Competing Kingdoms

Welcome to redeemers at so good to be with you. This is a really cool Sunday. It's not often that we get to be a part of someone getting baptized and making a proclamation that they're going to follow Jesus with their life. And it's so cool to be a part of Miss that the beauty of that and the

just the opportunity to see that is so cool. So I'm excited for today. I'm excited to share with you.

Play 2020 was a weird year.

So I'm going to say about that and we can move on.

It was a stranger, you know collectively across the world. We had these things that we were collectively experiencing and I started thinking a lot about just expectations if you're a human being you have expectations and I would say most of the time those expectations are not being met. If you are married or you have kids, you know this very well.

Yeah, but it is one example, I thought about it and see what this week and how how weird it is and new experiences. My son Leon who's 3 he has this expectation that every night we're going to watch like an hour and a half a PAW Patrol. That is his expectation and he makes us every single day. Hey we watch PAW Patrol PAW Patrol in the Hickox house. So we just kind of have a rule that one for the kids. Anyway that we only watch movie is on Friday night Five Nights movie night build out towards that Leon dance about it. He's so excited about it. But every day his expectations are crushed by the fact that we're not letting him watch PAW Patrol. Obviously Mom and Dad's tonight watching the crown, but he can't watch that. So he's going to be watching on Friday, but every day we experienced this butting up against expectations, and I thought a lot about this last year. And consider the fact that expectations are about perceptions. They're about what we believe about each other there about we believe about ourselves and so is a result. I just started think about what do we expect out of followers of Jesus? What do we expect of our life would be expect our life to look like? What do we expect people around us that know Jesus and walk with Jesus? What are we expecting to look like? So I wanted to do something really quick. That's a little bit strange, but I wanted to invite you into a and that is I just want you to take a moment. You can close your eyes or you can get out your journal and get out your phone or whatever. It takes not to look at Instagram or Facebook what to do when a mask clear and I want you to think about what a follower of Jesus looks like That may be a strange question, but I want you to think about it. What is he or she look like what I do for work. How many kids do they have? How do they drive in the street? How do you respond to adversity?

Who do they vote for? Do they follow or not follow on social media really do on the weekends? What is a follower of Jesus look like? Now that picture we create in our mind is all over the surface level things that we expect followers of Jesus to be but the reality of it is.

The questions we have to ask our what are they like below the surface? Our life is kind of like an iceberg. If you seen the movie hit, you know that 90% of its mass is below the surface, but the top part we see are the behaviors and the expectations will be look at and say this is what a follower of Jesus is Buffalo the service there's a lot going on. So I ask you this question. Keelback the lair go below the surface ask yourself these questions of a follower of Jesus.

How do they treat someone who has wronged them?

How do they respond when persecuted for standing for Jesus and go to some saying standing for Jesus there not something else?

How do they handle their money?

What kinds of people do they hang out with?

How do they treat their spouse in their marriage?

how to deal with their emotions

How can you tell these things will you really can't? Because an individual has their own volition below the surface. And that below the surface is God's domain. It's God's your heart is where God is ruling and reigning as a follower of Jesus. And so today I want to open us up to two really big Ideas. We're going to read today is the gospel of Matthew and if you've been following us the gospel of Matthew, you know that Jesus is all about shattering expectations. He's going to continue to do that for the next year-and-a-half. What's a truck through the gospel of Matthew 5:1 invite you to think about two things that we're going to experience today in the gospel of Matthew and Matthew chapter 4 verse 12 to key lines that if you're reading this on earlier plywood just gloss over and move through whatever you can think about is ever going to ponder them for the guy that first slide up there to phrases. Number one repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. And two, he went throughout all gallaty teaching and synagogues are proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom. What's the team Kingdom? God's kingdom. What is it? What does it look? Like? What does it mean? If you're reading this passage, I'm going to read it in just a second. If you really easy. Look at this passage as okay. Jesus is tempted which is obviously a hugely important passage. No move on to Matthew Chapter 5 or Jesus rules out. Here's what it means to follow Jesus cheers of people in the kingdom of God look like and are validated and cared for but in the middle, there's this pocket or Jesus begins his Earthly Ministry. So let's read in Matthew 4:12. You have your Bible flips there. If not, I'll be up on the screen. Here we go. First 12 Matthew chapter 4 now when he heard that Sean had been arrested he withdrew into Galilee and leaving Nazareth. You went and lived in capernium in the sea by the sea in a territory of zebulun and naphtali. So that was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled in the land of zebulun in the land of naphtali the way of the sea beyond the Jordan Galilee of the Gentiles the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light. For those dwelling in the region and the shadow of death on them a light has dawned and from this time just began preaching saying repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Milwaukee by the Sea of Galilee. He saw two brothers Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother casting and into the sea, but they were fishermen. Please set the time follow me. I will make you Fishers of Men. Amelia left their Nets and followed him and going on from there you start to Brothers James and James the son of Zebedee and his and John his brother in the boat was 70 their father mending their Nets and he called them immediately. They left the boat and their father and followed him.

