WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:03.049 Well, could we take our Bibles and open them 00:00:03.049 --> 00:00:11.330 to Matthew chapter 11? We're going to be looking 00:00:11.330 --> 00:00:19.469 at verses 1 through 18, but I don't think we're 00:00:19.469 --> 00:00:22.289 going to focus on all that. I don't think we'll 00:00:22.289 --> 00:00:24.190 make it all the way through, but we're going 00:00:24.190 --> 00:00:31.550 to get started. Matthew chapter 11. Verse 1. 00:00:31.989 --> 00:00:36.329 Let's read together. After Jesus had finished 00:00:36.329 --> 00:00:40.390 instructing His 12 disciples, He went on from 00:00:40.390 --> 00:00:43.789 there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. 00:00:45.310 --> 00:00:48.689 That's John the Baptist. When John heard in prison 00:00:48.689 --> 00:00:52.130 what God was doing, he sent his disciples to 00:00:52.130 --> 00:00:55.750 ask Him, are You the One who was to come or should 00:00:55.750 --> 00:01:00.090 we expect someone else? And Jesus replied, Go 00:01:00.090 --> 00:01:03.210 back and report to John what you hear and see. 00:01:03.350 --> 00:01:06.829 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those 00:01:06.829 --> 00:01:10.569 who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the 00:01:10.569 --> 00:01:13.269 dead are raised, and the good news is preached 00:01:13.269 --> 00:01:16.629 to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not 00:01:16.629 --> 00:01:20.049 fall away on account of me. Some of your virgins 00:01:20.049 --> 00:01:23.430 might say, be offended on account of me. Verse 00:01:23.430 --> 00:01:26.790 7, as John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began 00:01:26.790 --> 00:01:30.480 to speak to the crowd about John. What did you 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:34.439 go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by 00:01:34.439 --> 00:01:37.260 the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? 00:01:37.299 --> 00:01:40.620 A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who 00:01:40.620 --> 00:01:43.959 wear fine clothes are in king's palaces. Then 00:01:43.959 --> 00:01:47.540 what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I 00:01:47.540 --> 00:01:50.859 tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the 00:01:50.859 --> 00:01:54.040 one whom it is written, I will send my messenger 00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:57.079 ahead of you who will prepare your way before 00:01:57.079 --> 00:02:00.689 you. I tell you the truth, among those born of 00:02:00.689 --> 00:02:04.310 women, there has not risen anyone greater than 00:02:04.310 --> 00:02:08.469 John the Baptist. Yet, he who is least in the 00:02:08.469 --> 00:02:12.849 kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the 00:02:12.849 --> 00:02:16.090 days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom 00:02:16.090 --> 00:02:20.469 of heaven has been forcefully advancing and forceful 00:02:20.469 --> 00:02:24.009 men lay hold of it. For all the prophets and 00:02:24.009 --> 00:02:27.340 the law prophesied until John. And if you are 00:02:27.340 --> 00:02:30.719 willing to accept it, He is the Elijah who was 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:34.620 to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. 00:02:35.120 --> 00:02:40.819 We're just going to stop there. So, in our journey 00:02:40.819 --> 00:02:44.599 as a church family, we are continuing to learn 00:02:44.599 --> 00:02:47.780 about the kingdom of heaven. We've received and 00:02:47.780 --> 00:02:52.360 obeyed the mandate to supernaturally expand the 00:02:52.360 --> 00:02:55.219 kingdom of heaven. on the earth as maverick was 00:02:55.219 --> 00:02:58.060 talking about in matthew 6 jesus said this is 00:02:58.060 --> 00:03:01.360 how you ought to pray our father who art in heaven 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:05.659 glory and honor hallowed be your name may your 00:03:05.659 --> 