The Kingdom Received

If you have a Bible, please open up to Matthew Chapter 11.

B + 11 + 12 + 13. We are going to pray now. Lord, we ask this morning. That this would not simply be information. That is transferred but transformation that happens in our lives. That there's cost to action as Jesus followers and how that actually plays out in our lives. Says we come in contact with your scriptures as we spend time, inviting your presence into this place. We ask that, we be moved by you. You work in our hearts and in our lives. We give you this time. Amen. Amen. Jesus. If you were here last week or if you weren't just a 1-minute summary, we are looking at Matthew chapters, 11, 12 and 13 and we started primarily with what we called V meta. Parable in Matthew, Chapter 13 was a parable, that's used to explain how we look at understand and read The Parables. And Jesus does a lot of the hard work for us as he describes and explain to his disciples what he meant by each thing in that terrible and we covered a lot of Bible nerd information. If you're into that you can check out last week teaching or better yet just jump. On the Bible project and listen to their Parable series, it's much more thorough and better than anything I could ever do. However, with that information in the back of our minds, we need to understand what Jesus is talking about and calling us to in these chapters, 11 12 and 13, because he lays out three types of responses that people have to the message of the Kingdom. The first one in which we looked at briefly last week, was someone of a neutral or undecided response, which is not a position that a person remains in for the entirety of their life. Because at some point you have to be on one side of the Jesus argument or the other, but you have somebody like a John the Baptist who was excited about Jesus and teaching and talking and pointing others to Jesus that he finds himself in some hardship. It against the question? Are you the one or should we wait for another? And you have other people that are in the crowds kind of pondering and wondering, if we looked at some of those in chapter 12, this morning we're going to move on to those who say, yes to Jesus, they're excited about Jesus, they respond positively positively to Jesus and the next week, we'll look at the negative response to Jesus and move into. It sets us up for chapter 14. Now, we're going to begin in chapter 11 verses 25 through 30, and this is such a familiar passage. If you are a Christian and one of the problems with the milyer passages, especially when we approached them on a Sunday morning is, typically, I come to church and I want to learn something new, something smart, something witty. And we forget even as I just praise the prey. I'm not here to primarily just transfer information to make you smarter in the things of the scripture, but to actually consider reflect on how to saute hit my heart, and my response to what's being talked about, Todd on through specially these words of Jesus, that we have with us this morning. So we read this very familiar, if you are a Christian passage, I don't want you to tune out, check out, but I want you to engage. And ask what does God have for me? This morning so we can start in verse 25. Where it says, at that time. Jesus declared I thank you, Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to Little Children. Yes. Father for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my father, no one knows the son, except the father, no one knows the father, except the son and anyone to whom the son chooses to reveal him. Go these words come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon, you learn from me. I am gentle and lowly in heart. You will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Yesterday, I finally decided to tackle a nagging problem that was happening in our home. My wife has, this is not, mine is hers. Massive cast-iron sink, the thing weighs at least 250 lb. No, Joe huge. It's massive and it has this faucet that runs through the back. And so, in order to work on the faucet to any degree, because of the amount of space you have to lift this sink out and Pull It Forward, in order to get back behind it. And for the last I don't know what month is had a little dribble just coming down it as the supply line is on. So we decided to turn that supply line off and have been just living with hot water on one side, and the bathroom sink of cold water on the other side. And I finally found time in my life and scheduled to tackle, this problem should have been really e. People just a little gas, get back behind so I call Landon to come over. If you know who Landon is a he's you know if you don't have the landing as he's like the 642 that has muscles. Okay. So he is strong. He's my backup. I'm going to get Landon in the house to help me with this thing and he just crawls under the sink and bench presses. The sink up, but not getting what we realize. There's like an overhang, and it just keeps hitting the overhang. And he stuck, it's stuck, we're stuck. And if you want to start ripping things out of the house, because how'd you get this in here? I said, I have no idea. But me and these guys just kind of slid and fell into place. I don't know. We're going to do man and I prop it up, move it slightly forward. So we're not working under the sink and we are able to get everything off and we diagnose the problem and needs some just need tape and wrapping, and we put it on, turn on, and it thinks everything off. Get back on YouTube. Do we do this wrong. Did this ride, take it back up and at least then we take the tape off and we find out that some of these things don't need tape on them to steal them. So we do it again. And it leaks know, Landon is to strength. His dad Dale is to knowledge on fixing things. So we call we call Dale and Dale comes over and he looks at everything. We're doing a kind of idiot and we pull everything off and we show him it and he's just examining it as he's holding conversation with this brass. Peace and healing conversation with us and he's feeling around us and he says this thing is never going to work. You can tape it all you want. You can tighten it all you want but it has a wide crack in it. In fact the more you try to tighten it, the worst the crack is going to get that needs to be completely new completely.

