The Kingdom... Without the King.

This message today is designed to be a follow up to what was shared last week in the sermon, “The Pursuit of Holiness.”

Throughout the week, God has prompted my heart to continue along these lines, but I wasn’t sure on the direction to go… until I began to study for Men’s Ministry. And I came across something that really stirred up some new thoughts… thoughts that go beyond the surface questions and into the deeper issues.

Why do people passionately pursue… happiness?

Sounds like kind of a dumb question right? It’s because they want to be HAPPY RIGHT? I have NEVER ran into anyone who longed to be… unhappy. NEVER. People desire to be happy.

BUT… what is it that fuels this desire? With all that we have… especially in America… why is it never enough?

I believe that answer is… because the world, as it is, can NEVER deliver what people are truly longing for and hoping for. What people long for… is what creation originally had… in Eden.

You have heard me say from this pulpit a truth that I must restate this morning. GOD DID NOT CREATE YOU FOR SIN. GOD DID NOT CREATE YOU TO LIVE IN A FALLEN AND BROKEN WORLD.

As you read the Creation story as given to us in Genesis, God created the world, the universe, and ALL that is within it and declared it to be good!

Not only was it good… it was PERFECT! The world was without sin. It had contained no corruption, no distortion, no perversion. It had no pain, no suffering, no hurt, no toil. God truly created a perfect world.

The ONLY thing that was not good… was that Adam… was alone. As Scripture said, no suitable helper yet existed for Adam according to Genesis 2:20. So God completed the picture with the creation of Eve.

And at the end of Genesis 2, we get a very small glimpse of what life in the garden was like… but it tells the whole story.

Genesis 2:25 NIV

25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

“Pastor… are you suggesting we all need to join a nudest colony to get back to happiness?” Absolutely not! Although history has shown that people have tried something like this!

Verse 25 says little by words but much in meaning.

Adam and Eve were naked - They were innocent. They enjoyed life together in the presence of God without interruptions caused by things like lust, selfishness, immorality, etc. They experienced a level of innocence that you and I have never seen… in fact, it is hard to even imagine what this would have been like…

Secondly, they FELT NO SHAME - There was no guilt, no shame, no remorse, no negative emotions to deal with, no rejection, no embarrassment… NO UNHAPPINESS!!!

Eden… was paradise.

Eden was beyond anything we can possibly comprehend. Why? Because all we have ever known is… a broken world. But we weren’t built… for broken.

God created us for Eden. God created us for paradise. AND… the most important, most valuable part of that paradise was fellowship with the creator! BECAUSE THERE WAS NO SIN… God literally took walks in the garden He created!

It is important that we realize this. It is important for this to sink in today. Why? Because we are NOT living in the world God created us for. AND because of that… we crave the paradise we have never known.

But there is a problem in this craving. It is now… tainted. It is now perverted. It is now corrupted by sin. Our world craves the “perfect kingdom” if you will… but it wants nothing to do with the King that created it all.

I’ll give kind of a silly example...

I’ve heard many preachers talk about creation and when they get to the appearance of Eve, they get kind of silly.

They imagine the moment Adam sees Eve for the first time. God had created for Adam a suitable helper… Eve completed the picture. And the imagination goes a bit wild from there.

Huba huba! Okay, God, I’m liking what I see! Woo wee she is one fine looking lady!

Eve… is objectified. Eve is lusted after in the imaginative conversation… and I don’t believe ANY of that is how it happened!

Lust didn’t exist! Objectification didn’t exist! There was only true love and appreciation.

Do I believe Adam saw Eve as beautiful? Absolutely! But not in a selfish way… but in a “I would do anything or give anything for her” kind of way. God did good by Adam not so Eve could be his toy… but so she could be the completion of God’s design for human life.

But our imaginations are skewed… It is hard to imagine man’d first response to a woman without implanting our brokenness into the equation.

I truly believe people are longing to get back to what God created them for! AND… just as the serpent did then… he is still trying to use “happiness” to pull you further from what God has to offer.

Jesus gives this warning in Matthew 24:4-5

Matthew 24:4–5 NIV

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.

Jesus made a point to warn us repeatedly about rampant deception toward the end of this age including false saviors, false expressions of the kingdom of God, and counterfeit Edens.

“Many will come,” meaning there’s going to be lots of it. “And will deceive many,” meaning lots of people will fall for it.

He gives the warning in verses 4-5 and then repeats it again in verses 23-25.

Matthew 24:23–25 NLT

23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.

Why do teachers repeat certain things? So students will remember those specific details!!!

Falsehoods come in many shapes and sizes and… the are designed to pull you away from the real deal. They are designed to lure you away from that which is genuine.

People are looking for happy… but in their brokenness, there is a deceptive fear that holy… might keep them from happy! Who spreads this fear? The enemy who sells sin by wrapping it up with false happiness!

