WEBVTT 00:00:05.909 --> 00:00:08.230 And they're wonderful to be in the presence of 00:00:08.230 --> 00:00:11.970 the Lord right now. What a great God. What a 00:00:11.970 --> 00:00:16.190 great King. Praise the name of the Lord. The 00:00:16.190 --> 00:00:18.730 Lord bless you. You may be seated for just a 00:00:18.730 --> 00:00:21.690 moment. Forgive me for looking at my phone during 00:00:21.690 --> 00:00:25.750 church. But I got some good news last night. 00:00:26.469 --> 00:00:29.309 I saved money on my car inch. No, no, that's 00:00:29.309 --> 00:00:34.530 not it. Most of our Bible quizzes are in the 00:00:34.530 --> 00:00:38.340 noon service. but they just started a new season, 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:42.619 and the beginners, Joshua and Matthew, won two 00:00:42.619 --> 00:00:45.859 of their three quizzes, and we thank the Lord 00:00:45.859 --> 00:00:52.460 for that. If you're here, I see Isaac here, our 00:00:52.460 --> 00:00:56.640 juniors, Ajani and Isaac. Is Ajani here? Isaac, 00:00:56.780 --> 00:01:07.659 would you stand? All right. Isaac was first place 00:01:07.659 --> 00:01:12.060 highest scoring in one of the three. Praise God. 00:01:12.859 --> 00:01:19.340 That's awesome. That's awesome. And then Brother 00:01:19.340 --> 00:01:26.120 Ben's on our old people team. And they were undefeated 00:01:26.120 --> 00:01:29.420 in the first round, finished second out of nine 00:01:29.420 --> 00:01:33.219 teams. And he placed on the all tournament team. 00:01:33.260 --> 00:01:51.420 Let's give it up. Maybe use it to call people 00:01:51.420 --> 00:01:54.500 you love, but that's good news. And there's Sister 00:01:54.500 --> 00:01:56.859 Janice right there. We appreciate all the work 00:01:56.859 --> 00:02:01.400 of you and your team leading that effort. And 00:02:01.400 --> 00:02:04.859 in the noon service, we'll make some more noise 00:02:04.859 --> 00:02:07.480 about that. Some of you are returning from the 00:02:07.480 --> 00:02:09.780 holidays, which means we haven't seen you since 00:02:09.780 --> 00:02:12.699 last year. We've missed you. We're glad you're 00:02:12.699 --> 00:02:15.159 back. And we're thankful for everyone that's 00:02:15.159 --> 00:02:17.960 here today. Enjoy seeing some of the choir up 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:23.800 here. Didn't they do it all? They are working 00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:26.439 very hard to lead us into the presence of the 00:02:26.439 --> 00:02:28.680 Lord, but you are part of that effort. Thank 00:02:28.680 --> 00:02:31.960 you for your worship as well. And then of course, 00:02:32.099 --> 00:02:35.180 we're wrapping up Christmas for Christ today. 00:02:35.379 --> 00:02:37.919 Thank you each one of you that have already given 00:02:37.919 --> 00:02:40.860 and perhaps if you're giving today or at the 00:02:40.860 --> 00:02:43.939 very least. By Wednesday, we are wrapping that 00:02:43.939 --> 00:02:47.259 up. Thank you for helping us start churches in 00:02:47.259 --> 00:02:51.539 North America, revitalize, remodel churches in 00:02:51.539 --> 00:02:54.580 North America. It does help North Carolina, but 00:02:54.580 --> 00:02:57.280 it even reaches beyond. It's great to be a part 00:02:57.280 --> 00:02:59.860 of the work of the Lord, amen. Thank you for 00:02:59.860 --> 00:03:03.039 being such a generous people, for being such 00:03:03.039 --> 00:03:05.819 a sacrificial people, and we thank God for each 00:03:05.819 --> 00:03:09.300 one of you. Also, one week from this Wednesday 00:03:09.300 --> 00:03:12.800 will be our annual church business meeting. This 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:15.099 is a little bit unusual to do it on Wednesday. 00:03:15.219 --> 00:03:18.800 In fact, it's a change from the original printed 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:22.319 schedule, which usually runs about 90 days ahead, 00:03:22.340 --> 00:03:25.990 so we can't always predict. But we want as many 00:03:25.990 --> 00:03:28.729 people to come as can so we've moved it to Wednesday 00:03:28.729 --> 00:03:31.729 and the Wednesday of communion and we'll have 00:03:31.729 --> 00:03:35.430 communion and then somewhere around 740 or so 00:03:35.430 --> 00:03:38.370 we'll go right into our business meeting. So 00:03:38.370 --> 00:03:40.189 thank you for being a part of that. Why don't 00:03:40.189 --> 00:03:43.129 we stand and let's get our Bibles and go to the 00:03:43.129 --> 00:03:46.009 book of John chapter three. Thank you for joining 00:03:46.009 --> 00:03:49.050 us. So many of you have probably added. A little 00:03:49.050 --> 00:03:51.210 bit of prayer, a little bit of extra prayer, 00:03:51.349 --> 00:03:53.870 a little bit of extra fasting in the month of 00:03:53.870 --> 00:03:56.370 January. We still got a little bit left. Why 00:03:56.370 --> 00:03:58.810 not just keep doing what you're doing? And if 00:03:58.810 --> 00:04:01.610 you can add to it, even better. But thank you 00:04:01.610 --> 00:04:04.530 for that. And if you can be at prayer tomorrow 00:04:04.530 --> 00:04:07.469 night, church family prayer, that would help 00:04:07.469 --> 00:04:12.430 us a great deal. John 3, Jesus is speaking to 00:04:12.430 --> 00:04:16.879 a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus. And he's 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:20.439 talking about something very, very important. 00:04:20.459 --> 00:04:24.759 That is the kingdom of God. And we've been talking 00:04:24.759 --> 00:04:27.680 about the kingdom of God around here. And we're 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:30.240 gonna hear a little bit about what Jesus says 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:33.279 about the kingdom of God throughout the message 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:36.540 this morning. And then in the 12 o 'clock message, 00:04:36.699 --> 00:04:39.899 we'll see the kingdom of God from the perspective 00:04:39.899 --> 00:04:42.639 of the great apostle Paul. Many of you won't 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:45.060 be here for that, but you're welcome to catch 00:04:45.060 --> 00:04:47.779 it online, and I would encourage you to do so. 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:50.319 In fact, if you've missed any of the last few 00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:52.959 Wednesday nights, it is important when you're 00:04:52.959 --> 00:04:54.959 not able to be here, and none of us can be here 00:04:54.959 --> 00:04:57.639 all the time, but if you can catch what you miss 00:04:57.639 --> 00:05:01.540 online, it helps you stay in the groove of what 00:05:01.540 --> 00:05:06.639 God is doing here. John 3, Nicodemus is talking 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:10.360 to him about the kingdom of God, and Jesus answered 00:05:10.360 --> 00:05:14.319 and said to him, Most assuredly the King James 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:17.779 says barely barely Life is but a dream. It doesn't 00:05:17.779 --> 00:05:22.220 say that part, but most assuredly I say to you 00:05:22.220 --> 00:05:24.920 930 it's hard to get a joke like that across 00:05:24.920 --> 00:05:30.420 most assuredly I say to you Unless one is born 00:05:30.420 --> 00:05:34.360 again. Everybody say born again Y 'all did great 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:36.540 with that. You're just all theological in the 00:05:36.540 --> 00:05:40.399 morning Unless one is born again or born from 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:45.829 above a heavenly birth, he cannot see the kingdom 00:05:45.829 --> 00:05:49.850 of God. Nicodemus said to him, how can a man 00:05:49.850 --> 00:05:54.149 be born when he is old? Can he enter a second 00:05:54.149 --> 00:05:57.790 time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus 00:05:57.790 --> 00:06:02.610 answered, most assuredly, I say to you, unless 00:06:02.610 --> 00:06:07.050 one is born of water, everybody say water. And 00:06:07.050 --> 00:06:11.629 the spirit, could you say spirit? He cannot enter 00:06:11.629 --> 00:06:16.209 into the kingdom of God. Nicodemus had a lot 00:06:16.209 --> 00:06:19.290 of religious background and it just blew him 00:06:19.290 --> 00:06:22.170 away, filled his heart with lots of questions 00:06:22.170 --> 00:06:25.490 about the kingdom of God. But I want you to know 00:06:25.490 --> 00:06:29.350 by the time you see the answer that Jesus gives 00:06:29.350 --> 00:06:32.389 to the question and of course other ways that 00:06:32.389 --> 00:06:35.529 Jesus answers the question in the New Testament, 00:06:35.990 --> 00:06:40.699 even a child can understand. how to enter into 00:06:40.699 --> 00:06:43.920 the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is not 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:47.980 limited to the elite, to the intelligent, to 00:06:47.980 --> 00:06:52.779 the wealthy, to the popular. If you could just 00:06:52.779 --> 00:06:56.920 accept the answer Jesus gives, you can be in 00:06:56.920 --> 00:07:00.220 the kingdom of God. And so I wanna talk for a 00:07:00.220 --> 00:07:03.759 little bit on kingdom questions, kingdom questions. 