The Gospel of The Kingdom

Apologia Studios

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore the zeal of the

00:14

Lord of hosts will do this Isaiah chapter 9 verses 6 through 7 listen closely tells you something significant a

00:21

Jewish person who believes in monotheism there's only one God who quotes in his morning and evening prayers the

00:27

Shema Shema Yisrael Yahweh Eloheinu Yahweh Echad I say it all the time so you guys know it here oh

00:33

Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one a monotheistic Jew who only believes in one God is telling you 700 years before Jesus comes he's telling you the one who's given to us this son this child is actually

00:46

El Gebor the mighty God not just Messiah not just a prophet not just a good teacher not just a man he is a human he is like us but it's

00:57

God who's coming to bring his kingdom that was the story they understood it and it's such a peculiar thing to be thinking of a

01:04

Jew who believes in one God telling Jews listen a son a child given to us and it's

01:11

God it's the eternal God they know there's only one God who's eternal Psalm 90 verse 2 says from eternity into eternity you are

01:20

God there's only one eternal God and yet this one who's the eternal one is coming as a child and as a son that's a big part of the story but notice

01:29

Isaiah 9 Micah 5 2 tells us where the Messiah is coming from Bethlehem which is crazy this is really one of those things that make just makes the

01:39

Bible awesome here's Joseph and Mary in Nazareth right Joseph and Mary in Nazareth the prophecy is the

01:45

Messiah is from Bethlehem the city of David that's Micah 5 2 amazing so Bethlehem Messiah is coming from there okay and here's

01:52

Joseph and Mary virgin birth she is now pregnant with Jesus and they're in Nazareth and then

01:58

God wields the pagan leader to calling out a census so that Joseph and Mary have to go to Bethlehem and that's where Jesus comes out it's crazy it's crazy the whole story is happening right it's just an amazing experience just to look through this and see what

02:15

God's doing in history he's even having a pagan print you know Oh census it's just a crazy thing here's

02:20

Joseph and Mary now going to Bethlehem Jesus comes out fulfillment of prophecy but also

02:26

Micah 5 2 tells you that it's the one that is from eternity that's coming to Bethlehem so who's coming as Messiah guys just say it

02:33

God's coming as Messiah the when of the Messiah listen closely

02:39

Daniel chapter 2 long before Jesus comes says there are going to be four kingdoms four kingdoms and then during the time of the fourth kingdom and Daniel 2 it says that the

02:52

God of heaven himself is going to establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed so listen we've got a timeline to work with guys a timeline for kingdoms and Daniel started writing in Babylon so you just count down from Babylon and you get the

03:07

Medo -Persian the Greek and you got Rome when did Jesus enter during the time of Rome and what was the first thing out of his lips when he leaves the wilderness he says repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand they understood the story amazing

03:23

Daniel 2 says something you need to grab hold of guys very important Daniel 2 says fourth kingdom

03:28

God's himself is going to set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed never be destroyed never but God says something important listen close he says it'll be a stone that becomes a great mountain that fills the entire earth a stone that becomes a mountain think about it this itty -bitty stone that is actually gonna become like Camelback Mountain but fill the whole entire earth think about the size there watch what do you see so far

04:00

Isaiah 9 of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end that's a gradual increase of his government and as a result of his government increasing peace also increases you see that and then

04:14

Daniel says stone that becomes a mountain that's gradual the whole idea of the kingdom of God being dropped in history to obliterate it is not biblical brothers and sisters it is a gradual increase of government and of peace it is a stone that becomes a mountain and brothers and sisters let me offer this to you as an encouragement because I confess when

04:37

I look at the world around me today many times I say God how how in the world

04:42

I was just in Philadelphia preaching this message in one of the most deplorable ugly places

04:48

I've ever seen and here I am preaching about the victory of Jesus in history and surrounding me is just nothing but death all around me and I confess to the fact that when you look at your circumstances you can see all but loss in front of you but the truth of the matter is we don't walk by sight but by what faith it's the

05:09

Word of God that shows us what God is doing in history and I gotta tell you right now many times in the Bible God promised things to his people that looked all but impossible it's not gonna happen it can't happen virgin births don't happen

05:23

God doesn't become a man right all the times God promises people victory victory here you go

05:30

I'm gonna deliver you out of land of Egypt go and they go and there's a big sea in front of them great dead

05:36

Moses he brought us out here to kill us enemies of God climbing up behind him they're stuck on this beach like ants so many of them just we're dead

