The Different Kingdom
Notes
Transcript
Big Idea:
Big Idea:
God’s Kingdom belongs and is received by those with child-like faith.
Intro:
Intro:
Hey! Welcome to Church Online!
We’re currently in a sermon series title, “The Big Story Book,” discussing...
Familiar Bible stories - sometimes known as Children’s Bible stores - that are filled with divine purpose.
Seeing how the OT & NT are connected by one “Big Story” revealing God’s plan to save the world.
Highlighting Jesus as the most important Person in the story...
… and a major theme we’ve discovered is “The Kingdom of God is coming.”
“The Kingdom of God” refers to the spaces where God’s gets His way. Things happen according to His perfect will. One day, this Kingdom will be fully established and experienced by all creation! But until then, a process of restoration continues.
The Kingdom of God is an interesting thing. Many times we experience it and think, “Yes! This is what I’ve been waiting for!” Yet other times, we think, “This is REALLY DIFFERENT!” Some have even described God’s Kingdom as an “upside-down” Kingdom. This is because God says...
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
God’s Kingdom is DIFFERENT. That’s a good thing. It’s a needed thing. Otherwise, restoration would be pointless. But the fact that it’s good, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Many times it CHALLENGES us...
Jesus’s disciples experienced this difficulty. In the book of Mark, we read...
And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
Jesus and the Children...
Jesus and the Children...
What’s the purpose of this story? Is it to tell us that “Jesus loves the little children?” Yes, but I think there’s a greater purpose!
At this time, Jesus was traveling around Israel and TEACHING about the Kingdom of God. As He did, people’s lives were restored. Broken things were fixed. Jesus (who is God) was having His way! The Kingdom of God was TRULY coming!
One time, people brought children to Jesus so they could experience this Kingdom. But before they could reach Him, the disciples yelled, “Get away from Jesus! What are you thinking? Can’t you see what’s going on here? The Kingdom of God is coming! The Master doesn’t have time for little kids. Go away and don’t bother Him again.”
But verse 14 says Jesus was indignant. That means Jesus was HOT because they mis-judged His heart and the Kingdom of God. Their wrongful conclusion was sourced from a cultural perception that children weren’t important. Not to say they didn’t love their own kids, but kids were seen as insignificant in grown-people matters - like the Kingdom of God!
Yet… Jesus makes it clear, MY KINGDOM IS DIFFERENT...
In the same force the disciples used, Jesus yelled, “Let them come to Me! Don’t EVER push them away! My Kingdom is DIFFERENT. These BELONG in the Kingdom of God!” And not just included IN the Kingdom, but it BELONGS TO them!
He goes on to TEACH… “Truly [in other words, pay attention because your view on the Kingdom of God is WRONG], I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child [like one of these - like the ones you are pushing away] shall not enter it.”
Think about what’s being said: The disciples were keeping kids from experiencing the Kingdom of God. Jesus says, “Not only does the Kingdom belong to them, but YOU can’t come in unless you are like THEM! THEY (the children) can TEACH YOU about the Kingdom.”
...To the disciples, this upside-down! It was DIFFERENT.
And the question for us is: How do we think about the Kingdom of God? Do we treat children with Jesus’s perspective?
...Think about it this way: What does it say about our Kingdom views when...
We never take the time to expose our kids to the Kingdom of God?
When we’re in church (trying to experience the Kingdom), but we get mad at the kids in service making noise?
Here’s another related thought… what does it say about our views on the Kingdom of God when we hide our children away from the world? Now, don’t get me wrong...
We should protect our kids from wickedness. There are things they should NOT be exposed to. The devil has no sense of morality. He doesn’t look at our children and think, “Oh, I won’t mess with them. They’re just kids!” No, he will attack them BECAUSE they’re kids! He hunts the vulnerable.
… but, what I am saying is… Jesus says their faith is powerful! It teaches people about the Kingdom of God. And, if our children have the same Holy Spirit we have (because there’s not a Jr. Holy Spirit) why keep them from a world that NEEDS their faith-filled example?
Do you know what Glastonbury and the surrounding area needs? They need to see the faith of our kids. Their friends need to be exposed to their faith because their God can do the IMPOSSIBLE!
Is it scary to send them “as sheep among wolves?” Of course! What if some kid shares something inappropriate with my kid? As a parent with 3 boys in public school, I get that. But, what if my kid shares the Kingdom of God with their kid?
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
And I’ll mention this too… the sense of the passage isn’t limited to young children. It can also apply to those we would - in the flesh - treat like children. People we may treat as insignificant to an important mission because they don’t fit our standards.
You know, my youngest son is autistic. And while he can do a lot, he really struggles socially and academically. And it’s possible that for the rest of his life, he will have childlike thinking. And that’s challenging for Janelle and I to consider. But then I think about God’s Kingdom values. And God says HIS type of thinking BELONGS in the Kingdom of God and HELPS OTHERS enter it.
God did not make a mistake CREATING and PLANNING out Nole’s life. He is fearfully and wonderfully made. And God has a purpose for Him. A life filled with good works! God can further His Kingdom thru him!
And this principle can be applied to other types of people too! Unfortunately, one characteristic I often see (even in the church) is people only investing in the most talented or skilled people!
I may be wrong, but I don’t think the Kingdom of God works like that. Rather, what I find in Scripture is EVERY PERSON in the Kingdom is a WORTHY investment. Therefore, we MUST invest in people that - at least in the world’s eyes - have the potential of children (low potential). Because in God’s eyes, their childlike potential BELONGS in the Kingdom of God. God has given them the special ability to teach others how to find restoration in Jesus through simple faith!