One hand, totally relieved other hand going to be without cold water for a little while until we get this part ordered. So I am learning it. This thing needs to be made completely new. Jesus, here in this passage is looking at these people that are religious or chatting with him and he sharing something deep with them and sharing with them, they have a problem. Play the crack in the brass. In all of their works and all their efforts and the harder they try. It's actually not going to cure their problem. Now if I were to ask, what is the problem? The sunday-school answer is it send it. Send it. Send a symptom of the deeper problem, the deeper problem of going outside of God, for our hope, for our righteousness, for rest, for our souls. What Jesus declares In this passage is that we have a restlessness and the harder we try to fix it. The worse, it's actually going to get now. There's a tendency in modern culture to all kind of say. Of course there's a restlessness is kind of a spiritual longing that all human beings have the sort of religious spiritual longing, to be satisfied and fulfilled, and Jesus gets much more specific than that, and Matthew 23. He's going to tell those were I need to him the teachers of the law, they tie heavy burdens and loads and put them on your shoulders. They yolk. You just like this passage is saying but they cannot practice even what they preach and what Jesus is talking about this morning is he has something very specific in mind a little bit of work on our end to understand what Jesus is getting at. Stony talks about burdens, he talks about restlessness, he's talking about spiritual weariness. That all people are living in a quote from St. Augustine confessions. I caught this often, but he says our hearts are restless until they find their rest. In you, our hearts are restless until they find their rest in. You know what I want us to understand and this is going to be f***** up in just a second. Is there are two main Hebrew words for rest. Now I get that. Jesus is probably speaking in Greek, he's talking to the people of that day, although he had a pretty great knowledge of Hebrew being Jewish. I'd probably some greats capacity to speak in Aramaic as well. And when he talks about rest, it's loaded with this context of all of the Old Testament scriptures and what the Old Testament intends, when it talks about the idea of rest. And there's two words for rest, one is one with you're very familiar with and is that a Shabbat Shabbat is the ski scene from labor, stopping to think of your hourly job and you clock out and the shift ends and you shabbat you Sabbath, you rest because the work is done until you clock back. In the other word is one that actually very close to the name. Noah believe it or not, in a lot of times with Noah and rest and all the rest and it's this word new on right now to get to Lugia in your throat.

You want to practice with me new, that's the other word that is used in the scriptures and it means to dwell or to settle. This is the kind of rest that it's like sitting with your spouse by a fire in the evening and the kids are down and you're just enjoying it was just a fun familiar time in your unpacking, your suitcase in your thinking, it's essentially about restful presents. In Genesis God sets up Shabbat and Newark right around the same time. God Sabbath Shabbat after his work and then he sets up residence restful present with Adam in the garden as they dwell there to gather all this talk about rest, actually right into chapter 12 which is by design of Matthew to draw out as chapter 12 talks about as we saw last week this sabbath and so many of the heavy Sabbath burden that people had put on themselves and it wasn't bringing what they desired are wanted. And Jesus is ushering, a new reality of his presence, This Promise of rest and restful presents. When I talk about rest this morning, rest is not just simply seeking from labor, it is seeking from fruitless labor. That's the kind of rest that we're going to engage in. In eternity, it will be at work ahead of us. That God has a participating in the age to come and even now breaking forth. Into our reality in our world is the kingdom has come. Jesus is promising?

