The Kingdom: Allegiance

A man and a man. Well, we are in the slow Easter series on the kingdom thinking about what it means that Jesus entered into our world what it means that Jesus lived in our world as one of us. What does it mean that Jesus willingly chose to go to the cross and die. What does it mean that he rose from the dead I've been trying to frame it. The last couple weeks really the way that Jesus and the four gospels in our scriptures frame it that what Jesus came to do and what Jesus came to be was not was not to start a new religion. It wasn't a new or secondary plan of God. Jesus came in fulfillment with the scriptures. Jesus came as the climax of a story that began in creation. Jesus comes as the king. And this morning I want us to think about the implications of that last 2 weeks. I've tried to establish not only the worth of Jesus's character the beauty of Jesus as the Fulfillment to all the Old Testament promises that he is the promised King not just an Abraham's descendants, but he is the king of the world this morning. I want us to think. Okay, if that is true if Jesus is the king, what does that mean for us? So I want us to think together about Allegiance. Maybe surprising to you that I choose that word many of you may be expected me to talk about faith. Because when we talked about Jesus when we talked about Easter and the resurrection it in in our cultural vocabulary in the culture of the church today, we've we've reduced the death and resurrection of Jesus to A transactional Plan of Salvation. If I believe that this happened then I will be saved and what we mean by saved is I will be taking off this Earth after I die and go to some place called heaven. Fortunately for all of us this morning, the gospel is even better news than that. Jesus came to be the king who would lead God's Imago Dei His Image bearers into the new creation of the New Kingdom. Thereby, making all things new. Jesus didn't come to get us off of this planet. Jesus came to bring Redemption to this planet is the first fruit in his resurrection. We are the first fruits of the Kingdom faith in Jesus have been born again. What does that mean? I want to suggest you this morning. In the strongest way possible that when we talked about having faith in Jesus, we need to expand our definition of the word faith. We need to expand our understanding of what it means to believe in Jesus and end not that we need to make up a new or better meaning we need to get back to the meeting that is actually in the scripture itself. And when we do that

I think we get to a place where the word Allegiance. Is a truer and Fuller understanding of what it means to have faith in Jesus. What what is Allegiance? Besides a pledge that we might do in school or at a ballgame. What does it mean to have Allegiance? To someone or to something when I think about Allegiance, I think about the story of a hero onata hero onada was a World War II Japanese intelligence officer at the closing stages of world war hero and his Squad were dropped off on a small island in the Philippines called lubang and they were told to wait there for further orders and in no circumstances to surrender. If they had to their order to commit suicide before surrender.

Is left on the island in 1945. in 1974 1974 29 years later a Japanese man by the name of norio Suzuki travel to the small Philippine island of lubang and tracked down here o o nada Hero was distrustful and uncertain in the last few weeks. The last few members of his Squad had been killed in a shootout with local police. He was now absolutely alone. But he was Allegiant. He was committed. He was not going to stop he was intrigued when he saw a fellow Japanese person on the island. He came out and had a conversation Mr. Suzuki tried to convince him that the war was over that he could come home, but he refused to believe it. He said the only way I will give up is if I received new orders from a superior officer.

Suzuki left without him returned to Japan track down military officials told them the story ends three weeks later returned with major 10. Together Pia Mater taniguchi went and again found hero and gave him a new set of orders that he could lay down his arms, and he could return home. That that that story moves me. In some ways. It's incredibly tragic 29 years of life wasted fighting a war that was already over. but when you have Allegiance

That's what you do when you have Allegiance, you don't pack up and go home when you have Allegiance when it gets hard, that's when you dig in. hero nada Stands for us as an example of what allegiance to us. Human Empire can look like

if if hero can give that kind of allegiance to a nation made and built by and for man How much more so should we give allegiance to the God who became man and his established a kingdom that is in this world and is for this world. That's not from this world.

When we when we talked about Jesus and we talked about faith in Jesus what we're talking about or what the New Testament is talking about is much more like the allegiance of hero onata than the face of so many in the church today.

so much has been reduced to What Dietrich Bonhoeffer called a cheap Grace and easy believism if I just acknowledge and accept and Disturbed a certain set of propositions are true. If I say that Jesus was born of a virgin if I say that Jesus lived and died. If I say that Jesus rose again, if I pray the right prayer and I believe and I have faith that I'm good to go. It doesn't require anything else of me. There's no sense of urgency. There's no sense of responsibility. There's no sense of requirements just believed in the truth.