Anyone throw out all Galilee teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom. And healing every disease every Affliction among the people so is Fame spread throughout all Syria and they brought him all the sick and those Afflicted with various diseases and pains and those oppressed by demons FL epileptics and paralytics and healed them. And great crowds followed him From Galilee and the decapolis in from Jerusalem in from Judea and from Beyond the Jordan. Let's pray.

Jesus the first line of your prayer that you just had a phrase. Let your kingdom come. Let your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. And Jesus we pray that same prayer here today. We pray for Redmond. We pray for our country prayer for our world that your kingdom would come. But today I pray that you would give us a little bit of insight into what that means. We unpack a big idea at the kingdom of God. I pray for us that would understand our kingdom the one we try to build doesn't look anything like your kingdom.

Are you working done is unique and divine and holy and is full of healing and it's full of life and pray for us to understand that today. Just let me pray. Amen.

Salvation is twofold.

There are two things happen when a person gets cold and quotes saved if you been around for a long time in the church, you know this idea of getting saved and being saved and the focus on I'm going to pray a prayer. I'm going to get saved. And I was like, okay what now? There's a two-fold thing to Salvation one is yes, there is a future reality. We are being saved from but there's also something that's happening right now. And if you miss what's happening right now, we're going to live a fragmented reality where our life doesn't line up with this future reality and me live, even though we're citizens of Heaven and Hell on Earth.

But God says I'm not just after this future reality. That is true. It's happening. We're moving there. The reality of Heaven is coming to Earth. But right now there is something that Jesus calls his disciples the people who fall into a safe to the kingdom of God is here. And you are now being saved from sin in your life. This is a big shift for a lot of us. Did I say something that God is calling you into right now? Is today at my hope is that I can invite you into that a little bit. So let's look at Matthew verse 12 for going to move through this first section really kind of sit on a couple passages this morning. The first thing I need to see is that Jesus is setting up his ministry in a location that is not expected. First 12 nobody heard the Jonathan arrested he went through the galley. So about a year after John the Baptist Jesus begins his ministry. He went to Capernaum Capernaum was an area that was pretty much opposed to Jesus. There were some jusuru living there but is mostly Gentiles are people who didn't have a cultural background in the Jewish faith that we're living in Galilee. He begins his ministry there. And this region is very interesting. I think I don't know. I'm kind of weird about this though. So I think it's kind of interesting. The region was a volatile meaning it. Was there a lot of fighting going on constantly changing and heavily influenced by Grease and other cultures because of its location as a major trade Route 4 Paramus displays hodgepodge of different cultures in realities and beliefs and people if I were a Jewish person when you put them aside, I would not expect a person to start their preaching in Galilee. Hotels 5 star in Jerusalem, the headquarters of the Jewish face already is tearing down this expectation of what is the kingdom of God?

Why was important to this region and a Jesus ministry? It's a place. That's not highly valued by pure-blooded Jewish people. Jews were often referred to this area is Galilee of the Gentiles mean those were not Jewish by Blood. However, 11 of Jesus's 12 disciples came from this region the one accepted Exception by Judas. Disciple who would eventually sell Jesus to the Pharisees to be crucified by the Romans. One commentator said it this way the galileans were fond of innovation by Nature disposed to change and always ready for Rebellion.

