Pressing Into the Kingdom

Prayer

As the watchman waits for the morning, so our hearts wait for you, our Father in heaven.

You sit between the cherubim. Heaven is your throne and earth is your footstool. Will you really dwell with us on the earth?

Gracious and merciful Father, to you we lift up our eyes. With your hand you are exalted kings and torn down kings. You have established kingdoms and destroyed kingdoms.

In fact, the nations are drops in a bucket and the inhabitants are as grasshoppers. As soon as they have served your purposes, they are gone like the flowers of springtime.

So why are we afraid? Why do we fear that something will take us from your hand when it is your sovereign power that holds on to us.

Why do we fear political parties, and loud talkers, and bullies – teach us to put aside that fear and place our trust in you alone.

Teach us to live boldly – to love and embrace and speak kindly and listen – without fear and without anger

For you are our God and we are your people – what have we to fear?

This morning, eternal Father, we come before your throne as your dear children. Hear us, for you have cleansed us by the blood of the lamb and renewed us by your holy spirit.

First, hallow your name in our midst. How we long for your majesty, goodness, love and wisdom to shine out in all that we do and say – fill us with your spirit.

Forgive us our many sins. Our fears, our distrust, our grudges and anger, idle words – and clothe us with the perfect righteousness of Christ, for without that we are without hope.

And grant us patience in our trials and health in our bodies. Give healing to Roger. Bring comfort to Gail’s family.

You have said that the sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings. Shine on us today. Give us healing in our broken relationships, in our bodies and souls, in our families. Heal our broken hearts and doubting minds. And lead us to still and quiet waters. Teach us, Father, to rest in your bosom.

Heal our nation. We have godless rebellion, violence and hatred on both the right and the left. The church, which is to be a pillar and ground of truth is taken over by false doctrine, violence, fornication and assault, and the schools are given over to foolishness and a hatred of knowledge.

We are in trouble. In our rebellion against you, we have reaped the whirlwind.

So Lord God come. Draw near in mercy. Tear down false shepherds; tear down oppressive rulers; protect us from those who cause unrest and stir up strife. And raise up faithful shepherds. Faithful shepherds in the church, in the nation, in the home. Remove those who speak foolishness, those who deny their savior who bought them, those who proclaim another gospel, and those who devour and destroy the helpless . And come, Lord. Come with your word and spirit. May your gospel be truly preached. And idols be cast down. And may the world know that there is a God in his temple, and keep silence before him.

And forgive us – forgive us for looking the other way. Forgive us for tolerating false doctrine and false saviors. Forgive us for our fear and anger and rage. And teach us to rest in you.

Bless our witness in our community. Bless our congregation. Cause us to grow. Provide for our needs. Keep us faithful.

Bless the reading and the preaching of the word this morning. Guide my lips and give us ears to hear,

Psalm 19:14 KJV 1900

14 Let the words of my mouth, And the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Scripture Reading

Isaiah 58 NKJV

1 “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God. 3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ “In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers. 4 Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high. 5 Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the Lord? 6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10 If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. 11 The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 12 Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. 13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, 14 Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Text

Luke 16:13–18 NKJV

13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” 14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. 16 “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail. 18 “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

Sermon

Last week, I spoke of stewardship. Stewardship means that everything that we have - our life, our breath, our strength, our money, and every other gift - is loaned to us by God. We will all eventually be laid in the grave and all of that will be taken away. What will we take with us?

But God has given us those gifts for a purpose - that we might use those gifts to strengthen, edify, and encourage those who he has placed in our lives. From the beggar outside our gates to the person at the grocery store to the person who signs our paychecks, to our families. How do we use the “unrighteous mammon” to make friends for ourselves in the world to come?

These words were spoken to Jesus’ disciples. And the Pharisees were listening.

They had centuries of traditions behind them. This was brand new and they had never heard it. So they scoffed.

They had centuries of separating from sinners, keeping the sacrifices and ceremonies of the law pure from the unclean, and now the implication is that they are to use the money that God had so greatly blessed them with to help those sinners who are simply getting what they deserve? Bah

They knew the scriptures so well that they could put a pin through the scroll and tell you what words it went through. They had tiny rolls of scripture tied to their clothes. They knew the original Hebrew that the unwashed masses had forgotten.