And you will be say. Well that if not the most common an incredibly common presentation of the gospel and what it takes to be saved. If you don't believe me go grab a bunch of tracks read the tracks read what they say. All you have to do is believe Listen, I'm not saying belief is not a part of it. We can't get away from verses like Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 to 9 for by Grace you have been saved through.

This is not your own doing it is the gift of God not a result of works so that no one may boast. We take these verses we can see it says that we're saved by grace through faith. That's all it takes because works are bad faces. Good. We don't want anybody to boast. We just believe a certain set of a truce. We just acknowledge it. It's intellectual assent if we just do that then we're save

The text is straightforward. I'm not sure that we're hearing the text. The text says we are saved by grace through space. The question becomes what is faith?

In our culture and it in the Church of today, we've answered that that just means to believe.

The word translated from the Greek there is the Greek word pistus. And one of the meanings of the Greek word pisses, it does involve and include an intellectual assent to truth. There's no doubt about it. But the word pisses in the Greek has it's a much richer Fuller word that can't be reduced to Simply the English word bully. It is just not an accurate or adequate way to translate the text of the New Testament and if we don't translate if we don't understand with the words actually mean if we superimpose are definition of that word on to the text we can end up missing the entire point.

The word pistons and its related terms have a much broader range of meaning than simply to believe. Some of this would include the ideas of reliability confidence Assurance fidelity. faithfulness commitment and pledged loyalty space in a tent in the ancient near East and in the time of Jesus in the Roman context in which the New Testament was written to have pisstest to have faith in a king and in a kingdom with so much more than just believing that that Kingdom existed. It was to take your place in that Kingdom. Space is Allegiant.

For the king into his kingdom. I think when we start listening to the words of the text of the New Testament with this understanding of Faith, it's starts to make much more sense of what seems to be almost a contradiction or a challenge in the scriptures about the reality of Faith. Then it says city of faith and and what it means to be saved by faith soap for incidents in James chapter 2 Vs42 17 James Wright. What good is it my brothers? If someone says he has faith. But does not have Works can that faith? save him we we we read this and hear it today. Actually most of us through a 16th century framework. That's when the Reformation was born and during the Reformation that there's a sense of a rediscovery of the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom as opposed to achieving salvation by our works by performance by doing good things so that we might gain salvation. The reformer said no. No, we don't do those things to get salvation. We're saved by grace through faith it so in the 16th century, there's this massive conflict and I believe a radical misunderstandings this idea that faith and works are mutually exclusive. Martin Luther called the Epistle of James a gospel of straw. Because he didn't understand the fullness of what faith actually can and should mean in the context of Jesus the king. This is what good is it brothers or someone says he has Faith but does not do something with it. If you pledge allegiance to a king and a kingdom, but you don't serve him. What good is it? Can that safe? That face of lip service that face that only acknowledges but doesn't give Allegiance. Is that a saving faith?

First 15 if a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking and daily food and one of you says when going peace be warmed and filled without giving them the things needed for that body. What good is that

don't you see says so also Faith by itself. If it does not have works. is that

You said well, yeah, that's James. But Paul I mean Paul is the one that's hot. Faith and faith alone. I mean, that's that's that that's what Paul was all about, right? What if we want to read Paul very narrowly if we want to interpret every time the word Paul uses the word faith as believing then maybe we can get to that place. But I don't think we re Paul right at all. Paul's greatest contribution to the New Testament. Most people would say was the book of Romans look at how he starts the book of Romans. Listen to the introduction listen carefully to what he said Paul. A servant of King Jesus. I'm intentionally Translating that King instead of Christ in our world in our vocabulary of the day Christ is just Jesus's last name, but it's not it's his title. It's his designation. It is glorious. He is the king so Paul a servant of King Jesus called to be Apostles set apart for the gospel of God. The good news announcement of God's again and is used in the New Testament is used in the context of political Kingdom Authority.

This is the gospel of God's Kingdom.