00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:06.160 Would you ask the Lord to anoint me and ask the 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:08.639 Lord to anoint you? Let's ask the Lord to prepare 00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:11.259 us for what he wants to speak to us today. Those 00:07:11.259 --> 00:07:14.100 of you that can pray with passion and with the 00:07:14.100 --> 00:07:15.800 spirit speaking through you, that would help 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:18.699 us right now. Let's pray together. In the name 00:07:18.699 --> 00:07:22.319 of the Lord Jesus Christ, God, by the authority 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:24.819 of your word and by the power that is in your 00:07:24.819 --> 00:07:28.839 great name, we want questions to be answered 00:07:28.839 --> 00:07:33.199 today in the hearts of people, Lord. In the name 00:07:33.199 --> 00:07:42.720 of Jesus Christ. In the name of the Lord Jesus 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:47.060 Christ. Oh we bless your name, we bless your 00:07:47.060 --> 00:07:52.399 name. Oh in the name of the Lord Jesus. Have 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:56.459 your way Lord and help someone to make a decision 00:07:56.459 --> 00:08:00.420 about the kingdom of God today. Help someone 00:08:00.420 --> 00:08:04.129 to make a decision. about the kingdom of God 00:08:04.129 --> 00:08:08.449 today in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Can 00:08:08.449 --> 00:08:15.670 you say in Jesus' name? You may be seated. I 00:08:15.670 --> 00:08:19.529 think to some degree, the church and pastors, 00:08:19.910 --> 00:08:23.850 church leaders, we owe churches an apology because 00:08:23.850 --> 00:08:27.930 sometimes we have left the impression, not on 00:08:27.930 --> 00:08:31.629 purpose, but we have left the impression that 00:08:32.300 --> 00:08:36.000 Calvary was all about, you know, church attendance, 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:39.059 church involvement. I believe that a response 00:08:39.059 --> 00:08:42.940 to Calvary will lead to church attendance, church 00:08:42.940 --> 00:08:46.120 involvement, church serving your church and being 00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:48.259 a part of your church, serving with your, I think 00:08:48.259 --> 00:08:50.960 all of that is important, but it would be a mistake 00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:54.500 to think that Calvary was just about church. 00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:57.580 In fact, it would be horrible to live as though 00:08:57.580 --> 00:09:00.860 Calvary was just about this life right here. 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:04.039 as though, well, Jesus, I'm serving you, you 00:09:04.039 --> 00:09:06.000 make my life real good and we're gonna have a 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:09.179 good deal. Jesus said, if in this life alone, 00:09:09.700 --> 00:09:13.519 we have hope, we will be miserable. Because Jesus 00:09:13.519 --> 00:09:16.139 doesn't promise us an easy life or a blessed 00:09:16.139 --> 00:09:18.759 life. Some of the most godly people you will 00:09:18.759 --> 00:09:21.360 ever get to hear about are people that have given 00:09:21.360 --> 00:09:24.559 everything they have to do the work of the kingdom 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:27.759 and God doesn't pay them back in this life. but 00:09:27.759 --> 00:09:31.220 they get an eternal reward that cannot be matched 00:09:31.220 --> 00:09:34.740 by anything that this life can offer. So I'm 00:09:34.740 --> 00:09:38.500 just saying that when you come to the cross and 00:09:38.500 --> 00:09:41.500 you look at the blood that was shed, the crown 00:09:41.500 --> 00:09:44.580 of thorns, the spear in his side, the nails in 00:09:44.580 --> 00:09:47.779 his hand and in his feet, I want to just suggest 00:09:47.779 --> 00:09:52.000 that it's all about seeing the kingdom of God. 00:09:52.679 --> 00:09:56.860 It's all about entering into the kingdom of God. 00:09:56.960 --> 00:09:59.919 And so if there is one kingdom question that 00:09:59.919 --> 00:10:04.179 must be answered, it should simply be this. How 00:10:04.179 --> 00:10:09.059 do we get into the kingdom of God? How do we 00:10:09.059 --> 00:10:12.980 enter into the kingdom of God? Can I answer it 00:10:12.980 --> 00:10:15.399 this way? I don't know if you need to write it 00:10:15.399 --> 00:10:18.659 down, but I believe this is the answer. You must 00:10:18.659 --> 00:10:22.399 be born again. You must be born of the water 00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:26.299 and of the spirit. you must have a heavenly birth. 00:10:26.419 --> 00:10:29.639 You must be born from above. In fact, I'm gonna 00:10:29.639 --> 00:10:32.480 say this, the New Testament pattern is clear 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:35.440 that when you put your faith in Jesus Christ, 00:10:35.820 --> 00:10:39.039 you repent of your sins, you are baptized in 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:42.720 Jesus' name, you are filled with the Holy Ghost, 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:47.360 you are entering into the kingdom of God. Acts 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:50.120 chapter two, then Peter said to them, repent. 00:10:50.429 --> 00:10:54.350 and let every one of you be baptized in the name 00:10:54.350 --> 00:10:58.870 of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and 00:10:58.870 --> 00:11:03.549 you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 00:11:03.929 --> 00:11:07.570 For the promise is to you and to your children 00:11:07.570 --> 00:11:12.909 and to all that are far off as many as the Lord 00:11:12.909 --> 00:11:16.649 our God will call. Can I say this? And it will 00:11:16.649 --> 00:11:19.309 mean a lot more to you when I get towards the 00:11:19.309 --> 00:11:22.669 end of this message. If you can see the need 00:11:22.669 --> 00:11:27.169 for repentance, repent. Don't wait for it. Don't 00:11:27.169 --> 00:11:30.450 delay. If it makes sense to you that that's what 00:11:30.450 --> 00:11:34.269 the Bible is calling you to do, repent. In fact, 00:11:34.289 --> 00:11:37.350 I would say not just one and done, but repent 00:11:37.350 --> 00:11:41.450 every day. Die daily to your sins and to your 00:11:41.450 --> 00:11:44.370 flesh let the Lord know that you are living a 00:11:44.370 --> 00:11:47.809 life of repentance Because you have entered into 00:11:47.809 --> 00:11:50.950 the kingdom of God Can I say this? And we'll 00:11:50.950 --> 00:11:53.529 look at a few scriptures that may seal the deal, 00:11:53.850 --> 00:11:57.549 but if you can see baptism by immersion in the 00:11:57.549 --> 00:12:00.830 name of Jesus Christ as part of your entrance 00:12:00.830 --> 00:12:04.190 into the kingdom of God, as part of being born 00:12:04.190 --> 00:12:08.009 of the water, if you will, do not delay if you're 00:12:08.009 --> 00:12:11.240 even worshiping with us online. We got a service 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:14.820 at noon. We can baptize you any time today. If 00:12:14.820 --> 00:12:17.039 you're not living in the area, but you live near 00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:19.799 King or you live near Taylorsville, we can get 00:12:19.799 --> 00:12:23.059 it done before the sun goes down. You just gotta 00:12:23.059 --> 00:12:25.659 make a commitment. I wanna be in the