Champion of Hearts

We have spent the last 5-6 weeks talking about Jesus the Champion!!!

I want to conclude our series this morning by looking at one more area that Jesus longs to be CHAMPION, but has given the power of choice to you and I....

Jesus the CHAMPION OF OUR HEARTS!

Jesus has fought harder tan any other to win the Championship for our hearts, but He wants us to choose HIM, to choose HIS KINGDOM and the life He offers!!! Christ has given us a free will that we must offer up in surrender to HIM!

Today, where is your heart....

Our theme as a church this year has been to

Make Jesus OVERALL

OVERCOME through Jesus

OVERWHELM others with Jesus

Where are you at in that process????

Matthew 6:33 NLT

33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Matthew 6:33 NKJV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

If Jesus is the Champion of our Hearts - HE WILL TRULY BE THE FIRST THING WE SEEK IN ALL ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES

Let’s break this verse down a bit this morning...

1. Kingdom of God

Working backwards in the verse, I think we need to first talk about the KINGDOM OF GOD ---

After all, we are called to overwhelm people with Christ — or with the pursuit of HIS KINGDOM!!!

What does the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven mean?

The Kingdom of God/ Heaven - is the eternal Kingdom that exists spiritually and physically in the existence of all things. The KING is the Eternal YAHWEH - God in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Ghost and His RIGHTEOUSNESS is the way of life.

Right now that Kingdom is comes into our hearts and those who have made Christ King over their lives have surrendered their will and choosing - their thinking and actions to conform with what Jesus taught us, in the future - His Kingdom will reign in this earth for a thousand years and then eternally in the New Heaven and Earth after all sin, death and demonic power if banished and punished for eternity in the Lake of Fire.

His Kingdom is PERFECT LOVE, SUSTAINED JOY and ASSURED JOY and WALKING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS - when this is integrated into our daily lives, not just Sunday worship, as we find our purpose/ meaning in attaining these things, and as we thrive in this things being effective in our lives...

In WORK, PLAY, WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP --- having Christ above all --- and spreading Christ above all...

THe KINGDOM was the first priority of Christ - for all who would follow to experience HIS PERFECT LOVE, JOY, PEACE and RIGHTEOUSNESS

The message and hope it brings was to HIS ABSOLUTE PRIORITY and should be those who are in His Kingdom’s absolute priority as well.... that His Kingdom is in our hearts, the hearts of our family, friends, acquaintances and even enemies!!

The principles of the Kingdom are powerful to change and fulfill a person --- to OVERWHELM them with the truth!!!!

How is this playing out in our daily walk with Jesus???

2. Seek First

You see we are called to put the Kingdom FIRST --- in pursuit for ourselves and in making it known to others --- IS JESUS NUMBER ONE???

In Jesus teaching on the sermon on the mount, the same day in which he spoke to SEEK HIS KINGDOM FIRST he tells us spiritual principles of His Kingdom ...

Matthew 5:3–12 NKJV

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Recognize need of Christ, sorrowful for sin or repentant, humble, longing for the righteousness of God, showing mercy as they have received from God, keeping their hearts and motives pure in following Christ, keeping peace with others, willing to suffer for the pursuit of Christ ---

This is the essence of salvation - not the sinner’s prayer, but the follower of Christ’s new heart and motivation…

Recognizing Jesus is the Champion of their heart, we need Him, to surrender to Him, to bring ourselves in humility and long for Him, and then to show it to others - being merciful, makers of peace even when persecuted…

Seek first the Kingdom is seeking forth His salvation into the depths of our spirit and making it known for others to do the same.

In other words, surrendered to JESUS!!!

Getting to know and follow Christ above anything else!

WEIGHING all things in the measure of who CHRIST IS and WHAT HE TAUGHT US! Integrating that into every aspect of our lives to our purpose is His purpose and we thrive and who He is in us!

YES - in essence Making Jesus OVERALL of our lives!!!

3. All These Things Shall Be Added

We spend our lives working on this part in the wrong order....

We try and make the money first, tend the family first, pursue our own desires first… we put 95% of energy into the things that will be added instead of putting it into Seeking first the Kingdom!!!

Now wonder we can feel defeated, not receive HIS ANSWERS to our prayers - because it is all about adding things rather than seeking first -

WE OVERCOME when HE IS FIRST!!!!

Put JEsus first and the rest falls into place ---

Ephesians 3:20 NLT

20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Now wonder JEsus told us in Matthew 6 not to worry about our clothing or what we would eat, that the Father will take care of us --- it is an essential teaching of the Kingdom ---

Our lives are consumed worrying about tomorrow, planning, scheming, working - instead of trusting God - why, because we are not seeking first the Kingdom!!!! Seeking first the righteousness of God in our lives which is integrating His salvation, surrender to Him into our lives...

All we have need of and even those things we may desire will be met when we put Him first...

Matthew 6:25–34 NLT

25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

In other words, God will OVER COME the difficulties presented to us in our lives, if we will TRUST in Him first, and put our effort into SEEKING HIM FIRST....

Conclusion

Matthew 7:21–23 NLT

21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

The Kingdom is about becoming like Jesus, not performing… that was the law

The Kingdom is about the transformation of our thoughts and hearts ---

It is one of the reasons why Christ promises to answer our prayers and grant our desires, because those prayers and desires are being changed into HIS desires and will!

If we are remaining in HIM and He in us… what and how we ask for things change ---

James 4:8 NLT

8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

John 14:11–13 NLT

11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do. 12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.

What is this verse in relation to--- doing the Kingdom work!!!

It is a promise for those Seeking first the Kingdom...

It is time we prioritize our lives to Seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness and then allow the other stuff to be added in....

Make Jesus overall, overcome through Jesus and overwhelm with Jesus!!!

HOW --- allowing Him to be the CHAMPION OF OUR HEARTS!