Satan wants this world to believe that you can have the “paradise” you long for without the so-called restrictions of “righteousness.” You can have your sin and Eden too… but church that simply IS NOT TRUE!

First off… there is nothing righteousness is not “restrictive...” God’s ways WILL SET YOU FREE FROM A WORLD THAT WANTS TO BIND YOU!!!

Satan is STILL selling lies! Lies, that is bought, will remove you from the presence of God and land you in the enemy’s kingdom of darkness!!!

Satan wants the world to believe… that Jesus is just some old fuddy duddy that doesn’t want His followers to have any fun. It’s all read the Word, and pray, pray, pray, and don’t watch those kind of movies and don’t listen to that kind of music, and don’t ever get mad and don’t ever hang out with people that don’t go to church and yadda, yadda, yadda. Christianity is boring, it is old fashioned, and it will do nothing good for you. There are better things to pursue then some old washed up religion.

AND… for a while… the church didn’t do itself any favors regarding this particular lie of the enemy. For a season, a gross level of legalism began to take hold. The church was more apt to tell the world what it stood against… instead of who we were standing for. And if we’re not careful, we can slip back into that trap again!

Friends listen to me: Jesus did not come here because He was against the world… Scripture says God so LOVED the world. Jesus came because He was against sin and its consequence. He came to deliver the world that He loves from the sin that is destroying it!!! HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR THIS REASON!

So how do we make sure we don’t buy into this lie? How do we keep our broken emotions and desires from allowing us to buy into the garbage that the enemy is selling? We must watch out for false Edens.

Watch for False Edens.

What is a false Eden? Anything that claims complete happiness and satisfaction… without God being present.

Christian author John Eldredge offers a story that I found to be very interesting.

One day while walking through his house, his wife had left one of her home and garden magazines open to a page that he says… could have almost been a form of pornography… but the seduction wasn’t a barely clothed woman… the seduction was perfection. It was a picture of “paradise.”

The photo featured french doors of a luxury home that were open to a beautiful to a gorgeous swimming pool and patio leading to the rolling green hills of an out of this world estate.

And for a moment he thought, “That’s it! THAT’S ALL I NEED TO BE HAPPY!”

Give me the home, the pool, the setting, the hills, the trees, the deep blue sky, the fresh air, the warm sun, the ultra comfortable lounge chairs, the insect-free appearance, the 85 degree all year temperature and the never ending bowl of ice cream that never melts! (So long as we are dreaming… right?)

And then he realized… that’s how fast the deceit and the seduction happens. We think paradise is a beautiful and lush and worry free reality and while this all sounds good per the standards of our flesh… if God is not in it… it is FAR from paradise.

in 1971 John Lennon wrote a song called “Imagine” and in this song he offered a vision of a world made new.

Millions of people evidently loved this song. It sounded so beautiful - we can make a world of peace and brotherhood: no possessions, no war, no hatred. It was very alluring to many. People thought it was the realization of their heart’s deepest desires.

BUT… in all reality, it was a colossal disaster. Lennon tapped into his childhood kingdom longing, fueled by his adolescent rebellion. Notice there is no mention of heaven or hell, no mention of faith or religion. In this so-called dream world… THERE IS NO PLACE FOR GOD. Lennon wanted this dream kingdom… without the King. And his final claim is… “The world will live as one.”

Church… here comes the boom. Here comes the point we must never forget. Eden was not paradise because it had all the right amenities. Eden was not paradise because of what it had to offer. What made Eden the paradise that it was was the fact that GOD WAS THERE.

Our world is longing for the setting… but it has lost sight of the Savior - the TRUE GEM OR TREASURE of Eden! Without even knowing it… people long for the way it was but sin has distorted the picture.

Consider this: how many people have you heard say… or how many times have you said, “I wish life could just go back to the way it was before the pandemic?”

COVID 19 changed… almost everything! Not only did we take on a tremendous amount of change, but we did so at a mind boggling pace! And before we could even blink… we walked into a different way of life that left us longing for what many used to call, “normal.”

And truthfully, in my opinion, the most damaging change that we have seen take hold - is the claim that church is non essential. That your participation in the body of Christ and in God’s house of worship, is not important. We bought… what the world was selling.

ALL WE WANT IS NORMALITY AGAIN But our world doesn’t even know what that looks like!

The “normal” that God created us for is forever fellowship with Him! That’s what we had… before sin… and that’s what He has in store for us in the future!

The enemy wants us to long for that which does not involve God and he wants us to believe we can find that satisfaction in the things and ways of this world and that is simply not the case.

These false Eden’s only lead people away from God and deeper into the darkness of this world.