There is a very practical sense of the sea seen from that labor like clocking out, but also his presence. There's a deep calming, rest heart and conscience and Jesus says the crowds, you don't have it. He practice it.

Accused of this in the past. In the Old Testament. Prophets were they participate in feasts and festivals and worship and music? Godly partying. And what happens says, I don't hear your songs. You just doing this out of religiosity, and Jesus is bringing in this rest with the kingdom saying, the reason you don't have it. They just don't have a general spiritual longing. But he says, because you're experiencing this weariness of having to prove yourself just like that faucet, having to keep tightening and tightening and tightening your, under the weight, and the burden of the law. In the more you tighten it, the bigger the crack gets This this morning we're going to see is a positive response to those who are weary and worn out an invitation of what Jesus is bringing into our lives. What is tiring? What is fatiguing is always trying to prove yourself, always trying to measure up, always trying to provide your own righteousness, your own defense. How did you go down that road long enough, you become exhausted, depleted, cranky, angry, arguing, bitter, kinds of people inside the church and outside the church inside the church and outside the church, whenever you see a group of people constantly at odds with each other, obviously trying to prove and fight for something. And you're in this religious sense, it was disappearance of we're holy, we've made it, we've arrived and there's not an inner peace. There's not an indirect and Jesus has come to bring us rest. Do you have it? Just another little Nuance in here. He tells this group of people yoke yourself to me. Why? Because they're yogurt to something else for their righteousness if you're weary Your worn-out broken down. Ask yourself what have I yoked my value to my worth to my identity to. It's anything outside of Jesus. It's going to actually blow up on you and become incredibly heavy detrimental. Tell you even carry yourself? Cuz you're always going to have to be proven yourself to other people. In order to be accepted to order to feel like you belong. There is a deep rest, a true rest of rest for your souls, that's what Jesus is saying, that's what Jesus Adena stop for now. Watch this, jump over the chapter 12 He goes through this whole thing with, I'm lord of the Sabbath and there's people that are angry with them. They're people that want to kill him. If people that are saying, he has a demon in him and his crowd and it says, Jesus aware of this withdrew from there and many people followed him and he healed them all, any order them, not to make him known, this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet. Isaiah behold my servant whom I have chosen my beloved with whom. My soul is well pleased, I will put my spirit upon Him. He will Proclaim Justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud. Little anyone hear his voice in the street? A bruised Reed, he will not break and a smoldering Wick. He will not quench until you bring the Justice to Victory and in his name the Gentiles will help. I would love to have an hour to unpack. This I have 23 minutes to get through the rest of this teaching. Okay, so we're going to give just a quick summary of what's being said and talked about hear people are responding pause the Billy G's on yet. It's not his time to die and go to the Cross to be revealed in that way. So he says, look, you are responding positive feeling. You can see the works in the effect of the Kingdom. Now in your life and that future fulfillment of what I'm bringing in terms of justice and hope to you. But for now, Don't say anything. These people continue to honor Jesus as lord of the Sabbath and they stick with him and are moving forward. Why would they do this? It brings us to our next Parable. Turn to page or two over new Bible. Chapter 13. 