Unhindered Kingdom -Corsicana

Unhindered – Week 2

Unhindered Kingdom

Series Slide

Good morning and welcome to worship on this amazing day that the Lord has made.

Happy Father’s Day to the dad’s in the room. Today is a day to honor the men that have poured into us. For some of us it is our Biological fathers, and for other’s it is the men who became surrogate father’s in our life. Since my dad died in 2003, I have had many surrogate fathers, some of which are or have been a part of this congregation. So, to you, I say thank you!

I want to thank you all again for last week, we had such a great time… some things do not change, this church is still full of some great cooks!

I also want to thank you for the upgrades to the parsonage. The entire house got a refresher, but it was the kitchen that made the most impact. That house has already been a blessing to my family and I can’t wait for us to be able to share it with the church when we have our Christmas Open House. But, that’s all in the future. Right now, we are here to talk about our faith.

We are in week 2 of our series looking at how our faith is to be set free… we are unhindered. If you recall from last week, we said that unhindered means:

Unhindered: rampant; unbounded; unbridled; unchecked; unhampered; unrestrained; not held back.

We considered how a thoroughbred racehorse is held back at the starting gate of a race… It has the power to bust through, but yet it is hindered by that gate. But open that gate and they are set free, they run, they do what they were created to do.

That is what our faith should be like… unhindered, unbridled, set free!

So, over the next 4 weeks, we will look at how our faith is unhindered, it is free… we are going to look at how the gospel is unhindered, how the power of the Holy Spirit is unhindered, how Forgiveness is unhindered… but in this first sermon, we want to see what it means that the Kingdom of God is free, that it is unhindered!

As you may recall, our jumping-off point for this entire series is the final word of Luke in his story of how the Gospel reached the nations, so turn with me to the final chapter of Acts, and we will read from the New American Standard Bible translation of Acts 28:30-31

Acts 28:30-31 (NASB)

Now Paul stayed two full years in his own rented lodging and welcomed all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching things about the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.

<Prayer>

Sermon Slide

Of all the words Luke could have concluded his writing of the story of Jesus and his followers, he chose this word:

Akōlutōs – Unhindered!

Paul was unhindered… and God’s Kingdom was unhindered

Sermon Slide

So, what does it mean that the Kingdom of God is unhindered?

To fully understand this, we need to go back and recognize the mindset of the Jewish leaders and rulers at that time. 2000 years ago, Israel was occupied by the Romans. We all know that but what you may not remember is that just 200 years before that, it was the Greeks – You remember Alexander the Great…. Well, Israel was one of his conquered lands, and He and his predecessors ruled Israel until an uprising called the Maccabean Revolt. In 167BC, Judas Maccabeus led a small army to revolt against the Seleucid Empire and all Greek influence. This ushered in the last time that a Jew sat on the throne and ruled what we could call the Kingdom of Israel… That lasted about 100 years, and then the Roman’s came through and conquered EVERYONE and set up Pax Romana… the peace of Rome.

All through history, the Jews were wanting and waiting for another king to rise up like David and drive out the invaders and rule over the Kingdom. The Babylonians, the Medes, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans… it was all the same for them… They were all invaders defiling the land given to their ancestors by God.

So, when Jesus stepped onto the scene, the Jewish Leaders – the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the Scribes and Chief Priests were all looking for how to usher in the next King David… the Messiah, the Anointed one of God, the Christ. They were looking for the next great ruler who would come in and unite the country, form an army, and drive out the Roman invaders and occupiers. In their mind, if they could just get everyone to follow all the Laws… All 613 Laws of the Torah… if they could just get the people to follow these rules, then Israel would again earn God’s favor, God’s salvation… The Pharisees and Sadducees thought it was their job to create a society that followed the rules so they would deserve God’s reward and Israel would see the Kingdom Restored. You catch that… they are trying to earn God’s favor.

But then, Jesus came to walk among us, and Jesus changed everything!

The Jewish leaders hated the Romans and wanted to kill them, but Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

The Jewish leaders thought the Samaritans were unrighteous because of what their ancestors did some 700 years before, but Jesus visited with them and used them as the hero in his stories.

The Jewish leaders thought the sick and hurting were unclean so they excluded them from worship in the Temple, but Jesus went to them and healed them so they could experience the life they were created for.