00:03:10.520 kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven and 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:13.460 your will be done on earth as it is in heaven 00:03:13.460 --> 00:03:16.960 and so we have received this mandate to be people 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:20.039 who are expanding the kingdom of heaven on the 00:03:20.039 --> 00:03:22.560 earth And so today as we look at this passage, 00:03:22.659 --> 00:03:26.740 I want to just point out a few lessons about 00:03:26.740 --> 00:03:30.919 kingdom of heaven expansion from Matthew chapter 00:03:30.919 --> 00:03:36.919 11. As we get started, I need a volunteer and 00:03:36.919 --> 00:03:39.139 I need two qualifications for the volunteer. 00:03:40.180 --> 00:03:44.680 They need to have a beard, number one. And number 00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:48.219 two, they're willing to... take off their shoes 00:03:48.219 --> 00:03:50.340 and their socks, and I need you to be quick about 00:03:50.340 --> 00:03:53.280 it. Volunteer with a beard, take off your socks 00:03:53.280 --> 00:04:03.080 and shoes, have a seat. All right. Okay, what 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:05.060 are we going to do? Because I only need one. 00:04:05.340 --> 00:04:08.439 Oh, what? Okay, all right, all right. All right, 00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:11.539 take off socks and shoes, have a seat. Oh, you 00:04:11.539 --> 00:04:14.259 don't even wear socks, so it's easy peasy. All 00:04:14.259 --> 00:04:17.089 right. Okay, you got ankle socks on. Alright. 00:04:22.509 --> 00:04:29.509 Alright. Yay, Jeremy! What is your wife cheering 00:04:29.509 --> 00:04:36.589 you on? Okay. For this moment, I'm just setting 00:04:36.589 --> 00:04:40.689 Jeremy in this place. I know Jeremy would in 00:04:40.689 --> 00:04:43.730 no way say I would ever take the place of Jesus. 00:04:44.649 --> 00:04:48.810 Right? But I want to... create a visual. Okay? 00:04:49.550 --> 00:04:53.930 Because as we've been reading these parables 00:04:53.930 --> 00:04:57.350 about the kingdom that Jesus has been teaching, 00:04:57.569 --> 00:05:02.850 He is over and over explaining through the parables 00:05:02.850 --> 00:05:06.250 and teachings to His disciples that there is 00:05:06.250 --> 00:05:13.290 a day that Jesus is going to return. And He is 00:05:13.290 --> 00:05:16.920 going to be seated on a throne. at the right 00:05:16.920 --> 00:05:23.040 hand of God. And we are going to present to Him, 00:05:23.259 --> 00:05:26.139 this is what the parables of Jesus are, the interest 00:05:26.139 --> 00:05:29.019 of what He has invested into our lives. We're 00:05:29.019 --> 00:05:32.959 going to give back to Him based on what He put 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:35.740 into us through the kingdom of heaven, how we 00:05:35.740 --> 00:05:38.259 stewarded that kingdom. We are then going to 00:05:38.259 --> 00:05:41.060 return back to Him in that moment what He deserves. 00:05:41.139 --> 00:05:44.220 Yes? Is this true? Is this what the parables 00:05:44.220 --> 00:05:54.709 teach us? Alright, so I believe that when we 00:05:54.709 --> 00:06:01.829 come to the return of Jesus, the only proper 00:06:01.829 --> 00:06:08.230 response will be to fall at His feet. Do you? 00:06:08.910 --> 00:06:11.149 I mean, I think we see it over and over again 00:06:11.149 --> 00:06:16.779 in the Scriptures. Did you know your imagination 00:06:16.779 --> 00:06:21.819 is a gift from God? It's holy and perfect. And 00:06:21.819 --> 00:06:26.339 in that day, our King will be seated on a throne 00:06:26.339 --> 00:06:29.540 and we will come before Him. And we will bow 00:06:29.540 --> 00:06:35.120 down before the King of Kings. And in my imagination, 00:06:35.139 --> 00:06:39.480 when I think about that, I think about reaching 00:06:39.480 --> 00:06:44.160 out and touching His feet. And there will literally 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:51.579 be scar tissue on these feet. And we will worship. 