13. We're going to read to Parables right here. They come inside and go with one. Another verse says, the Kingdom of Heaven is like, treasure hidden in a field with your man, found and covered up his Joy. He goes and sells all that. He has, advised, that field again. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in the search of fine pearls. Go on finding one. Pearl of Great Value went and sold all that he had and bought. It was all going to tie together here this morning, if these people too excited, they responded to Jesus. He's developed this reality that you have. The inner longing is inner restlessness, and he alone can satisfied, but he's saying to these people spiritual treasure. Never improves you. It's going to completely remake you. Spiritual treasure for this. Parable is never going to just simply improve you. It's going to completely remake you. Let me give you an overview of the parable often thought in this first. One, you have somebody as a commoner, they're working in a field in that day, you buried and head your treasure. Maybe you saw the dust coming from the Marauder's, heading your direction, and you had valuables in your home and you go out to your field and you dig a hole and you cover it up as fast as possible. Maybe as a way for you to Simply store your wealth, you didn't trust the systems of that day. And so these people, it was often common to bury the treasure that you hit this guy, he's working out in that field. He does not own it. There was a rule in Jewish law, which was Finders Keepers. But under Roman rule, those laws were a little Meteor. So what is this person? Do he finds the treasure? He covers it back up. Only to go and sell everything he has. Listen to self every thing he has in order to get the thing of more value. He's going to give everything for something of Greater Joy. Greater value in the second Parable, Eva Merchant. Dealing with pearls very costly. This man's, probably got some wealth with him. He does the same things though, the same kind of epiphany of there is a pearl. I'm going to get rid of everything that I have in order to get the thing of greater value. And he's using these two stories to talk about the king, talk about Jesus is bringing both these men. They realize it and they get it and they say this is All or Nothing. I think about this. Everything means everything your Mickey Mantle baseball card down in the basement, right? That Treasure of great worth that heirloom that was passed down to you from your family, everything in your bank account, you're willing to risk it in order to get something that is a much more important to you. And when they get it they realize the benefits and the reward art bigger. Are bigger, outweigh the costs, the cost of everything, and maybe you can see where I'm going with this, what Jesus is declaring is the kingdom is worth, getting everything of value that you have up for it. Everything that you hold so dearly everything that defines you, everything that tells you this is who I am and we can go down the list of maybe political rights, or we can go down your heirlooms, or we can go down your possessions, your house, your friendships, anything, anything, everything that you consider valuable to yourself? Are you willing to risk? Are you willing to lose, its to be a part of my kingdom? Noticed, he's not telling us specifically in this moment to go sell all that you have and give it to some group. But is there a willingness to lay, aside what you think is yours in order for that greater treasure? That greater thing. There's this idea of total commitment to his kingdom and its radical. Is it costly? I would Jesus do this but Jesus himself. Exemplified it didn't he left that Heavenly abode? Give me the Incarnation. Emptied himself gives himself his own life for us.