They knew how many steps to take on the Sabbath, how to wash properly to make yourselves clean, and how to avoid impurity.

They knew that money was a gift from God, and therefore those who had it were righteous and those who did not were not righteous. If God loved you, he of course would bless your business and you could take your rightful place at the head of the best tables in the best feasts. The best feasts were for the rich, the influential - those who were highly esteemed before men.

Of course they were righteous and blessed by God. Everyone said so. They had carefully cultivated that image for centuries.

But Luke sums them up quite simply. They were

lovers of money.

There is a certain misery in poverty. Lazarus slowly starving outside the rich man’s gate was not a fun way to live.

I’m sure that he longed for a few coins so that he would never have to go hungry again.

The wealthy have access to medical care that the poor do not have. The poor must live from day to day, worrying if they will have a place to live, or gas to put in their car, or clothes to put on their children.

A “lover of money” is not a term used to describe someone who longs for a few extra bucks to make life a little bit simpler.

Only the most hardened man would rebuke Lazarus as a “lover of money” for longing to eat today.

In the context, it means something else. Jesus rebuked them for justifying themselves before men; for chasing after that which was highly esteemed before men.

These were the religious leaders, and instead of teaching about the good news of the kingdom of God, they were striving after the esteem of men.

This is what a lover of money is.

They loved those things that men highly esteem, what men value - status, celebrity, esteem, respect.

The word “glory” is a good one for this. If you are in a place where celebrities tend to be, you can see when one is around. There is commotion. A lot of finger pointing. An entourage. Cameras clicking.

If it is an event, there is a red carpet. Maybe a platform. Expensive clothes. And a lot of people that want to get close, speak a word. get acknowledged. The cars with the esteemed ones arrives, and everyone knows that someone important is about to exit.

You can achieve that if you sing a song everyone wants to hear, or act in a movie that everyone wants to see. You can also achieve it with a lot of money.

But you never achieve it by those things that are esteemed by God. God sees the heart.

God says that the incorruptible beauty of a gentle heart, a calm and contented spirit, are of great value to him.

But that doesn’t get you invitations to the best feasts or the red carpet.

This is what is meant by “lovers of money”.

I worked at a large hotel in Colorado Springs that frequently hosted celebrities. Most were very kind and just wanted to be left in peace.

One minister, however, demanded that a red carpet be rolled out whenever he arrived.

There are ministers that will not fly in commercial airplanes. Whose houses are worth millions.

The Pharisees loved the red carpet.

But these are the gauche examples. Lovers of money are frequently far more subtle, especially when they desire a show of humility.

Celebrity culture

The desire for that which is esteemed among men has not left us. Now we call in “celebrity culture.”

You see it in the architecture of the churches, where the platform is surrounded by huge displays and lit up by spotlights. The theater seating is kept darker and it all faces towards the platform, and the message of the architecture is “These on the platform are the important people. No one questions them. They are godly. They’ve earned their place”

One huge church after another holds the staff in bondage by giving or withholding a seat on the platform. The ones loyal to the pastor get the seat. The ones who challenged him have to go to the cheap seats.

The churches pay PR firms to spin stories and build the brand; the brand is everything.

That which is esteemed before men.

No one can question him. He is a godly man. He is on the platform.

He has a congregation of 8,000 people. Look at the building. Look at the glory. Look at the entourage. Look at the endorsements, the conferences.

The glory is very carefully constructed, and when you are in one of the services, the architecture is clear. The person on the stage is more than a regular human. He is the “blessed one”.

Think for a minute about your favorite celebrity. Taylor Swift. Stephen King. Millie Bobby Brown. Elton John. It doesn’t matter who.

Now imagine that you sent them an email telling them that you liked their song, their book, their show - and you got a handwritten letter back. What if they invited you to lunch?

You would feel pretty special, wouldn’t you? There isn’t anything wrong with that. We admire people, and when they acknowledge that we exist, we feel like a little bit of the glory has rubbed off on us. We justify them. We esteem them. When i was young, I loved Bob Dylan and really tried to make his lyrics say what I wanted them to say. But as I matured, I realized that they were mostly gibberish. But it is common. We want to justify our celebrities. Their opinions matter. Everyone has an opinion about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. It is natural.