Sounds like us a little bit in the beginning of his ministry location that you did. Jesus was fulfilling a prophecy. This region was foretold as being a location of darkness and have it by people of Darkness. But now it says a light is Dawn and Jesus is launching his Earthly Ministry in this location set. The light has gone on those dwelling in the shadow of death. Now if you were falling Us in the gospel of Matthew up until this point, you know, that uses already turned down some expectations about this Messiah figure was going to look like after the genealogy the first chapter of Matthew which we go back and listen to that in December. From that point on gs. Do some things that people were like little strange his wife didn't start off remarkably. He wasn't born into a palace to a royal family and the headquarters of the Jewish faith. He was born in a Backcountry portal working poor town. It was only significant because of the prophecy is fulfilled. Jesus launches his ministry in an area that is fundamentally opposed to Jewish customs and faith.

people drawing in darkness And the person who preceded him is not this Royal kingly hair with a trumpet and Will Rose. It was a dude with a beard and a locust and honey in the desert.

Already, the Jews are kind of like in the beginning up to this point. This doesn't sound like what I think a king would do. Or what a king would look like. It's already movement happen that Jesus is not going to be who they think he's going to be. And so from the beginning to use disrupting the status quo in setting in motion a very different Kingdom from the one anticipated by the Jews that you know anything about Jewish history. Has anybody in here like a history buff? Scott alright, or just listen to podcast about history anybody like that. I teach history. So in my day job when I'm not teaching of the church once a month, I am a middle school social studies teacher in Prineville, and we just recently started talking about Rome. Rome was incredibly massive and influential Empire. In fact in the course of human history from the longest running Empires ever. About 400 years 200 years before Christ in 200 years after Christ. The Roman Empire is so incredibly significant. So for the Jews one of their expectations when they're big expectations on Tuesday at one of the side comes do not throw off this Roman rule, right? So what I want to do really quick to show you just a quick picture that I just I'm really sorry, but I find it really interesting so deal with it. So this is a timeline that Britain has spliced up into six small slides, hopefully.

Anyway, let me see what it looks like. If you can't see it yet. We will figure it out along the way it was a long picture that if you saw it up on the screen to be like this is like a bunch of blurry lines when it is there's a bunch of Kingdoms. They're all different colors and Rome is this massive Kingdom It lines up all the different kingdoms of the world down through. All right side.

and See, I don't know why I did this to him. I just like to mess around when I teach him. I want to get the hardest ass if possibly can one more. Give me go. So the space that they have is how many how much land they had? There is no other Kingdom that was more powerful or more influential on the ancient world than Rome all this pink area right here. That's all Rome. You won't find another kingdom. That was that big. All right. Or that really lasted as long as it did. This Empire had full control of Israel Israel in the Jews that were living there were basically like we think the Messiah to show up and he's going to throw off this kingdom is going to lead a military or political revolt. He's going to overthrow the Romans and give the land of Judea back to the Jewish people. If you know the story goes she used to do that.

But I love this picture because it's important to notice when kingdoms come and kingdoms go. Roman was massive. It only lasted 400 years and then it was gone. Tell apart. You'll find out every major Empire of the world. So one's unique things. We start talking about God's kingdom is that it's an everlasting Kingdom. Starts in Genesis goes on to Revolution the new Heaven and new earth come down. If you took Jesus's Kingdom inside, what's the power was the rain with the land that has you wouldn't see anything like this cuz it's not finite it continues to keep going. Thank you Britney. You are the man. Thank you so much. And so he arrived in this land who fills our privacy by coming to the land of the Gentiles first and verse 17. It says that's it from that time to just began preaching saying repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. I don't know about you. but the word repent it's not doing that comes up General in conversations. At time we talked about rhetoric and word usage repentance in those words. That's like so in rhetoric right soaked in Hidden meaning in hidden contacts behind it repent and wish you were here repent be here for parents, right? That's the vibe we get. All right, it's not something that's like subtle. But what I would love to do today is just peel back a little bit later. We talk about repentance.

So in this part just is affirming and continuing the message of John heard about a few weeks ago. If you haven't had a chance to send that cement that Brett talked about the beginning of John the Baptist ministry, he starts off by saying repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, please to listen to that. It's great. The word repent gets a bad rap. It's soaked and rhetoric immediately forces us into a defensive position not denominational followers of Jesus. Read it back a little bit. I like to think of it is I think Jim Carrey says it in a movie says like we're parents of you shall be saved to have great who done a great disservice to the gospel by forcibly and maliciously using it to stir up conflict among those who are marginalized are oppressed to their perspective in reality. Prepend is it called to turn from where you were headed and go back? It's a proclamation. What's an invitation? Tim Mackie says it like this use that when the main people at the gospel for the Bible project, which we love is says everybody stop something has changed when he says her pain doesn't say.