05:49

Moses basically says shut up watch what

05:54

God's gonna do and God parts the Red Sea they escape they destroys the enemies God has always done the impossible because he wants to get the glory for it and the amazing thing to think through here is that when you look at the scriptures it is a gradual increase that's

06:12

God's pattern the church has in history 2 ,000 years of history we've had moments of great triumph and we have moments of great despair there's been moments of the church dying and rising again dying and rising again dying and rising again that has been

06:29

God's pattern in history it has been a gradual increase just know that God does very big things with very small stones

06:37

Daniel 2 Daniel chapter 9 amazingly I won't do it all right now tells you the when of the

06:44

Messiah he's coming before the second temples destroyed he's gonna die before it happens and that happened amazingly now look closely what's gonna happen

06:53

Psalm 22 tells you the suffering of the Messiah what's it say that they would pierce his hands and his feet his heart would be like wax melted within him

07:04

Psalm 22 says they would be like dogs wagging their heads at him they're gonna mock the

07:10

Messiah it teaches us they're going to cast lots for his clothing that's a thousand years before Jesus that's just got a trip you out

07:17

I did not just read to you a New Testament book that's from Psalm 22 so you have the what's gonna take place

07:24

Isaiah 53 he's gonna be pierced through for our transgressions crushed for our iniquities that listen it said that he would be counted among the rebels and then he would justify the many as he would bear their iniquities

07:35

Isaiah 53 tells you that the Messiah was going to die and that he would see his offspring that he would prolong his days after he dies you've got death and resurrection in Isaiah 53 it's amazing but something else listen

07:53

Isaiah 2 tells us that in the last days

07:58

God himself was gonna have a kingdom that be this great mountain where all the nations listen was stream up to it so you can imagine now this vision of mountain and all the nations surrounding the mountain now all these nations they're coming up to it and I'll never forget when

08:19

Luke first said it to me I'd missed it so many times he was doing a study in Isaiah when we first started Apology at Church amazingly

08:25

I just it just changed my whole perspective Isaiah 2 says the nations are gonna stream up to the mountain of God and the crazy thing about water guys if you didn't know this is it doesn't go up water flows what down it goes it gets pulled down so what is going on where you have in this vision of the kingdom of God because the

08:45

Messiah you have a vision of nations going up a mountain up how do they get up unless they're drawn

08:51

God's gonna draw the nations they understood that but Psalm 110 one learn to love that verse because the

09:00

Apostles did the most quoted verse in a New Testament from the

09:06

Old Testament needs to be something we listen to if you've got all these apostles and they're referring to Psalm 110 one a lot they're drawing from it they're pointing to it

09:17

Psalm 110 one is the most quoted of the Old Testament in the New Testament did you know that now if it was important to them it needs to be important to us and Psalm 110 one says this the

09:28

Lord said unto my Lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool and the

09:36

New Testament listen they're just saying it that's Jesus he's the one that's sitting at the right hand of the

09:42

Father he's the one who's making God's enemies his footstool and listen they refer to that as a thing not we're waiting for it to happen they refer to it as that's what's up now now

09:57

Psalm 110 one now quickly because you've already heard a lot of this

10:03

I won't do what I did in Philadelphia but go to Matthew quickly and get

10:10

Isaiah 9 ready the gospel according to Matthew remember

10:17

I told you the symphony of history to tell the whole story it's not just about private individual salvation but it is about nations coming to God the

10:25

Messiah being glorified God bringing this salvation to the ends of the earth Matthew opens up and he's already telling you part of the symphony when he opens up he gives you the genealogy of Jesus which we all tend to ignore it's critically important that it's there because listen if Matthew is going to convince us that Jesus is in fact the

10:48

Messiah and King what does he have to do he has to show us that Jesus has the royal right to the throne that he can actually be that Davidic King who actually brings salvation to the ends of the earth and what lo and behold

11:00

Matthew opens up you see the genealogies you go all right that's Jesus story he's got a right to the throne and then

11:06

Matthew continues the story he starts quoting watch from Isaiah significant moment don't lose it not only to tell you the genealogy but then he says what oh and Isaiah 7 virgin birth so watch this you need to know we need to know as brothers and sisters that Matthew is thinking in Isaiah he's thinking in it it's in his mind

11:30

Isaiah he knows the book he's not just proof texting he knows the story Isaiah 2 is there nations coming up Isaiah 9 is there

11:39

God's coming increase of his government and peace Isaiah 7 virgin birth he knows the story he points to Jesus is that fulfillment then you get amazingly in Matthew chapter 2 you can move through with your eyes here and who are the first people that show up to Jesus who are the ones that show up that are coming to him as King who is it pagans

