, God has once again provided us the ultimate Helper.

The Holy Spirit indwells us:

• to give us new birth in the Son (Acts 2:37-39)
• to produce holiness in us like the holiness of the Son (Acts 2:40ff); and
• to equip us for service by giving us boldness to proclaim the name of the Son (Acts 4).

We are nearing the end of our study! Only 2 more lessons and we will have completed our overview of the biblical story. I hope you have enjoyed our time together as much as I have. Don't forget to check out Vaughan Roberts book (link to the right). His chapter on this subject is really GREAT!

Next week, we will look at more of the King's helpers...His Priests...in the epistles. If you want to read ahead:

• Heb. 4:14; 9:11-12
• 1 Pet. 2:5-9
• Titus 3:7
• Matthew 25:34 (I know this is a gospel! But you know how I love to review!); James 2:5;
• 1 Cor. 6:9-10; 15:50
• And if you're really studious, ck out these: Rom. 8:17; Eph. 3:6!!!!

See ya next week!

Melissa

Lesson 7

Ladies and Gentlemen (if there are any men who actually read this blog), the King has entered the building...

We just finished lesson 7 and finally entered into the New Testament perspective on the promises of God. Today we came face to face with the promised "seed" of salvation that we've been hearing so much about in the Old Testament. Seriously, the Old Testment writers knew a thing or two abour marketing schemes...their narratives and visions of the future kingdom have kept us up at night wondering if that promised King would ever show up! Surely they must have wondered that too! So, by the time we crack open the book of Matthew, the hope for the coming Messiah is at a feverish pitch.

The arrival of the King means many things for us today. The biblical story tells us that it is through this one being, the perfect God-Man, that all the promises of God are fulfilled (2 Cor. 1:20). We see this most clearly in those three promises given to Abraham:

• Promise: Man would be God's People (a special people for the King). Fulfillment: Christ is the substitute for God's People on earth. Because he lived a sinless, perfect life, Luke calls him the new Adam (Lk 3). Matthew subtly links Christ to the image of a new Israel (Matt. 4:1-11).
• Promise: Man would live in God's Place (to dwell with the King). Fulfillment: Christ is the substitute temple on earth. He tabernacled among us temporarily (John 1:14) that we might come to know the life and transformation he offers our hearts (John 2:19; 7:37-38).
• Promise: Man would be the Recipient of God's Blessings (when submitting to the King's Rule). Fulfillment: Christ is the substitute vice-regent over creation - the King. In perfectly submitting to the law, Christ procures the blessings of God on our behalf. And he demonstrates to manking what the restored image of God in us should look like - how it possible to perfectly live as God's People in God's Place and under God's Rule so we might enjoy great blessings.
  

  

Pretty cool, huh? That Christ fulfills the Old Covenant so that you and I might live in light of the New. But we also talked about how the New Covenant applies to us today. How do we enter into and enjoy the benefits of the New Covenant. And we learned from Hebrews 9 that it was not enough for the King to tabernacle among us and live a perfect life. His perfect, innocent, blameless blood was required so that the righteous requirement of the law might be met and our sin forgiven. He is perfect, unblemished lamb and died on our behalf. And so we see that God's pattern for salvation never changed from the Old Testament to the New. Faith is still the vehicle for salvation and the pattern established by the blood sacrifice of a substitute. The difference in our lives is seen in the type of sacrifice that is offered on our behalf. Christ's blood is far superior to that of goats, calves, or cows (Heb. 9:13-15) because it solves the problem of sin forever.

We've been tracing the biblical storyline of restoration from Genesis onward. And we've seen that the life and death of Jesus Christ initiates that total and complete restoration that is needed. However, we've only just entered into the New Testament. There is still a lot more to the story of biblical restoration. The kingdom is still immersed in sin. There is still pain and sorrow all around us. We still struggle with sin in our lives. Surely, this is not the restored Kingdom we heard about in the prophets???!!!!!

Next week we'll look at the book of Acts. And we'll discover that the King's work on earth is not finished! We'll learn that the special King Jesus Christ has one more act by which we might more fully be restored and we might more fully enter into and enjoy His kingdom.

See ya next week, ladies!

Melissa

Lesson 6

Hi Ladies,

Can you believe it? We actually made it through the Old Testament. I hope I didn't give you whiplash as we sped through the Prophets at a speed that should only be considered illegal! Who would have dreamed that we could have summarized the prophetic books in only 30 minutes? We did it - but I'm sure you all still have questions or thoughts concerning today's lesson. Email me and I'll do my best to answer your questions (or at least point you in the right direction for answers...ahem...Pastor Randy anyone????)

