WE NEED REIGN
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The Wild Kingdom
INTRODUCTION
This has been a topic that has come up for me for the last 30 years…it was not talked about much at the church where I grew up…it was mentioned often at DLU but I did not understand the concept…this past year it kept popping up and so I was forced to study it…I am excited but I am worried that I might overwhelm us today so please bear with me…this might be a dump and go kind of sermon…I have a lot up here and on here so be forewarned
(ILL) farmer went to see his banker…good news & bad news…what’s the bad news…I can’t meet my mortgage payments, my crops are not growing, that $200,000 I borrowed to buy equipment I can’t pay that back, I am just gonna have to turn it all over to you and let you sell it…what’s the good news…I am going to keep doing my business with you
The world is in need of some good news…and the church needs good news also…the bad news is the church has lost the good news…this study will help us recover the good news…what is the good news?
Isaiah 52:7 (NIV)
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
The good news is that there is a Kingdom and God is on the throne…the bad news is we might have lost it
WE HAVE LOST THE GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
There is a popular Gospel today that offers a Savior but not a Sovereign…it offers a great retirement plan but rarely talks about the reign of God…It is preaching about Jesus but not preaching like Jesus If we must preach then the #1 question is…what does preaching like Jesus sound like?
Matthew 4:17 (NIV)
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
That was the preeminent message of Jesus…that was His go-to sermon…His favorite
Matthew 4:23 (NIV)
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Luke 4:43 (NIV)
43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”
Matthew 9:35 (NIV)
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
When the Disciples went out on their own, they did not have to wonder what their sermon title was supposed to be
Luke 9:1–2 (NIV)
1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Matthew 24:14 (NIV)
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
This should be enough to convince all of us that the KDOM was very important to Jesus
How did I miss this…why have I not preached more about this it is hard to understand the word
KINGDOM…We think of land/territory and the PPL that make it up
The Bible says KINGDOM = is the right to rule
When Jesus says KDOM of God is here, He means that God is establishing His rule…we can now choose to live under His rule and His purposes…everyone can now choose this KDOM so we need to review our lives and get in step with God’s KDOM and rule…this is a very gracious opportunity
The modern Gospel says you must be saved from something but Jesus says you must be saved into something
This was His Gospel and the Gospel of His church
12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!
PPL say today just preach Jesus…you can’t do that w/o preaching the KDOM also PPL say today “just accept Jesus”…He never said that…He said “follow me”…make me the master of your life
When we lost the KDOM preaching messages we lost a lot…Jesus is good at getting us into Heaven but our lives are a wreck right now b/c someone needs to run our lives and we are doing a lousy job of it
We did not reject the KDOM but we reduced the KDOM…2 ways we did this
#1 = we made the KDOM equated with Heaven…the problem with that is that right now Jesus is sitting on the throne in Heaven but in the real world I need to sit on my throne…that hasn’t worked out really well
#2 = we made the KDOM equated with church…when we are in church then the King is in charge and Jesus is the King…but I am not in church most of the week I am living in the real world
We have reduced versions of the KDOM…Jesus is king but we have kept sovereignty over most of our lives We gained this but we have lost a lot
WE HAVE LOST OUR LIBERTY FROM THIS WORLD
There have always been other kingdoms…there are lots of them…even CHR live in other kingdoms
Addictions…pornography…lust…violent tempers…acting like jerks and knuckleheads
The good news is that we can escape that KDOM and let God rule our lives
God is offering the over-ruling power of the HS…bondages can be broken
Why do we continue to live in these kingdoms…because we get to call the shots
Every time Jesus starts preaching on the KDOM, His first point is REPENT
What does REPENT mean = it doesn’t mean stop cussing, that is too easy…you can stop cussing and never repent
When Jesus says repent = “give up your kingdoms"…surrender the right to rule your life
What is my kingdom = wherever you are god or king or #1
This explains a lot of His teachings…the rich young ruler, sell all you got and follow me…the only time someone came to Jesus and left sadder…we have watered down what Jesus said to him LUKE 18:24
24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
We’ve torn that verse to pieces…if money is your KDOM then you are in trouble…we need to give up the right to rule
There are lots of kingdoms that do not look evil…family…career…wealth…religion
Jesus & Nicodemus…you must be born again…you can’t be good enough for…God is looking for 100% surrender
We think we can buy off God…attendance…worship…Communion…giving…posts on Facebook…teach…is that what God means when He says “let me rule your life”
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Religion can be a great place to hide from God…give Him a half-day and spend the other 6.5 days doing what you want…how you want…when you want…with whom you want…That is not KDOM living that is just going to church
WE HAVE LOST OUR LEGACY AS DIFFERENCE MAKERS
Is the church making a difference in USA…we have closed down buildings…dying churches…irrelevant
We have lots of church buildings but very little of the reign of God
(ILL) catholic church…in every district there is a throne room in case the Pope ever arrives…Chicago…John Cody was the cardinal and the Pope was coming and they were not prepared…they could not find the throne room or the throne…they had turned it into a committee room
Many churches have done that…we have substituted a church agenda in place of a KDOM agenda
Some of us are legalists…get church done right…we could go to war about worship but be as nasty as possible to PPL around us…racists…materialists…and never get touched by God
Some of us get relevant…new lights…cameras…skits…we say to our neighbors…was church fun today, tell us what you want us to do and we will do it, whatever it takes for the PPL to like us
We have legalism and consumerism and both models get PPL passionate but long term PPL do not get into the KDOM of God and we constantly fail
What if the message was watch us get church right or watch us keep you happy…what if the message was let us help you find the rule of God in your life
Nothing we build by our hands will last forever…go find the 7 wonders of the world…they are called ancient for a reason…the very best we build will not last
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
The KDOM is eternal and it will last until God is off the throne…He will always be on throne 20% of PPL under the age of 25 go to church anymore…we will be in trouble very soon…answer is not committee
WE HAVE LOST OUR LUNACY AS JESUS FOLLOWERS
Many unchurched PPL might be asking “do those CHR actually believe what they are selling”
All of us are depending on Jesus getting us into Heaven…He is the only one that can get sinners into Heaven
He doesn’t know much about the real world b/c some of things He said was crazy…pray for persecutors…turn the other cheek…cut off anything causing you to sin…do not store up for yourselves treasures on Earth…give to the one that asks
He can get you into heaven but if I did every everything He said, PPL would think I was a lunatic unless there is a KDOM right here and right now
We have sanitized His message…following Jesus has become being a nice person…He calls us into danger
(ILL) 1921 Tomb of the Unknown Soldier…every day and every hour there is an honor guard…they were told to abandon their post during hurricane Isabel…it was too dangerous…they did not leave…60MPH winds and rain…20 trees blew over and tombstones crumbled but they stayed…why…b/c these men gave lives for us and b/c it was right
There is a time to be dangerous when you sell out to something that is bigger than you…that was the call of Jesus
I repent if I have said that the safest place to be is in the will of God…no…might get you killed…best place to be PPL will call you a fool…
CHR do not care about danger but they do care about missing out on the KDOM of God
There are PPL that are forgotten here but in Heaven they will be remembered forever
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it.
We need to return to the wild kingdom…not safe…not sanitized…not domesticated…the good news of the wild kingdom…how do we get there…We need right now to pray for reign…request for the leadership of God
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
I do not understand all of this but I want us take a journey into the KDOM