12:02

Gentiles it's amazing listen it's crazy this has got to blow us away the story in the

12:08

Old Testament was Messiah was going to bring the nations right not just Jews but Gentiles salvation to the ends of the earth and now

12:14

Matthew opens up he's like okay he's can defeat a king he gets that virgin birth Isaiah 7 and then you have now

12:20

God telling us a story that the first people to show up were pagans they're the ones looking for the king to worship him

12:27

God is wielding the stars so that pagans are coming to see the king finally here that's the story there's the symphony now you move further into two and now you have

12:40

Jesus being described as that really the perfect Israelite is starting to happen out of Egypt I called my son now

12:46

God is now taking a passage about Israel he's applying it to Jesus now here we go chapter 3

12:52

John the Baptist a beast a godly troublemaker a godly troublemaker he comes in as promised the last book of our

13:04

Old Testaments our Old Testaments tells us that Elijah was going to come first and what that there was going to be repentance and judgment and purification and here's

13:18

John the Baptist that Jesus says was that Elijah who called him to repentance and what are the first things out of his mouth brothers sisters you've got to see it with your own eyes

13:26

Matthew chapter 3 here we go it says in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea watch repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand guys what was not being said by them obviously hey y 'all want every day to be a

13:43

Friday what was not being said to them who would like their best laugh now anybody here

13:53

John the Baptist comes in I'm doing this on purpose that message is ridiculous and the modern evangelicalism not the

14:02

Church of God but the idea of modern evangelicalism is an amazing thing we don't tell the message that they told

14:10

John did not come in with a story that we often start with he comes in and what's on his lips is this the kingdom of heaven is at hand that's the story for them kingdom meant salvation but it was a broader story than just my personal salvation this is why

14:28

John is saying at first he doesn't come in saying who would like to invite this Messiah into their hearts he comes in saying turn from your sin the kingdom of God is at hand kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God are synonymous phrases watch dangerous thing when we see kingdom of heaven and we think that it means heaven one day we are so so wrong

14:55

Matthew is being very cautious he's a Jew he's being very cautious to Jewish sensitivities and saying kingdom of heaven replacing the name of God with heaven which is a common thing for them to do and so what he's really saying is this repent for the rule of God is at hand kingdom means rule we tend to go where's the armies where's where's that where's the army in the buildings where's the legislature for the kingdom of Jesus where's that is that gonna be set up one day like where's the physical throne of Jesus one day we think of kingdom in these terms but kingdom just meant rule the rule of God is at hand so John comes in repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand and then he starts declaring judgment on those leaders saying the axe is already laid at the root repent which by the way is what the last book of our

15:50

Old Testament says is gonna happen judgment with the Elijah and then Jesus now chapter 4 we've done it together the wilderness

15:57

Jesus goes in to feed Satan in the wilderness but here we go I told you to have Isaiah 9 ready and here's why

16:02

Satan's temptation was not let me say it again was not just something thrown out there to Jesus I couldn't get

16:17

Jesus with the bread I couldn't get Jesus with the testing God so how about this

16:23

Satan's final testing is to give Jesus exactly what he came for so watch the story

16:31

Old Testament the mountain of God the nation's streaming up and now

16:37

Satan goes because he knows his Bible better than most of us he says all right

16:44

Jesus and he brings them to a great and high mountain and he shows them all the kingdoms of the world in their glory he says

16:50

Jesus I'll give me worship me so he tells

16:56

Jesus I'll give you all the nations I'll give you all the kingdoms of the world all you have to do is worship me

17:01

I'll give you what you came for it's ultimately what Satan is doing great mountain takes

17:07

Jesus up to and he shows him all the kingdoms he says I'll give them to you and Jesus defeats him and says you should worship the

17:14

Lord your God in him only shall you serve and Satan is now defeated in the wilderness grab it Isaiah 2 says mountain nations

17:21

Satan takes him up shows him to him says there they are I'll give them to you worship me and Jesus defeats

17:27

Satan using the Word of God by the way very important and now watch here we go

17:33

Matthew 4 now when he heard that John had been arrested he withdrew into Galilee and leaving

17:38

Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali so that what was spoken by the

17:45

Prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali the way of the sea beyond the

17:51

Jordan Galilee of the Gentiles the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light and for those dwelling in the region and a shadow of death on them a light has dawned admit something

18:01

I will grant it right now and confess to it I read that for so many years and I was like I ain't got a clue what that means sounds nice very poetic but I don't even know what it means you know what's amazing is you've got the first words out of John's lips and Matthew repent for the kingdom of heaven is in hands and you've got