kingdom 00:12:25.659 --> 00:12:29.120 of God. I wanna see the kingdom of God. And if 00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:32.019 it's about being born of the water and of the 00:12:32.019 --> 00:12:38.240 spirit, do not delay. Do not delay. Praise God. 00:12:38.399 --> 00:12:42.440 In Titus chapter three, we read verse four. when 00:12:42.440 --> 00:12:45.600 the kindness and the love of God, our savior 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:49.159 toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness 00:12:49.159 --> 00:12:52.899 which we have done, but according to his mercy, 00:12:53.139 --> 00:12:56.419 he saved us through the washing of regeneration 00:12:56.419 --> 00:13:00.240 and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:04.899 out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our 00:13:04.899 --> 00:13:07.919 savior. You might think I'm making a stretch 00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:11.000 here, but when I see the word washing, I think 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:16.919 water. When I see the word spirit, I think Holy 00:13:16.919 --> 00:13:20.460 Spirit. So what I'm saying is, and this is not 00:13:20.460 --> 00:13:23.700 the only place, there is a trend in the New Testament 00:13:23.700 --> 00:13:28.200 that you will see water baptism and spirit baptism 00:13:28.200 --> 00:13:31.820 linked together in a way that is so simple to 00:13:31.820 --> 00:13:35.720 see that even a child can understand that being 00:13:35.720 --> 00:13:39.620 born of the water is being baptized in Jesus' 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:43.200 name and having your sins washed away. Being 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:46.840 born of the Spirit is being filled with the Holy 00:13:46.840 --> 00:13:50.480 Spirit. even speaking with other tongues as the 00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:53.419 Spirit gives the utterance and remember the scripture 00:13:53.419 --> 00:13:57.080 said the promise is for you and for your children 00:13:57.080 --> 00:14:01.059 and for all that are far off. Can I tell you 00:14:01.059 --> 00:14:04.080 we have many people in this sanctuary that they 00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:06.779 were a child when they were filled with the Holy 00:14:06.779 --> 00:14:09.259 Ghost and they were speaking with other tongues 00:14:09.259 --> 00:14:12.259 for the first time. You know why? Because entering 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:15.860 into the kingdom of God is critical but it's 00:14:15.860 --> 00:14:20.269 not It's essential, but it's not beyond the grasp 00:14:20.269 --> 00:14:24.110 of even a child. In fact, we all ought to come 00:14:24.110 --> 00:14:27.730 into the kingdom as children and say, if I see 00:14:27.730 --> 00:14:31.330 it, I'm going to obey it. If God said it, I'm 00:14:31.330 --> 00:14:34.070 going to do it. Why? Because there are a lot 00:14:34.070 --> 00:14:37.529 of questions about the kingdom of God, but there 00:14:37.529 --> 00:14:41.769 are some answers. You must be born again of the 00:14:41.769 --> 00:14:45.230 water and of the spirit if you want to enter 00:14:45.230 --> 00:14:53.750 it. to the kingdom of God. Say amen. There's 00:14:53.750 --> 00:14:58.049 a little story in Acts chapter 19. Some religious 00:14:58.049 --> 00:15:02.350 people are talking to the apostle Paul about 00:15:02.350 --> 00:15:06.029 their religious experience. He's a little bit 00:15:06.029 --> 00:15:08.730 controversial, you know, he didn't just let it 00:15:08.730 --> 00:15:10.409 lie there. Well, that's so great, y 'all are 00:15:10.409 --> 00:15:13.210 religious. He wanted them to know about the kingdom 00:15:13.210 --> 00:15:16.840 of God. So he preached to them about Jesus Christ. 00:15:17.799 --> 00:15:20.899 And after he was done preaching, this is what 00:15:20.899 --> 00:15:24.580 the Bible says, Acts 19 and verse five, when 00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:28.980 they heard this, they were baptized in the name 00:15:28.980 --> 00:15:32.340 of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid his hands 00:15:32.340 --> 00:15:36.559 on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:40.389 spoke with tongues and they prophesied. Can I 00:15:40.389 --> 00:15:42.590 make a very controversial statement? I believe 00:15:42.590 --> 00:15:45.950 at that moment they went past religion and they 00:15:45.950 --> 00:15:49.049 entered into the kingdom of God. They went past 00:15:49.049 --> 00:15:51.549 good intentions and they entered into the kingdom 00:15:51.549 --> 00:15:54.769 of God. They went past even trying to be good 00:15:54.769 --> 00:15:57.330 people and they entered into the kingdom of God 00:15:57.330 --> 00:16:00.490 Why because they were born of the water and of 00:16:00.490 --> 00:16:03.690 the spirit they were born again. They were born 00:16:03.690 --> 00:16:07.070 from above They got a heavenly birth. I'm trying 00:16:07.070 --> 00:16:10.549 to tell somebody just like Jesus did to Nicodemus 00:16:10.549 --> 00:16:13.769 I'm begging somebody to hear me today unless 00:16:13.769 --> 00:16:17.929 you are born of the water and of the spirit You 00:16:17.929 --> 00:16:21.190 cannot enter into the kingdom of God some of 00:16:21.190 --> 00:16:23.679 you are old enough to remember the little choir 00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:27.600 song from many years ago. You must be. You gotta 00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:32.539 be. Don't you see? You must be born again. I'm 00:16:32.539 --> 00:16:35.379 trying to tell somebody today that Nicodemus 00:16:35.379 --> 00:16:39.320 came to Jesus by night. He said, Master, I gotta 00:16:39.320 --> 00:16:43.320 get it right. Please tell me what I must do to 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:46.779 live forever in the kingdom with you. And Jesus 00:16:46.779 --> 00:16:49.620 didn't say just join a church. Jesus didn't say 00:16:49.620 --> 00:16:52.340 just be religious. Jesus didn't say just call 00:16:52.340 --> 00:16:55.879 yourself a Christian. No, he said you must be 00:16:55.879 --> 00:17:00.659 born again Verily I say unto you you must be 00:17:00.659 --> 00:17:05.339 gotta be born again Verily I say unto you you 00:17:05.339 --> 00:17:08.759 must be gotta be born again I'm just telling 00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:13.160 somebody today that it is still possible in 2026 00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:17.980 to be born again of the water and of the spirit 00:17:17.980 --> 00:17:21.420 and I'm telling you if you You will be born again. 00:17:21.619 --> 00:17:24.480 You will be entering into the kingdom of God 00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:27.859 and your life will never be the same in this 00:17:27.859 --> 00:17:30.819 world and in the world to come. If you've ever 00:17:30.819 --> 00:17:33.920 been born again, could you thank the Lord as 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:37.980 if to say, I'm so glad I've been born of the 00:17:37.980 --> 00:17:42.140 water, born of the spirit. I'm so glad I've been 00:17:42.140 --> 00:17:55.940 born again. Praise God. This is a kingdom question 00:17:55.940 --> 00:18:02.000 with only one answer. And that is so important 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:07.819 for us to hold onto in a world where even among 00:18:07.819 --> 00:18:13.539 Christians, there's this sort of feeling that 00:18:13.539 --> 00:18:16.759 you know what's kind of held us back as we've 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:21.369 been so exclusive. We've kind of, you know, we 00:18:21.369 --> 00:18:24.950 put the boundaries around the kingdom of God 00:18:24.950 --> 00:18:29.829 as though, you know, us four know more. God forbid. 00:18:30.869 --> 00:18:33.650 I'm not preaching about Pentecostal religion 00:18:33.650 --> 00:18:37.829 today. I'm not preaching about Christianity today. 00:18:38.569 --> 00:18:41.990 I'm preaching about the kingdom of God. I'm not 00:18:41.990 --> 00:18:45.150 even telling you what you would find in the little 00:18:45.150 --> 00:18:48.029 covenant we have for membership at Heavenview. 