Sermon Tone Analysis

Spirit fill me with YOUR power...

INTRODUCTION

Run down on next 3 Sundays…

Wont have worship gathering next Sunday off (12/24)

Following Sunday (12/31) is New Years Eve Party

(1/7) starting a new series - Grace Alone, GALATIANS

Tonight we finish up our series “What is the Church?”

Open your bibles to ...

ILLUSTRATION - ON A MISSION… BACKPACKING SAN JACINTO AT 13 W/ POPS… MISSION WAS TO HIKE TO THE TOP OF THAT MOUNTAIN… STAND ON PEAK… TOOK SUPPLIES TO SURVIVE JOURNEY… EVERYTHING WE DID SERVED THE PURPOSE OF GETTING US TO THE TOP OF THAT MOUNTAIN… BEAUTIFUL VIEW…

When you think about your life right now, what mission are you on?

What mountain are you trying to climb?

Maybe…

Financial stability

romance

your career

maybe it’s simply being happy…

defined as “having more.”... never obtain it...

Tonight, as we wrap up this series on what the church is…

we are going to talk about what the mission of the follower of Jesus is…

We are going to talk about how the church... the people of God…

is an Army… on a mission… to advance God’s kingdom…

Pray

SCRIPTURE

“3 For though we (Christians, the church) walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

WHAT IS THE WAR?

HOW DO WE FIGHT?

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

WHAT IS THE WAR?

Paul is saying that the Christian…

whether they like it or not…

is involved in a war...

Not a normal war…

It’s not a war with guns…

Or tanks…

or hand to hand combat

Paul says “it’s a war that’s waged NOT according to the flesh...

It’s a different war…

This war is a spiritual war…

In a war you have 2 or more parties in opposition of the other…

Multiple parties willing to go to battle for what they want…

They have different agendas but a similar mission...

The mission of going to war is to advance a Kingdom…

WHO’S INVOLVED?

God

Satan

Every human who’s ever lived

Remember the mission of going to war is to advance a kingdom…

B. GOD’S KINGDOM VS.

MY KINGDOM

I’m sure you’ve heard about God’s Kingdom… “The Kingdom of God”...

The Lord’s prayer… Your kingdom come your will be done...

SO, what is God’s kingdom?

In God’s kingdom He is King…

That means he rules and reigns…

He calls the shots…

That’s what a King does

That means everything in God’s kingdom obeys him

But not out of obligation or duty… but from the heart… out of love…

It’s almost Christmas…

What do we celebrate at Christmas?

(Jesus’ birth… coming to earth)

In Jesus tells us why He came…

43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”

He came to preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

He came on a mission to advance God’s kingdom

But… there is a problem…

Each of us is on a mission as well…

to advance a kingdom…

And the mission I find myself on far too often is…

The mission of advancing MY kingdom.

My rule…

my reign…

my way…

What I want…

We will usually try to sprinkle a little bit of what God wants in there…

But only to the degree that it fits in MY plans…

I’ll give a little bit of money but I’m not going to give sacrificially…

In my kingdom my money belongs to me, not God.

I’ll confess some sins but not the big ones…

In my kingdom I prefer to remain hidden…

I don’t want to walk in the light...

I’ll serve the needs of others but only when it’s convenient…

In my kingdom my life exists to benefit myself first…

Building my kingdom is about advancing my way…

So consider our planet…

7.6 Billion people

7.6 Billion rival kingdoms…

battling to advance their kingdom…

The result =

Poverty… you can’t be rich unless someone else is poor.

Injustice

Discrimination

Racism

It’s all a result of self-centered kingdoms colliding…

It’s my will vs.

your will

The root of all sin selfishness…

We want to call the shots… do things our way