18:22

Jesus now defeating Satan after being offered the nations and the kingdoms and guess what now you move here and guess what

18:29

Matthew 4 Matthew now quotes Isaiah 9 this passage here is the beginning of Isaiah 9 what was

18:41

Isaiah 9 6 El Gabor the

18:46

Messiah of the increase of his government and of peace there'll be no end that all these people are gonna come and serve him that's the story and look what

18:55

Jesus says here we go verse 17 from that time Jesus began to preach saying repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand and further 23 look what he says here and he went through all

19:07

Galilee teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming here we go out of the lips of Jesus the good news of the kingdom when if it's up here look it's right there so gospel of the kingdom you might have come in and maybe even assumes well that's just the title of the message right you got to have cool titles for messages right so maybe that's just the title of the message right that's just a unique title the reason that the message is called that is because that's what

19:38

Jesus was proclaiming it's a whole story it's not just a piece of a story it's a whole story it's the good news of the kingdom the good news of God's kingdom his rule in history which meant salvation forgiveness listen closely and you get everything

19:53

I'm saying right now guys listen if we don't have the good news of the kingdom if we don't have an understanding of what that means then we don't even really understand how the personal salvation fits into the story it's not personal salvation and also one day a kingdom it's the kingdom of the

20:11

Messiah which actually has within it the salvation that we're all looking for now listen closely here's what we're gonna finally bring this together

20:23

Matthew 28 Matthew ends now with all authority in heaven and earth been given to me therefore go make disciples of all the nations what was the story guys all the nations were coming to God what was the story he'd be given a kingdom that would never be destroyed what was the story salvation forgiveness to the ends of the earth the glory of God the

20:45

Bible says was gonna cover the earth like the waters cover the sea that means everything's getting wet brothers and sisters everything

20:53

Matthew 28 which direction did

20:58

Jesus go I need y 'all to say it's very important where'd he go he went up Daniel 7 in his vision what is

21:06

Daniel see in the vision one like the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven and it says that he came where up to the ancient of days and he was given a kingdom dominion and glory that all people's tribes name everyone's coming to this

21:20

Messiah and I love the story it's a whole story it's a symphony here's Jesus now defeating death walking among his people he's bringing salvation and then he ascends where he is seated and given that kingdom we are not waiting for the kingdom of God to get into history brothers and sisters his kingdom is here it is now he is ruling and he is reigning now and where history is going is this way every enemy under his feet 1st

21:48

Corinthians 15 tells us this is the pattern of history Jesus reigns putting his enemies under his feet and after every enemy is under his feet the last one is death and that's when

21:58

Jesus takes the kingdom and he gives it to the father he's not coming to bring it and why is it so important brothers and sisters if we believe that Jesus is not reigning now if we believe that Jesus actually brings his kingdom later then it absolutely guts the story and it makes us as a church entirely and utterly impotent we need to believe like the church is believed for 2 ,000 years that Jesus is reigning now and all people nations tribes languages are to come to him and to be ruled over by him we need to believe like the church has for 2 ,000 years that the goal is to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth and bring every nation in subjection to Jesus we need to believe what the early church believed and what we believe for 2 ,000 years and particularly the

22:51

Reformers and the Puritans the Scottish Covenanters the Huguenots all those guys we need to believe what they believed and that's this there's no

22:59

God but God and no king but Christ and that Jesus has authority over everything that Jesus in fact has authority over our civil governments that Jesus has authority over the abortion mill that Jesus has authority over my life and guess what mr.

23:17

atheist yours too you see when Jesus says all authority in heaven and earth been given to me

23:23

I have to ask us a question as Christians do we even believe that many of us are very happy to let

23:28

Jesus be king over Neverland but not here if you look at the

23:40

Reformers that was really amazing I was at the conference this week and I got to hear a message after message after message on the great cloud of witnesses that are more current than the ones that are referred to in Hebrews the great cloud of witnesses like George Whitfield like Jonathan Edwards the great cloud of witnesses of brothers and sisters in Christ before us who lived godly risky lives as risky troublemakers for their generation

24:08

I'm gonna borrow this from my friend Douglas Wilson he said something I want you to hear he says that it's our pattern and what people typically do as humans is this we honor our dead troublemakers and our living conformists right we love it don't we we look at like the monuments we're like oh man

24:32

Knox and Wheatley and Luther and all these guys like amazing heroes right troublemakers absolutely turning everything upside down Luther troublemaker