Jesus was different from the Messiah that many were looking for. He spoke in parables, was gentle and lowly, the son of a simple carpenter. And in spite of all these things, His kingdom and teachings have turned the world upside down. Jesus made everything new! Amen!

As modern-day believers, under the new covenant of Christ, we are no longer hindered by the rules and regulations of the law. Jesus is our high priest and because of Him, we can experience eternal salvation and redemption.

Simply put, “If the Son has set you free then you are free indeed!” (John 8:36)

And what specifically are you freed from? Sin and death, or as Paul says it, “the dominion of darkness.” In the Kingdom of God, we are no longer hindered by darkness, we are no longer slaves to sin.

Galatians 5:1 says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

We are saved BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH.

We are…

Free to believe that God can and will act on behalf of others.

Free to come to Jesus with anything, free to approach the throne of grace with boldness and confidence.

We are free to live as beloved sons and daughters no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in.

Free to enjoy the lives that God has given us.

Free to count everything else as loss compared to the greatness of knowing Christ.

Sermon Slide

With all that said, the unfortunate truth is that many of us become disillusioned with our faith:

We lose our wonder of God.

We lose sight of our first love…

We fall back into old habits and ways…

A lot of us put the chains of our former lives back on…

Just like the Israelites did in the desert when they took gold and fashioned an idol to worship rather than the God that had saved them.

Paul tells us in Galatians:

Gal. 4:8-9 “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?”

Of course we don’t. We don’t want to live the former life of sin and death, and of course we don’t want to live by following every rule, hoping we’ve done enough to make it into heaven… hoping that we can make Jesus love us. Of course we don’t want to be bound by that life.

Here’s the good news… you don’t have to. You don’t have to earn God’s love. You don’t have to follow a set of rules and hope it’s enough, you know why?… Jesus already did all the work!

Yes, the wages of our sin is death… That is true,

But it is also true that the Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 6:23)

Sermon Slide

I want you to think back to the story of Lazarus in John 11.

Remember, Lazarus was Jesus’ close friend. Jesus is a couple of days away and he finds out that Lazarus is sick, but he tarries…

Then, he gets word that Lazarus has died and he’s been placed in the tomb.

When Jesus arrives, he talks to Mary and Martha about the fact that he is the Resurrection and the Life and they tell him, “Yes, we know our brother will rise in the last days, but if you had been here…”

Then Jesus commands that the stone be rolled away. At first they resist, “But Lord, He Stinketh”

But finally they submit to Jesus and they roll the stone back

Jesus calls out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, Come Forth”,

What happens? Lazarus came out of the tomb, still wrapped in his grave clothes

Then what does Jesus say?

“Unbind him and let him go!”

That’s the same thing Jesus says for you and me today.

Cut us loose… Free us… Unbind us….

You are unhindered!

That’s the message of the Kingdom of God. Not some set of rules. Not some Law that can’t be kept.

Sermon slide

The Kingdom of God is the unimaginable love of Jesus poured out on you and me.

A love that has unbound us and set us free.

A love that is unhindered.

That is the life for you and me…

We can’t allow ourselves to be hindered… like a thoroughbred horse behind the gate…

We are unhindered. You have been set free. You are a part of this amazing kingdom of God that is pouring God’s Love out on all people.

You are a part of God’s work, bringing that Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven!

So, as we wrap this week's message up I ask you,

What’s holding you back today?

What obstacles are hindering your faith?

What is keeping you from being the salt in the soup that flavors and makes it better?

What is keeping you from being the levin in the loaf, that permeates and leads to the rising of the dough so the bread is plump and good?

What is keeping you from shining God’s light for this world to see?

Whatever it is, whatever is holding you back, know this:

Jesus can break the bonds…. Jesus can overcome the obstacle… Jesus will un-hinder you!

So, as we leave today, I want to invite you into the Unhindered Kingdom,

where God has lavished His love, grace, and mercy over us so that we can share it with others.

That is what we are here for! You are a conduit for the love, grace, and mercy of God… you are to let if flow through you to all that you meet!

Maybe for the 1st time, maybe for the thousandth time, or maybe just as a good reminder… never forget that if the Son has set you free then you are free indeed.

Let’s pray together/Invitation