He says witchy promise beforehand through His prophets in the Holy scriptures concerning his son who is descended from David according to the Flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the spirit of Holiness by his resurrection from the dead Jesus the king our lore I know I know that when when we hear that, we don't hear it the way that those first readers in Rome heard a Because in Rome there was a saying. Caesar is Lord. That's it. You could be put to death for saying anyone else is Lord. The early Christians were put to death because they unashamedly and unapologetically know there is one king over the universe and it is Jesus Cesar Kids Rule, but it's only because God allows it. Jesus is the Lord now. Here's where we get good here. He says this through whom we have received Grace and apostleship to bring about The Obedience of faith. The Obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations including you who are called to belong to King Jesus. Nepal Absolutely believes. We're saved by grace. It is powerful effective work and plan of God while we are dead in our sins and transgressions Christ died for us. It is by Grace. We have been saved through Facebook what it was he say here because it to bring about The Obedience of faith. No words Paul in this one little phrase put together with the church has been trying to keep separate for a really long time.

And it's in the hearts of his introduction because this is who I am and this is what I've been called to do. I've been called to bring the good news of the Gospel of God to all the nations to bring about to bring about The Obedience of Faith Paul could have and did not say I've been I've been made an apostle and I've been sent out to tell everybody about the grace and apostleship to bring about belief. Buffet

doesn't say that. Cuz I came for The Obedience of faith.

Andrea Lee Why wouldn't be? Because Paul was a follower of Jesus.

I want to look at what Jesus said. When we listen to what Jesus spoke when we hear the invitation of Jesus the gospel as you might say in the Gospels.

From the lips of Jesus in Matthew for Mark or Luke or John? We never hear Jesus say hey guys. believe these facts

Jesus calls people to Allegiance He called them to Allegiance. Look look at the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 16. Jesus told his disciples.

Again, where there's important disciples not believers. He told his disciples if anyone would come after me. Let him deny himself take up his cross and follow me.

The Silence of what he doesn't says it's screaming in our culture Why doesn't he say believe? And you don't have to do anything else but believe and you'll be safe. But Jesus said if you want to be a part of what I'm doing. You got to have faith, but it's not the easy believism. mini today C face ass the faith of allegiance to the Obedience of Faith. Jesus said if you want to belong to me, if anyone would come after me, they must deny themselves. You can't serve the king and Serve Yourself. You must take up your cross. Not only deny yourself. You got to die to self. You got to put all your hope. All of your hope in the Jesus not into yourself. You must deny yourself take up the cross and then Jesus says and then follow me. Fallout You continued success for whoever would save his life will actually end up losing it, but whoever loses his life for my sake. Will find it. What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world? 4/5 or loses his soul shall a man give in return for his soul for the son of man is going to come with his angels in the glory of the father and then he will repay each person. according to what they have believed

no. according to what they have done According to who they have fall off. Not just who they have known but who they have trusted not just who they acknowledge, but the one that they've confessed the ones that they have taken up with they've gone all in.

Is allegiance to the king himself not just the ideas of the king. Face is committed wholehearted denial and death to self in order to lay hold of a life offered by the true King Jesus.

Jesus spoke this way all the time. Matthew chapter 7 as he's concluding what we call The Sermon on the Mount

listen to Jesus not everyone who says to me Lord Lord.

Not everyone who's not everyone. Who celebrates Easter? Let me not everyone who shows up at a church, not everyone who calls themself a Christian not everyone who believes that Jesus lived was born and died and maybe even rose again not everyone who calls him Lord. What does he say will enter the kingdom of heaven?

but

The one who does the will of my father who is in heaven?

Listen to what Jesus himself is saying. When we talk about faith in Jesus, the faith is not simply cannot be reduced to just intellectual assent or belief, but that space is giving absolute Allegiance Fidelity loyalty commitment and Trust. to Jesus

how many today? I bought into a gospel of easy believism. If they just pray the right prayer if they just have the right words if they just acknowledged a certain set of facts if they say Jesus is Lord, that's enough.

How do we not hear the words of Jesus himself? Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter. But only those who actually do. The will of my father who is in the heavens.

How about Matthew 25? Admittedly, this is a parable story. But Jesus used Parables to profound and Powerful effect to communicate deep theological truths in simple understandable store. This is a parable of the kingdom. It is a parable of Salvation. It's an eschatological Parable because it's about the End of the Age which is really the beginning of the end of the new age.

Jesus tells the story when the son of man comes in his glory. When when when he is seated completely on his donut declares that all things are new when the son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him. Then he will sit on his glorious throne and before him he will gather all the people all the nations and he will separate people one from another as a Shepherd separates the Sheep. From the goats. He will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the king will say to those on his right? You who are blessed by my father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him saying Lord. When did we see you hungry and feed you or Thursday and give you a drink. When did we see you a stranger and welcome. You are naked and close you and when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the King will answer them truly. I say to you as you did it to any of the least of these my brothers you did it unto me. Then he will say to those on his left. Depart from me you cursed it into the Everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me naked you did not clothe me sick and in prison and you did not

they will also answer saying Lord. When when did we see you hungry or thirsty or stranger naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you.