I think we lose sight of that and the total commitment is done in a way in which it received, but it's never learnt. What do you think? I'm talking heresy. It's receipt. It's never learned as an important principle for us because the gospel comes and says, everything radical. Everything has to go, but on the other hand, free gift and I Has Not Seen Nor Ear Has heard has entered into anybody's heart. Incredible things that God has in store for you and his riches. And so when we say yes to Jesus, Positive to Jesus is going to come along inside of us and reorder us CS Lewis says a Mere Christianity. Imagine yourself as a living house comes in to rebuild that house at first. Perhaps you can understand what he is doing is getting the drains right stopping the leaks in the roof and so on, you knew that those jobs needed to be doing and so you are not surprised when you first came to Jesus and you like kind of a messed something, I'm ruining a relationship. I come in contact with. I'm just broken devastated. If Jesus could just kind of help me in these areas, I think I might trust him. Louis doesn't stop there. But presently, he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. Can I completely reorder convict change? Move on us cuz he said you are Lord. Christianity then is a change in dimension. It's a movement into a new reality because to be a Christian means, you're translated out from under self Sovereign into got soccer team. We love to throw around God's sovereignty, but actually really like God's sovereignty when it applies with my sovereignty, my values, what I want, this is actually coming underneath of his sovereignty and getting rid of yourself sovereignty. Essentially you're out from under your own Rule and you come under the ruling power. Guys, remember, we supposed to talk about the kingdom? We said his kingdom is a rule and as a people you are under his rule, there were spending time. In this gospel, we spend time in the epistle learning what it looks like to be a people of God under his Rule. And for anyone who might sing this morning, Jesus, you are King for anybody who might come forward and take communion and say Jesus, you are Lord. Yes you are savior but you're also King to be a Christian is not simply to adopt a moral code or doctor said a philosophy. It's too have Gods ruling power. His kingdom, his Reign come into your life 1st Corinthians. 4:20 for the kingdom of God, is not in word, but in power, Romans 1:16 and therefore, not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For it, is the power of God, to say, it's a power, a ruling power that comes in touch. Something outside of us has moved on us and it's shaking the very core and Foundation of who we are the gospel. Gospel of his kingdom. Its ruling power, is a change of Kingdoms, and we're coming under him. You don't get to say, I'm positive towards Jesus and persist and continue in. Your kingdom, is to make that change requires, you are ready to give all that. You hold dear, the only way, the only way that we're coming into that kingdom is giving up what we have, is that mean, what they look like, Ariel things. But what are areas that we struggle with Self image. We all look a little nicer today cuz we knew we're going to see people. We all want people to look at us to some degree or another and go. Hey, they got it kind of put together their family, we struggle with that willingness, to be generous with time with Talent with treasure. We struggle sometimes and issues of Justice because we just don't feel like I'm the time to participate or don't want to participate. We struggle with loving our enemies. And if there's a choice between Jesus in my image of a lot of times I don't want to hold on to my image or give me the good business deal or is it going to ruin whatever good thing we had going on? You're not willing to sell yourself image. Not willing to liquidate yourself or sell it off cuz you're something more value. It isn't money for sexuality. If I'm going to follow Jesus and you got to keep these things over here. And those are some of the more obvious exteriors. Have you been raised in the church that get brought up and talked about how clear it, again to expose, As Time, continues on some of the things that we ought to be participating and moving forward in now, why would we do this? What he gives in response to our unconditional? Surrender is absolutely unimaginable Splendor. Now, that's what he gives in response to that unconditional Lord. I am yours unimaginable splendored, look at the Parable with joy. They liquidate with joy, they sell everything they have because there's something of Greater Joy and value coming to them. They didn't wait, until they actually got the thing they were excited before. They even have that great Pearl, they were excited before they already dug up. The new treasure, there is an age to come in, which all things are going to be restored, remade new. And you might feel like in this age When given the raw end of the deal, the short stick I get sent or why do I sacrifice those things? You're never going to lose something, you won't get back, and greater fold. promise you this, in the age to come, Where is God seeing you? Stop having your own Sovereign Rule and to come under his kingdom or action, this morning is too full. You begin By Your Man cheat Again by repenting from the main problem in our lives. The main problem is not our Behavior. The main problem is not breaking this rule or that rule, the main problem. Is the repent of your lack of Jesus. Repent that we're not just totally consumed with him.