00:18:48.359 --> 00:18:52.079 I'm talking about the kingdom of God. And I'm 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:55.180 telling you today, this kingdom question has 00:18:55.180 --> 00:18:58.269 only one answer. And as much as we might kind 00:18:58.269 --> 00:19:01.730 of cringe at the idea that only one answer might 00:19:01.730 --> 00:19:04.529 exclude others that have a different answer, 00:19:04.890 --> 00:19:07.609 let me just read from the words of Jesus. When 00:19:07.609 --> 00:19:10.769 Thomas said to him in John 14, Lord, we don't 00:19:10.769 --> 00:19:13.269 know where you're going. How can we know the 00:19:13.269 --> 00:19:16.529 way? You're talking about us seeing you leave, 00:19:16.849 --> 00:19:19.490 depart from us, and it's making us nervous because 00:19:19.490 --> 00:19:22.210 we know beyond this life. There is the kingdom 00:19:22.210 --> 00:19:24.750 of God. You've been teaching us about it, but 00:19:24.750 --> 00:19:27.329 now you're leaving. We assume you're going to 00:19:27.329 --> 00:19:30.490 the kingdom and we would like to go to, and Jesus 00:19:30.490 --> 00:19:34.849 said, John 14 and six, I am the way, the truth 00:19:34.849 --> 00:19:38.859 and the life. No one comes to the Father except 00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:41.660 through me. I'm telling you, there are some kingdom 00:19:41.660 --> 00:19:44.519 questions that only have one answer. Whether 00:19:44.519 --> 00:19:47.119 we like the answer or not, we've got to at least 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:49.779 acknowledge that even a child can figure out 00:19:49.779 --> 00:19:51.980 if you're going to leave this earth and go to 00:19:51.980 --> 00:19:54.579 that heaven, you've got to go through Jesus Christ. 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:57.380 You've got to be born again of the water and 00:19:57.380 --> 00:20:00.519 of the spirit. In fact, in John 14, if you go 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:03.660 down a little bit further, he says, if you love 00:20:03.660 --> 00:20:07.089 me, keep my... commandments and then he says 00:20:07.089 --> 00:20:10.509 basically if you keep them I will pray the father 00:20:10.509 --> 00:20:13.650 and he will give you another Helper the comforter 00:20:13.650 --> 00:20:16.769 that he may abide with you forever the spirit 00:20:16.769 --> 00:20:20.349 of truth whom the world cannot receive Because 00:20:20.349 --> 00:20:24.250 it neither sees him nor knows him, but you know 00:20:24.250 --> 00:20:29.029 him for he dwells with you and will be in you. 00:20:29.210 --> 00:20:33.750 I will not leave you orphans. I will come to 00:20:33.750 --> 00:20:38.869 you. Jesus is the way into the kingdom of God. 00:20:39.109 --> 00:20:43.970 And not only that, Jesus reveals the way into 00:20:43.970 --> 00:20:49.130 the kingdom of God. When we keep his commandments, 00:20:49.609 --> 00:20:52.950 my brothers and sisters, we cannot enter into 00:20:52.950 --> 00:20:56.289 the kingdom of God just because we feel a warm 00:20:56.289 --> 00:21:00.190 fuzzy feeling. church. We've got to keep his 00:21:00.190 --> 00:21:04.130 commandments. Yes, the example or the evidence 00:21:04.130 --> 00:21:07.549 of our love for God is certainly our love for 00:21:07.549 --> 00:21:10.930 one another and our love for a lost world. But 00:21:10.930 --> 00:21:14.029 don't forget this critical part. Jesus said, 00:21:14.089 --> 00:21:18.609 if you love me, you will keep my commandments. 00:21:18.930 --> 00:21:22.589 In other words, you will do what I say. If I 00:21:22.589 --> 00:21:25.890 say you need to repent, you'll repent. If I say 00:21:25.890 --> 00:21:28.880 you need to be You'll be, I'm not talking me, 00:21:28.880 --> 00:21:31.839 I'm talking Jesus. You don't wanna be in my kingdom, 00:21:32.039 --> 00:21:34.539 you wanna be in his kingdom. And the only way 00:21:34.539 --> 00:21:39.140 to get to his kingdom is to keep his commandments. 00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:42.700 But if you keep his commandments, he will not 00:21:42.700 --> 00:21:45.940 leave you orphaned. He will come to you. How 00:21:45.940 --> 00:21:49.539 will he come to you? He will fill you with his 00:21:49.539 --> 00:21:53.440 Holy Spirit. And when he fills you with his Holy 00:21:53.440 --> 00:21:56.500 Spirit, not only have you entered in, to the 00:21:56.500 --> 00:21:59.880 kingdom of God, but the kingdom of God is in 00:21:59.880 --> 00:22:05.259 you because the king of kings has come to you. 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:14.619 Praise God, praise God. So just a quick journey 00:22:14.619 --> 00:22:19.279 through the New Testament and we're gonna see 00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:24.039 if Jesus gave any commandments that point us 00:22:24.039 --> 00:22:30.119 towards the kingdom of God. Spoiler alert, there's 00:22:30.119 --> 00:22:33.500 many more examples than what I will give, but 00:22:33.500 --> 00:22:39.000 here they are. Matthew 4 and 17. From that time, 00:22:39.660 --> 00:22:44.200 Jesus began to preach and say, repent, for the 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:49.819 kingdom of heaven is at hand. The kingdom is 00:22:49.819 --> 00:22:54.250 drawing near to you, so repent. Don't ever minimize 00:22:54.250 --> 00:22:56.730 the need for repentance. Don't ever act like 00:22:56.730 --> 00:22:58.450 it's just something they teach at that church. 00:22:58.609 --> 00:23:01.390 Oh, God forbid. This is about the kingdom of 00:23:01.390 --> 00:23:04.569 God. And I know sometimes we get nervous because, 00:23:04.769 --> 00:23:06.730 well, if we preach repentance, people are gonna 00:23:06.730 --> 00:23:08.809 think we're judging them as sinners. Can I tell 00:23:08.809 --> 00:23:11.369 you what? All have sinned and come short of the 00:23:11.369 --> 00:23:13.869 glory of God. That's part of the gospel message 00:23:13.869 --> 00:23:16.950 of the kingdom of God. If I judge you, I'm judging 00:23:16.950 --> 00:23:20.069 me because I have sinned as well. But when I 00:23:20.069 --> 00:23:23.430 repent, he forgives me every time. That's the 00:23:23.430 --> 00:23:26.470 joy. That's the good news of the kingdom of God. 00:23:26.609 --> 00:23:29.470 I'm trying to tell somebody even a child can 00:23:29.470 --> 00:23:32.289 figure out how to enter into the kingdom. There 00:23:32.289 --> 00:23:34.630 may be a lot of questions that we don't have 00:23:34.630 --> 00:23:37.390 answers to, but we do have an answer to this 00:23:37.390 --> 00:23:40.170 question. Do I need to repent to be in the kingdom 00:23:40.170 --> 00:23:43.869 of God? A thousand times yes. Do it today, do 00:23:43.869 --> 00:23:46.849 it tomorrow, do it every day of your life because 00:23:46.849 --> 00:23:49.869 you want to be a part of the kingdom of God. 00:23:51.569 --> 00:23:56.009 Jesus said in Mark 16, go into all the world 00:23:56.009 --> 00:23:59.349 and preach the gospel to every creature. The 00:23:59.349 --> 00:24:02.170 New Testament makes it clear. It's the gospel 00:24:02.170 --> 00:24:05.369 of the kingdom that's being preached. And Jesus 00:24:05.369 --> 00:24:10.630 said, he who believes and is baptized will be 00:24:10.630 --> 00:24:15.230 saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. 00:24:15.609 --> 00:24:19.390 My brothers and sisters, you must be born of 00:24:19.390 --> 00:24:23.089 the water and of the spirit. You need to be baptized 00:24:23.089 --> 00:24:26.869 by immersion in the name of Jesus. Why? To join 00:24:26.869 --> 00:24:29.559 a church? Absolutely not. In fact, you don't 00:24:29.559 --> 00:24:32.539 have to join this church to be baptized today 00:24:32.539 --> 00:24:35.460 You just got to have a heart that believes that 00:24:35.460 --> 00:24:39.000 Jesus died for your sins And he rose on the third 00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:42.440 day and he has invited you to be a part of his 00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:46.180 kingdom if you've got questions or concerns About 00:24:46.180 --> 00:24:49.500 theology or about the Bible spend your whole 00:24:49.500 --> 00:24:52.619 life Pursuing a greater knowledge of God and 00:24:52.619 --> 00:24:55.720 we all should but there are some questions that 00:24:55.720 --> 00:24:57.920 have already been answered and one of And those 00:24:57.920 --> 00:25:01.059 answers is this, you must be born of the water. 