But here is the evil that Jesus is condemning. The Pharisees cultivated that kind of esteem among the commoners. They longed for it, they strove for it, they pushed for it.

Just like preachers do today.

I asked a woman once if her pastor would know her at the store. She said, “Are you kidding? He would have no idea who I was.”

One woman was abused by her school teacher for years. She wrote that her abuser introduced her to the pastor and she was in awe. He was such a great man with such power and influence, and that he would say hi to her and shake her hand made her feel so special…The people used that power to hurt and to destroy.

The celebrity culture - money, power, charisma, and a carefully cultivated image. Special lighting.

The way the chairs are arranged on the platform, the way the light hits the pulpit, the way the clothes are chosen and worn, the music, the sound, the program - everything is paid for, produced, slick - and it takes a lot of money to do that.

In the early church, when you became a Christian, if you were Jewish, you would be cast out of the synagogue. You would then lose your job, your family, and your society. Unless you were a slave. You didn’t have any of those things anyway if you were a slave.

The church met in homes and gathered together. And most pastors didn’t leave their names to history.

Who was the pastor of Berea? Thessaloniki? Philippi?

All those cities where Paul planted churches - and not one celebrity in the whole.

In fact, Paul was ridiculed by those in Corinth because he DIDN’T come across as a celebrity.

1 Corinthians 2:3 NKJV

3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

Christianity doesn’t seek that which is esteemed by men, but that which is precious in the sight of God, for we are disciples of Christ, who took the lowest place of all.

God sees the heart

People are impressed with celebrity. People are impressed with money and entourages. People are impressed with the outward show of godliness.

But God sees the heart. God knows the thoughts that go on in your mind. God knows the things that you would do if he gave you the opportunity to do it.

He knows the corruption within and how men try to cover it up with money and favor and celebrity - how we turn to blameshifting and press releases and non-disclosure agreements to protect the ministry, all in the name of Christ.

He knows the times that preachers don’t preach what they should because they know that they will lose their biggest donors if they do.

He knows when the leaders cover up the crimes of other leaders, to gain the book deals and the invitations to the conferences.

He knows the times that we condemn the sinners out there and practice the same things in our own camps.

Romans 2:1–10 NKJV

1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

He doesn’t even care if you have the outward trappings of Jew or Greek. He despises the hardened and impenitent heart, no matter what trappings it takes.

Pressing into the kingdom

And then he says something strange

Luke 16:16–17 NKJV

16 “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.

Up until John, God preserved the Jewish nation with the scripture that we now know as the Old Testament. All of it pointed forward to Christ and the Kingdom of God

Abraham’s household wasn’t the kingdom of God.

David’s reign wasn’t the kingdom of God.

Solomon’s reign wasn’t the kingdom of God.

The exile certainly wasn’t.

There wasn’t a “good old days” for the nation of Israel. It all pointed forward to something else.

It would be a time when God’s word would reign supreme, that God would dwell with his people and be their god. It would be a time when the war between creation and man, between God and man and between man and man would be over. It would be a kingdom of love and nothing unclean or hateful and wicked would spoil the mountain of God.

Such a beautiful promise - and now, when Jesus is on the earth. He is healing the sick, giving sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. He is casting out demons everyone and releasing men and women and children from the bondage of the kingdom of the devil, and everyone is saying “THIS IS THE KINGDOM PROMISED”

And the tax collectors and sinners and the poor and the outcast and the lazarusses and lepers of the world are pressing to enter.

They flock to Christ. They tear the roofs apart just to be healed and touched by him.

Even the Pharisees are longing for that kingdom, but only on their terms. - We’re in. You people are out.

We’re the gatekeepers. We will tell you what God expects and what God desires and what God hates.

We, after all, are the famous ones, the ones with the money and the seat at the table. We are the experts. Didn’t you see the red carpet and the jet we flew in on?

We have the money and the power, and we will say who gets the seats on the bus and the places on the platform.

Everyone is pressing into it, but they all tend to press their own way. Some fight to press in. Some fight to make sure the wrong sort are kept out.

But here is one thing that they all really need to remember: Not one little speck of the law will go away.