24:44

Whitfield troublemaker we say Whitfield would preach out and they'd be like 30 ,000 people

24:49

Benjamin Franklin not a Christian but love the Christian worldview was buddies with Whitfield he talked about how he'd always go to see

24:56

Whitfield preach and Whitfield was out and he preached to 30 ,000 people at once with no amplification he could hear his voice for a mile that's the truth you know that about Whitfield the first great awakening turned the whole world upside down with the gospel whole cities turned to Christ no joke whole cities come and shut the bars the next day the brothels and everything else but they turned to Christ that really happened it wasn't even long ago we go all

25:22

Whitfield amazing he'd go out and he preached the gospel on a field and thousands tens of thousands of Whitfield make all its praise

25:28

God awesome he was a great teacher do you know why he was there he got ran out of the church

25:35

Whitfield was in the fields because the church said you're dangerous you're too harsh you're too rough -edged we don't want you in the church's preaching what you're preaching get out and so Whitfield goes fine he goes out in the field starts preaching and then everyone comes all these guys godly troublemakers we think about our history we like troublemaker child we love our troublemakers

26:02

John the Baptist is awesome we're like man he's crazy locust honey crazy wearing crazy clothes amazing looks like a

26:09

Halloween costume we're like that was weird but awesome I love John the Baptist the only reason we love John the Baptist is because he's safe back there

26:16

I wonder oftentimes in the modern context if we would do the same to our heroes that the people in their day did to them we erect monuments to these men and to these women who gave their lives for the cause of the gospel we're like man if we could just have

26:35

Whitfield's if we could just have Edwards back again do you know what Edwards sermon was we all know it right sinners in the hands of an angry

26:43

God that was Edwards second great awakening sinners in the hands of an angry

26:50

God you know have you read that sermon have you read it go read sinners in the hands of an angry

26:57

God it'll kick your teeth in he said God arrow God's arrow is drawn back and it is waiting to be drenched with your blood and he called harsh to repentance and faith in Christ be joined to Christ it taught you must be born again and they preached it faithfully and guess what they got a lot of trouble for it it stirred a lot of people up and guess what we love our troublemakers we love our godly troublemakers and we love our living conformists

27:24

God if God I would to God that he would raise up even in this congregation a congregation full of godly troublemakers godly troublemakers that lay their lives down for the sake of others that tell the whole story listen we look at our heritage in America and think about something the

27:41

Puritans dominant force over in America the early church I'd say in America believe something significant listen they believe the story that I'm telling you they believe that Jesus was not just about bringing personal salvation but he was the king and we're bringing that kingdom to the ends of the earth we need to bring this whole nation under Christ's feet the

28:01

Puritans I'll use the word they were post -millennial don't worry about that right now except to say this they believe what

28:08

I'm telling you that Christ was king and he had all the crown rights everyone needed to come to him that's what they believed and it did something didn't it didn't it mean something early on didn't it transform cultures didn't it mean something for them amen and yes it did listen when we believe that Jesus doesn't have all authority and then he's not truly reigning now it affects all the world around us listen our culture around us goes to hell in a handbasket ready acknowledging the sovereignty of God but the means of their going to hell in a handbasket is us it's us it's us not fighting it's us not loving them enough to lay our lives down for them it's us not dying daily it's us not sacrificing loving them and actually caring that they're plunging into darkness and when you have the good news of the kingdom you understand that this story is bigger than me the story is the rule of Christ in history and this gospel must go into every single area every dark place every corner all the ugly places

29:15

Jesus his message of his kingship and rule and salvation needs to go there think again about our godly troublemakers quickly one last one

29:26

Athanasius I love Athanasius do you know Athanasius is kind of read about Athanasius Athanasius for Christians were like men the

29:34

Athanasian Creed right we have creeds and you know some church history of trees like the Nicene Creed that's good the

29:40

Athanasian Creed like that's awesome do you know kind of trouble went into those creeds do you know you got heretics rising up and the whole church is in struggle because heretics are coming in and distorting the message of who

29:51

Jesus is the church has to rally around the scriptures and together fight these heretics and go okay now let's make a creed and let's refute that position good

29:59

Arianism done and then all of a sudden Athanasius we go to the Athanasian Creed Athanasius listen if you look him up Athanasius had a saying that went with them that's kind of neat it was

30:12

Athanasius contra mundum like what is that Athanasius against the world he was called

30:21

Athanasius against the world Athanasius contra mundum because at the time the Emperor and all the priests were against him what was he defending the

30:30

Trinity kind of an important doctrine like it's about God and who he really is and at a time there was corruption that crept in and caused