Everything Has Changed something's happening. The world is changing. You need to listen to this.

And repentance the system that one of the only commentator said adding to MacKay, refers to repentance is not something God to man to do before he will take you back. I think this first kind of sounds like that. I got to repent and changed my life and I can go back to Jesus know this is not something God demands. If you before he will take you back and what you can let you walk if he chose rather repentance is simply a picture of a going back looks like repentance is a picture of a going back looks like

We give up our ways and choose to follow. Jesus will return from that perspective. We stop over doing it. We say something is happening. Invitation to go back to what picture with the wing-back looks like he says repent for what was the reason? Why should I Repent? Why should I change my life or or why? Why should I stop wearing ahead and go back for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. for the Jews who would be people who were at round of this time the kingdom being at hand what event that soon this Messiah would bring deliverance from oppression at the hand of the Romans and he would do this through political and Military might give it a riding on a white horse and crush. The oppressive regime that is real. Once again found itself other instead. Jesus want is his ministry in an important but heavily Pagan city of capernum along the seat and Center spiritual side of the Center of Spiritual night in Jerusalem out of gospel the king of this idea that you might want to make sure we know this is a central thing in the Book of Matthew. You're not going to be able to read The Gospel Matthew and not hear the idea of the kingdom of God. It's fused about one-and-a-half times per page. Play Gospel Matthew. So it's a really big deal to Matthew. All right. Now every Kingdom has ever existed has three things left in my assumption a king that makes sense and area of dominion meaning of place where it has power your land and followers people who abide in that Kingdom without the one of those things will be hard to consider a kingdom a kingdom. But how Jesus brings these things to Bear is unique to the kingdom of heaven. She says the way up is not through Power grabbing. It doesn't claim fame or Fortune. He doesn't have a place to live. blood about Jesus You know a place to live.

He has no place to sleep in. His followers were not the cream of the crop. They were blue collar uneducated people in this time considered that way in this time. And again, we're going to be more about this is a fundamental tenet, but the Jews were not looking for a spiritual savior. They were looking for that. That was what they thought was going to happen. They thought it was going to be a political or military Savior and I would ask the question of us today. Are we looking for a spiritual savior?

Or are we looking for something else?

Instead they're looking for a king that would fulfill their needs and give them what they wanted. However do this doesn't give them this this ministry instead. Jesus challenges the very ideals. They have long held by not offering a physical establishment of Kingdom, but instead offering a very different came a few things to highlight here one. The king does not have a throne to Deuces Kingdom has a cross Did you catch that?

Do not confront on to the throne season Throwdown lacrosse.

Sing a song about power is about love. The King was not about wealth instead it elevates those who are poor. He was not having and instead. It's Infant. Jesus is saying this kingdom is fundamentally opposed ours. It's not even on the same wavelength.

Now kingdoms have one more thing that I mentioned I would mention this. Have land and War and conflict study ancient history is fascinating because you see how there's one Kingdom have but he showed you see that graphic. You noticed many kingdoms happening at the same time. Battling boring and taking over each part of land La Vie for influence lobbying for minor for cultural prominence. They were fighting for and so it is for us. In this instance this battle for land use his kingdom is very similar to that of an Earthly Kingdom with the exception of the war is being fought for your heart and forget influence in your life. If this is true, then our reality is no different in the Battleground that existed between nations. Our heart is the area. God wants his kin to have dominion over but we have a competing we have competing kingdom are vying for the same land each day. And here's a few of those cubes that I want to highlight face I'm saying, is this your heart? Is where God dwells. Yes in the future. God is going on a throne right now. He's blowing on a throne in heaven. But also if you leave the kingdom is about the now and not yet the present reality but also the future Hub, we know that right now. It's raining in your heart and soul. There's something happening in your heart. There's a war happening for influence over God's Dominion your heart. I believe this happens every day. We're not immune to it. I just wanted to lay out five kingdoms. And I believe are competing with the kingdom of God in their heart. I want to hear this just to know that it's happening. All right. And to know that every day we choose which kingdom we're going to rise up and we're going to follow. So the number one Kingdom not never wanted sent a priority whenever one is just the first one is the kingdom of comfort.