In God’s upside-down Kingdom, He chooses...
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
Do you look at yourself and think, “God could never use me for His Kingdom. I’m not smart enough. I’m not good enough.” Let me confidently say, “God believes in you!” He’s got a Kingdom-purpose for your life. Something He picked YOU for! Your job is to trust Him. Like a young child depending on their parent for provision, simply RECEIVE all He has for you.
So, what does it look like to live this way? Let me share an OT story that can help us...
David & Goliath...
David & Goliath...
Last week we talked about a godly woman named Ruth. And we saw that, by faith, God restored her life. She started off a hopeless foreigner, but ended up a superhero of the faith! Even more, she became the great grandmother of one of the greatest kings of Israel: David.
And most of us are familiar with David. Like his great grandmother, he’s too is a faith-hero. But, he didn’t start off that way. David wasn’t anyone’s first choice. He wasn’t Israel’s first king… that was Saul. And when it came time to select the next king, he wasn’t the prophet Samuel’s first choice either...
Initially, David didn’t get any attention. He was the youngest living in the shadow of 6 much cooler older brothers. When Samuel met his oldest brother, he was sold! He thought, “Whoa! This HAS to be the next king!”(v. 6) But God teaches Samuel a principle from the “upside-down” Kingdom...
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Instead, God chooses David, the raggedy little shepherd boy. He’s wasn’t anyone’s first choice, but he was God’s choice. And we see why in the next story.
A few years later, David’s dad, Jessie, tells him to take a care package to his older brothers who are serving in King Saul’s army. When David arrives at the battlefield, he finds two armies facing each other, and a literal giant in the middle. His name was Goliath. And he wasn’t just the Philistine’s greatest warrior, he was also their best trash talker. He mocked Israel’s army. Even more, He mocked God. And no one in Israel would fight Goliath. They were all scared!
Who can blame them? Goliath was over 9 feet tall! And he wasn’t the stringy kind of tall. Goliath was ripped. But yet David… who’s still a teenager, still a child - tells the king...
“Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”
Of course, King Saul - who rarely understood the Kingdom of God, replies...
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”
…like the disciples, he thought, “How could this child possibly benefit the Kingdom of God?” And that’s when we this child’s faith teaches the rest of us about the Kingdom of God. David says...
But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”
Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”
Do you see how David is DIFFERENT? He had childlike faith! He had learned to be completely dependent on God, like a child is to a loving parent. As a boy, David didn’t have the physical strength to defeat a lion or a bear. But what he did have faith. And that was MORE THAN ENOUGH. Additionally, it wouldn’t surprise me if he learned about the faithfulness of God from an early age, being the great grandchild of Ruth and Boaz - two of the godliest people in this Big Story!
And when he faced the lion and bear, by simple faith, he knew God would help him. All he need to do was receive whatever His heavenly Father had for him. And these early experiences grew his faith and prepared him for God’s bigger callings on his life. That’s how the process works! Living with childlike faith involves trusting God with whatever He needs to do in our life to further His GOOD Kingdom!
You know, some of us are going through scary situations right now. We’re losing hope because we don’t have what it takes to overcome these obstacles on our own. But the truth is, the only thing we NEED is childlike faith! We just need a willingness to receive from Jesus. When we do, we will experience the Kingdom of God.
…That’s happened for David. Every time David trusted God, he experienced more of the Kingdom of God. But here’s what’s awesome, so did others… God’s Kingdom spread through his simple faith! Thats’ because childlike faith is contagious.
We understand this! We know children are infectious! What happens when kids laugh? We laugh! What happens when kids get sick? Everybody around them gets sick. That’s how childlike faith spreads the Kingdom of God. Look what happens when others see David’s faith...
When David took the battlefield with his shepherd’s staff and slingshot, Goliath mocked him...
sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods.
But David confidently replied...
David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”
We then read...
As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.
David wins! Also, just like David predicted, EVERYONE knew there was a God in Israel who saves! And don’t miss the point here… A child did this. A child furthered the Kingdom of God. A child with simple faith and a willingness to receive whatever God had for him. Simple faith changes everything. It opens the door to the Kingdom of God!
What are you facing today? It might seem impossible to overcome, but God is unstoppable.
These stories might be thousands of years old, but Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If you have faith, God will do it again! He will be your Champion.
Finally, what if the trial you’re going through right now is meant for you to experience the Kingdom of God more fully? What if by your simple faith, others enter the Kingdom of God because they say “there is a God in Israel” who saves!
Response:
Response:
And as we wrap up our time together, let’s remember that Jesus’s didn’t intend for us to literally become children. He said, “like a child,” meaning, their example is instructive to all of us!
Because the truth of this Big Story is the Kingdom of God is available to everyone by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. In some way, we are all children, dependent on God to help us.
Do you need God to save you today? Put your simple faith in Jesus. He will not push you away, but He literally receive you with a hug. He will lay his hand on you and bless you. He will restore you. If you will receive Him, will empower you with your Holy Spirit. And you will become everything God has created you to be. He will use your life to further His Kingdom because in His great love, He chose you for a purpose.
Let’s pray...
Father, we humble ourselves before you today. We are like children, completely dependent on You for all our needs. We want to believe You with childlike faith. We want to receive all You have for us. Would you restore us this morning. Would Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, in our lives. Forgive us for our sins. Forgive for trying to do this on our own. We always mess it up. Forgive us when we try to do this in a way that angers you - keeping others out of the Kingdom that You say belongs to them too. God, give us Your heart and mind. May our lives always point to You Jesus. In Your name, amen.
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