30:41

Athanasius basically to stand alone and he's the only one fighting and so Athanasius contra mundum and we go

30:49

Athanasius the bomb amazing he's a troublemaker he's a troublemaker we have to ask the question does

30:58

Jesus have all authority do we understand it's a good news of a kingdom do we even understand what that means of how it is good news of a kingdom it's good news that God has kept his promises that he's exalted the

31:08

Savior that Christ is seated and he's bringing the nations we need to preach that Jesus has all authority in every area of life that he's the true king he's the true king again listen this came out of the

31:23

Reformation the time of the Reformation listen closely this is what they said there's no God but God there's no king but Christ there's no king but Christ there's no king but Christ they spoke to the authorities of the day and they said you must submit to Christ you got turned to him he has all authority not you what was the early church chastised for listen closely

31:40

Acts chapter 17 verse 7 it says this it says this they say there's another

31:46

King Jesus not amazing the early church being brought up on charges brought up on charges and what are the charges they're saying there's another

31:55

King Jesus because they understand it's a good news of a kingdom guys I have to ask a quick question would we ever get accused of that today in our culture as Christians in our culture do we herald the message of the kingdom of Christ and his salvation in such a way that we express even to the authorities around us that we say will be good citizens will be obedient we're not going to foment revolution but Jesus is king over you he's in charge and he's actually over you would we ever be accused today as American Christians in our culture would be we'd be accused of saying that Jesus has authority over you over you and his word counts because the early church did

32:43

John the Baptist spoke to the reigning leader of his day in his moment and he told

32:51

Herod who was part of the civil state system he said it's not lawful for you to have your brother's wives he actually brought the law of God to the civil magistrate how you like them apples don't talk to the civil government in that way so yeah it's not lawful for you to have that right it's against God's law

33:08

Jesus condemned the Pharisees Paul and Acts condemns the false prophets and the religious leaders the highest level of philosophical debate

33:18

Paul and Athens can you imagine Mars Hill he's standing there he's speaking now to pagans in the highest level of philosophical debate and he says to them

33:27

God overlooked these things in the past but now God commands men everywhere to repent he has raised

33:34

Jesus up and appointed him and he has a day where he's gonna judge God commands you to repent do we preach the gospel like that today and we ask the question why are we so impotent as a church today here's why are we even preaching the gospel are we preaching the good news of the kingdom in the way that they did

33:54

Christ is the ruler he has all authority he commands you to repent that's how they preached it and we say we can't do that today that would cause all kinds of trouble

34:03

I don't believe that God has ever really done anything of significance in history with a living conformist it's always been the troublemakers note the word before it godly there is a difference between being a prophet and a prick right don't confuse the two they are very different amen a prophet does it for the glory of God not for themselves not for their own image not for who they are to be promoted a prophet does it willing to die and be erased from history for the glory of God the other side does it for themselves they do it so that they look good they do it to win arguments they do it because they want to spotlight there's a difference a godly troublemaker is content to be forgotten are you three things and we're done quickly one you may want to cut your cake in a different way but there are three things that I believe need to be handled in our own lives before this ever makes any sense to us or before we ever do anything of significance three things what's the problem we've gutted the story of its major parts but here we go number one how come we're so impotent today again this is a major problem we're not telling the story the way they did but personally

35:46

I believe that the reason many of us don't impact the world around us in the way that we are called to is very simple we have not even died yet Luke 14

35:57

Jesus preaching before masses of people he's preaching before all these people he's got a major church situation going on Jesus you could have been the first mega church pastor all the people in front of you you got your own mega church

36:11

Jesus the disciples were like flip it out think about how awesome apology of church praise God look what we're doing now look what

36:16

God's doing here in this church but watch this if you came in here on a Sunday right next

36:22

Sunday you come in and all of a sudden you notice every single seat is full and there's a line going out the door and down the street people kind of you know like yeah we're growing as a church praise

36:33

God glory right you'd be like flipping out and you'd be like I hope

36:39

Jeff doesn't do something today right what do we do think about it honestly when you have this many people in the context you'd be like let's do what we can to keep them and I said

36:53

I've said before I'll say it again today in our culture what do we do we say look at all these people in front of us let's not do anything to step on their toes let's give them chocolate milk and cookies and cotton candy so that they stay or come back next week that's what we do and if you think

37:11

I'm joking I'm not joking that is done in churches today we're opening a church first thing we do is focus on the coffee bar on the inside make sure we have

37:22

Starbucks whatever we can to keep Jesus turns over Luke 14 masses of people coming to him and he turns and all the