00:06:52.420 --> 00:06:58.100 We will bow down. We will put our hands on the 00:06:58.100 --> 00:07:06.660 holy scars of our King. And in my mind, I just, 00:07:06.819 --> 00:07:12.420 coming up to His knees, it just... Honoring the 00:07:12.420 --> 00:07:21.060 King. Can I see your hand, Jeremy? Just embracing 00:07:21.060 --> 00:07:27.399 these hands. Feeling the scars. Feeling the nail 00:07:27.399 --> 00:07:31.819 holes. And just blessing Him. Can you imagine 00:07:31.819 --> 00:07:35.100 it? Can you put yourself there at the throne? 00:07:35.279 --> 00:07:40.139 Being able to touch the hands of the One. who 00:07:40.139 --> 00:07:44.800 bled out on the cross for our forgiveness in 00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:49.860 giving us life. And then just, can you imagine 00:07:49.860 --> 00:07:57.060 just being able to put your hands on the face 00:07:57.060 --> 00:08:05.459 of Jesus? Filling His beard. The scars on His 00:08:05.459 --> 00:08:13.019 brow. And there's going to be a moment in which 00:08:13.019 --> 00:08:21.279 we finally make eye contact with the eyes of 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:33.100 fire. And in that moment, what are we going to 00:08:33.100 --> 00:08:48.740 give Him? You did a great job. Love you. No, 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:55.399 that's good. That's good. Do you see what I'm 00:08:55.399 --> 00:09:00.919 saying? Every one of us are going to experience 00:09:00.919 --> 00:09:05.299 something like that in such a much more glorious 00:09:05.299 --> 00:09:09.519 fashion. You know, it won't be in a gym. On this 00:09:09.519 --> 00:09:16.279 old... It will be the throne of the risen Savior. 00:09:17.179 --> 00:09:20.740 But we will bow before Him. We will touch His 00:09:20.740 --> 00:09:27.980 scars. And the Bible says every man's life at 00:09:27.980 --> 00:09:32.620 that moment will be tested by fire. And what 00:09:32.620 --> 00:09:35.899 was eternal, what was kingdom, what was holy 00:09:35.899 --> 00:09:39.179 will be like gold and silver and precious jewels. 00:09:39.720 --> 00:09:44.259 And what was not kingdom, will be burned up like 00:09:44.259 --> 00:09:48.740 hay and stubble. Yes? And so when we're talking 00:09:48.740 --> 00:09:52.340 about the kingdom of heaven, living for the kingdom, 00:09:52.340 --> 00:09:56.820 being kingdom people, it ought to motivate us 00:09:56.820 --> 00:10:02.220 to say, in that day, what will we give Him that 00:10:02.220 --> 00:10:08.440 will last the fire? When I think about my life, 00:10:08.750 --> 00:10:11.669 He will not care about the biggest trout I ever 00:10:11.669 --> 00:10:16.389 caught in a Colorado stream. He won't. He won't 00:10:16.389 --> 00:10:19.429 care about my reputation. He won't care about 00:10:19.429 --> 00:10:24.049 the size of this church. He won't care about 00:10:24.049 --> 00:10:26.769 what my name was ever able to accomplish on the 00:10:26.769 --> 00:10:30.610 earth. What will matter in that moment is what 00:10:30.610 --> 00:10:33.929 is kingdom. What He put in me that I stewarded 00:10:33.929 --> 00:10:36.950 with blood, sweat, and tears on this short time 00:10:36.950 --> 00:10:39.549 that is the earth like that. And then I'll be 00:10:39.549 --> 00:10:42.570 before Him and what I will be able to give Him 00:10:42.570 --> 00:10:47.149 is everything that was rewarded through that 00:10:47.149 --> 00:10:54.070 kingdom that belongs to Him. And I think sometimes 00:10:54.070 --> 00:11:02.259 we need to be Reminded that the kingdom of heaven 00:11:02.259 --> 00:11:08.419 is not an option. It is our life. And when we 00:11:08.419 --> 00:11:11.220 talk about being kingdom people and advancing 00:11:11.220 --> 00:11:14.080 the kingdom on the earth, this is not just something 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:19.639 we study with a frivolous thought process. This 00:11:19.639 --> 00:11:27.470 is our identity. This is who we are. is worthy 00:11:27.470 --> 00:11:30.470 of the focus of our life day in and day out. 00:11:30.549 --> 00:11:33.389 How will your name be glorified? How will your 00:11:33.389 --> 00:11:36.110 world be saved? How will they be delivered and 00:11:36.110 --> 00:11:40.490 set free? How will you be honored with my life? 00:11:42.950 --> 00:11:46.429 And so when we're continuing to talk about the 00:11:46.429 --> 00:11:49.350 kingdom of heaven, does that help you or is that 00:11:49.350 --> 00:11:54.830 just me? To go through the mental process of 00:11:54.830 --> 00:11:58.559 just This is what I want to give you, Jesus. 