The Kingdom of Heaven

God I thank you for the way you speak through your word to our lives and that you eliminate the scriptures to pierce our hearts to give us an understanding as an invitation into what you want to do and he's never one of us. So God, we pray for that to happen in our lives today that your spirit would move on us and would encourage us either just moments in here where we would hear from you. Thank you for this time. Jesus name. Amen. Amen. What if you spent any time with us in December? We did five teachings on the first two chapters of Matthew and there's one thing you should have taken away from it. A king is born right chapters one and two through the genealogy through narrative through that little bit of cleanup work. We did last week on Prophecy. We saw that Jesus is King and we have a king a but we also then have a problem. Don't we we've got this Proclamation that a king Has Come A King has been born. But the first thing we should be asking ourselves is where is his Yeah, where is his kingdom? I mean years did fantastic fabulous incredible announcement of the Volvo born King entering into the world is real is not on the throne. They are not ruling a region. They have no realm right. They have no land in a scent. Where is his kingdom and not only that we should be asking ourselves. What is the nature of his kingdom or what is his kingdom going to be like if we have a king and we're going to talk about a kingdom. We also need to then discuss who makes up his kingdom and what are the people like in his kingdom. Here's what you do not. I'm not going to talk about all that today. Okay, I will not discuss each and every one of those aspects and great details and Matthew is going to do that for us over the next twenty eight chapters for us. Probably 50 to 260 weeks all I want to establish this morning is this King has come and he has a kingdom and these four questions should be constantly on our mind each and every time we approach any of the gospels, whatever reading them by our cells are in communicate with one another on a Sunday morning. We should be thinking about this idea of a king and his kingdom on why is that important? Well in my household, I do not go by King Brett's I'm just going to establish that now so I freed my wife earlier from that. She does not call me Lord or any of those things but in a sense, I just want you I want to see this out with you in a sense in our home. I act somewhat like a king house. So well, I have a realm Or a place in which I rule over I have four young children. If you did not know that and these young children are part of our responsibilities and raise a man training them and teaching them all sorts of different things. Not here's the deal in our household. I have this realm I have this place. I have this also Authority in their life and now it's so intriguing is the moment we leave our house my kids. Don't just go get to be unruly monsters wherever we go do they they don't get to act and do as they please why because they know we have established a rule. Over there a way in which we desire for them to act and behave in society. So there is a kingdom he has a rule and he has a realm you can think of it in terms of a father there with his children or think of it in terms of Nations today North Korea has Kingdom and that land if they have they have a dictator a ruler who oversees it and not only that he has eight people he has a group in which he places rules over their lives in which they must operate function in Acton is North Korea like America. No, no, it's different. We have a different place a different realm a different piece of ground. Yes. That's very true as well. But we also have a different makeup of what people are like to some degree rules that we follow things were allowed to do not allowed to do that are different that are different than North Korea know he's all kind of fall short, but what I'm trying to accomplish early on here is that we have this King and if he's any kind of King at all, he must have a realm in which he rules and not only he must have a people that participate in that round and then he has a rule or a way of Conduct in which these people act how they participate in that Kingdom. There's a rule over a place. In a rule over the hearts of people you can think of this and these terms space and place when we talked about the kingdom of God a physical space and place but other than makes up conduct or the culture or the way that people are know we have to get some back story in order to really understand this and as you know, I'm a huge fan of Genesis 1 2 and 3 and every 3 weeks we come back to Genesis 1 2 and 3 because it gets so much context to understanding the scriptures at-large to hear that first and foremost this morning in Genesis. 1:1 God is creating we hear of this portion and when she creates the heavens and the earth and the sky and then he places the stars in the sky and there is to do what they are to rule for the times and the seasons. So God create space and place. God have his face in the heavens. God has created space for man on the earth season is created the stars in the sky in which seasons are going to be ruled over there going to be determined and then immediately following the placing of those in the sky and the talking about of the rule and the rain got animals created and then man is created and something specific is said about man there to have do Minion or rule over plant. God got his face his place you create man, then which he is going to rule on Earth cultivate create and make a ruling through man to bring into fruition the real version of mankind. So Man created to Rule now, you know the story they want to do it on their own terms. They don't really want to participate in the way that God haven't participated begin to unravel. It inverts on itself caves in their kicked out and it messy but what this stablish has from the very get-go is God has intentions and plans to rule through humans on Earth. Can we just log that away in our mind? It's not them with for flying away into some crazy space in which there's just some soul and there's no portion of the body and we flutter into Eternal worship with God his intended from Genesis to rule through humans on the earth, and we caved in as we send crushed ourselves in that but he still intends to partner with humans to rule over the earth. Now you have to fast forward a little bit cuz there's some story of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and then there's the time of captivity and wish there slaves in Egypt and they're brought out of Egypt and they're taken through the Wilderness to the land of Canaan and gods in is going to give this land to Israel. They're going to want to establish for themselves a king to rule over them. They've been led by the presence of God do now in their land and they want a king. We see that God asserted the Old Testament his kingly rule over his people Israel. But what dated up doing was Martinez in practice the Kings of Israel were generally really Port advertisement of God's rule weren't they the Kings of Israel let the people often into idolatry they send themselves and they had all sorts of problems even within their own families. Not only that, but the people were really poor Patience of the rule of God over their lives there was a way in which Israel was supposed to function and operate in order to declare to the world around them who you all wait is and the love and care and graciousness of