You will answer them saying truly I say to you as you did not do it to one of the least of these. You did not do it to me. And these will go away into Eternal punishment. but the righteous into Eternal by will a great Keith Green has a beautiful song on this Annie ends it this way. This is the only difference between those on the left. And those on the right is what they did and didn't do.

not simply believe Not simply faith in the sense of intellectual agreement but faith in the scent of active Allegiant. Jesus is giving a picture and in this picture those who are welcome and embraced into the fullness of the kingdom are those that have been living in the reality of the Kingdom already? Those who not only playing Jesus by lip and by words, but those who claim Jesus by how they live their lives.

And those that might claim Jesus with their lips. But deny him with their lifestyle. Do not find a place in the Kingdom.

Because even though they may have said it. They were never there in the first place.

I know you come on Jeremy, it's Easter. Just give us a happy message. Just make us feel good. I want you to feel good. I think this is a happy message the Kings and he offers an invitation to anyone and everyone else does matter who you are is matter where you come from doesn't matter how Wicked or sinful or broken. You might beat. There's a place for you and the king of if you will simply take up your cross and follow if you will give allegiance to Jesus. He will give you rest. Good news the worst news I could give you a false news or false ho if I tell you all you have to do is stay a little magical phrase. Jesus is Lord, and you're good to go. I haven't given you good news of giving you false.

I want to hear the gospel from the lips of Jesus. He's inviting. He's offering this gracious invitation of love. Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you. Yolk is not a way of believing it's a way of living of course living involves believing you don't live out of what you don't believe of course. You got to believe

But the faith that the New Testament is encouraging and offering is a faith not an easy believism, but an actual active Allegiance and obedience.

So what's what's go back to where we started? Ephesians chapter 2 I just read to versus but I want us to look at in the context when you go back to the first one to chapter 2. it says this you Pulse reading to the church in Ephesus in the church that made up of a diverse group of people economically politically, ethnically. He's writing to them and it wants to encourage and Foster unity in the church. And because there's unity in Jesus and unity in the gospel and doesn't matter who you are or where you come from. There's only one gospel. There's only one hope why because there's only one load.

They said you were dead in your trespasses and sins. In which you once walked? Isn't that where is great can also be translated lived in which you once lived and What you wants walks in other words you had a way of life before Jesus. And any says that that way of life is that you follow the course of the world. Of course you did you went along with the culture that you were born to you were you were given us a pattern of understanding how to lose and what was good and what wasn't good and you went along with us, but what you didn't realize is that you were at the same time following the prince of the power of the air. Because you're if you're not in the Kingdom of the Beloved son, you're in the kingdom of darkness. If you're not under the authority of King Jesus, you're under someone's Authority.

Upholstery listen before you're under Jesus has Authority you were actually whether you knew it or not under the authority of what Paul tells the prince of the power of the air.

Because the spirit that is not work in the sons of disobedience.

Among whom we all want to live in the passions of our flesh carrying out the desires of the body and the mind and we're by Nature children of Wrath like the rest of mankind before you knew Jesus you lived in a different world under a different Master doing whatever you wanted whenever you wanted. That's what life is like for you without Jesus. Listen to ways that you painting a picture about how we live without Jesus how we live without Jesus.

It says but God. Be rich in Mercy because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses. We weren't sick. We weren't just a little messed up. We were dead in our sin.

Because God is the source of life. If you're finding life outside of God, you're actually not finding like you're finding that.

even when we are dead in our trespasses God made us alive together with King Jesus It Is by Grace you have been saved

Understand wasn't cuz you were so lovely was because God was so loving. It wasn't because you were so good. You were actually so dead, but God because he's rich in Mercy. Made the move by Grace. We've been saved means by the active effective will and working of God. We've been saved. Without God's decision without Jesus was sacrificed. There's no hope of salvation. By Grace, we have been saved. And raised up with him. And seated us with him in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus before you lived in the world under the authority of the prince of the power of the yeah, and you did whatever you wanted to do follow the desires of your flash by God being rich in Mercy moved and worked in through Jesus through his life his death is resurrection. We've been safe. What app will now we're in Christ. We're not in the world. We're in Christ and we're seated in Christ. We're in the spiritual places above the prince of the power of the air. We have a new Allegiance. We have a new king. We have a new master and so we have a new way. of life a new way of walking It says so that in the coming ages, he might show the immeasurable Riches of his grace and kindness towards us in King Jesus. With that as the backdrop, then he says for by Grace you have been saved through. face But if we want to translate that is a better to say for by Grace you have been saved through believing.