00:11:59.639 --> 00:12:02.620 So with that in mind, we say, Lord, teach us 00:12:02.620 --> 00:12:06.980 about this kingdom. Show us how to be people 00:12:06.980 --> 00:12:11.080 that steward the kingdom of heaven well. So these 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:16.320 are a few things that we learn from this passage. 00:12:16.379 --> 00:12:19.039 So number one, if you're writing them down or 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:20.600 you want to take notes, I think that would be 00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:24.580 helpful. Helps us to remember things. Number 00:12:24.580 --> 00:12:29.220 one in this passage. Disappointment and discouragement 00:12:29.220 --> 00:12:34.240 are inevitable in the kingdom lifestyle. Refuse 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:39.700 to be offended at our glorious King. You're like, 00:12:39.720 --> 00:12:42.620 Jesse, how many times are we going to talk about 00:12:42.620 --> 00:12:46.700 this? Could you preach some other message? And 00:12:46.700 --> 00:12:49.059 I'm just preaching what the Word of God says. 00:12:50.220 --> 00:12:54.080 And this is a lesson that the kingdom -minded 00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:58.480 church has to not just understand with their 00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:03.120 mind, but so learn to become a part of who we 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:09.059 are at a core. We see here John the Baptist and 00:13:09.059 --> 00:13:17.960 he's in prison. How many of you would think that 00:13:20.269 --> 00:13:25.470 Well, I don't even want to go there. In the passage 00:13:25.470 --> 00:13:27.809 it says, after Jesus had finished instructing 00:13:27.809 --> 00:13:30.450 the twelve disciples, in verse 2, and when John 00:13:30.450 --> 00:13:33.129 heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent 00:13:33.129 --> 00:13:36.570 his disciples and asked him, are you the one 00:13:36.570 --> 00:13:40.169 who was to come? Or should we expect someone 00:13:40.169 --> 00:13:44.789 else? Jesus replied, go back and tell them all 00:13:44.789 --> 00:13:47.009 the things you've seen in the kingdom, right? 00:13:48.009 --> 00:13:50.389 And then in verse 6, he says, blessed is the 00:13:50.389 --> 00:13:54.450 man who is not offended at me. I was doing a 00:13:54.450 --> 00:13:57.490 little research on what the actual Greek language 00:13:57.490 --> 00:14:02.289 here says, and it literally is defined as, blessed 00:14:02.289 --> 00:14:07.169 is the man who is not offended at me. John had 00:14:07.169 --> 00:14:10.809 a great opportunity to be offended at Jesus. 00:14:11.250 --> 00:14:14.809 You think you've given your life for the kingdom, 00:14:14.889 --> 00:14:17.429 and there's some of you that... You're my heroes. 00:14:17.490 --> 00:14:19.389 I see the way that you live for the kingdom. 00:14:19.690 --> 00:14:24.169 We're talking about a man who has lived in the 00:14:24.169 --> 00:14:29.889 wilderness. Outcast from society. And his only 00:14:29.889 --> 00:14:33.149 job in life is to preach the coming kingdom of 00:14:33.149 --> 00:14:37.169 Jesus. Preparing the way for Jesus. Jesus. His 00:14:37.169 --> 00:14:41.029 whole life has been devoted to the coming of 00:14:41.029 --> 00:14:45.149 Jesus. And Jesus comes and what is His reward? 