Yahweh. And they did a poor job of that often being taken captive by the idolatry of other nations. The people fail to be representatives of this King both and kingship and then servanthood they were in perfectly embodied. And that leads us then to Matthew. Is this King has changed on his Rule and his Reign. It's what I want to do is I want to read the first 12 verses to you with a little bit of that backstory mind and we're going to focus the majority of our time on this term this idea of the Kingdom of Heaven says in verse 1 in those days John the Baptist or John the baptizer came preaching in the wilderness of Judea repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand for this is he who was spoken by the prophet Isaiah when he said the voice of one crying in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord make his path straight. Now John wore a garment of camel tear in a leather belt around his waist in his food was locustandwildhoney been Jerusalem in all Judea and all the region about Jordan. We're going out to him and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them you brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the Wrath to come there fruit in keeping with repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves with Abraham. As our Father for I tell you God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees every tree there for that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I do sandals. I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire his winnowing fork in his head. And he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn with the chaff. He will burn with unquenchable fire as we discuss and talk about this morning. You have to have it in your head God's desire that he created humans and partnered with them. They're in the garden to rule that that's what he wants to establish Yen again. And here is Matthew writing the words of John the Baptist and these first few words. He says repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Now this phrase is unique to Matthew alone. It's used some 32 times and it's only found in his gospel some believe that because Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience that he chose to not use the phrase kingdom of God because he did not want to invoke the name. Yahweh which is very sacred they would not even write in the valves for Yahweh. He did not want to use that in order to talk about God's kingdom and so they would assume possibly that he's referring to some sort of other way of talking about the kingdom of God. Now what this is done and our mind for Western Evangelical thinkers have been able to parse this out and say the Kingdom of Heaven is a place that is in a Far Far Away Galaxy, right? I watched a lot of Star Wars ever break with my that's where we spent the bulk of our time and so in Our Minds when I say typically growing up in Western evangelicalism Kingdom of Heaven, it is a space and a place that I am going to go to some day. Rest and I'll reside there. put the first words out of Matthews riding in John the Baptist mouth or what the Kingdom of Heaven as interested. Not some place that I'm trying to go get to but is actually now come unto me this idea this phrase kingdom of heaven and Kingdom of God when you look at it through the gospels. It's actually interchangeable depending on where you're at there. You can put in either one if you would like to It's not where God's people will go after death. It refers to the rule of Heaven that is of god being brought to bear in the present world. That's why we pray your kingdom come your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven and the contemporaries of Jesus in that day that the Creator God he intended to bring Justice and peace to his world Here and Now Commentator by the name of Jonathan Pennington, and I think he's correct. When he says this the Kingdom of Heaven is not used out of reverence for the name of God, but instead of out the contrast between what God wants and what humans are doing. What God wants? Your thought about that. Nears. I got a list of what I want God to do. Biglist right just get us through this next chair, please Lord. We got these ideas. But but here's the idea that is being percentage are what does God want his will and what are humans actually doing not just individual actions in your heart and your life right now, but if we look at the World At Large, how do we treat and care for one another what is prized in our world today? What are we think of is this something that will determine your success or your value are your purpose? There's a contrast being drawn here Scott McKnight. You're going to hear a lot about him from me over the next year wrote this the kingdom of heaven was Jesus's way of saying that God's rules invading the land and challenging the corrupted rule of human Kings. Fascinating announcements announcement to any who are on the scene. It's basically a proclamation that God has come and the world is solutely in disarray being torn apart and there is a different or a better way. What is this mean? First of all means that God Alone is King. II think it means god is now ruling in King Jesus third thing Israel and the church live under the rule of King Jesus forgiveness is granted through King Jesus the Savior and the fifth thing the rule of Jesus will be complete in the final Kingdom as NT Wright says this is the story of God become king. That's what Matthew is declaring. This is absolutely a political agenda that we're going to read over the next year. So if you ever say Brett, why aren't you more political? I'm going to get super political. There's a different Kingdom and it's a lot better than the one we're living in right now and we're going to explore and talk about who is in this Kingdom and what his Rule and his range actually looks like in our lives this is expressed in four ways. We talked about the meaning of the kingdom of God. It expresses the ultimate rule of God over his world as Can make painfully clear Stakes a claim. We are his creatures and we should serve the king and at this point I'm incredibly interested for each and everyone of us. It describes the realm in which the kingly rule is acknowledged. Meaning you receive the kingdom by responding to his kingly Rule and surrendering to the king and it points to a future when God will be all in all this will be done on Earth as it is in heaven and that's what works flooring through the gospels McKnight goes on and says the story is that in Jesus God now rules God kind of ruling is saving rescuing atoning justifying and reconciling the cross and Resurrection redefine the kingdom in all directions Israel is not the same obedience is not the same love is not the same piece is not The same Justice is not the same. In other words to say the kingdom draws near is to make a Christ a logical claim is to say the kingdom is now present in Jesus. So what this means for you what this means for me is that there's going to be a term that we refer to frequently here and it's the now but not yet aspect of the kingdom of God now but not yet the kingdom here realized True Lies in our lives as the king is raining in each and every one of us and even then where we go serves as an outpost of his kingdom a bright shining like just like when my kids leave my house, they're still in bassador of the Anderson family gets back if they're up to nonsense and there's going to be some problems in our household trust me because I have a rule over then.

