True Freedom - wk 2 - Kingdom Citizenship

True Freedom  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  31:20
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Citizens

Last week we kicked off a new series based on a River Valley Church bible study about our true freedom in Christ. We are learning what it means to have true freedom and how that freedom gives us purpose.
Last week we examined the difference between the human idea of freedom and God’s idea of freedom. The human definition of freedom claims that real freedom is the absence of any influence other than our own individual decisions. Freedom gives us the right to do whatever we want. Whatever makes you happy. Whatever makes you feel fulfilled.
According to our creator, that is only part of the definition of freedom. While we DO have the freedom to make our own choices, freedom defined by God isn’t simply the absence of something, but TRUE freedom is where the Spirit of the Lord is. It is God’s presence living in us that gives us true freedom. When we experience true freedom in the presence of God, He gives us purpose. It is His Spirit that fulfills us and we don’t have to keep seeking fulfillment in things that give us temporary satisfaction, but in the end consistently leave us wanting.
Today we are continuing the conversation about freedom. Freedom is a pretty important subject to most Americans. Even though we tend to take freedom for granted, we still love it! Most people in this country would stand up and fight for freedom if it was being threatened or taken away. In the last few years we have seen many such attempts from people who seek more and more power over this country.
We’ve seen specific consumables disappear from store shelves, high prices, lock-downs. I definitely don’t want this to become a political conversation, but to help illustrate the thought for today I want to challenge your imagination for a second. Think about those things we’ve experienced as of late and put them on a much larger scale.
Imagine you live in a country where this is much more common place. We’ll call this country Crepuscule (kri-puhs-kyool). As a citizen here in Crepuscule you go to work every day and put in long hard days at a job that you really don’t like. At the end of the year you do your taxes and total up your gross income of about $1200. Your kids had to drop out of school this year to find jobs and help make ends meet. They went to school for a little over 2 years.
It seems like Crepuscule is always at war, so your daily commute to work passes through several military blockades throughout the crumbled city streets. Your family has been saving up to get a cell phone, but thanks to the almost 4000% inflation an IPhone is going to set you back $50,000.
All of the citizens of Crepuscule are poor, mistreated, and powerless to change anything about their situation. You have heard about another place that is ruled by gracious king, but don’t have the resources to relocate. You are just too poor and powerless. You are stuck in Crepuscule with no possible way out.
One day you come home from work like normal. You sit down at the table and begin opening the mail tossing aside one over-due bill after another until you arrive at a strange letter. The return address is that of the neighboring kingdom you have heard about. You open it and realize that it was written by the King himself! It is an invitation to his kingdom. He explains that he has already paid all of the extravagant costs to make you a full citizen of his kingdom. All you have to do is say yes.
You say yes and begin to settle in to your new life. Life is much different here. The overwhelming joy and indescribable peace have replaced the hopeless fear from before. Your new king has set up everything for you and given you a purpose. You now have every possible resource to succeed. You have the authority and backing of the king. You have his protection, his wisdom, his direction. He has given you complete access to his throne room. He even calls you his friend. You are no longer a slave living in darkness with no hope.
How can life be this good? All you’ve ever known is the darkness, but your new life is so much better. All of your life you felt trapped. You can’t help but take in a deep breath and exhale the first word that comes to mind. Freedom. For the first time in your life, you understand what it means to be truly free.
I asked you to use your imagination and put yourself in that illustration, but in reality this story is very true. Even though the country Crepuscule doesn’t exist, there are people in the world who live in places where the examples are very real. In the same way, even though Crepuscule, the country named after “darkness,” doesn’t physically exist, the kingdom of darkness is a very real place that all of us have experienced.
The illustration is the true story of every believer. When speaking to the Colossian believers, Paul described this transfer of citizenship as a purchase of freedom and forgiveness in order to rescue us and enable us to share in His inheritance…
Colossians 1:11–14 (NLT)
11 ... May you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.
Notice how verse 13 says that He “rescued” us and “transferred” us. Your translation may say “delivered” us from the dark domain and “brought” us into the Kingdom of His Son. It’s in past tense. That means it has already been done. It isn’t something we are waiting for any longer, it is here now. We can’t perceive it with our human senses, but it is very real. Governed by a very real and loving King. His kingdom is filled with love, joy, peace, and righteousness. There is no lack. Nothing is left undone.
Maybe it’s because I live in the USA where freedom is just a way of life, but when I think of freedom I don’t often think of it in terms of one kingdom vs another. To me, this illustration of citizenship is a profound thought to ponder. The moment you first trusted Jesus and said yes to His invitation, your citizenship changed. You are no longer a citizen of darkness. Now you are a citizen of the kingdom of heaven and equipped to fulfill your life’s purpose.
What kind of impact could it have on your life to think about and acknowledge that you are a citizen of God’s kingdom? No longer a slave to the kingdom of darkness. What stands out to me is how God offers us citizenship and we are immediately made citizens. He already did it. It’s done. Now I am a citizen of a completely different kingdom. Something new and unfamiliar.
To help wrap my head around the idea I could ask, what it would be like to physically wake up in a completely different country. One morning you crawl out of bed and look out the window you see the Eiffel Tower or something. What do you do? My first thought would probably be, “I need learn about this new place. At least the language!
In the old kingdom, I knew what was expected of me. How is this one different? God’s kingdom is completely different than the kingdom of darkness that we come from. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It’s the kingdom of light! The kingdom of darkness is a horrible place. Full of empty promises, unrealistic expectations, selfish temptations. The strong desire for more: more power, more money, more pleasure, more happiness. If you want something different you have to earn it, but you will never be good enough. It makes me think of a science fiction movie that accurately illustrates our human idea of salvation. The idea that “we have to earn it.
In the movie the people of earth were being attacked by bug creatures. They were constantly at war to save their lives. The government offered them citizenship, which was portrayed as a sort of higher level of life. More safety and security. The ability to vote. The opportunity to enjoy life. In order to become citizens the people had to earn it by fighting in the military. The slogan was, “Service guarantees citizenship.” What the people didn’t know was that it was an empty promise. They would spend their lives fighting, never earning citizenship.
The kingdom of light is different. When John the Baptist and Jesus told us that the kingdom of heaven is here they said that we would need to change the way we think.
Matthew 3:1–2 ESV
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 4:17 ESV
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The Greek word translated to “repent” means to change one’s mind or purpose. The root words that make form it mean “changed after being with” and “think.” So the Greek word for repent literally means, “think differently afterwards.” In other words, John the Baptist and Jesus are telling us, “After you experience the kingdom of heaven, think differently.” Now that you are a citizen of God’s kingdom, change the way you think.
How do we do that? What do we need to know about this new kingdom? For the rest of our time this morning I want to discuss 5 things about the kingdom of heaven that scripture says we should think differently about. If you are taking notes, the first comes from the scripture we just read...

THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT GOD’S KINGDOM: THE KINGDOM IS AT HAND

The kingdom of heaven is different than a typical kingdom. It’s not like Great Britain. We can’t see it, smell it, touch it, hear it, or taste it. Although, I’m not sure you really want to go lick GB to find out what it tastes like. The point is, this new kingdom that we are citizens of is unseen to our 5 senses, so it isn’t something that we could use our natural means to understand. We NEED a new way of looking at our new reality.
John the Baptist and Jesus were telling us that God’s kingdom was no longer a future event. It is here! The kingdom has come! We have to change the way we think. Instead of our thoughts being consumed by our old kingdom, they should be about things of the kingdom of heaven. I love the way the River Valley bible study poses this thought.
If you were to leave one country and become a citizen of another, how much would you consider the circumstances of your former home in relation to your current quality of life? If disaster were to strike there, would you worry about it impacting you? If there was an epidemic there, how afraid would you be that you would become ill? If crime spiked there, how much would you fear for your safety? You would not worry about yourself at all because you think differently now. You think in terms of the new country you live in; not the old one you came from. The only concern you would have regarding the country you came from would be for the people still living there.
We have been transferred from Darkness into the Light. That is our new home. Now we learn to see our lives from this new perspective. Our freedom, for example, came from the king of this new kingdom. Not from anything we did. Now we belong to Him. Think differently because the kingdom is here! A powerful, powerful thought. How else can we think differently about the kingdom? Another thing that Jesus says we should do is think about the kingdom first...

THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT GOD’S KINGDOM: SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM

When Jesus said this to the people He was telling them not to worry about their lives. Don’t worry about what you will eat or what you will wear. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Your thoughts are powerful. The things we think about direct us in life. What you seek requires desire. You crave what you seek.
I have tried several different types of diets throughout my life and one of the more recent ones was NOOM. At first I really liked it because I learned a lot about the psychology of my relationship with food, but after a while I realized something. The more I participated with the program the more difficult it got to avoid bad food. I realized following their program had the unintended consequence of constantly thinking about food. Because of that, I was always craving something. Jesus says not to worry about what you will eat, instead…
Matthew 6:33 ESV
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Don’t worry about how we will provide for our needs because that is not kingdom thinking. If this is not the way I think, then I need to repent! I need to change the way I think. To change the way I think about the kingdom I need to seek it. Paul takes it a step further when he said not to stop there. Don’t just seek it. Seek it then set your mind on it.
Colossians 3:1–2 NLT
1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
Other versions may sound more familiar saying to “set your mind on things above.” Seek things above. Things of heaven. Desire them. Then set your mind on them. Things like love, forgiveness, restoration, joy, peace. If you are taking notes I would challenge you to make your own list. Seek some heavenly things and write them down. You might even want to write down some things that consume your thoughts that are NOT things above. Things you have been seeking that you shouldn’t.
It’s time to think differently about God’s kingdom. Time to realize that it’s already here. Second, I should change the things I think about to kingdom things. If you are taking notes, the third thing to think differently about is life in the kingdom…

THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT GOD’S KINGDOM: LIFE IN THE KINGDOM

Life in our old kingdom, the kingdom of darkness, was horrible. That kingdom is corrupt and evil. Life was full of pain, stress, fear. Never any satisfaction or fulfillment. No ability to live up to God’s righteous standard. There are so many people who still live in the kingdom of darkness that it is difficult to not be distracted by how things appear. It is easy to sense countless horrible things all around us, but difficult to perceive God doing anything about it.
Last week we read our driving scripture for this series about finding encouragement to run the race with endurance in the huge cloud of witnesses who came before us. We do what they did and keep our eyes on Jesus. I played coach pitch baseball for a short time in grade school and they would always say, “keep your eyes on the ball.” That’s actually why I quit. I kept my eyes on the ball right up until the time it smashed me in the nose.
Keep your eyes on Jesus. Don’t be distracted by all of the darkness. In his letter to the Romans, Paul said, “Listen, life in the kingdom isn’t like it was in the one we came from. It isn’t about a bunch of rules and regulations, it is about relationship. Keep your eyes on the ball. Don’t let a bunch of rules that don’t even matter keep you from what is important.
Romans 14:17 NIV
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
Don’t ruin your relationships arguing about what is right and wrong. “You can’t eat this, you must drink that.” In the kingdom of God your righteousness, peace, and joy come from the Holy Spirit.
1. Kingdom dwellers are right with God!
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT)
A citizen of the kingdom is made righteous by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Jesus made us worthy to be a part of God’s kingdom. We are no longer separated from the father who loves us and nothing will ever be able to separate us from His love.
2. Kingdom dwellers have peace!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
A citizen of the kingdom never needs to be anxious. We have a king who wants us to bring our worries to Him. He exchanges our worries for peace. He gives us a peace that we don’t even understand to guard our hearts and minds.
3. Kingdom dwellers have joy!
You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.
1 Peter 1:8 (NLT)
The citizens of God’s kingdom have inexpressible joy. Whatever the circumstances are, a citizen who focuses on things above will never be without the joy that the King’s love provides. As a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, these benefits are given to you by God. God wants us to think differently about His kingdom. It’s here now. We should desire it first. Life in the kingdom is different. Next, God’s kingdom should transform the world we live in...

THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT GOD’S KINGDOM: IT CHANGES THE WORLD

Your kingdom is here and I am a citizen of it, but keep it coming. Jesus told us that we need to change the way we think because God’s kingdom is here, but when we pray we need to pray for God’s kingdom to come and for His will to be done on earth just as it is in heaven...
Matthew 6:9–13 NIV
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
Everything in heaven is done according to the will of God and Jesus instructed us to pray that the same would be true here on earth. “Your will be done on earth in the same way that it is in heaven.” God wants to transform the world around us by growing His kingdom and spreading the transforming power of His love and His will all over until everyone is free from the bondage of the kingdom of darkness. Paul said something similar when he encouraged the Romans to let God transform their minds rather than letting the world keep them from God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will...
Romans 12:2 NLT
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
God wants us to think differently about His kingdom. It’s here now. We should seek it. Life in God’s kingdom is different. God wants His kingdom to transform the world. Lastly, in God’s kingdom we all have a purpose…

THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT GOD’S KINGDOM: I AM A REPRESENTATIVE

We are ambassadors of God’s kingdom. Each one of us are His representatives. You are exactly the same amount of minister as I am. We are all ministers of God’s kingdom to the people who are still struggling in the kingdom of darkness. I love this passage that Paul wrote to the Corinthians about how we have been given God’s message of reconciliation so that He can make His appeal through us to come back to God. God wants to repair and restore His relationship with people all over the world…
2 Corinthians 5:18–20 NLT
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
This is the task He has given to each one of us. Not just preachers and missionaries, but every single one of us in this room. This week I want to challenge you to think differently about God’s kingdom. Take one of these 5 thoughts and let God do amazing things in your life or in the life of someone close to you.
Paul followed up this passage with a challenge to the Corinthian church that I want to leave you with, then we will pray to close…
2 Corinthians 6:1–2 NLT
1 As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. 2 For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.
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