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:04.460 You must be baptized in Jesus' name. If you wanna 00:25:04.460 --> 00:25:07.859 be in the kingdom of God, why not be baptized 00:25:07.859 --> 00:25:16.000 today? Can you say in Jesus' name? John chapter 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:21.039 seven, Jesus said, he who believes in me, as 00:25:21.039 --> 00:25:25.440 the scripture has said, out of his heart will 00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:31.029 flow rivers of living water. But this he spoke 00:25:31.029 --> 00:25:35.470 concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in 00:25:35.470 --> 00:25:38.970 him would receive, for the Holy Spirit was not 00:25:38.970 --> 00:25:43.829 yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. 00:25:44.210 --> 00:25:48.369 I want to just seal it in your soul today that 00:25:48.369 --> 00:25:52.240 Jesus was talking about being born again. of 00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:55.400 the water we've talked about, but here he talks 00:25:55.400 --> 00:25:58.819 about being born of the Spirit. If you believe 00:25:58.819 --> 00:26:03.099 in Jesus based on what the scriptures say, you 00:26:03.099 --> 00:26:06.599 will be filled with the Holy Spirit. You will 00:26:06.599 --> 00:26:09.859 literally speak with other tongues as the Spirit 00:26:09.859 --> 00:26:11.960 gives you the utterance. What does that mean 00:26:11.960 --> 00:26:15.799 in our language? When he fills you with his Spirit, 00:26:15.920 --> 00:26:19.460 he will take control and he will give you a language 00:26:19.460 --> 00:26:23.980 to speak that can... come from him that is evidence 00:26:23.980 --> 00:26:27.400 the initial evidence there's so much more evidence 00:26:27.400 --> 00:26:30.599 but that is the initial evidence that you have 00:26:30.599 --> 00:26:35.140 entered into the kingdom of God I'm asking everybody 00:26:35.140 --> 00:26:37.519 in this room if you've ever been filled with 00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:40.200 the Holy Ghost if you've ever spoken with other 00:26:40.200 --> 00:26:43.460 tongues would you just stand and clap your hands 00:26:43.460 --> 00:26:48.339 as if to say thank you Jesus for helping me to 00:26:48.339 --> 00:26:59.380 be born of the water Oh, glory! Glory! Glory! 00:27:04.859 --> 00:27:09.779 You may be seated when we receive a little bit 00:27:09.779 --> 00:27:12.720 of prayer at the altar in just a few moments. 00:27:13.539 --> 00:27:16.980 If you have never been filled with the Holy Spirit, 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:21.720 I beg you to come. And when you come, start your 00:27:21.720 --> 00:27:25.880 time at the altar like this. Jesus, forgive me 00:27:25.880 --> 00:27:29.619 of anything in my life that keeps me from more 00:27:29.619 --> 00:27:33.319 of you. Jesus, I'm not just trying to be religious. 00:27:33.839 --> 00:27:37.559 I want to be in your kingdom. I'm asking you, 00:27:37.559 --> 00:27:41.539 Jesus, to fill me with your Holy Spirit. And 00:27:41.539 --> 00:27:44.019 then after you prayed that simple prayer, you 00:27:44.019 --> 00:27:46.740 need to believe with all your heart that he has 00:27:46.740 --> 00:27:50.660 forgiven you. instantly. That's the gospel. That's 00:27:50.660 --> 00:27:53.460 the message of the kingdom. That's the good news 00:27:53.460 --> 00:27:57.140 about Jesus Christ. And so after you've already 00:27:57.140 --> 00:28:00.660 repented, just begin to worship Him as if to 00:28:00.660 --> 00:28:04.019 invite Him to fill you with His Spirit. I love 00:28:04.019 --> 00:28:07.119 you, Jesus. I praise you. You don't have to repeat 00:28:07.119 --> 00:28:10.119 my words. Come up with your own words. But I 00:28:10.119 --> 00:28:12.839 will tell you this, out of the abundance of your 00:28:12.839 --> 00:28:15.839 heart, your mouth needs to speak. You don't get 00:28:15.839 --> 00:28:18.019 filled with the Spirit of God. With your hands 00:28:18.019 --> 00:28:20.460 in your pocket just thinking about oh, it'd be 00:28:20.460 --> 00:28:23.339 nice to receive something supernatural from God 00:28:23.339 --> 00:28:26.119 No from your heart. You've got to praise him. 00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:28.759 You've got to worship him in fact I would encourage 00:28:28.759 --> 00:28:32.319 you to even lift your hands as if to say I surrender 00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:36.799 every doubt every fear every Misconception Oh 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:39.720 God, I'm gonna praise you and believe that you're 00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:42.680 gonna fill me with your spirit today You might 00:28:42.680 --> 00:28:45.480 say pastor you're taking a lot of time with that 00:28:45.480 --> 00:28:47.559 and you know most of us have already experienced 00:28:47.559 --> 00:28:50.700 that, but I beg you church family, if you see 00:28:50.700 --> 00:28:53.720 someone in the altar today and you're not sure 00:28:53.720 --> 00:28:56.400 if they've ever received the Holy Ghost, just 00:28:56.400 --> 00:28:58.759 put a hand on a shoulder or if you feel a little 00:28:58.759 --> 00:29:01.660 bit awkward, just stay near them and create an 00:29:01.660 --> 00:29:04.839 atmosphere of worship and praise to God. Why? 00:29:05.059 --> 00:29:08.079 Because it's so important that we give them every 00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:11.680 opportunity to enter into the kingdom of God. 00:29:11.819 --> 00:29:14.660 I want to charge this great church family for 00:29:14.660 --> 00:29:16.789 the remainder of this. this new year, if the 00:29:16.789 --> 00:29:20.069 Lord tarries, let's not waste what's happening 00:29:20.069 --> 00:29:22.890 in the altar. That's not the time to talk to 00:29:22.890 --> 00:29:25.210 your buddy. That's not the time to look at your 00:29:25.210 --> 00:29:27.509 phone. That's the time to say, oh my goodness, 00:29:27.829 --> 00:29:30.950 today could be the day that somebody could enter 00:29:30.950 --> 00:29:33.890 into the kingdom of God. Let me help him pray. 00:29:34.170 --> 00:29:37.309 Let me help him worship. I can't just stand around 00:29:37.309 --> 00:29:41.109 and be distracted because this is about the kingdom 00:29:41.109 --> 00:29:50.069 of God. You say, amen. Would you close your eyes 00:29:50.069 --> 00:29:53.809 and in your own way, would you say, Jesus, give 00:29:53.809 --> 00:30:01.809 me a special passion for the kingdom of God. 00:30:02.910 --> 00:30:10.009 Give me a special awareness that it's all about 00:30:10.009 --> 00:30:16.829 the kingdom of God. Jesus. I've got so many questions 00:30:16.829 --> 00:30:20.430 about your kingdom, and I'm gonna search your 00:30:20.430 --> 00:30:24.809 word for every answer, but until I find those 00:30:24.809 --> 00:30:29.829 answers, let me live what I believe. Let me live 00:30:29.829 --> 00:30:34.890 what I believe, and let me do what I see. You 00:30:34.890 --> 00:30:39.130 have challenged me from the word of God, for 00:30:39.130 --> 00:30:42.990 the kingdom of God to advance. In Jesus' name. 00:30:43.690 --> 00:30:48.990 Can you say in Jesus' name? Praise God, praise 00:30:48.990 --> 00:30:53.829 God. We will discover the more we talk about 00:30:53.829 --> 00:30:58.150 kingdom, that everything we have learned and 00:30:58.150 --> 00:31:02.410 come to believe in the Bible is not about being 00:31:02.410 --> 00:31:05.549 a good member of Heaven View or not about attending 00:31:05.549 --> 00:31:08.710 a nice church that's hopefully Christian. All 00:31:08.710 --> 00:31:13.960 of that has its place, but this is all. about 00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:18.400 the kingdom of God. Everything you have read 00:31:18.400 --> 00:31:22.019 and come to believe, every conviction you have 00:31:22.019 --> 00:31:25.079 made through the years that separates you from 00:31:25.079 --> 00:31:29.779 the world, it's about the kingdom of God. Even 00:31:29.779 --> 00:31:33.019 the way you give your time, your money, you sacrifice 00:31:33.019 --> 00:31:36.819 and serve, it's about the kingdom of God. It's 00:31:36.819 --> 00:31:39.579 not about just being in a church. It's not about 00:31:39.579 --> 00:31:42.900 just being pastor's buddy, God forbid. We should 00:31:42.900 --> 00:31:48.940 be motivated by the kingdom of God because not 00:31:48.940 --> 00:31:53.220 everybody is going to enter into the kingdom 00:31:53.220 --> 00:31:57.460 of God. Oh, no. We would like to change the Bible 00:31:57.460 --> 00:32:00.920 sometimes because we have a lot of people that 00:32:00.920 --> 00:32:04.920 we love, people we work with, friends and family. 