And so he has a rule in this kingdom is about the dynamic of God's kingship being applied here and now and every aspect of society and culture it is here and now but we all wait who are followers of Jesus because of nation of the kingdom when he returns physically, right? That is the not yet aspect. What is that mean? There's a king and he has a kingdom. There's been people that make up that Kingdom God as King as a rain and a rule in our lives this results in Christian Living. Now for whatever reason over the last 15 years 20 years if you nerd out in the Christian world of lots of books and arguments and podcast if you love to spend much time in popular thought going on there tends to be some battling going on in this realm. What is Christian Living mean do we even need Christian Living? I mean, come on that's works. Right since that's doing something none of them to know that is actually coming that we are freed from to Van Gogh pursue and lived in and there's been a lot of back-and-forth on legalism in that the shirt a few weeks for anti nomianism in what that actually makes up. Here's what you need to understand if there is a king and you have come under this King. I promise you there is a rule there's a way in which you have you to live 1st Peter talks about us as a contrast culture. We can be a creative minority of people. Just stink as were called out from what the rest of the world looks like. What are elect Exiles and the king is forming and shaping all of our lives?

What that mean, but you certainly demands of the Kingdom, but before there's demands of the Kingdom in before you get mad at me and write me a letter first I want to talk about how do I become a part of this Kingdom? Jesus talked about this a lot to enter into the kingdom this happens when you relate to the king. Jesus Calling a people to himself Matthew 11:28. He is the embodiment of this Kingdom and unlike the Kings of Israel with Jesus. There's a new way to actually relate to God himself as he expresses and embodies who the king actually is and he claims this Rule and authority over our lives. Play through the servant King who comes and dies for us a servant King who gives himself for us and simply invites us to repent to believe to follow Jesus. This is what he's inviting us into relationship and life with him. But what I will tell you is newbirth translate into new ethics. Once we enter the kingdom we reckon to be his sheep not wolves. We not tears.

Good trees not batteries this new birth which leads to a new identity leads to a new life or one of the ways that I like to think about it is because you have new identity. It activates new activity in your life activity of worship from self to God from things and creation to God activity of service. I used to do things only for myself for the way of Jesus called me to a bunch of different radical way of living towards others and activity of behavior. So what this is proposing to each and every one of us is there is a king. He has a kingdom. Is a realm as a rule. Are you a part of it? How do I become a part of it? John the Baptist tells us here. Now you can flip over to Luke very interesting Luke chapter 3, I believe we're going to get to that in just a second.