37:30

Apostles mother said that's awesome finally yes good and Jesus says everyone comes to me it is not hate father mother sister brother he's listing them and he says and your own life you're not worthy to be my disciple is saying to them this ready you love anybody in comparison to me more than don't come if you love your life in comparison to me more don't come come to die or don't come at all that was the message that Jesus brought to people you come to die and rise again you come and you give everything up and you follow me you come trust in me

38:06

I'll give you eternal life believe in me eternal life but come and die don't fool yourself don't fool yourself don't ever be an almost

38:15

Christian the worst place to ever be is almost Christian listen to that Jesus just turn them away he just said go we think if I could just get him in the door a bit and try

38:31

Jesus out maybe that's good it's never good to almost be Christian and Jesus called people to come and die and I think what's wrong with us today in many ways there are lots of answers to this is very simple this we are too afraid to die or we haven't died yet you see we look at guys in the history we see how did this guy how did is it how did this reformer who is preaching his generation and calling the king and the

38:59

Queen to repentance and faith and trust in Jesus how did they have so much courage I heard the story of a guy reformer and you don't even know he is he never heard of him

39:11

I'm sure of it he preached the gospel so faithfully his whole life is insignificant himself but what he did was amazing and it brought the gospel so far in his day he's on his way to go to the stake to be burned for preaching the gospel in his day godly troublemaker on the way to the stake his six -year -old boy and his wife were there and he's on the way and he stopped to talk to a six -year -old son how many of us would stop and have a conversation with our six -year -old before about to die for the gospel and he told his son all these things that you you trust in Christ you turn to him you turn you flee all wickedness you trust in Christ and I pray

39:54

God uses your life for his kingdom and all the rest and then he goes and he gets burned the stake and he's on fire he's not dead yet until they took an axe and they swung it into his face on the stake and you ask the question how does this man who could have just with his six -year -old boy there just said okay

40:12

I repent I I won't do it I'll calm down how many of us would do that with my son six years old sitting there how many of you say okay up this guy to him quick maybe

40:26

I'll stop and take breath and maybe I'll think about what I'm doing he passes his son on the way and says you trust in Christ you turn to him you don't give up you lay your life down for Christ it goes to be burned you ask the question how does someone do something you're nuts they're crazy how do you do something like that here's the only way it happens the only people that go to their deaths like that are people who have already died it's the only way it happens you have to lay your life down for the sake of others that's the call of the gospel you come trust in Christ but know this you're coming to die and rise again you're coming to leave an old self at that cross second point we are man pleasers

41:07

Paul says in Galatians 1 listen closely when he confronts Galatian the Galatian heresy he says this ready he says do

41:14

I seek to please men or God if I still seek to please men

41:20

I would not be the slave of Jesus our problem many times as Christians is that we love the applause of others we want so badly for people to like us and listen there's nothing inherently wrong with wanting fellowship and intimacy with others but if it's at the expense of truth it's sin and Paul is saying this

41:42

I can't I can't I can't seek your pleasure in me and still be the slave of Jesus I gotta tell you the truth no matter what the cost

41:51

I've made a decision to be the slave of Jesus and not the slave of you we're man pleasers we love to please men over God all the time and until we die to that we're never gonna be effective as Christians in our culture and it's just sin it's just sin call it what it is

42:11

I gotta say something here it's very important I just want to forget to say it to you

42:19

I don't want to forget it's very important you have to be willing to fight your own flesh and your own mind when you go out into the world to reach people for Christ it's hard it's not hard because God's not mighty it's hard because of our own sin

42:39

I confess before you all how many times I go out to preach the gospel and I have to repent of my own indifference

42:46

I have to repent of my lack of love for the lost I have to repent of it

42:51

I have to ask God God give me help I don't love these people I don't I don't love these people that's why

42:56

I don't want to go because I don't really care I don't care about them out there I don't care about them at the abortion

43:01

I don't care about them at the temple I want to stay home I want to do my own thing and I got to tell you you have to fight your flesh you have to die to self and you have to confess to God God I don't love you or them enough to even do this

43:14

Lord I don't like being called names out there I don't like people cussing me out I don't like people making fun of me

43:19

I don't like it and you have to die you have to turn from that you have to fight those fleshly impulses to just be loved by everybody and our problem is we are so in love with comfort we have forgotten to love others last point we don't understand the true gift of suffering for Christ I want to show it to you when we're done

43:49

Acts chapter 5 Acts chapter 5 go there quickly Acts 5 look at the scenario it trips me out