00:32:05.539 --> 00:32:09.359 And when we study the Bible every now and then, 00:32:09.359 --> 00:32:13.049 we kind of cringe. because we have to acknowledge 00:32:13.049 --> 00:32:16.109 if all of that in there is about the kingdom 00:32:16.109 --> 00:32:19.869 of God, it's possible there's people I love that 00:32:19.869 --> 00:32:22.869 are not in the kingdom of God. And sometimes 00:32:22.869 --> 00:32:25.950 I wonder how passionate I am about the kingdom 00:32:25.950 --> 00:32:31.750 of God. Oh Jesus, don't let me miss your kingdom. 00:32:32.650 --> 00:32:36.029 But it begs the question that is worth answering, 00:32:36.109 --> 00:32:39.789 another kingdom question that I want to just 00:32:39.789 --> 00:32:46.019 touch on. as we prepare for prayer. Maybe you've 00:32:46.019 --> 00:32:49.140 asked this question with different words, but 00:32:49.140 --> 00:32:52.740 I think your heart will resonate when I share. 00:32:54.039 --> 00:33:11.470 Why are so many people missing the kingdom? the 00:33:11.470 --> 00:33:15.230 message of the kingdom. It was so simple. Pastor 00:33:15.230 --> 00:33:19.349 gave us a little reminder. Nothing I said was 00:33:19.349 --> 00:33:20.630 complicated. In fact, some of you are a little 00:33:20.630 --> 00:33:22.750 bit discouraged because it wasn't some incredible 00:33:22.750 --> 00:33:26.450 revelation. I understand that. I wish I was smarter. 00:33:28.089 --> 00:33:32.470 But intelligence, God can use it, but it's not 00:33:32.470 --> 00:33:35.630 a requirement to get into the kingdom of God. 00:33:37.130 --> 00:33:42.779 So why are so many people missing the kingdom 00:33:42.779 --> 00:33:47.480 of God. Here's one example. And Jesus shared 00:33:47.480 --> 00:33:49.680 this story and I think it's very simple. That's 00:33:49.680 --> 00:33:52.039 why I've chosen this story to end this message. 00:33:52.960 --> 00:33:56.579 In Matthew chapter 13, he talks about the kingdom 00:33:56.579 --> 00:34:01.180 of God. And he says, there's this sower and he 00:34:01.180 --> 00:34:04.869 sows some seed. And some of it falls on this 00:34:04.869 --> 00:34:07.049 kind of soil, this kind of ground. Some of it 00:34:07.049 --> 00:34:09.230 falls on this kind of soil, this kind of ground. 00:34:09.650 --> 00:34:12.070 Some of it falls on this kind of soil, this kind 00:34:12.070 --> 00:34:14.510 of ground. Some of it falls on this kind of soil, 00:34:14.610 --> 00:34:16.909 this kind of ground. He just sowing the seed. 00:34:19.369 --> 00:34:22.889 And he says, I'm telling you this little parable, 00:34:23.809 --> 00:34:25.829 because this is how the kingdom of God works. 00:34:26.590 --> 00:34:28.489 And I'm gonna give you a little bit more detail, 00:34:28.510 --> 00:34:30.909 but I wanna just say this to cut to the chase. 00:34:31.340 --> 00:34:33.840 By the time you hear what Jesus is talking about, 00:34:33.880 --> 00:34:36.639 one thing you've got to get a hold of that's 00:34:36.639 --> 00:34:39.900 really important in terms of the kingdom of God, 00:34:40.780 --> 00:34:45.119 the people that miss the kingdom of God, the 00:34:45.119 --> 00:34:52.000 problem is not the sower. Well, if that sower 00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:56.519 could have done a better job, then all those 00:34:56.519 --> 00:34:59.460 people could have made the kingdom of God, no. 00:35:00.159 --> 00:35:04.460 The sower wasn't the problem. The seed wasn't 00:35:04.460 --> 00:35:06.840 the problem. The seed is the word of God. Well, 00:35:07.019 --> 00:35:09.440 if it wasn't so exclusive, and my goodness, you 00:35:09.440 --> 00:35:12.280 want people to put on a baptismal robe and get 00:35:12.280 --> 00:35:14.000 soaking wet in front of a bunch of strangers, 00:35:14.219 --> 00:35:17.440 don't you think that's a little bit odd? If we 00:35:17.440 --> 00:35:19.400 could just adjust the seed, you know, they're 00:35:19.400 --> 00:35:21.500 doing a lot of seed adjusting in our generation, 00:35:22.159 --> 00:35:24.340 and it's not just physical seed, it's spiritual 00:35:24.340 --> 00:35:27.210 seed. Because people that used to believe what 00:35:27.210 --> 00:35:28.909 they used to believe when they first believed 00:35:28.909 --> 00:35:31.710 they no longer believe Because they feel like 00:35:31.710 --> 00:35:35.309 there's a problem with the seed But when Jesus 00:35:35.309 --> 00:35:37.929 tells this story about people missing the kingdom 00:35:37.929 --> 00:35:40.929 of God He said it's not the sower and it's not 00:35:40.929 --> 00:35:48.110 the seed. It's the soil it's the soul of people 00:35:48.110 --> 00:35:54.190 and Their response is what determines if they 00:35:54.190 --> 00:35:59.900 enter in to the kingdom of God or if they miss 00:35:59.900 --> 00:36:04.940 the kingdom of God. Can I say as a sower, I've 00:36:04.940 --> 00:36:08.380 got to work so hard. I've got to understand this 00:36:08.380 --> 00:36:11.659 generation. I've got to do better to sow the 00:36:11.659 --> 00:36:14.989 seed. When I stand before God, I will be judged 00:36:14.989 --> 00:36:17.349 for how I sowed. Please don't misunderstand. 00:36:17.889 --> 00:36:20.030 I'm not saying we can be unkind. I'm not saying 00:36:20.030 --> 00:36:22.690 we can be dismissive. I'm not saying we can be 00:36:22.690 --> 00:36:25.849 judgmental, but we cannot ignore that the seed 00:36:25.849 --> 00:36:30.690 is the seed. The word is the word. The entrance 00:36:30.690 --> 00:36:32.889 into the kingdom of God doesn't change because 00:36:32.889 --> 00:36:35.550 it's not popular. Because if we tweak a little 00:36:35.550 --> 00:36:37.150 bit here and tweak a little bit there, we could 00:36:37.150 --> 00:36:40.300 have all kinds of people in church. But see, 00:36:40.300 --> 00:36:43.559 this is not about having a big church. This is 00:36:43.559 --> 00:36:46.840 about the kingdom of God, not my kingdom, his 00:36:46.840 --> 00:36:51.760 kingdom, and he makes the rules because he reigns 00:36:51.760 --> 00:36:56.099 in his kingdom. So Jesus explains the parable 00:36:56.099 --> 00:37:02.219 in his own words, Matthew 13, verse 19. Therefore, 00:37:02.380 --> 00:37:04.579 hear the parable of the sower, when anyone hears 00:37:04.579 --> 00:37:08.019 the word of the kingdom, when anyone hears the 00:37:08.019 --> 00:37:10.980 word of the kingdom, and does not understand 00:37:10.980 --> 00:37:15.119 it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away 00:37:15.119 --> 00:37:19.119 what was sown in his heart. And this is he who 00:37:19.119 --> 00:37:24.860 received the seed by the wayside. But he who 00:37:24.860 --> 00:37:28.079 received the seed on stony places, this is he 00:37:28.079 --> 00:37:31.199 who hears the word and immediately receives it 00:37:31.199 --> 00:37:34.559 with joy, yet he has no root in himself. but 00:37:34.559 --> 00:37:37.500 endures for a while, only for a while when tribulation 00:37:37.500 --> 00:37:42.059 or persecution arises because of the word, immediately 00:37:42.059 --> 00:37:46.699 he stumbles. Now he who received the seed among 00:37:46.699 --> 00:37:50.820 the thorns is he who hears the word and the cares 00:37:50.820 --> 00:37:55.099 of this world and the deceitfulness of riches 00:37:55.099 --> 00:38:01.199 choke the word and he becomes unfruitful. Did 00:38:01.199 --> 00:38:07.400 you recognize anybody in those words of Jesus. 