The unchallenged and unchanged life keeping things the way they are I could stay and I do anything to change. I don't want to have to adjust my life or change my priorities. I just want to get saved have the future helping his kind of fluid on until I die. Doesn't work. How's it going?

Do you like that? The kingdom of comfort done challenge live. Nothing changes. Nothing gets any better. Nothing gets any words. You just kind of flowed along to the kingdom of work moralism. If I do these things God has to love me. But isn't interested on the other end of that is also a profound disappointment working so hard trying to earn God's favor and I don't and then I don't perform. I feel like God doesn't love me. The Falls Kingdom 3 Kino self My interest my desires are really matter. What I think is right. I think we should do. That's what really matters as long as God is okay with that and then that Kingdom he is cuz it's your kingdom really? You're fine with it. How's it going? next the fourth the kingdom of Politics the belief that humans and idea are political party can deliver or Set Me Free from the struggle that I'm facing. I'll be just get this person elected Everything Will Change. Everything will fall in line. We know that's not true. But yet in our world wherever you land on the political Spectrum, you know that that's the hope that people have it. I can just make this happen if I could just post enough about this Canada and get them elected that will change. But I can't offer us meaning. You can't give us what we want.

It's a false Kingdom and find the kingdom of information if I can learn more and understand the logic of how the world works now people work. I can save myself.

how to become more aware of how to like a really good book called How to Win Friends and Influence People really interesting they say tells you how to win friends and influence people so you can understand this I'll be popular and I'll have meaning and I'll be able to do more because we'll have more clout in the world around you but it's at Falls Kingdom to Falls Kingdom now or any of these in and out themselves a bad thing not necessarily. but when they are these thing you're destined to be frustrated.

It just has to be building a false Kingdom in your heart. I bring that up because I want us to understand that the reality of these kingdoms is what sociologist in Pastor Mark Sayers said the kingdom without the key. When you try to build one of these. You're trying to build a kingdom without Jesus on the throne. Now is it wrong to want to study how people work gain information know is it wrong to vote or be a part of the political process and no. But if it consumes your life. Yes, it is. Play away from the reality of God's kingdom and placing in yourself a false. Hope that if you could just get to one of these places, everything's going to fall in line. Same lie the devil tells all the time. Let's move down to verse 18.

So we see that Jesus is bringing this message in the first thing he does is he brings it to Galilee and he invites people to come and partake in it while walking by the Sea of Galilee. He saw two brothers. Simon is called Peter and Andrew is brother casting a net into the sea if they were fishermen, and he said to them follow me. I'll make you Fishers of Men. Notice their response immediately. They left their Nets and followed him. Never forget time being like what's the imagery created by this immediately thing like it's probably something like sub tax or some cool like application. We gotta be bold and medially no not a poetic language. It's a precise language. They showing that word because it had significant and it was the exact were they wanted in the text immediately means in Greek. immediately All right. You guys are all week starts. Now. You got it. I'll look it up three go and meet left their Nets and followed him.

the gospel of the kingdom of God requires immediacy

How come you can sit and wait on? I'll just wait.

I'll just watch like one more YouTube video. Did this yesterday weather supposed to be like reading to my notes and I was like, I'll just watch one more Mets highlights. Just one more 5 minutes 5 minutes. I'll just wait a little bit longer than a media thing. the Kingdom of Heaven requires an immediate reaction

And all ready Jesus is doing something different here. He's calling his disciples. This is not the custom of the time instead typically individuals looking to learn from a teacher with seek the teacher out and asked to sit under his teaching not in Jesus. She is a story a story taily calling people to follow him.

Most likely if you guys had a relationship with these man prior to this exchange cousin the gospel giant laser all of this mystery happened in the first year before he calls these guys. So he comes them it says Hey, listen, come follow me there like wet. There's no like what we got to do this. going

because they made me leave them. In fact two of the next for the pair of brothers next James and John is brother with her father working on that since they leave him and the Nets. cargo important All right, and I wonder if for some of us that's what God is calling you today.

No time to waste people. The kingdom of Heaven's too valuable. It's important. Jesus too important to wait

is immediate call and this indicates the authority with which Jesus was bringing in the Kingdom, right? Stopping pass I say listen, come follow me. It's time we got to do this thing.