SO… God sent a light… HIS light to this world that NO AMOUNT of darkness could ever overcome. And the KEY to our happiness and more importantly… to our holiness… can only be found in Him.

Jesus is the ANSWER You’ve Been Longing For.

Paul testifies of this in one of the most misunderstood yet most often quoted Scriptures in all the Bible.

Who was Paul?

Paul was the guy who went from persecuting the church… to being persecuted for his faith in Jesus.

BEFORE He lived for Jesus… Paul was climbing the world’s ladder of success at a rapid pace. He thought he was doing a great work for God… but he rejected Jesus. He was so very close… yet so very far away. AND THIS IS WHAT I BELIEVE JESUS WAS WARNING US ABOUT IN MATTHEW!

False prophets, Messiah’s, ways of life, etc. will often look and sound like the real deal… but will ultimately be deceptive and destructive.

Outrageous lies are immediately dismissed. But lies containing probability… well then that might someone’s attention.

A person can be close… but close is only good in horseshoes and hand grenades! Paul, then Saul, was so close but so far away!

AFTER He met Jesus… His eyes were opened to the truth… LITERALLY! He went from being near the top… to being at the bottom (according to the world) BUT even in his suffering for Jesus, Paul had never been… HAPPIER. He found what He was looking for in Jesus.

And it is with this in mind that he wrote these words.

Philippians 4:12–13 NIV

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

The secret to being happy and content is NOT found in having more… or having less. It is not found in anything of this world. It can ONLY BE FOUND IN CHRIST JESUS! HE IS WHO OUR HEART IS LONGING FOR!

Church, the chances are that in our lifetime, we will never see a place that compares to the once physical location of Eden.

BUT… we can KNOW THE ONE that made that place special to begin with - that is God the Father.

Paul went through terrible situations while in ministry and yet he was content… HE WAS HAPPY! Why? BECAUSE HE HAD JESUS!

We can navigate through this broken and sin-filled world and LIVE IN THE HAPPINESS THAT WAS AT THE CENTER OF EDEN. That happiness is found in the pursuit of holiness.

AND… for those who remain faithful… they will experience a new heaven and earth… a place we cannot even begin to imagine!

Revelation 21:2–5 NIV

2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Your HOPE for Happiness is Found in Holiness.

Do you want happy? Be holy. Do you want contentment? Follow Jesus.

The Spirit of God is speaking to us today and we need to respond. Revelation 3:20 says

Revelation 3:20 NIV

20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Jesus is trying to get our attention. He is knocking on the door of our heart. He sees your struggle. He feels your hurt. He knows what you are walking through. You have been trying to find happiness… but it has alluded you. Because you’ve been pursuing the wrong things.

True happiness… can only be found in holiness. This happiness is not based off anything of this world… it is found in the very One who created this world.

Listen, if we choose to pursue anything that is leading us away from the Lord, it isn’t leading you to happiness… it is leading you to hell.

God has incredible things in store for those who faithfully follow. God has a true restoration of all things in the works… but we haven’t gotten there yet.

AND… like Eden, the most valuable and precious part of this new heaven and earth with not be its commodities… but is the presence of our heavenly Father.

Gates made of a single pearl, streets made of gold so pure it is transparent. These things are WORTHLESS compared to the KING who rules the kingdom!

So if we want to feel happy… we need to live Holy.

We need to stop chasing and drop ALL false pursuits. We need to realize that God’s way truly is the best way!

God did not create you for a broken world. This world… our lives… were broken by sin. But God sent His Son Jesus to this world to fix… to redeem… our broken lives. Jesus was broken… that we might be made whole again.

The contentment… the happiness you are looking for… is not more money, better cars, better relationships, better jobs, better friends, better… anything of this world. The contentment you are looking for is found in Jesus.

In Christ… you have everything. In Christ… we experience life to the full… this is NOT based of circumstance… it’s based off our new reality for those who believe WILL NOT PERISH.

Unhappiness is hard. Unhappiness is not a fun place to be. And I ask today… what is the source or cause of your unhappiness?

Is it because others have and you have not? Is it because things are not going your way? Is it because you just can’t catch a break? Is it because someone said something that hurt or did something to betray you? Is it because the preacher didn’t shake your hand or because someone brought coffee into the Sanctuary or because we didn’t sing the right songs?

Distractions… false Edens can exist even within the church… church. If Only we sing this song or we had this class or the pastor did these things… then I would be happy in church.

We need to drop ALL OF THAT. We need to stop looking at our circumstance… and look to our God today. Look to Jesus… pursue His holiness… stop chasing false Edens or greener grass… find contentment in God.

Come back to Him… Hear His voice and come back to Him. He sees you where you are and wants to minister to your heart right now. You want happy? Lets pursue holy… first. Let’s first seek His kingdom and righteousness and see if God doesn’t supply our EVERY NEED!