I'm going to try these two stories together give John the Baptist teaching and he's talking to those are coming out to listen to him and he says really three things to them one. You need to realize who this king is to you need to respond to this King 3. You need to then repent in the way that you are living. First of all, he says realize the King has come and so he says prepare the way make right your heart is what is essentially saying to each and everyone of us what this means is are we going to conform to the way of the king are we going to tell the king the way it's going to be here this morning very big difference in that day and age when a king would come to town. They didn't have the best road systems other Road systems were like driving and BLM land right up there in the woods on the hills. And sometimes there's a log that has fallen over and you know, Either with your car if you drive a monster truck go over it or somehow get around it. There are rats in the world of all kinds of problems and issues think ancient Road system. They were not meant for heavy use our travel think Highway 97 when you get in those rivet and all the sudden shift to pull you and just those rivets get deeper and deeper and deeper there wasn't System created to maintain the styles of roads. And so when a king would come to town a king would never come alone. He would always come with an Entourage with him to steam Gladiator. You can get the picture of Marcus Aurelius coming out to the battle to watch them take over whoever was there were fighting and he's got this huge Entourage that follows with them and there was the wagons in the horses and more people into when the king comes to town. They would actually need to make their roads are conform their road so they could drive and get there on the In their wagons and with their horses and with everybody that came along side of them and they would have been in excitement about this the king is coming. Let's do this. We're going to see him pass by this is going to be an event everyone knew if you wanted to have the king. Come things had to change things had to change. Here's the announcement that John the Baptist say the king is coming. You need to change. It doesn't say men's your roads, but he says mend your lives. How do we do that? How do I Mend My Life John? How do I prepare this in my heart John the Baptist the same if you want to receive him in your life, you need to treat him as change. Is proclaiming that this King has arrived and you need to turn to him. But what does that look like was going to talk about two things? First thing is respond respond to him. Go out and do a lot of stuff. Stop go get your life. Right? It's not remove every ounce of Sin from your life right now. So you can finally do well in your heart that would be impossible. But you must accept Jesus as a change in the way that he proclaims it to be that I Am Lord. I am ruler Martin Luther says this what is the first commandment have no other gods before me? What is that mean just mean to put your trust? Give me this means you must not put your trust in anything. There should be nothing that gives you more hope than God, but you did nothing to give you more self-esteem than God. There's nothing that gives you more satisfaction in God Lutheran goes on as you're ever despondent. If you're ever bitter, if you're ever Paralyzed by fear, you're ever lying. If you're ever committing adultery, if you're ever breaking any of the Ten Commandments or if you ever want to it's because you're not treating him as King in your heart. Mend, not your rose and your lives with a me make him King bacon King. I think about that a lot. I do. Judy moments in life where we have opportunity to say, you know my way right now. I just can't twist this truth. I'm going to look pretty good. If I hide this problem will see it they're going to continue to think highly of me tax season is coming up and I can just show a hundred less bucks, and I'm going to be in a different bracket. Sound like a great idea. Is he kidding in your heart that moments? The ruling is he raining. What is your self your ideals your ways? You were told to make him king of our hearts and obedience follows from that when you think about Israel in this moment, they wanted to King didn't want the king to be like Jesus trample out all their problems in the oppressors or in the story that will come to at some point. When Jesus feeds the 5000 this incredible story. He keeps breaking it and it is Multiplied and he's feeding the crowds and then they gather more up and they go to the other side and the crowds they go running after him and then John we get a fuller story of this really say we want you to be king. It's like no, you don't what what do you mean? Well, if you want me to be king you have to eat in my body and drink of my blood and everybody left foot disciples. And even they were a little perturbed in trouble in their heart. What does that mean people have an idea of what they want from Jesus and they want Jesus to mend to their way into their lives. People want Jesus as long as he's the Jesus of prosperity and I'm not even to talk about some sort of Prosperity Gospel which you've given you get back a prosperity of certain kinds of blessings are Promises of the way family and Life Will Go in this is taught all throughout Christianity that absolutely convoluted the water and made it muddy and messy and what people think about Jesus. It's not about getting Jesus to conform to your life, which you want that often have so many of us pray, but it's how can I confirm my life to your ways and what do you want to do in this moment right now?