00:38:08.159 --> 00:38:11.500 Did you see yourself? And maybe with fear and 00:38:11.500 --> 00:38:15.219 trembling, say, oh Jesus, when the seed falls 00:38:15.219 --> 00:38:21.280 on my soil, my soul, oh, help me to receive it 00:38:21.280 --> 00:38:24.940 with joy and help it to be planted deep. and 00:38:24.940 --> 00:38:27.920 don't let the cares of life or riches or the 00:38:27.920 --> 00:38:30.900 cares of the things of this world or even tribulation 00:38:30.900 --> 00:38:33.639 and suffering, don't let any of that. God, even 00:38:33.639 --> 00:38:36.199 if I come to a point where I don't understand 00:38:36.199 --> 00:38:38.679 some parts of the word and the seed has been 00:38:38.679 --> 00:38:42.380 sown, let me at least obey what I see, obey what 00:38:42.380 --> 00:38:47.119 I know, do what I do understand. So when the 00:38:47.119 --> 00:38:50.860 enemy comes to steal the seed, I've at least 00:38:50.860 --> 00:38:55.360 done something with the seed I have. I haven't 00:38:55.360 --> 00:38:58.760 become careless or casual because the promise 00:38:58.760 --> 00:39:03.239 is when the seed is sown on good ground, this 00:39:03.239 --> 00:39:06.219 one is someone who hears the word, understands 00:39:06.219 --> 00:39:12.800 it, and bears fruit and produces some 100 -fold, 00:39:13.579 --> 00:39:19.619 some 60, some 30. We're not all gonna be able 00:39:19.619 --> 00:39:24.699 to produce to the same degree. as everybody else, 00:39:25.539 --> 00:39:29.820 but we've got to be fruitful. We've got to be 00:39:29.820 --> 00:39:34.320 fruitful because that's the only way that we 00:39:34.320 --> 00:39:39.760 can grow forward in the kingdom of God. Some 00:39:39.760 --> 00:39:43.019 people will miss the kingdom of God. Simultaneously, 00:39:43.219 --> 00:39:45.360 some people would advance the kingdom of God. 00:39:46.099 --> 00:39:48.139 Some people will not understand the kingdom. 00:39:49.059 --> 00:39:51.059 Some people will produce fruit in the kingdom. 00:39:51.539 --> 00:39:54.039 and the sower will not be the ultimate problem, 00:39:54.099 --> 00:39:56.840 the seed will not be the ultimate problem, it 00:39:56.840 --> 00:40:01.599 will be the soul. It will be the soul. And I 00:40:01.599 --> 00:40:04.599 know I'm taking a little bit of time here, but 00:40:04.599 --> 00:40:08.079 I wanna finish with this last little bit of the 00:40:08.079 --> 00:40:11.380 parable, because it is so important today that 00:40:11.380 --> 00:40:16.239 we respond. This is after he's explained, told 00:40:16.239 --> 00:40:18.440 the parable, he's about to give him the explanation 00:40:18.440 --> 00:40:21.909 I just gave you. But the disciples came and said 00:40:21.909 --> 00:40:29.989 to him, why do you speak in parables? He answered 00:40:29.989 --> 00:40:33.429 and said unto them, because it has been given 00:40:33.429 --> 00:40:38.730 to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of 00:40:38.730 --> 00:40:43.449 heaven, but to them it has not been given. But 00:40:43.449 --> 00:40:47.190 God, I work with that guy. God, that sweet girl's 00:40:47.190 --> 00:40:50.400 part of my family. Why can't you just make it 00:40:50.400 --> 00:40:54.260 plain? Why can't you just make it easy? I don't 00:40:54.260 --> 00:40:56.400 want them to miss the Kingdom of God. The disciples 00:40:56.400 --> 00:40:59.000 were, they were frustrated the same way we get 00:40:59.000 --> 00:41:01.739 frustrated. Why do we look so different as one 00:41:01.739 --> 00:41:04.400 God, Apostolic Pentecostals? Why is the way we 00:41:04.400 --> 00:41:06.619 have church seem so different than the way other 00:41:06.619 --> 00:41:09.019 good people have church? And I'm not saying everybody 00:41:09.019 --> 00:41:11.039 has to have church the way we have it, but I'm 00:41:11.039 --> 00:41:13.440 telling you, we all know the frustration of saying, 00:41:13.440 --> 00:41:17.519 Jesus, you seem to make it so complicated. And 00:41:17.519 --> 00:41:19.719 if you change a little bit here, do a little 00:41:19.719 --> 00:41:22.260 bit different there, then the kingdom of God, 00:41:22.280 --> 00:41:26.559 it can be open to everybody. And Jesus said, 00:41:26.659 --> 00:41:30.360 this ain't for everybody. How do you feel about 00:41:30.360 --> 00:41:35.659 that? He said, this ain't for everybody. He said, 00:41:35.659 --> 00:41:39.380 I've given this to you, but I haven't given it 00:41:39.380 --> 00:41:44.739 to everybody because it's my kingdom. I can build 00:41:44.739 --> 00:41:47.139 my kingdom the way I want to build my kingdom. 00:41:47.880 --> 00:41:50.559 I'm not saying that gleefully, my brothers and 00:41:50.559 --> 00:41:53.199 sisters. I'm trying to help us understand that 00:41:53.199 --> 00:41:56.099 if you see something in the kingdom that you 00:41:56.099 --> 00:41:59.059 can latch onto like a child, you can grab a hold 00:41:59.059 --> 00:42:01.239 of a part of the kingdom of God that makes sense 00:42:01.239 --> 00:42:03.139 to you. There may be a whole lot that doesn't 00:42:03.139 --> 00:42:05.900 make sense, but at least do what he's called 00:42:05.900 --> 00:42:11.539 you to do because it's about the kingdom. It's 00:42:11.539 --> 00:42:16.389 about the kingdom. Because he says, for whoever 00:42:16.389 --> 00:42:21.369 has, to him more will be given and he will have 00:42:21.369 --> 00:42:26.909 abundance. But whoever does not have, even what 00:42:26.909 --> 00:42:31.969 he has will be taken away from him. Therefore 00:42:31.969 --> 00:42:36.909 I speak to them in parables, because seeing they 00:42:36.909 --> 00:42:44.800 do not see and hearing they do not hear. They 00:42:44.800 --> 00:42:52.179 do not understand. Can I say it this way? It's 00:42:52.179 --> 00:42:55.380 if Jesus would say, I'm gonna give everybody 00:42:55.380 --> 00:43:00.380 something that will lead them into deeper revelation 00:43:00.380 --> 00:43:04.739 about my kingdom. But if they don't do something 00:43:04.739 --> 00:43:09.190 with what they have, I will take from them. and 00:43:09.190 --> 00:43:11.570 I will give it to somebody else that's saying, 00:43:11.889 --> 00:43:14.289 oh God, thank you for letting me be in your kingdom. 00:43:14.369 --> 00:43:17.070 I'll do whatever I can. Oh yeah, I face trouble 00:43:17.070 --> 00:43:19.469 and sometimes I've been tempted with the deceitfulness 00:43:19.469 --> 00:43:21.829 of the world, but oh God, I'm in the kingdom. 00:43:21.989 --> 00:43:24.670 Oh God, I'm in the kingdom. I got a lot of questions, 00:43:24.789 --> 00:43:27.090 but I've got this one answer and that is this. 00:43:27.210 --> 00:43:29.670 I've been born again. I've been born of the water. 00:43:29.809 --> 00:43:32.090 I've been born of the spirit and I see some things 00:43:32.090 --> 00:43:34.849 in the word that make sense to me. I'm gonna 00:43:34.849 --> 00:43:37.929 do it. Not everybody else sees it, but I'm gonna 00:43:37.929 --> 00:43:45.349 do it. because I'm in the kingdom of God. Repentance, 00:43:45.769 --> 00:43:50.849 baptism, Holy Ghost, if you see it, just do it, 00:43:50.909 --> 00:43:53.530 because not everybody sees it. But you've been 00:43:53.530 --> 00:43:57.769 welcomed to the kingdom of God. Love God with 00:43:57.769 --> 00:44:01.610 all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself. 00:44:01.989 --> 00:44:05.909 If you see it, do it, because not everybody sees 00:44:05.909 --> 00:44:09.579 it. Not everybody's going to do it. But if you 00:44:09.579 --> 00:44:13.940 see it, do it. Welcome to the kingdom of God. 00:44:15.119 --> 00:44:18.500 Separation from the world, separation unto God. 00:44:19.179 --> 00:44:22.960 If you see it, just do it. We'll say a lot of 00:44:22.960 --> 00:44:25.099 people don't see it. Even people in my family 00:44:25.099 --> 00:44:28.380 think I'm crazy. Not everybody's gonna see it. 00:44:28.559 --> 00:44:31.820 But if you see it, do it. Welcome to the kingdom 00:44:31.820 --> 00:44:35.670 of God. and hold on to the revelation you've 00:44:35.670 --> 00:44:38.190 received. Do something with the revelation you 00:44:38.190 --> 00:44:41.010 have. Don't squander it. Don't let the wind blow 00:44:41.010 --> 00:44:43.789 it away. Don't walk away from revelation you've 00:44:43.789 --> 00:44:45.869 already had and now think it's not convenient 00:44:45.869 --> 00:44:48.369 anymore. It's an inconvenient truth. Oh my God, 00:44:48.570 --> 00:44:52.550 you've seen the kingdom of God. Praise the name 00:44:52.550 --> 00:44:55.829 of the Lord. There are mysteries in the kingdom. 