I'm going to go there going to go there right now. Freedom, reserve. A lot of things that have consumed this church specifically this church, right? You know that I know that.

Are we consumed the Jesus? I'm more concerned with Jesus or we left consumed with Jesus. Jeff Lewis says, I think God wants us to love him or not to love a creature even animals. Less essentially he's saying it's not that we can love people too much. Does that mean? Love God too. Little first and foremost, we need to begin to ask ourselves if we're under his Reign and his sovereignty. His kingdom are we loving God, the way he calls us to love him, is he first and foremost above everything else? And how is that influencing Us in the way that we're loving other people right now? Even people we disagree with.

We probably need to spend some time on our knees. Lord, help us love you more in order to live out what it means to be in the Kingdom. Second thing in here comes from Matthew 13, 31 through 33. You put another pair of way for them. Saying, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sold in this field is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air, and make nests and its branches. So another Parable Kingdom of Heaven is like 11, that a woman took him three measures of flour. Tell it all Legend. When this is one, this is the gospel going forth as the gospel Goes Forth. What Goes Forth with the gospel? Changed lives, God's justice, God's mercy, God grace. There's actually action that follows it. So on one hand Christians and very much contented themselves. On the idea. I'm just proclaiming and it's going forth and that's great. And that is good. What do what effect is it actually getting into us in permeating and then having an impact on the world around us. And being those who bring the kingdom of God With Us not just in word but also In Deed it's a message of the Kingdom has gotten into your life. What kind of person is it actually making you? Libras like this. How is the reality? Or the truth of the Kingdom? You're receptive. Positive response, influencing your life today. Sit around and tell me not a whole lot. Do you actually understand? Do you actually believe?

Time, you spent some time in Acts? Or maybe even some early church history. The writings of historians, it said it's the Christians who are serving Those whom we even discard reject and what nothing to do with. It is the Christians who are merciful as the Christians. You're bringing education. It is the Christians were lifting up the poor and taking care of those who are marginalized in ways that puts our government to Shan XI. The gospel would get into them and then it would influence them to live as if the kingdom is there now. But too often in our church, the gospels to something done in word and were content to come week after week and have a great worship experience, and then go home and live our lives, like the 99% of the world. Was that pensive are attractive to anybody. Ruffling, feathers for the right reasons, right now.

The truth of Jesus gets into us. I resurrected it does not have a passive effect on his followers. I'm fearful for Western Christianity that is active right now. We've reduced Christianity to this moment and that's it. We become so familiar, eyes of the teachings and the stories and content to say a prayer. Raise a hands. I think nothing of happened in our lives. Like, yep, I got it. I'm good. I'm good.

The gospel is received not worked for remember. That understand that, but it has an effect in our lives. We tend to be waiting to go to heaven. Rather than acknowledging his kingdom come. Now, bringing Heaven here in the way, we should conduct and live. Our lives positive direction, positive response towards Jesus results. A new directional life, not just you, stop doing the bad things. We don't have those teaching, and what not, but it's about restoring his authority. His rule his rain in the world around us, I'll be at. I understand there's an incompleteness until our King physically returns Right? All wrongs ultimate Justice. I get that. I also will attach to the gospel should have personal in word transformation. There are things in your life that are harming you in a harming others and the power of the Gospel moves in. And it pushes out those things in your life, as you begin to say yes to Jesus responding to him. We're not participating in looking at pornography and being drunkards and stealing and ripping other people off when changing the way that we personally live. But it also affect how we relationally live out towards towards others. I have the ability to use my power to help others to use my gift. To use my money to serve others to even do. Good to my enemies. This is the kingdom.

This is the kingdom athletic and your yes response to Jesus as a yes response to the kingdom ethic. Sosa Marysville action on the mount. I'm not going to expound on the single one. You should. What are some areas that I need to start participating in Justice service? Generosity. Peacemaking, loving my enemies doing. Good to my enemies, not retaliating.

Justice service, generosity. Peacemaking, loving your enemies doing good to your enemies, not retaliating. The two questions. These are actually up there.

What is a kingdom ethic that you've ignored? not been aware of or simply not wanting to participate in that you spent since Spirit drawing your awareness to, how can you actively participate at This is not something you do to get Jesus. This is something you do, because you've got Jesus. This is something you do because you have rest and now you can participate in it. The restlessness issue has been dealt with your sins are forgiven. You been made, right? And you are just go out and respond. Stop saying it to big, do it with your neighbor. Good in your household. Speeding in your work and watch like 11, watch like the seed spread for him.

God. Maybe love you more.

Made up your hearts cry in our passion.

So, overwhelmed by you and your goodness. Dwelling on your mercy and kindness are responsible, that we love you. and then return that we just love others the way you called us to Do you have a rule and reign in our personal lives in our church, in our community, and our nation? And in our world, in the oven rule of God, get a hold of our hearts, and may we embrace the reality of the kingdom, and the effects that is fat in our lives. Come before you. We love you. Amen.