Authoritative call. So what does it look like when God's kingdom is raining raining and the gospel is being proclaimed. We have this call the disciples. They come they immediately follow him. And the brothers response illustrates how obedience is the only answer to Jesus's authoritative call. If you think she has a free spirit. Who says yeah, I could save this little long for the rest of your life. Nothing should change on the fact that you got this future reality. That's not true.

Salvation is great. But you're also being safe from things right now and are not physical things. They're spiritual. There is a war being fought for you for your soul for your heart. And we give into false Kingdom. So we turn to say I you know Jesus I'm just not going to be in this area right now. I don't want to be but this person just posted this on social media and I have to respond. because if I don't nobody else will

I am frustrated my main man Joel have right here deals with people all the time that are frustrated way. Things are going he's a Super Nintendo system superintendent of school district right now. That's a tough place to be.

I'm a teacher. Nobody. For me okay, if I cry so

the reality of it is like

There's a war being fought for you. The kingdom battle happening, and it's not out there.

It's in your heart.

When you get bit of the kingdom of comfort. The land of your heart is being conquered by that Kingdom. Add influence there.

Will you turn that off. We'll go. No, I'm not talking about being comfortable. It's about following Jesus and sometimes that requires me to do things that don't fit into the comfortable around then the kingdom of God is winning is taking over the land of your heartbeat is a constant battle. Nobody's perfect at this back and forth all the time. It is a battle for you.

I wonder if some of us would do a service to ourselves by just taking a break from the conflict and War that's happening outside of our heart.

We just can't help ourselves. Can we? Not a big Gathering of people missing.

You kind of like test them by kind of like throwing out some like things about what you believe. You're sick.

Oh, boy, here we go. About to get into a battle with this person not ready. I got my stats. I got my evidence. I'm right. Let's do this thing and I didn't really like shred your argument. You're like Okay, so I thought I did.

Happens all the time and why is it cuz that war doesn't really matter.

Churchslisten, is it worth getting into a divided conversation with somebody else? Who shares the same world? He was you who believes in Jesus? Is it worth fracturing that relationship? for a political agenda

get over it. Leave it you're going to believe Pet Supply. It's not wrong to be involved in politics at all. But when it starts to seep in and divide relationships, listen, we got to change that and the church should leave that charge. Instead of continuing it.

You know the world would love to see. the church fighting with each other recycle all the world's coming into the church the church the rolling in the church. The church is giving an ear to it. It's dividing the church.

It's just going to dissolve.

If we continue to fight that battle.

Elevate the kingdom of God that goes away

The person next to you to the right to the left of you in the White House and Congress if your coworker guess what they're made in the image of God just like you.

Why would we continue to treat people like they're not.

You're being the image of God. Your neighbor's made in the image of God. The person who protests are made in the image of God. and so are you it is not our place to take the role of Judge in their reality. It doesn't work. It's not the kingdom. It's this world Kingdom. We got fight.

I'm not going to fight with weapons in a fight with love and that may be the most controversial thing I say today.

We need to hear that. Please hear that. Two important can't miss it. I got a little heated there.

Any went throughout all Galilee so we had this question, okay. The kingdom of God is elevated. What's the outcome? What does it look like when a kingdom of God has ever talked about what it's it happens when it's not what happens when it is elevated. This is really cool. first 23 Any went throughout all Galilee teaching in the cinder synagogues, not their synagogues say that it wasn't. It was the Jewish synagogues. He's teaching them. He says this. Preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every Affliction among the people. Wow. So what's this gospel? The gospel is the Greek term you and Kelly on everybody. Say it one time. You ain't gallion. Oh, we can do better than that. I think. MSA do you like Gillian? Better if you want me to say, Mississippi.

This good news. We sure the study of the Gospel all the time. But here's the deal. The good news at this point is that Jesus is here. Noticed we by the girl sitting about Jesus died on the cross Rising again. That's great that it's the gospel that it's also the fact that the king is here. He proclaimed this gospel. It's good news. And what it would have been Tis the heralding of a new king or a new kingdom one commentator says it this way the gospel is a new identity. The new reality. It's a new way to be human.

It's a new identity. There's a new king here. new king here

And what does it look like when the gospel comes the year? People are healed.