And God sees the heart. What will your money and your glory do then, when the thoughts and intents of your heart are exposed before all?

Adultery

In fact, Jesus says, Right now, while you are all scoffing and mocking me; right now, while you are plotting against me because I am eating and drinking with publicans and sinners - right now, you who are exalting yourselves above the commoners, the riffraff, those who “don’t know the law”

You religious experts think that you found a loophole that allows you to play wife-swap with each other.

In those days in Israel, it was not possible for a woman to divorce her husband. Only the husband could divorce his wife. All of Jesus’ teaching against divorce were against this particular style of horrendous abuse of wives.

Money would change hands, seats and the tables earned, and an evening with a beautiful wife would be paid for.

But wait! Isn’t that adultery? Nope. We found a loophole. Moses said that a man is allowed to divorce his wife as long as he writes a bill of divorcement.

So I can just say, “I don’t like her hair” and throw her out, then the next guy can pick her up, marry her. We exchange the money, and all is good.

The woman had no say in the matter.

The seventh commandment was given to protect women. If men go the way of their heart and there is no restraint and no laws and no sanctions, women are simply exchanged as playthings and discarded when they are too old.

It has happened in every culture, including our own. The laws against adultery and the regulation of marriage are given to protect the weak, not keep them in bondage.

At first glance, this verse seems out of place, but it isn’t. You have to take it will the whole passage.

Jesus could have used any example - you think you are highly esteemed before God, but you are murderers. You revile and hate. You break your oaths.

You abuse the poor, you steal from widows, you don’t honor your parents and leave them to starve.

But he chose just one example. You swap your wives under the pretense of following Moses - but God sees the heart.

You are adulterers. Yeah. Get your papers, exchange your money, whatever. God sees the heart.

Yes, pretend it was about what she was wearing. Pretend it was because you were drunk. Pretend you thought she was over 18. Pretend that you thought she gave consent.

God isn’t fooled. He knows what its called.

And you won’t be practicing it in the kingdom of heaven, because no fornicator or adulterer will enter the kingdom of heaven.

And this leaves us all without excuse. Because all of us are experts at pointing the finger at the people we don’t like, in order to justify ourselves before men.

And this is why we need Christ so desperately. We need a righteousness that isn’t ours.

We need a husband that never abuses or hurts his spouse. We need a king that isn’t after money and all those things that are highly esteemed before men.

We need a new record. We need the perfect record of the only one who pleased God.

For there was only one person who ever lived where a voice was heard from heaven “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well-pleased”

Only those in whom God is well-pleased will enter his dwelling place.

The New King James Version Psalm 24

3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?

Or who may stand in His holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,

Nor sworn deceitfully.

5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD,

And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

The garment of Christ

And there is only one. Jesus Christ.

The tax collectors and sinners that flocked to see him and to hear him - we don’t know how many came to faith, but those who did had their sins - which were many - washed away. When the Spirit was poured out on the church, they began to learn how to view the world differently.

They learned to love. They learned to be patient. To rejoice. To be content.

They learned to rest.

And the Pharisees who rejected him and continued to reject him, they continued to build platforms. They continued to strive after the best seats and the best invitations. They continued to long for that look of awe on the faces of the commoners when they walked down the street.

And they continued to abuse their wives, casting them away when they got too old and marrying new ones.

They continued to look with contempt on the unwashed masses.

Until the day came when they would be stirring up the crowds to cry out “Crucify him”.

They would tell Pilate “We have no king but Caesar!” and their iniquity would be complete.

From the outside, they looked like the experts. But God saw the heart.

And those who pressed to enter the kingdom and who found Christ were still rough around the edges, still had bad habits they had to unlearn. Some didn’t have proper clothes. All had pretty ugly backgrounds.

But God didn’t see that. He saw the perfect, beautiful, garments of Jesus. And seeing those garments, God looked at those not esteemed

He looked at those gentiles in Christ

He looked at that woman weeping tears on Jesus’ feet...

He looked on Zacchaeus up in the tree

He looked at you and he looked at me, and saw Christ

And said

“YOU are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”

And then Jesus will go on to talk about the difference between the esteem of men and the esteem of God using the story of Lazarus and a rich man…which is next week’s sermon.