I wouldn't be much better safe for by Grace. You have been saved through Allegiance.

Not a face, that's only lip service. Not an easy believism. Not a cheap Grace. But a costly decision to deny yourself pick up your cross and follow.

For by Grace you have been saved through. allegiance to King Jesus This is not your own doing it is the gift of God not a result of works so that no one may boast.

Paul saying it's not a result of work.

And no way. Cuz it works and Faith or works and grace are mutually exclusive.

They're not to separate option. Now there is a faith without works but James says is dead. But there is a true biblical gospel faith. That is a faith of works or the obedient of faith.

A face that not only proclaims Jesus as Lord but a faith that follows Jesus as Lord.

for we Are his workmanship? Created in Christ Jesus.

forged works Which God prepared beforehand? That we should now we're back to that word again walk in them. This whole text is about how we live our lives not how we believe course believing is a part of living lives, of course in it. You're not going to give allegiance to Jesus if you don't believe he rose from the dead. You're not going to give whole hearted obedience and surrender and Trust the Jesus if you don't believe he's God made flesh. If you don't acknowledge and believe those to be factually accurate historical statements, you cannot give Allegiance unless you're quite frankly and sting.

But that does not mean in any way shape form or manner that just believing those things is giving Allegiance.

question should not be framed. Who do you believe in? Question should be free much more biblically. Who do you follow?

Who is your king? Who do you give loyalty to who are you trusting in? All of these are elements of that word pisses face? Faith is so much more than believing, but it's certainly not any less.

The more that we know and believe with certainty and Trust the factual truthfulness of these events and realities the more freely we can give our Allegiance.

but believing without Allegiance certainly can't be considered. the Gospel of Jesus or the gospel of Paul or the gospel of the scriptures at all. the message of Easter The hope of Easter is that Jesus has come as the king and ask the king. He defeated our true and Ultimate Enemy. He defeated the grave. He defeated that he defeated how he defeated sin and he defeated the prince of the power of the air. In doing so he delivers us from that way of life from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of the Beloved son. He delivers us from death to life.

I've been saved by grace through faith. The Obedience of Faith the active allegiance to Jesus and Jesus alone as the rightful tank not just of our individualized private life. But he is the king. of the world

that frames Matthew chapter 28 a little bit differently for us

what's often called the Great Commission Jesus came and said to them all authority. Not Parts, not a little bit. Not all authority. We're in the heavens and in the Earth. All authority over the physical world and over the non-physical world over the things that we see and the things that we don't see any power that exists. It's under the authority of Jesus all authority in heaven and on Earth has been given to me there for On the basis of that because Jesus has been installed as king. as you go As You Go Make Disciples, it doesn't say make convert people to pray a prayer for people that believe a certain set of facts. They got to believe something. He says make disciples. What is the disciple a disciple is someone that lives the way that their Master lives?

The whole Commission of the church that is centered on the gospel is an invitation not for people to believe but for people to live differently. Because I get to believe something new. Go therefore and Make Disciples of all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.

to observe

All that I have commands, you know, that's not observe in the sense of sit back and just watch that's observed in a sensitive live it out flush it out do it.

Not everyone who says to me Lord. Lord will enter the kingdom the heavens only the one who does the will of my father teach them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold. I Am With You Always even to the very end of bench are our work's not done. Jesus gave this to the first followers the first church and we stand upon their shoulders continuing the same work. Jesus is still the king of kings and Lord of lords all of thority in the heavens and the Earth still belongs and will only ever belong to Jesus the king. and his Commission still stand because he is not only believe him we can trust him and we can follow him and we are deployed by him as the father has sent me even so I send you Jesus. So you go and as you go, I want you to help other people live in the Kingdom give allegiance to King Jesus when I get to Simply believe something we're not getting them to pray a prayer if we're giving them to give themselves. the Jesus because he is the only one that has defeated death. And can offer us absolute Everlasting. real satisfied life Jesus is the king and he deserves.

And he did the math. nothing less then our whole hearted Allegiance That is what it means. to believe and the good news the gospel. A Jesus became a man.