All kidding aside, our lesson was a lot of fun. I hope each of you left the class today with the realization that the prophetic message is not just gloom and doom. Like two sides of a coin, the prophetic message holds both a warning and a 'seed' of hope. These two messages are inextricably linked and all hinge on the identity of the coming King.

Next week we will come face to face with that promised 'seed' of salvation, the promised King who will inaugurate the complete and eternal fulfillment of all those promises made to Abraham and the patriarchs of our faith. We've been talking about him for months. We've traced his path through the Old Testament - the Law, History, Writings, and Prophets. We've followed him throughout the biblical narrative and now we finally get to meet him! Are you as excited as I am? I think I have goosebumps!

If you'd like to read ahead, here is your assignment:

• Malachi 3:1
• Matthew 1:1-17 (this isn't in your workbook, but we will touch on it)
• Luke 2:23-28
• John 1:14; 2:19-21; 7:37-38
• Hebrews 9:6-7

All the King's Love,
Melissa

Lesson 5

Congratulations ladies! You've made it to the half-way point in our study Daughters of the King. We just finished Lesson 5 on Tuesday, tracing God's story for the world through the Historical Books of the Bible (Joshua - Esther). Our time together yesterday was rich with truths that you can apply to your own life story:

1. I must keep God at the center of my heart's affections.
2. My present life circumstances (no matter how painful) are not the end of my story.


God is at work in our lives, even when we can't see his hand. The Bible is clear. God has something special in store for all of his daughters - our final and perfect restoration into his image. At that time our hearts will be forever bound in the perfect image of his Son. But alongside that reality, we know he longs for more than just the hearts of individuals. In our studies of the Old Testament so far, we've seen that a greater restoration is coming. A restoration of his entire Kingdom, when:

• God's People will be restored to the Father perfectly,
• and be restored to God's Place, dwelling with God permanently,
• and be restored to God's Rule, worshipping Him and experiencing his blessings eternally.

But before we can get to all that good "restoration" stuff in the story, we must stay the course and read the story in the way the Biblical authors intended for it to be read. Lesson 5 ended on a low point, with God's people living as far from that Edenic ideal as possible. But we serve a good King, and he always gives his people a "seed" of hope. While God's people are in exile, God gives them a group of men called the Prophets. We will study the Prophets in depth next week in Lesson 6 - learning about both the men and their message. Here is our reading for next week:

• God's People: Is. 10:20-21/ Jer. 16:14-15/ Is. 44:1-2/ Is. 49:4-6
• God's Place: Ezek. 47:1-11/ Is. 65:17-18
• God's Rule & Blessing: Jer. 31:31/ Ps. 2:1-12

See ya next week!

Melissa

Lesson 4

Hi Ladies,

What an honor it was to have you today at Bible Study. It goes by so quickly, and I wish I had more time to visit with each of you. I hope you were blessed by our studies in Exodus and the rest of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). Our studies revealed to us that God gave His people three measures of grace as a way to partially heal their broken relationship with Him and their own broken lives:

{the Sacrifical System}

{the Law}

{the Tabernacle}

Despite the enormity of what these three measures of grace represent, we learned today that they were imperfect for they did not permanently and perfectly cover their sin. But our readings in the story of the King's Kingdom introduced these measures of grace for a specific purpose - to leave the reader anticipating a greater, more perfect restoration - a perfect and permanent answer to sin and a perfect and permanent restoration of the King's Kingdom.

• The reader cannot help but anticipate a better {Sacrifice} that permanently covered sin.
• The reader cannot help but anticipate a better way to experience the blessings of God's rule other than through the {Law}.
• The reader cannot help but anticipate a better place where they might dwell with God more intimately than in the {Tabernacle}.

Did you ever expect the Bible to employ the literary concept of suspense? Especially in the book of Leviticus - a book normally associated with regulations for sacrifice and worship. But as we've seen, the Bible is not just the Truth, but a Spirit-filled literary masterpiece as well.

I hope to see you all next week when we continue in our story of the King's Kingdom. We will take a whirlwind tour of Joshua through 1 & 2 Chronicles and study the iconic figure of King David in detail. So for those who want to take the Super Duper reading challenge, you have your work cut out for you! For those who want to read only those passages we'll study, read the following:

• Josh. 2
• 2 Sam. 7:9-11
• 1 Kings 12:25-33

And remember, I just might have a small surprise for one lucky reader! :)

See ya next week!
Melissa