43:58

I love the story so let me just tell it to you for a second quickly as you look later at Acts 5 the whole story here's the

44:04

Apostles preaching in the streets and watch what look at this verse 27 and when they had brought them they set them before the council and the high priest questioned them saying we strictly charge you not to teach in this name yet here you have filled

44:16

Jerusalem up with your teaching you listen have filled Jerusalem up with your teaching how do you do that you don't do that through simple friendship evangelism right you're not doing that you're not filling

44:29

Jerusalem up at your barbecue at your house how are they filling Jerusalem up they were out in the streets in the marketplaces proclaiming the gospel to them and there he's guys are saying look we told you guys we told you to stop preaching in this name and you are just filling this city up with your teaching you're filling up and I love this and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us verse 29 but Peter and the

44:58

Apostles answered we must obey God rather than men the God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a tree

45:05

God exalted him at his right hand as leader and Savior to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins brothers and sisters there it is do you get it you kill them

45:17

God raised him up he is the chief leader and Savior are you catching it the good news of the kingdom was not simple about private salvation it was their forgiveness salvation it's that God raised him up and he is now seated and exalted he's the leader he's the

45:38

Savior that's the whole story and they're telling it they didn't say hey guys we just want

45:45

Jesus to be Lord between our ears they said you killed Jesus God has exalted him he's the

45:52

Savior he's the chief ruler and I gotta obey God rather than men and look what happens they end up in the passage verse 40

46:05

I love it they say don't do it and then the Apostles go back out they're doing it again they bring me in do we say stop doing this and then they do this it says when they had called in the

46:16

Apostles they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus and let them go so watch this they beat them they're hot and bloody and cut and in pain and they say this go stop teaching in this name stop admit it what would you and I do

46:38

I'll confess I think knowing myself I think what

46:45

I would do after being beaten like that and going through all this for the gospel I think I might go home to candy to lick my wounds

46:52

I think I would probably go home to say all right

46:57

I did my part I'm gonna take a little break I'll pause for a little bit

47:04

I just I just took a beating look good let some time give some time to heal a little bit right put some ointment or something

47:13

I'm gonna cool I'm gonna I want to take a break but it says what then they left the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name and every day in the temple and from house to house they did not cease teaching and preaching

47:33

Jesus as the Messiah the Apostles understood you must serve

47:38

God rather than men the Apostles understood you're coming to die and rise again the Apostles understood that Jesus is the chief ruler and the

47:45

Savior and God has raised him up and they understood that it was an honor to suffer for Jesus he bought me out of darkness he saved me he is the ruler he's the

47:55

Savior he loves me and it's worth all of me to lay my life down and suffer for the cause of the gospel

48:02

Philippians 129 it has been granted to you it has been gifted to you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer what do you love this is this so what what do you love

48:19

I'm gonna ask you a question that was asked this week and I want I want you to hear it cuz it hit me hard what do you love if you could have anything you could have anything you wanted think about it right now if you if someone said if someone said to you

48:42

I will give you the one thing that you want whatever it is just the one thing that you most desire that would most please you

48:51

I'll give you the one thing right now ask me I'll give it to you the one thing that you would just want the thing that you would just say that's what that's the biggest thing for me

49:00

I wish I had that what is the one thing you want the most ready that's your

49:06

God that's your

49:12

God and if we think as Christians with that perspective our lives will change

49:21

Paul knew it John knew it Peter knew it it's

49:26

God he's everything he's all Christ is everything and suffering for the cause of the gospel is all

49:33

I want in my life this is a call this is not just a message that you hear and you go oh that was pretty challenging and convicting

49:42

Wow praise God that's cool this is the message we have to have your heart checked you have to ask yourself the question what is

49:49

God calling me to do for this good news of his kingdom in the world now what's he calling me to do what do

49:57

I need to flee from what do I need to repent of what do I need to confess to God God I'm that man pleaser

50:02

God I'm the one that hasn't died yet I'm the one that cares more about my life and my stuff than you

50:07

God it's me you have to call out to God and ask him

50:12

God just melt my idols God take away my fear take away my pride God give me all of your power

50:18

God so I can serve you with my life and lay my life down God let me be a godly troublemaker for your glory you have to ask

50:27

God let's pray father bless God what went out for your glory I pray God with all my heart in Jesus name that you would use this very small huddle of believers for your glory that you would put the gospel of the kingdom on our lips that you would let it come and thunder out of our mouths that God you would allow us to have the strength to live for your glory and the vision of your kingdom in the world your salvation to the ends of the earth use us for your glory in Jesus name