Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:00]:

This evening, you know, we're starting a brand new series, called Kingdom. And I don't know what, most of us think about when you hear the word kingdom. You might think about a falling base. No. Or but, we, I don't know what guys think about when you think of the word kingdom, but, you know, so easily, comes to my mind, like, guys in suits of armor and swords and shields and all of that. And, this kind of a romantic sense. There's there's series talk about kingdom, and it's usually those kinds of things. And and I'm always, I'm be honest, I I'm drawn to those kinds of things.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:38]:

I in fact, even when our kids were young, we were in, Japan, and they would take photos, and they would have These, really kinda elaborate my my in laws wanted to pay for, some photos where they were kinda, like, all dressed up like a real traditional kimono, But, like, the boys had kinda like, like, the Japanese lords would have they have this kinda like this make this thing comes out like this then then it's and I I looked at that, and I said to my wife, oh, hon. We should take a picture like that. She said, no. No knee. Right? That kind of a thing. But it's it was just that kind of a a sense of of of chivalry, of honor, and all of those things that that come to my mind. But for most of us, I would think, in this room that we haven't grown up in or lived in a kingdom, but we're we've grown up in democracies or republics, and we don't quite understand, experientially, this aspect of kingdom, except to know maybe that maybe kingdoms have kings and, and that maybe in most places that have kings even today that they tend to be figureheads. Right? Like, as in as in England or, as it is in Japan.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:01:44]:

But for most of us, I think, when we think of that word kingdom then, it's a it it might hearken back to a romantic view of life or maybe to a sense of calling and and duty and all of that. But probably for the most part, it's rather I mean, obscure, you know, relic maybe of the distant pass, but nothing could be further from the truth. And so this weekend, what we wanted to talk about was this whole aspect of the kingdom of God. And the series that we're starting is not just talking about the kingdom of God, but the very fact that when Jesus came, ablish the kingdom of God. He says that you and I have a phenomenal role, in this, and that that what God is unfolding, that is something that is the honor and privilege of a lifetime. And so this weekend, we're gonna start This series, hopefully, not not academic in any way, but I I do wanna draw some distinctions for some of us. And so in this first message, I do want us to understand what is it that Jesus preached in terms of the kingdom. Now And some of us that when you've looked for a church, maybe you you're visiting somewhere.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:02:58]:

We have some friends here visiting, this this evening, and we have some folks that maybe when you've traveled, you've gone somewhere or maybe when, you are looking for a church, you might have asked yourself or you might Ask someone you know, do they preach the gospel in in that church? Right? And and maybe you've been asked that, about that. And and so of us maybe have thought about this word gospel, and maybe we use the word gospel. And the word gospel, you probably know, means good news, literally means good news. But today, it's fair to ask, I think, what gospel is being preached or taught? And because some of us have heard the word gospel so often, maybe since we were kids or or it's become so familiar since becoming a believer that It it brings great comfort, but but, the theologian and philosopher Dallas Witter Dallas Willard said it like this. He says, sometimes, the things that have become so familiar, they don't breed contempt, but what they breed is is unfamiliarity. It's it's the fact that you hear it so often, you don't even think about what you're saying so often. It it It can be that word that word bless. You know, when I ask somebody, like, at times, you know, how would you define certain words and say blessed? And it's like, well, I I I don't know.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:04:17]:

It's just like I I guess I'm better off than some or whatever. You know, I I I hear these kinds of things, but then what do you mean when people say these things? And the word Gospel, I think, is the same. We might hear the word gospel, and it's easy to assume we all understand what it means, but maybe we don't quite. And maybe in some ways, I I think about it like, it's something I had seen a while back on on one of nature shows. If you've ever seen the way a cuckoo, and when I'm not not calling people, but like a bird, right, that, that when they they've shown in these shows how they, kinda rear their young, how they, they have a strategy to rear their young, how to reproduce, and and it's fascinating because the reality is they don't actually raise the young, somebody else does. Because cuckoos the masters of the deception. When it comes to raising their their young, chicks, they they don't build a nest. They don't Go out and protect and fight and defend the eggs and all that kind of stuff.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:05:18]:

They don't even feed their offspring. Instead, what they do is they pass that role on to somebody else. And how they do that is is that the female cuckoo will look out, you know, kinda in the the brush or the forest or whatever it is, and it'll find another bird that has nested, that has laid its eggs. And it actually then kinda stakes them out and just watches, and then inevitably, when they go out to go and get something to eat and the eggs are left untended, just for that short amount of time, the the cuckoo will swoop in, lay its egg in the midst of the other eggs, and then just fly off. And what happens is that The parents of those other eggs have become so familiar, like, this is just home that they don't even notice the other eggs that's been placed in. And sometimes the egg's not even the same size, not even the same color. In fact, that that sometimes the the the mother cuckoo will will take out one of the eggs to kinda create more space. But over time, what happens is when the eggs begin to hatch, hatch that sometimes the other eggs hatch quicker just because they were laid earlier.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:06:33]:

But when the cuckoo egg hatches, as it emerges, you can generally tell that it's quite a different bird. A a lot of times, a cuckoo is actually much larger than the other birds, in the nest. And what begins to happen is that the parents don't know the difference, and so they come back and they feed they feed them all. But because you have this 1 giant little chick that he tends to get the lion's share in food. Actually, they show, you know, over in kind of the filming that at times, it it actually just kinda leads the other chicks out of the nest and until it's the only one that's left in the nest to be raised Because something that was so familiar became unfamiliar that it didn't even notice when something else was slipped den. And I think that principle is, in some sense, undergirding this next this part that I wanna talk is in understanding the gospel that Jesus preach, we have to ask ourselves what gospel are we living in? Because that there are historically different kind of, gospels that have been preached in the last couple of 100 years. Historically, They they fall on, one end of the spectrum. Right? And so on one end of the spectrum, the first if I can just kinda explain is this thing called the social gospel.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:07:55]:

And the social gospel was recognizing that there were there were structures and there were things that needed to be addressed in society, I t, like like slavery, like civil rights and things like that, and, maybe the the cause of workers and and all of these. And it, and that these things because of the good news of Jesus, they said, that needed to be addressed some of the the social ills. And and later in some circles, it morphed into this kind of a liberation theology, particularly in Latin America where there was a concern of, like, the poor and, it became kind of a thing about addressing inequality that actually began to foster or in some ways political overthrow and and and things along those lines. Now the the social gospel in in our society probably doesn't look like that, but it it may focus that when you hear people that stand on some issue, that you just look at it and you just don't know how in the world they can say that as a follower of Jesus, it's it's very often that it's because their their gospel is rooted in the social gospel, and they view things in terms of those who are oppressed and those are who are oppressors. And and that there's a justification for those who have been oppressed. We saw it during during the riots, right, where, Now those cities were being burned down that that rather than addressing order in our city, first, and before we attack the other larger issues that that sometimes it was a kind of a different tact than for some of us. Right? And so sometimes that's been is a result of the influence of the social gospel. On the other hand of that would be the gospel of salvation.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:09:48]:

Right? And the fact that Christ is savior. And sometimes we'll use the terms personal savior and lord. Right? Now, maybe this can just be, summarized in some sense the gospel of salvation, with a with a phrase that maybe some of us can fill in the blank that if we were to say this, that Christians aren't perfect. We're just what? I guess you can fill it in then. Just forgiven is the line. Right? You guys heard that? Now does that sound Christians aren't perfect. They're just forgiven. Now the thing is that I totally agree with the, The the denotated meaning of that, the that, yes, Christians literally are not perfect.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:10:35]:

Right? Because if you're a believer, are you perfect? No. Right? So we're we're not we know we're not perfect. The problem becomes not with what it literally means, that The problem becomes to me, becomes increasingly problematic is kind of the implications or the connotation that that comes with that. What is the connotation that comes with that is is that what's implied is that we're no different than anybody else. The Christians, we're just, like, we're the same as everybody else out there, and and then it can become kinda morph over time to come to this thing where the gospel of salvation is as long as you said the prayer. Right? As long as you have the right doctrine. Right? As long as, you know, you you have kinda gone to church and Made a commitment or made a proclamation that that's all that God's looking for. But is that really all Oh.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:11:31]:

God is looking for? In in some sense, if we we it's taken to the extreme, it becomes kinda like fire insurance in some sense. That this gospel of salvation, it is so devoid from the way that we live that that as long as we said the prayer. And and it's not that, you know, of course, I it's not that I don't believe that that we are forgiven. Not that I don't believe that that we need forgiveness. It's it's the fact that is that really all that Jesus taught? Is that all that Jesus said? He just wanted people to get into heaven and get forgiven and and that's it. Not that there's any kind of a change that would happen. And, you know, the thing is that sometimes it gets morphed a little bit, and people say, no. No.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:12:21]:

No. Ought to change. Right? We we ought to you know, the Jesus helps me to be the best me that I can be and to that kind of a thing, and he he helps me to accomplish my goals and desires. And but is that what Jesus really preached, I wonder? Because if there's no call to follow Jesus, there's no expectation of of any kind of a change or a transformation other than forgiveness, it seems to me that it becomes much more of a transactional deal rather than a relationship with God. God, I I just made this deal with you, and you said if I say this prayer, you forgive me, but it's not about having this ongoing dynamic ship with the living God. It's more like I said the prayer, and so hey. I did my part. You gotta do yours.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:13:15]:

And and so that's the gospel of salvation. Now here's I'm gonna say something that for some might sound controversial, but hear me out on the whole thing, is that I don't really believe that Jesus preached the gospel of salvation in the way It says, just believe Jesus didn't preach. Just believe that I will go to the cross, die on the cross for your ends so that you can be forgiven. Now he did that. He did that, but that is not what he preached. Jesus did tell people. He did foretell. He did prophesy that that he was going to go to Jerusalem and that he was gonna lay down his life.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:14:02]:

But is that the general content of what Jesus preached? I don't think so. Now why do I say that? Because if we were to just kinda do a cursory reading of the gospels, I'm gonna ask us to just kinda take off our lens of familiarity about what the gospel is because the gospel for many of us is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. I do I believe that? Absolutely. Do I believe that if you put your faith in Jesus and his work on the cross as the payment for your sin and that you submit your life to him? Do I believe that you are forgiven? Generally, I I I believe that's the way it works. Right? But is that what Jesus preached? I don't think so. And I say this because I just want us to read a few verses this evening. For instance, if you were to and and these by by no means are gonna be, exhaustive, but In Luke 4443, this is it's in your notes. It'll be up on the screen.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:15:07]:

Let's read what it says. This is Jesus speaking. He said this. I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God in other towns too because that is why I was sent. Right? What's what is Jesus preaching? The gospel of the kingdom. Right? The good news of the kingdom of God. He said, that's why it was sent, to preach the gospel of the kingdom. In Matthew 423, he says it like this.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:15:34]:

Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of what? The kingdom and healing every disease and sickness among the people. And so we do see the dynamic work of the spirit of God and and Jesus' authority. But what was he preaching? The good news of the kingdom. And so on one hand, we have the social gospel. On the Hand, we have the gospel of salvation. But I believe that if we just read the scriptures and you go back and you read some of those very familiar verses, what you really find so often is that what Jesus says he preached or what it says clearly about what Jesus was he preached a gospel of the kingdom. And what does that mean? He says it like this in in Mark one verses 14 to 15 that when Jesus went into Galilee where he preached God's good news, he said this. Let's read what it says in verse 15.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:16:34]:

Ready? Let's read. The time promised by God has come at last, he announced. The kingdom of God is near. Repent of your sins and believe the good news. Now does this gospel of the kingdom include salvation? Absolutely. Absolutely. But it's not preaching about Jesus dying on the cross yet. Right? Because why? Because Jesus hadn't died on the cross yet.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:17:04]:

And so what was he saying? How could they understand what Jesus was talking about because they understood that Jesus talking about the gospel of the kingdom was not brand new to them. Because the concept that God as king was establishing his authority on the earth and was inviting people to live in the reality of his presence here on earth was not something new. It was something that that the saints understood from the Old Testament. And so when Jesus preaches the Sermon on the Mount, he he starts talking in terms of What are some of the the social norms? What are the culture of the kingdom is like? That we're a forgiving people, that we're of people not prone to violence, that we're a people who believe in God, who we're people who persevere and and pray till we find breakthrough on things. Right? So we he talks about these things. He talks about blessed are the poor, blessed are the meek. Right? He talks about these things. He's talking about, in many ways, about what the kingdom looks like.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:18:25]:

When it says, by the way, that blessed are the poor, it's just saying, you know, you're you're you're blessed if you don't have any money, but it's I think in general, what we see that context is probably like, blessed are those who recognize their spiritual brokenness before God. And because there's there's a solution for that. We we read any One of these parables that talks about the kingdom, there's there's 12 parables that talk directly about the kingdom of God. And if you were to read any one of these king, one of these parables and I don't have the I didn't have the space to list on your notes, but, you might see it on the screen. It might come up. In Matthew 13, There are a number of these, parables. And in Matthew 13, he says it like this. Jesus said, He begins by saying this.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:19:20]:

Here is another illustration Jesus used. The kingdom is of heaven is like a mustard seed planted in the field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of guard of garden plants. It grows into a tree, and birds come and make their nests in its branches. And I think in many ways that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God, rather than talking in terms of what happens in heaven alone as versus what happens on earth, I think that's not necessarily the distinction that Jesus is trying to be made. I think, actually, that what you'll find that sometimes this is the kingdom of heaven, sometimes also the kingdom of God that they're, for general purposes interchangeable, that that they mean the same thing. In verse 33, he goes on. He says, Jesus used this illustration.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:11]:

The kingdom of heaven is like a yeast that a woman used in making bread. And then he goes on, later, and he says this, that the, the kingdom of God can be likened to a man who went out and sowed seed. And all of these things, all of these parables that we find about the hidden treasure that that is found in a field or or a net that is used in fishing or, of the the treasures that are in a household or the great banquet or the 10 virgins or the parable of the talents begins in each instance with the kingdom God is like, or the kingdom of heaven is like. And Jesus is talking primarily, and most theologians when when fast. So what is the content generally of Jesus's message? It's not so much about My personal salvation, although that's included, but it's about the kingdom of God, but the parable of the workers in the vineyard or the unmerciful servant or or or any one of these things. And he talks about the kingdom of God in contrast, many ways to the kingdoms of this world and to the political systems that are and, the social norms of the world. And in fact, Jesus, when he's, on the night of his crucifixion said, the world would love you as one of its own if you belong to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:21:51]:

And so I believe that Jesus really talked about the kingdom of God. And if Jesus talked about the kingdom of God, I think that we ought to understand what he's talking about when he talks about the kingdom of God. Does that make sense? Right? It's not a complicated thing. I know it's not like the rocket science when I say that. But let's start with some things when we think in terms of what is it then about the kingdom of God. And something super basic you might wanna start is that a kingdom needs a what? King. King. Yeah.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:22:21]:

Thank you very much. Right? The source of a kingdom is a king. It's the person with the right and authority to rule. It doesn't start with a dark document or a charter. It doesn't start with a constitution. It's not accuracy or republic. You don't vote on the rules. You don't debate those things.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:22:39]:

Right? Kinda like how most of our modern societies are, but it's by decree by a king. So a kingdom starts with the king. Now if we wanna have maybe a working definition, I I'm gonna say a working definition because it may not be, all encompassing, and somebody might If you have some better definition, over time, then I'm I'm definitely open. You give it to me, but let me give you a working definition then, what the kingdom of God is like. The kingdom of God, if Jesus is king or if God is king, can maybe be summed up this way. What is the kingdom of god then? It is the governing influence of a king over his territory. Right? It is the governing influence of a king over his territory, impacting it with his will, his purpose, and his attention, producing a people or citizens, like you and me, who reflect the culture of the king and the nature of the king. Right? So the governing influence of a king over his territory.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:23:53]:

So that behooves us then where is the kingdom? Where is the kingdom? Because if a king doesn't have any realm in which to rule, then he's, in general, no king at all. Right? I don't know if you guys know this, but, I I was shocked to find out that there are people who are direct descendants of the King Kamehameha the Great, the first King Kamehameha. There's people alive today. I was shocked. Growing up in Hawaii, it's like, you know, sometimes anybody know people to say they can trace their line, and they say, I I'm from this family. I can understand that. But when people have told me somebody told me before, it's like, my line came directly from king Kamehameha. This is the thing I this is what I said.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:24:37]:

Oh, okay. No. That's great. You know, kinda one of those because because, like, you know, like, I I don't know. Maybe maybe it was. But then I I went to the Parker on the big island. You guys know. Right? It was, like, one of the largest ranches in the world for a time.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:24:51]:

And then I read these things, and the family that that became the the owners of the Parker rents that after a while, you know, they're although they, came from literally from King Kamehameha the great that, you know, in their marriage, I mean, they just look like white guys. Right? But, like, one of those sons was, on Broadway as an actor. And I I read that, and I go, like, these guys are direct descendants of the king who united Hawaii, but they had no realm. They had no authority to be king, though they and the blood. Right? And so we know it's not enough to have some descendancy, but you gotta get a place. Right? You have to have a realm in which this happens. Of course, God rules and reigns in heaven and in the heavenly places. Right? From beyond time existed, God ruled and reigned in the heavens.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:54]:

But Genesis one one says this, in the beginning, God created what? The heavens and the earth. And so God was saying this, that it's not enough just to rule in heaven that what he wanted to do was create a physical world in which physical beings would live under his kingdom. And so we see that God created this kingdom, and then he created people. The only problem is we mess it up. Right. Do me a favor. Let's turn turn to your neighbor and says we messed it up. No.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:22]:

I'm kidding. You don't have to say that. But like a but we did. Right? We we disobeyed. Right? The first Man, the 1st woman, they they disobeyed. They they messed it up. And so as a result, you know, that's the reason why your life can be hard sometimes. But the this aspect, They broke the world and sinned and infiltrated and and and covered everything.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:41]:

It it it hasn't made everything as bad as it could be, but there's nothing untouched by sin in our world, unfortunately. And so what we find then is that God still is looking for some kind of redemption and and looking for some way to to reestablish his kingdom on Earth. And so we see this played out later with Israel, God's chosen people, meant to display the kindness and the holiness, and the majesty and the kindness of God among people, that they would be his chosen people, different, called out out from the world to be different than the surrounding nations, to be a holy people. And so is Israel the kingdom? Well, I think that we find that later when Jesus was born, the the scriptures very clearly tell us that that they rejected Jesus as king. Right? In although it says that when Jesus came, that in him was life and that life was the light of all mankind, there was something different about Jesus. There was something about the quality of his life. There was something about the quality of his interaction, that everything he touched, he made It better that he brought life where there was death, that he brought healing when there was sickness. He brought the deliverance when there was demonic oppression, yet they rejected him.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:13]:

And although the kingdom of God had already You've been established before he came. Jesus would open it to a different degree through his life and through his ministry. But this is what it says in John 190, 19, not 90. 19 to 11. He says the true light that gives light To everyone was coming into the world, and I think it's in your notes. Can we read that from verse 10? He was in the world, And though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that what's which was his own, but his own did not receive him. And so we see a change after that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:57]:

Right? Because they didn't respond to him. They didn't receive him. So the king was rejected by the nation as Not that individuals did not receive him, but as a nation, they rejected him. The leaders rejected him. So What is the kingdom then? Is it the church then? Some people will say. If it's not just heaven, if it's not just Israel, if it's not just because they reject it. Is it the church? Well, I think the church is is is a part of it. Right? It's a part of it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:29:31]:

And some people will even say this. Kingdom of God is in my heart. Right? Because there's there's in in one portion where Jesus says the kingdom of God is in your midst. And for some translations, it says in your heart. And, that's not a that that's That's a very rare instance of that translation, but it it is out there. And so some people will say this, the kingdom of god is in my heart. It's personal. It's my In my personal experience, in my personal feeling, and I'm not negating.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:30:03]:

I hope you have an experience with God. I hope you have experienced him, But is that the kingdom, or is it an expression of God's move in your life? And their your his call for you to experience the kingdom. Jesus more often speaks of entering the kingdom of God rather than the kingdom of God entering people. And so the kingdom of God, if We're to think about it maybe is this, that God wants his rule and his reign to encompass all people, whether Those in heaven? Those beings in heaven on earth? Is it Israel? Partly. Is it the church? Partly. Is it in the hearts and minds of people? We hope so. Right? He wants To change the broken structures of the world? I think so. Does he want to redeem lost people and change and transform Transform them.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:31:08]:

Absolutely. And who is this king then that would do this? It's only God. Right? It's only God. In in Psalm 24 verses 1 to 2, it says this, the earth is whose? The lord. The lord's. Thank you. And everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him for he laid the Earth's foundations on the seas and built it the ocean depths.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:31:34]:

It goes on in verse 7, and it says this, open up then the open ancient gates. Open up the ancient doors and let what? The king of glory enter. Who is the king of glory? The lord, Strong and mighty. The lord, invincible in battle. Open up ancient gates, it says. Open up ancient doors, and let the king of glory enter. Who is that king of glory? The lord of heaven's armies. He is a king of glory.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:08]:

So the Jesus the kingdom of God that Jesus talked about wasn't limited to a physical city or a country or a landmass or even people's hearts? He says it's all of it. Right? It's the whole deal. Do me a favor. Just turn to your neighbor and says, god wants to invade every place. Right? Right? He he wants to he wants to rule and reign because why? He's god. And everything under his creation is where god wants to rule and reign. For the ancient Jews, they they thought it was Israel, and they didn't see that God was concerned about the people outside of Israel. And because of that, they never began to step into that role.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:54]:

And if we're, as a church, that we don't understand that God is concerned about the whole world and about different things. And then at times, we think that it's just this inside the walls the kingdom of God, but the kingdom of God needs to go outside of the walls. Right? And so there is a realm as much as there is a king. Now the kingdom of God obviously wasn't meant to be a religion. Right? It was meant to be the reign of Christ as king, where his governing influence over his territories would impact people's lives. His citizens who reflect the culture of the king, the nature of the king with his will, with his purpose, and his intention. So would it change social structures? Absolutely. It would.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:33:47]:

Would it change individuals? Absolutely. Would would it change the world? I believe absolutely it would. And and then as people over time that we would change as well. In one of the parables, it says it like this in Matthew of heaven is like the yeast a woman use in making bread. We have some we have some bread makers. Anybody make bread in here? Okay. Bunch of us. Yeah.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:34:18]:

Bunch of us make bread. Hell is the prototypical bread master. Your brother makes bread all the time. The the weird thing about hell is he doesn't eat the bread he makes. He just gives it away. I I don't know how that works, but he I just I'm a glad recipient. Right? So, I love gluten, by the way. You can give me gluten.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:34:37]:

I don't care. But but here's the thing is that How does that work? Is it if you take a a little bit of yeast, it says, if you leave it if you just put in a little bit of yeast and you left it in that bread that had just that that flour, that that dough had just been molded and you leave it over time, what's gonna happen? Might take a while if you just put a little bit of yeast in it on one end, but it's gonna permeate that whole thing over a period of time. Right? And it's saying in some sense that there's a transformational process. How many of you guys love Sourdough bread. You love sourdough. Why do you love sourdough bread? Because of the taste. Right? You guys know that you're eating yeast farts, but I never mind. That's a different story.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:35:23]:

But but that taste, it fundamentally changes the nature of the dough. Right? There's a there's a transformative process that takes place. And so Jesus is talking that it did it ought to change the citizens of heaven. It ought to change those citizens of the kingdom of God. But how do we enter then this kingdom? How do we enter this kingdom? Because then Jesus told the story. He told the story in Matthew 22. In Matthew 22, he said this. Jesus told them other parables, but he said, The kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:36:11]:

And when the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited, but they all refused to come. So invitation's been sent. And, right, the bells have been rung, and people are going out. And he's saying, hey. Are you making it today? Right? In verse 4, he says so he and other, when when they refuse to come. He he sends other servants to tell him, and he says, hey. It's ready. It's today.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:36:35]:

You guys, are you coming? And the feast has been Prepared the bulls and the fattened cattle have been killed and everything is ready. Come to the banquet, but the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way. Went to his farm, another to his business, other sees his messengers and insulted and killed them. Now I think very clearly what we see here is Jesus actually talking about the prophets from the Old Testament that who went out that later we find in Hebrews the hall of faith and the people who preach the gospel and were rejected by the people. Right? We see this aspect, but then he's also saying making allusion to himself. And it says though that the King was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. And he said to his prince. The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren't worthy of the honor.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:37:35]:

Now why are they not worthy of the honor? They were worthy to be invited. They were the Initial round of no. There are 1st round of, invitations. You guys ever send out invitations and you have them in rounds? Right? Oh, we got an invite. It's all family. We gotta make sure we get family first. Right? And you gotta and then the next thing is, like, oh, man. I have to invite my close friends, and then just say, okay.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:38:03]:

Then we still have enough money, then we start going out. Right? We start doing all that, and then you gotta figure out, well, we cannot sit auntie with, you know, uncles so and so, right, and the whole thing. That's a whole different story. But but you figured there's priority, and this is the 1st round. Right? But why weren't they worthy? Because they refused. Because of their response. Now go down to the street corners then he says, and invite everyone you see. So the servants brought in everyone they could find, Good and what? Bad alike.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:38:38]:

And the banquet hall was filled with the guests. Do me a favor. Look at the people around you right now. You know who they are? The good and the bad. That's who they are. Right? No. I don't know which 1 you are. You can identify.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:38:56]:

You can tell something like you know? But, the thing is that you see, later, We we see through this story that Jesus doesn't qualify who he calls. No. You know, prior to this, he was he was trying to call the people of Israel, trying to get him to to welcome their king. They did not, And so the gospel has spread. And he says this, it it doesn't matter where you've been. It doesn't matter what you've done, but he calls us to be part not just of his kingdom, but to be part of his family, to become his sons and his daughters. And he says if you respond to that information, in invitation, that it becomes then a a party in heaven. Right? And so he just said it like this, that you you don't enter the kingdom because you have right beliefs.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:39:54]:

Although right beliefs help. You don't enter the kingdom because you've done everything Right. Though it doesn't hurt to do things right. How do we enter the kingdom? Jesus had this conversation in John 3 with with a religious leader, and we see that he says this. He says, I I assure you. No one can enter The kingdom of God without being born of water and spirit. Humans only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when they say you must be born again.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:35]:

He says the wind blows where it wants. And just as you hear the wind and can't tell where it comes from, where it's going, so you can't explain how people are born of spirit. And so Jesus taught starts talking about this aspect of a spiritual rebirth, Not simply so that then I can be forgiven and just go out and live my own life, but that I might then become a son or a daughter of the king. And as part of the household of the kingdom to becoming, in some sense, part of the royal family, he is the invitation. The invitation is not simply not simply to be part of the kingdom and to be like a slave. God's inviting you to be part of his family. Now sometimes when every family no family's perfect. Right? Anybody? You guys agree with that? No family's perfect.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:38]:

My family is not perfect. Right? But I think there's no family that's perfect. Unfortunately, probably, if your family is in the news all the time, it's it's harder. Right? The the royal family in in the UK, unfortunately, their families in the news a lot. Right? So there's 1 prince that's no longer a prince. Right? No. Why was that? Because he said this. I didn't want to be a part of the family business.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:42:11]:

That makes sense? He's not saying I'm not a son of of the king, but he's saying this. I don't want any part of the family business. And something about that has derailed his life. Because you see, when you become or invited to be part of the king's family, it also implies that we're gonna help with the family business. Do me a favor. Turn to your neighbor and says, god wants you to help with the family Because he gave up his life so that we could have life. Not that he would judge the world, but to save the world through him, he says. And And so because of that, he says, would you be involved in the family business? And, you know, I I like I said I I love somebody's kinda kingdom oriented movies and these stories, and one of those things that, whether it's fantasy or real life.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:25]:

But, one of the things that sticks out in my mind is in in The Chronicles of Narnia. Have you guys have ever watched that? The language and the wardrobe and that series of movies that they did, you know, based off, CS Lewis's books. And, in in one of the in the movies, The Language in the Wardrobe, when it it talks about this time when there's a great battle that's been forming. And Aslan, who is the Christ figure, has has given his life and has been sacrificed on the stone table, and his dead body lay on this cold stone slab and far, far away on another place on the plains, a battle is brewing. The battle of darkness versus the the kingdom of Narnia. And and then they're In that battle, there's this young teenage boy whose name is Peter, who is called because Aslan, the rightful king is not there that it falls on his shoulders to advance the war. And he's unsure of himself, uncertain, but he he musters the troops. He He calls them together because the battle is happening whether he is prepared or not.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:44:54]:

And so he he gets up to that place, and they they look over from the ridge and and down they see or or a hoard that outnumbers them, you know, 2 or 3 to 1. And they look and they they wonder, are we sufficient for the battle? And he just says he pulls out his sword, and he stands, and he says, for Aslan and for Narnia. And they march off into battle. And when I watch that in the movie, I'm whatever it I'm that sucker. There's tears coming down my face because there's a part of me that says, god, if you made me to be part not just of your kingdom, to be part of your family. I would do whatever you call me to do for your honor, for your glory, but, lord, to extend your kingdom. Now the good news is this kingdom is not to a physical battle. It's not for the killing of others.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:46:02]:

Right? This is not the crusades It's in the mistake that they made, but it is to overcome darkness with light, to overcome hate with love, to overcome sin with grace and forgiveness, to transform people's lives that wherever they've been and and whether they've been good or bad, To call that says there is a king who paid the price for you. And he says if you were just simply to respond to his invitation, to be part of his family, then he says this, that if you were Respond to him and trust in what he did on the cross. He says there will be a new life. Is it Yes. Well, forgiveness is included. But he says this, that you'll be a different person Because that old Glenn, he died. And what got raised is somebody new, and forgiveness is part of it. I'm so stoked about that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:47:12]:

But you know what I'm glad? It's not just forgiveness so that I can just go out and make a mess of my life all over again. But it's to live in the life of God, with God, for his purposes, and his plans. That's the invitation of the kingdom. I know that makes sense. We're gonna prepare our hearts. I'm just gonna close this portion. Would you bow with me? And then we're gonna prepare our hearts for communion. If you're at home, by the way, and you haven't got something to prepare, hey.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:47:43]:

This would be a great time. Go get some juice, maybe some a cracker, a piece of bread, whatever you got. It's something to drink, something to eat to symbolize the sacrifice that was done to make it possible to be part of God's family that would forgive us of of all the errors that we've made. Why? Because God is just in the business of forgiveness? No. Because he loves you and wants you to be part of his family. That's really what it's about. And as part of his family. You know what? He's gonna just say this is not what he says.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:48:22]:

He doesn't say, I want you to sit on the sidelines and don't touch anything because you might mess it up. That's not the invitation. The invitation is Come. I'll let you do your part. Will you make mistakes? Yeah. You make mistakes. I can work around that. Will you stumble in some time? Yeah.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:48:51]:

You'll probably stumble, but he'll grab you by the hand, and he'll lead you forward. Because it's not about doing things perfectly or being perfect. It's about walking with the living God. And when you do, He strengthens you. He cleanses you. He forgives you. He calls you. He calls you not just to a status of forgiveness.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:49:17]:

He calls you to a relationship with himself, where you Walk in the fullness of life. That's what he's calling us to. Miss Bauer has his prayer. Father, thank you that you That's what you're calling us to, and thank you that you elevate us as part of your family. And if there's people out there today, lord, that whether we're in the house or we're we're on at home online somewhere. If today, you're not sure if you're really part of God's family. You might have been the church before. You you might have grown up in the church.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:49:56]:

You might have said the prayer you were 8 years old in Sunday school. But to be honest, you you haven't experienced the change. You haven't experienced God's presence in your life that maybe God wasn't so focused on just a transaction. He he he wanted you. And he's saying this. If you want him, then this is what he says. Then I want you to make you a son or a daughter of the kingdom, and that would you come and say yes to the king because he died in your place. And what he'll do is he said that when you respond to that when you respond to that, then, yes, something changes on the inside.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:50:38]:

Yes. Something spirit becomes that was in you that was dead is made new in Christ. And, yes, everything is forgiven. Is it because we deserve it? Is it because we deserve it? It's because we we balance our good and our bad? No. We could never do that, but it's because we responded to his grace, and his invitation. And if that's you this evening, whether you're at home or you're in the house, I just wanna give you an opportunity to do that. If that's you and you're not sure, would you join me as we just pray? It's not magic words. It's the expression of their heart.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:51:21]:

Father, we come, and we recognize I recognize that I've made my mistakes and that I've sinned, but that you paid the price so I could be part of your family and I could be forgiven of my mistakes, and I could be forgiven for my sins. So I'm asking Jesus, Would you come and live inside me today? Thank you that you died in my place. Thank you that you paid for my sin, but that you are my rightful king, and I want to follow you. I want to know what it means to be part of your family, to be your child. And, god, would you lead me and guide me and help me to grow and to change bit by bit to look more and more like Jesus, to be all that you created me to be, Would you help me? Because I wanna follow you. In Jesus' name, amen. I believe if you said that, God heard you. If you prayed that, God knows you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:52:46]:

If you ask that, that you're cleansed. And we're gonna take time to take communion together and which is really the celebration of of what we just talked about and what he did to give you entrance to his family and his kingdom. The elements in the back. There's gonna be a piece of bread, a cup of juice. We don't we don't, you don't have to be a member of the church to take communion with us. You just have to call yourself of a follower of Christ. If you know that you responded to him, we invite you to come take communion with us. We had it's an open communion Yeah.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:53:21]:

And so I'm gonna ask you at your own pace. Would you go and get a piece of bread? Get a cup of juice? And if there's something that you need to get right with God. There's something that you've been struggling with. There's something that needs to be confessed, confess it. If there's something that needs to be, You know, repent of it. Repent of it. If there's something that you need to surrender to God, surrender it before we take the elements. That's what we invite you to do.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:53:45]:

And the elements are in the back, and then we'll pray together. So I just wanna invite you guys to go. You know, I believe that Communion isn't for the perfect. Communion isn't for the holy. Communion is for those who called on the name of the lord. It's to remind you that somehow you never outgrow the cross. You you never end up paying for your own sins. You your good never outweighs your bad, but its amount is that god had to make a covenant, and he had to somehow this holy god had to redeem a broken in a sinful world.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:57:01]:

And so what he said was, because sin demanded death, let me pay it. Because his desire was that there would be life and that you and I would be part of his family. Would we hold these elements before us? Father, thank you. I could never merit, salvation. I could never merit or deserve your cross, but I can receive it. And I can be reminded, lord, it it's been a gift that has come from the king. But you say in the same sentence, lord, that as a result, that we become sons and daughters of the most high. And sometimes we forget, and sometimes we forget because we understand there's social things in the world that need to be addressed.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:58:03]:

Sometimes we forget because sometimes we think it's just my personal experience. But, lord, you you said it's more than that. And so we're just thankful that the gospel of the kingdom includes me. Thank you that your body that was broken wasn't broken because you were captured. Sure. It wasn't broken because they were somehow outsmarted you, but you gave your body as a sacrifice. So, lord, we're thankful this bread reminds us that you, lord Jesus, Your body was the bread of life broken in my place. Would you take the bread? I'm thankful, lord, that That the cup that we hold right now that contains this juice just reminds us that the blood that was shed.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:59:12]:

Your blood cut a new covenant for us. We're not just forgiven. We're sons and daughters. We've been bought with a price. We're members of your household, and we're thankful, lord, that when we take the cup, lord, that you say you meet us in a new and a fresh way. And, father, I'm praying even as people take this cup, lord, that there are some bodies that need restoration. There are some souls that need to be uplifted. There are some burdens that need to be carried.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:59:52]:

Lord, that what you said was that you would carry them for us. We're thankful. We take the cup as a sin. But, lord, we wanna meet you. We meet you at the table. We meet you at the sacrifice just as you were with your disciples on the first communion. Lord, thank you that you're here in this communion. Lord, our hearts draw close.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:00:21]:

Lord, we receive your grace. Father, We receive your spirit. God, we receive the fullness of all that you have to offer because, lord, there is no one like you. You're the king of glory. God, would you enter this place? Would you have reign in this world? And father, we pray that the banner of Jesus would Eat your people forward.