00:14:45.980 --> 00:14:50.720 He is in prison. And not an American prison, 00:14:50.940 --> 00:14:57.600 right? He is in prison suffering for the one 00:14:57.600 --> 00:15:00.860 He has proclaimed would come as the victorious 00:15:00.860 --> 00:15:05.899 King. I wrote on there, I don't know if it's 00:15:05.899 --> 00:15:09.320 on the slide, but when we look at this... My 00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:12.379 encouragement to you and me is to sacrifice your 00:15:12.379 --> 00:15:16.500 personal expectations on the altar of total surrender. 00:15:18.059 --> 00:15:22.799 Acknowledge that Jesus is the King and humbly 00:15:22.799 --> 00:15:26.220 follow Him. Does that make sense? Sacrifice your 00:15:26.220 --> 00:15:30.179 personal expectations on the altar of total surrender. 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:34.620 John, if you look at the way John the Baptist 00:15:34.620 --> 00:15:37.919 taught about the coming of Jesus, John was looking 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:40.980 for fiery judgment. Jesus is going to come with 00:15:40.980 --> 00:15:42.799 the winnowing fork in His hand. He's going to 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:47.039 bring judgment. John was looking for a zealous 00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:53.480 victory of Jesus as a king. And instead, Jesus 00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:56.259 is doing what? He's befriending the outcast. 00:15:56.879 --> 00:16:02.100 He's teaching servant leadership. He's healing 00:16:02.100 --> 00:16:06.360 the sick. He's casting out demons. And what was 00:16:06.360 --> 00:16:10.539 John the Baptist's expectation? He was disappointed 00:16:10.539 --> 00:16:14.659 in what he was expecting toward Jesus. And so, 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:19.799 John the Baptist himself sends his disciples 00:16:19.799 --> 00:16:24.279 to say, Jesus, are you the one we're actually 00:16:24.279 --> 00:16:26.940 looking for? Or should we look for someone else? 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:48.169 Can you imagine? So, I really mean on number 00:16:48.169 --> 00:16:51.610 one when it talks about disappointment, discouragement 00:16:51.610 --> 00:16:56.450 is inevitable. How many of you have been following 00:16:56.450 --> 00:16:59.009 Jesus and you've encountered discouragement, 00:16:59.009 --> 00:17:06.309 disappointment? Yes? Here's what I would suggest 00:17:06.309 --> 00:17:09.569 to you. As kingdom people who have sacrificed 00:17:09.569 --> 00:17:12.329 our personal expectations on the altar of total 00:17:12.329 --> 00:17:18.119 surrender, Hey, if you call yourself a Christian, 00:17:18.180 --> 00:17:21.500 a Christ follower, but you have never completely 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:24.519 surrendered everything in your life to Jesus 00:17:24.519 --> 00:17:29.880 as King, I would challenge that you have experienced 00:17:29.880 --> 00:17:35.720 biblical salvation. And I would say it would 00:17:35.720 --> 00:17:39.539 be worth taking some time to commune with Jesus 00:17:39.539 --> 00:17:44.299 and have that conversation with Him. It is a 00:17:44.299 --> 00:17:49.480 requirement that we surrender everything to Jesus. 00:17:49.900 --> 00:17:52.759 And here's what I would suggest. As we are people, 00:17:53.059 --> 00:17:56.440 kingdom people, living for the kingdom of Jesus, 00:17:56.599 --> 00:17:59.119 the kingdom of heaven on the earth, we're experiencing 00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:02.000 hardship and difficulty. Here's what I would 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:05.359 like to encourage you in. We have no right to 00:18:05.359 --> 00:18:11.779 be offended at King Jesus. Ever. We never have 00:18:11.779 --> 00:18:16.069 a right. To be offended at King Jesus. Why? He's 00:18:16.069 --> 00:18:20.549 the King. We're the slave. He tells us what to 00:18:20.549 --> 00:18:27.849 do. We say, yes, sir. Are you with me? A couple 00:18:27.849 --> 00:18:32.890 of years ago, my mom died. My wife's mom has 00:18:32.890 --> 00:18:37.470 had cancer twice. Prayed, believed God, beat 00:18:37.470 --> 00:18:40.150 cancer twice, healed, healthy, playing golf. 