with issues with this, don't we And the problem is we make God out to be created in our image rather than us being created in the image of God. And when I do that until God how she must act and how he behaved has to be God and I've assumed Authority kingship or God ship in my own life. Search I'm just on you right now. This is a massive problem amongst evangelicals. I want God if he doesn't my way what he's saying is no you mend your ways to his. You follow him, but it's not going how I planned to join the club, right? It doesn't make him any less a king. And it's such an American eyes Western way of thinking of Christianity if God is always agreeing with you. You doing the right thing and the right thing should you never feel convicted or confronted with the scriptures? I'm be honest if in the next six weeks when I'm teaching our cars GTR Michaels teaching and you never have a confrontation with the words of Jesus. Who's your god tell tell you what somebody who has more Authority in my life when they confront me to start listening should night and Jesus is going to talk about some real money sex chapters read forgiving your enemies. We have done so many of us to be created a God who always agrees with us. That's not good because that means we're at his place. That is incredibly dangerous. What are we do? John says repent adapt your roads to hiss. This is interesting. I don't know if we're getting fully passage. That'll be okay. If it is 3:10, so we'll get there maybe in a moment's it says repent Matthew 3 Luke 3 all these crowds come out to see him and he says your beauty by first we read that are like a what does that even mean in Genesis? We understand the idea of Viper or are the snake there the serpent to be Satan and so he's basically saying you're of Satan in his pits Jesus in John 8:43 goes on to say something along the lines of why don't you understand what I'm saying? It is because you cannot bear to hear my words you are of your father the devil you are sons of the devil modern-day Translation your mom slept with the devil and produced you. That's that's what he's getting at some degree hose at the street level easy interpretation there as a des and you will do your father's desires.

Trump's first words to his listeners are this indictment? You people in Satan's grab your children of his nature. You need to repent sure as a way to win a crowd, isn't it?

Seeker friendly movement what a moment John you could have won them all over and it said you called him sons of the devil. Why does he share this very offensive message? He's telling the people three things here. You think your heritage is saved you but you're dirty need to repent just telling the people that their own righteousness the very worst. They think they're doing in the name of God is going to save them but he says no it's not he's attacking them to the very core of what they believe. I got the opportunity to have a lot of awkward conversations when the pastor bomb gets dropped in any conversation with a new person. I just the other day. I actually got this sweet new haircut. My wife made me get I was working on a man bun. She canceled the man bun just so you guys know. Sorry to disappoint everyone. She said no man bun. I'm very very deeply. Sorry. I'm a little troubled in my heart that I had to get this great new fade. How do you spell you called these days? And so I got this haircut and I'm talking to the night my barber there in and she's new there and we're just chatting it up and just life and all the stuff and finally, what are you do Bratz? I'm a pastor and the conversation went silent for 5 minutes just had this like robust conversations all of a sudden it was like

Yeah, hey, it's okay. So we were covered it was supposed to do from there. I'm going to receive me 50 on my Meriden actions. I want to live my life. I want to live my life may be some good deeds along the way and God will just receive me. Trump has no need to repent. I want to repent and receive Jesus Holy Spirit tells you not want to tell you how to live you don't just magically live. That way we can really learn in The Sermon on the Mount going to learn what his people to acquire. Bruno learn House people should eat we're going to learn with the makeup of itchiness and when we fail at it renew your mind if there's Grace in it. He has a rule because he has a people. Where do you think you have the rule? And Luke, the people asking 10 through 14. What should we do John? The Baptist says you should do things like be honest and be generous and share what you have it's dens from repentance, but repentance brings along that new heart that new life.

cuz I want to leave us with question for 2

Question, I want you to ask if we enter into a time of just praise and worship and responding and communion in a moment is God. Where do I personally need to align myself? I'm under your rule in areas have ignored or not been aware of.

Where do I need? I mean, I know a lot of your discretion. It is looking at the Ten Commandments like the Rich Young Ruler and going. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. I'm good in Jesus like something. I don't think so Jesus. Hahaha, I doubt that please God. A specific for him and it might be specific for you. I don't know. Where do I need to align income under his rule the king? Is it rule in your hearts? Then understand this and you can even pray this God. Will you be merciful or changes flow? Will you continue to be slow to anger gracious and compassionate like we read about in the stall, Miss? But also faithful to cause us to grow. I'm here this morning to tell you king. Jesus came King. Jesus rules not in system original Spence, but physically in our lives and where we go now the rain has a place and he will come back in a physical presence and he will sit all those things straight. Do you believe you me in that right? Trust that now now he rules He Reigns and he's bringing Heaven down. Through us just like in Genesis you wanted to cultivate create a lot for humans to flourish raining through them to beautify that world the X. He wants to do the same through us that is his plan for him. Thank you. I pray that there is Clarity and some of this today. Pray that we're not just a bunch of holdouts waiting to get to heaven. But that we can be Kingdom Bringers now and we'd actually understand that.

That we would enter our workplace this week in connect Sunday to Monday and Sunday to Tuesday and we learned today Sunday to Wednesday and that in the classrooms that people teach in. In the sphere in which you have them running businesses that the kingdom would be raining and people would be invited Into Your Glory into your light into how you want to work moving that we would be a people that actually reflect who you are as are being changed by you daily.

God ReStore in US was broken and lost new reflect the image bearers to the world around us. I mean we understand we're not waiting for the kingdom has come and you rule and you rhyme.