People are drawn from the farthest reaches regions backgrounds colors creates. So so we conomic statuses to experience God's goodness and love

they're brought into God's presence and Jesus is healing them. He's showing his power over the world and casting out demons healing epileptics. It was a disease commonly associated with demon possession of the time. He's also healing people who Racine is worthless. Those who could not contribute to society because they were physically unable to walk let alone work.

When the gospel is proclaimed when the gospel is preached when Jesus is elevated when the Kingdom of Heaven in the gospel of the kingdom are raping people are healed.

Do we see not right now? necessarily that is a lot more Brokenness that we do healing right now.

But when God becomes king people are rescued and evil is named that's not Jesus. This is Jesus.

now I want to do is leave you with this to consider two things to consider. My timer got turned off. So I don't know how long I've been up here for probably a while doesn't sorry. All right. A few questions to consider before we go. number one consider what kingdom you are fighting for? Consider what kingdom you are fighting for? Here's a quick quote from CS Lewis. If I find in myself a desire, which no experience in the world can satisfy satisfy. The most probable explanation is that it was not I was made for another world.

If none of my Earthly Pleasures satisfied that does not prove that the universe is a fraud probably Earthly Pleasures for never meant to satisfy. I've only arouse it to suggest the real thing. Never to mistaken for something else of which there are only a kind of or echo or Mirage. I must keep alive in myself a desire for my true country. my true country Which I shall not find after death.

I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside. I must make it the main object of my life to press on to that other country and to help others do the same.

What kingdom are you fighting for? What's your endgame here? Put the Press on to the kingdom of heaven and a bring of that Kingdom down next week. Michaels not talked a lot about what that means. I'm just kind of setting it up.

Only speak some sort of false Kingdom or false idea of what life is all about. We are difference. We miss it. Our lives jobs families churches just look like the world don't look any difference. Genesis kingdom was difference. Hear Jesus Elevate the poor. Do we want that?

The follower of Jesus decided everyone not just those who are like them as love instead of slander instead of canceling instead of demeaning instead of putting them on blast on social media the kingdom of God shines in the kingdom of God is not shining then another kingdom is and that Kingdom only has destruction in mind second question for you to ponder this week. Consider where is God called you to act immediately?

Where is God called you to act immediately? Where you been waiting? Later, not now. It's not convenient right now. Kids got a family. I don't have time to do that or just got called you to act immediately.

Too important to wait wait to think about what we will do.

so my fridge went to use this.

God's kingdom doesn't look like our kingdom. As you go through the gospel of Matthew going to hear all about what this kingdom of God looks like and it's going to challenge every single person in this room myself everybody. It should be wrong with that.

We believe about people. The about G's we believe about our role. God is going to call us into something. That's unique and I just pray I pray that God would give us an ear for it. And humility to accept that truth.

To go out from here and embody those characteristics. Listen. We're building a kingdom. You are building a kingdom in your heart. What kingdom is it?

My cruise went to you is too loud, Jesus to move and work in your heart to change the way that you're living all of us forever forever. Your Forever how long you followed Jesus forgot to do something for you? To heal you from something to restore your marriage to change relationship with your kids. That's my encouragement to you. I was going to offer that to forgive somebody who's wrong with you if you pee with love instead of anger.

That's not easy to do.

I pray for us really quick. I hope I hope I really do that. God would do something in our hearts. To change the way you thinking about life and invite us into a new reality a new gospel a new way of being a new way to be human. I need said I need a new way to be human.

Jesus

your kingdom come you will be done.

On Earth as it is in heaven. Jesus your kingdom come your Earth be done in Redmond as it is in heaven, Jesus your kingdom come your will be done in redeemers church as it is in Redmond as it is in heaven.

Reveal to us this week at where we are building a false Kingdom in our life, rebuilding a false reality in our life and God restore us to a place where Jesus your kingdom is raining.

Where our Allegiance and our heart enter truth is for you not for anything else.

We praise you today Jesus. We know that we are made in your image. We are your children. We have a new identity and you got Heelys where there are wounds were there is pain with her is broken. This weather has been her bring forgiveness where there is hate love for their is Falstaff All City and lies bring truth Jesus that we may be able to live in to what you have for us. Not building a false Kingdom Lord.

Maranatha come down be with your people this week.