The Message of Jesus-Kingdom Laws
The Message of Jesus
3/8 and 3/9/2003
Kingdom Laws
-We have been looking at the message of Jesus.
-I talked some about Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of God.
-The Kingdom of God is coming visibly but it is also here.
-The Kingdom is present when the king is present. We live in the presence of the future. We are tasting the powers of the coming age.
-Jesus gave us laws in His teaching that enables us to live victorious now in the present age….if we do them.
-They are as valid as the laws of gravity physically. (By the way, Newton was a Bible student according to some material just discovered about him.)
Romans 8
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, a 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. [1]
-Someone said it is as if someone sneaked into the display window and changed all of the price tags.
-It began a revolution. Literally Jesus turned the world upside down with His message.
-The soul than sins shall die. The wages of sin is death. In other words, that is a law that works for everyone.
Job 38:33
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set up God’s f dominion
over the earth?[2]
-In order to set up God’s dominion in your life, you have to know and work the laws.
-The laws work for you or against you.
-Jesus said repent/change the way you are thinking a new world is emerging.
-Let’s look specifically at a couple of these laws.
-We talked about faith and miracles. We talked about sowing and reaping.
-I want to look at the law of use and the law of greatness.
THE LAW OF USE
-I’m going to refer to this as the law of use and the law of faithfulness.
-The background here is the return of the King and being ready and in a position of strength when He comes./
Matthew 25
The Parable of the Talents
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents a of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
/28 “‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [3]/
-Socialism is the Robin Hood doctrine, take from the rich and give to the poor. Jesus taught us that we should help the poor. He never taught the redistribution of wealth. On the other hand, He rewarded creativity and hard work.
-Jesus gives us a great example three men who were entrusted with another’s property.
-That is significant because that is exactly what has happened to us.
-Everything we have and are, are gifts from God.
-If you think you can do it without Him let Him turn off the blood and breath.
JOKE: an evolutionary scientist challenged God to a contest and God accepted. God graciously let the scientist go first in his attempt to make a world. The man dropped a pile of dirt in from of him and God said, “No way, get your own dirt!”
1 Chronicles 29
16 /O Lord our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. [4]/
NCV
“But everything has come from you; everything belongs to you.”
-Three men were entrusted with the property of someone else.
-They were given things to watch according to their abilities. Notice they all had abilities.
-The master went off for a while then came back.
-He inspected the work of each one.
-The man with the five talents brought them back and had gained 5 more. Like wise the man with the two talents had doubled his talents.
-The master said to each of them: “Well done good and faithful servant.”
-The man with one talent came back with a different report.
‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
WHAT WAS HIS MOTIVE?
· He didn’t believe his master was good.
· He was afraid
· He wouldn’t take a risk
-The master called him a WICKED LAZY SERVANT.
-The master rebuked the man who was afraid and wouldn’t take a risk.
-Faithfulness is fruitfulness according to the definition of Jesus.
-Some will say, they haven’t been effective but they were faithful.
-The key is to use what has been entrusted to you faithfully.
-Here is the key:
You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
-What are some practical applications of this?
If you want to be promoted, take good care of your responsibilities where you are.
If you want a new car, take care of the one you have.
Be faithful with your physical body, your mind, and most of all your spirit. You will be fruitful.
I heard a story of a man who was the head carpenter who worked for someone else. He built good houses but on the last one he just threw it together. The owner said, “That’ s your house.”
In Romans it tells us God uses all things for good. That is good stewardship. He doesn’t waste anything.
Going to school has challenged me to learn, study and grow. It hasn’t hurt me at all. Are you doing something to break out of the staus quo.
In business, take care of the customers you have and you will be given more.
Isn’t that true of a pizza place? If the waitress takes care of you and the food is good, you tell others.
If you break an arm and they put it in a cast, it atrophies and you can’t use it effectively.
If you give your child $20 and he comes back to ask for more but can’t account for the first money, would you give it to them?
Often in our finances we don’t need more money as much as we need to take better care of what we have.
Proverbs 12:27
George Washington Carver-peanut example
SEE THE SHEET
-Jesus ordained us to bear MUCH FRUIT.
-I was around two doctors this week. One was a cancer doctor on the plane and the other was an internal medicine doctor who was in class with me.
-Most doctors do pretty well, especially a cancer doctor.
-Both of these guys were very frugal. I wouldn’t have known either was a doctor. They were both telling me what they were doing to save money.
-We must use what God has given us. We need to put what we have to work.
Luke 16 – The Message
“If you’re honest in small things,
you’ll be honest in big things;
If you’re a crook in small things,
you’ll be a crook in big things.
If you’re not honest in small jobs,
who will put you in charge of the store?
/[5]/
-All we are and all we have are a gift from God to use as tools to invest in what really matters, our relationship to Him and whether or not we help others.
-If you want to keep progressing. Use what you have now. Stop waiting until you have more to be faithful.
-He that is faithful with little shall receive more.
-The message is, God has entrusted you with His property. Are you using it effectively and fruitfully to further His aims?
1 Corinthians 4:2
THE LAW OF GREATNESS
Matthew 18
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
/[6]/
Mark 10
The Request of James and John
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
39 “We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
/[7]/
-The law of greatness says the way up is down.
-The whole world is striving to be somebody.
-Jesus said to humble yourself and sow your life as a seed to others and you will be great.
Proverbs
11
2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.
/[8]/
16
18 Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
22
4 Humility and the fear of the Lord
bring wealth and honor and life.
-Who likes to be around someone who is full of themselves?
-Jesus said the key to success is to serve.
-Humility is just addressing reality. God is God. You aren’t.
People are important. We should love them and serve them.
-The key to this law is that you have to see people’s value to serve them.
-If they are really important you don’t mind serving and caring for their needs.
Philippians 2
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature a God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature b of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
/[9]/
-I believe this was an early church hymn.
-Jesus humbled Himself and became obedient.
-Because He humbled Himself, God raised Him up.
-Jesus is our perfect example.
-Serving is valuing others and giving your life for them.
-Amazingly: Jesus tied my success to how well others do around us.
-That isn’t just our family and closest friends but those He has placed around us.
Example: 2 Rooms with people with long spoons.
In one they couldn’t get the food to their mouths and they were starving. In the other they were eating great and healthy. The answer; in the second room they had learned to feed each other.
Jesus knew what He was talking about.
Use effectively what He has given you to serve others.
1 Peter 4
10 /Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. [10]/
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a Some later manuscripts Jesus, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit,
[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version, Ro 8:1-3. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.
f Or his; or their
[2]The Holy Bible : New International Version, Job 38:33. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.
[3]The Holy Bible : New International Version, Mt 25:14-31. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.
[4]The Holy Bible : New International Version, 1 Ch 29:16. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.
[5]Peterson, Eugene H. The Message : New Testament With Psalms and Proverbs, Lk 16:1. Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress, 1995.
[6]The Holy Bible : New International Version, Mt 18:1-4. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.
[7]The Holy Bible : New International Version, Mk 10:35-45. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.
[8]The Holy Bible : New International Version, Pr 11:2. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.
a Or in the form of
b Or the form
[9]The Holy Bible : New International Version, Php 2:5-11. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.
[10]The Holy Bible : New International Version, 1 Pe 4:10-11. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984.