00:44:56.010 --> 00:44:59.469 We all have questions. Don't let the questions 00:44:59.469 --> 00:45:04.070 keep you from doing. What you know to do Be fruitful 00:45:04.070 --> 00:45:07.630 I've watched people through the years They were 00:45:07.630 --> 00:45:10.670 so on fire for God. They were so active in the 00:45:10.670 --> 00:45:13.050 work of the Lord anything you need pastor I want 00:45:13.050 --> 00:45:14.510 to be a part of that. You know what they were 00:45:14.510 --> 00:45:18.570 seeing the kingdom of God But when they stopped 00:45:18.570 --> 00:45:21.710 seeing the kingdom and they started seeing people 00:45:21.710 --> 00:45:25.329 they started seeing flesh They started growing 00:45:25.329 --> 00:45:29.369 cold and they lost the revelation of the kingdom 00:45:29.800 --> 00:45:33.500 And now they're wandering out there as though 00:45:33.500 --> 00:45:37.559 they've never seen some things that we've all 00:45:37.559 --> 00:45:40.820 seen. My God, would you stand and raise your 00:45:40.820 --> 00:45:44.420 hands and say, Jesus, I wanna be in the kingdom 00:45:44.420 --> 00:45:47.460 of God. I wanna be a part of the kingdom of God. 00:45:47.920 --> 00:45:52.139 I know, I know I preach a pastoral message and 00:45:52.139 --> 00:45:55.019 I know sometimes we feel a little bit unsure 00:45:55.019 --> 00:45:57.840 about how to respond. I may have preached something 00:45:57.840 --> 00:46:00.260 you don't understand. I may have preached something 00:46:00.260 --> 00:46:03.360 that was hard for you to just even swallow, but 00:46:03.360 --> 00:46:06.519 if there's something in this message that draws 00:46:06.519 --> 00:46:11.320 from your soul, something you can do to obey 00:46:11.320 --> 00:46:18.000 the message of the kingdom, just say yes. Just 00:46:18.000 --> 00:46:23.719 say yes. Just say yes. Just say yes. This is 00:46:23.719 --> 00:46:29.889 about the kingdom of God. This is about the kingdom 00:46:29.889 --> 00:46:33.150 of God. If we have a prayer list today, I want 00:46:33.150 --> 00:46:35.849 you to bring it. Don't start praying for it, 00:46:35.909 --> 00:46:39.510 but bring it to the front of the altar here. 00:46:39.610 --> 00:46:41.289 And those of you that know how to help us pray 00:46:41.289 --> 00:46:45.309 for that list, if you'll come in around. The 00:46:45.309 --> 00:46:47.710 reason why we're starting with this prayer list 00:46:47.710 --> 00:46:52.909 is because I know in a church like this, on a 00:46:52.909 --> 00:46:56.530 Sunday like this, I know there's a lot of needs. 00:46:57.389 --> 00:46:59.489 And I've just preached about the kingdom of God, 00:47:00.489 --> 00:47:02.210 and you might be sitting here and saying, man, 00:47:02.210 --> 00:47:06.050 I just need a healing in my body. You might be 00:47:06.050 --> 00:47:08.329 sitting here and saying, my goodness, I just 00:47:08.329 --> 00:47:09.710 lost my job, and you're talking about the kingdom 00:47:09.710 --> 00:47:11.789 of God. It doesn't help me at all. Well, let 00:47:11.789 --> 00:47:14.010 me tell you something. The kingdom of God is 00:47:14.010 --> 00:47:16.429 everything. The kingdom of God is everything. 00:47:17.510 --> 00:47:20.809 But I'm telling you, Jesus is merciful. And He 00:47:20.809 --> 00:47:23.710 healed people, helped people. He did miracles 00:47:23.710 --> 00:47:27.289 for people. Some of them... That was their entrance 00:47:27.289 --> 00:47:30.829 into the kingdom of God. Some of them, they never 00:47:30.829 --> 00:47:32.849 entered the kingdom of God, but he's just that 00:47:32.849 --> 00:47:36.050 good of a God. And every miracle he does is just 00:47:36.050 --> 00:47:39.030 a little snapshot of his kingdom. So in just 00:47:39.030 --> 00:47:41.670 a moment when we all come, if you need a miracle, 00:47:41.690 --> 00:47:43.730 I want you to come and just say, you know, I 00:47:43.730 --> 00:47:44.869 heard a little something about the kingdom of 00:47:44.869 --> 00:47:46.650 God. There's no tears, there's no sorrow. Can 00:47:46.650 --> 00:47:48.969 I get a little bit of that Lord? I'm not even 00:47:48.969 --> 00:47:50.590 sure I'm ready to join the kingdom of God, but 00:47:50.590 --> 00:47:52.429 it's some of that splash over effect. I sure 00:47:52.429 --> 00:47:54.929 would like to have it. I'm telling you, he's 00:47:54.929 --> 00:47:57.760 that good of a God. Anybody ever found that to 00:47:57.760 --> 00:48:00.260 be true? You know, even when he taught us to 00:48:00.260 --> 00:48:02.519 pray, he said we could pray, give us this day 00:48:02.519 --> 00:48:04.440 our daily bread, even before we pray, forgive 00:48:04.440 --> 00:48:07.719 us our debts. How cool is that? I thought I had 00:48:07.719 --> 00:48:09.619 to be all holy and spiritual to get a miracle. 00:48:09.800 --> 00:48:12.579 No, you just gotta have faith. You gotta have 00:48:12.579 --> 00:48:15.880 faith and the kingdom of God is here today. The 00:48:15.880 --> 00:48:19.179 kingdom of God is in, Jesus in this atmosphere 00:48:19.179 --> 00:48:24.289 is reaching for people to be sold out. to the 00:48:24.289 --> 00:48:26.489 kingdom of God. I'll even go one step further. 00:48:26.489 --> 00:48:29.650 He says, seek first the kingdom of God. Make 00:48:29.650 --> 00:48:33.730 the kingdom of God your highest priority. That's 00:48:33.730 --> 00:48:38.030 it. Praise God. But if you're here today, before 00:48:38.030 --> 00:48:39.670 we invite people that need healing for their 00:48:39.670 --> 00:48:44.110 body, before we invite people that need a miracle 00:48:44.110 --> 00:48:47.230 on their job, a thousand things, if you've never 00:48:47.230 --> 00:48:50.070 repented or you've never been baptized in Jesus' 00:48:50.349 --> 00:48:51.670 name, you've never been filled with the Holy 00:48:51.670 --> 00:48:54.309 Ghost. I want you to start coming now because 00:48:54.309 --> 00:48:56.630 I'm about to invite everybody to come. And I 00:48:56.630 --> 00:48:58.710 want anybody that wants to enter into the kingdom 00:48:58.710 --> 00:49:01.820 of God to have the first choice. to have the 00:49:01.820 --> 00:49:03.880 first chance to get as close to this altar where 00:49:03.880 --> 00:49:06.079 I know I can pray for you and where others can 00:49:06.079 --> 00:49:08.239 pray for you. Why? Because the kingdom of God. 00:49:08.519 --> 00:49:10.599 If you're here and you can be honest and say, 00:49:10.599 --> 00:49:13.940 Pastor, I have done this religious thing all 00:49:13.940 --> 00:49:16.119 so long and I have totally forgot about the kingdom 00:49:16.119 --> 00:49:18.159 of God. Could you pray for me? Because I feel 00:49:18.159 --> 00:49:19.739 a million miles away from the kingdom of God. 00:49:19.840 --> 00:49:22.059 Why don't you come now, too? Just come. There's 00:49:22.059 --> 00:49:24.219 room at the altar for people that want to get 00:49:24.219 --> 00:49:26.159 a little bit closer, want to get a little bit... 00:49:26.159 --> 00:49:27.820 Now, everybody that wants to come, would you 00:49:27.820 --> 00:49:29.400 come? Everybody that wants to come, would you 00:49:29.400 --> 00:49:32.050 come? Please come, please come and respond to 00:49:32.050 --> 00:49:34.449 this message of the kingdom. You men that are 00:49:34.449 --> 00:49:36.909 praying for this list, as soon as you pray for 00:49:36.909 --> 00:49:39.389 this list, would you pray for every person in 00:49:39.389 --> 00:49:41.909 this altar that the kingdom of God would come 00:49:41.909 --> 00:49:44.429 to each soul that is here today. We don't have 00:49:44.429 --> 00:49:46.630 a lot of time, we got about nine or 10 minutes 00:49:46.630 --> 00:49:48.590 before we gotta go to cross training, before 00:49:48.590 --> 00:49:50.590 we gotta get ready for the next service. Come 00:49:50.590 --> 00:49:52.250 on, we've gotta make the most of this little 00:49:52.250 --> 00:49:54.429 moment. Come on everybody that can, everybody 00:49:54.429 --> 00:49:57.389 that can, come close, come close. Now if you're 00:49:57.389 --> 00:49:59.760 praying, could you pray with passion? Don't look 00:49:59.760 --> 00:50:02.380 around, don't watch other people pray. Could 00:50:02.380 --> 00:50:05.059 you pray with passion? I wanna be in the kingdom 00:50:05.059 --> 00:50:07.840 of God. I wanna be fruitful for the kingdom of 00:50:07.840 --> 00:50:10.880 God. I want my life to revolve around the kingdom 00:50:10.880 --> 00:50:14.119 of God. I wanna see first the kingdom of God. 00:50:14.400 --> 00:50:17.320 I may be sick in my body, but I want the kingdom 00:50:17.320 --> 00:50:20.559 of God. I may have financial dilemmas, but I 00:50:20.559 --> 00:50:23.239 want the kingdom of God. I may not have a lot 00:50:23.239 --> 00:50:30.760 of answers, but give me the kingdom of God. Come 00:50:30.760 --> 00:50:33.760 on if you've never repented. Come on if you've 00:50:33.760 --> 00:50:36.119 walked away from holiness, if you've walked away 00:50:36.119 --> 00:50:38.739 from separation, if you've made all kinds of 00:50:38.739 --> 00:50:41.579 excuses away from what you used to believe, how 00:50:41.579 --> 00:50:44.480 you used to live. I beg you to repent today. 00:50:44.860 --> 00:50:47.079 This is about the kingdom of God.