The Coming Kingdom
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
-Introduce myself and family
-Share what I do and testimonies (including yesterdays training.)
-Thank Tree of Life for support and would love to chat afterwards.
Quote from Chinese Minister T.Z. Koo
“The kingdom of God does not exist because of your effort or mine. It exists because God reigns. Our part is to enter this kingdom and bring our life under his sovereign will.”
As I was praying and preparing for this morning, the Lord took me to the scripture verses in Luke 17 starting at the 20 verse. I will admit that I have never preached on these verses before (so go easy on me), but I believe they are timely verses especially in the state of our culture and society today. My hope and prayer for us all as we dive into the scriptures this morning is that we realize who the real King is, and how we should be living under His Kingdom.
One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”
Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”
Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns, but you won’t see it. People will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man,’ or ‘Here he is,’ but don’t go out and follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes. But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation.
“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.
“And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.”
“Where will this happen, Lord?” the disciples asked.
Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.”
(Prayer)
4 Things We Can Learn From This Conversation Jesus Had With The Pharisees and Disciples:
4 Things We Can Learn From This Conversation Jesus Had With The Pharisees and Disciples:
1.) God’s Sovereign Rule Is and Has Been In Place:
1.) God’s Sovereign Rule Is and Has Been In Place:
One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”
Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”
What Are The Pharisees asking or looking for? - An Earthly King and Kingdom.
Not The First Time This Has Happened - 1st Samuel 8
Israel was a theocracy - government led by priests in the name of the Lord. They had no earthly king until 1st Samuel 8.
Jesus response is reminding them of the: The Kingdom of God is already among you because the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is in charge!
The Lord has made the heavens his throne;
from there he rules over everything.
His kingship never stopped. What happened then and what we see happening today is that people don’t what God’s Kingdom, in our human flesh, we want our own kingdoms in which we are the kings.
“Kingdoms” Being Built.
-No Morale Absolutes.
-Pop Culture Science.
-Redefining The Family
-Redefining Identity
-Redefining who is our “king.”
Let this be a reminder to us all that their is 1 King. It’s not Elvis Preslily, nor is Michael Jackson, and it’s not even Lebron James. The King is Jesus Christ and there will come a day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. We will all see the glory of God! The question is, will you bow to Him and sing Holy, Holy, Holy out of reverence and love or will you be waving your fist and gnashing your teeth will you confess this?
2.) Don’t Fall For False Messiah’s:
2.) Don’t Fall For False Messiah’s:
Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns, but you won’t see it. People will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man,’ or ‘Here he is,’ but don’t go out and follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes. But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation.
Between the 17th Century and 21st Century, there are at least 54 well known individuals all across the world who have claimed to be the incarnation of the second coming of Jesus Christ.
1991 - Sergey Torop (The Teacher) from Siberia
2011 - Allan John Miller from Australia.
False Prophets and False Messiahs are not new. In fact, even before Jesus came to earth, there were people claiming to be the Messiah, which ultimately came to pass that those claims were false. Jesus warns us of these false people in Matthew 24:24
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.
But how can this happen? “You will long to see the days of the Son of Man’s return.”
Just as Jesus’ death and resurrection was and is a well known event that actually took place, so will His return.
Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
There will be no doubt when the King returns.
3.) Live Your Life As If Jesus Would Return Today:
3.) Live Your Life As If Jesus Would Return Today:
“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.
“And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
Noah’s and Lot’s Days:
-People were living wickedly and wanted nothing to do with the Lord
-God was preparing to judge the earth during Noah’s time and cities of Sodom and Gomorroah during Lot’s time.
-God kept both Noah and Lot safe from the coming judgement.
Noah - “Blameless Man” - still worshipped, obeyed, and depended on God. He was not influenced by the immorality of his culture.
“Are we living blameless lives?”
The Lord wants men and women who are after the heart of God.
4.) A Righteous War Is Coming:
4.) A Righteous War Is Coming:
“Where will this happen, Lord?” the disciples asked.
Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.”
Typical, many pastors and preachers go to Matthew 24 when Jesus talks about the birth pains leading up to His arrival. I agree with them, and I also believe there is more that Jesus is sharing when He answers this. Notice he doesn’t directly answer “where” this will all take place, but Revelation gives us some insight.
Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance. And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty.
This is happening before our eyes - Article from Discover Magazine.com entitled “Is the Euphrates River Drying Up?
The scene is setting up for the Final War to take place.
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”
Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Call worship team up and end with Sight and Sound Musical of Jesus and then present the Good News of Jesus Christ. Invite people to come to the altar.
(Prayer)