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:45.119 four or five times this past week. My mom gets 00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:51.059 cancer. I pray. I fast. I declare. I memorize 00:18:51.059 --> 00:18:55.359 the Word. I join with believers. I pray. And 00:18:55.359 --> 00:18:57.660 I just see her wilt away and wilt away and wilt 00:18:57.660 --> 00:19:00.640 away and die of cancer just in a few months. 00:19:03.539 --> 00:19:07.680 And God absolutely is my witness and I think 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:12.640 Jill would testify. There is not one fraction 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:16.480 of a moment that I was offended at Jesus for 00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:24.579 that. Not one time did I look at Him and say, 00:19:24.700 --> 00:19:30.539 that is not fair. Not one time. And I'm not saying 00:19:30.539 --> 00:19:34.140 that... To boast, what I'm saying is that that 00:19:34.140 --> 00:19:38.200 is the reality of two decades ago, God said to 00:19:38.200 --> 00:19:41.480 me, Jesse, become unoffendable. And two decades 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:44.480 ago, I made a commitment to God, I will not be 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:47.019 an offended person towards you. And you know 00:19:47.019 --> 00:19:49.980 what I've done for two decades? I've stewarded 00:19:49.980 --> 00:19:52.579 small disappointments in my life, refusing to 00:19:52.579 --> 00:19:57.240 be offended at God. Get rejected for my letter 00:19:57.240 --> 00:20:00.420 to be on the SWAT team. The chief says no. Okay. 00:20:00.859 --> 00:20:03.480 Okay, God, I'm not going to be offended. I mean, 00:20:03.500 --> 00:20:07.240 I can't even tell you the tax bill that comes 00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:11.339 up and you're like, what? It's a continual process 00:20:11.339 --> 00:20:14.460 of all these potential abilities to be offended. 00:20:14.599 --> 00:20:17.500 But if you steward them day after day and say, 00:20:17.579 --> 00:20:21.140 God, Jesus, You are my King. I will never be 00:20:21.140 --> 00:20:23.799 offended at what You do or don't allow into my 00:20:23.799 --> 00:20:26.880 life. I am totally surrendered to You. Then in 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:30.740 the days... And I know that losing my mom to 00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:33.460 cancer is nothing like what John was experiencing 00:20:33.460 --> 00:20:36.259 in that moment. I'm just relating it to my personal 00:20:36.259 --> 00:20:40.559 life. But in the days where the biggest disappointments 00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:43.259 and the biggest disasters come into our lives, 00:20:43.400 --> 00:20:47.859 if we stewarded all these disappointments in 00:20:47.859 --> 00:20:50.599 our life, in those days, we will not fall away. 00:20:52.619 --> 00:20:56.160 Jesus said, blessed is the man who does not fall 00:20:56.160 --> 00:20:59.250 away on account of me. And so I want to ask you 00:20:59.250 --> 00:21:03.450 today, are you offended? Are you offended at 00:21:03.450 --> 00:21:07.009 God? Are you offended at the Gospel? There's 00:21:07.009 --> 00:21:09.329 people in this room that have experienced way 00:21:09.329 --> 00:21:12.250 worse than I've ever dreamed of experiencing. 00:21:13.410 --> 00:21:18.569 Can I ask you today, are you offended? Because 00:21:18.569 --> 00:21:23.990 part of the DNA of a kingdom -minded person is 00:21:23.990 --> 00:21:28.660 no matter what occurs in our life, We have surrendered 00:21:28.660 --> 00:21:32.980 all things to the Lord Jesus and we refuse to 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:38.539 be offended at Him. Okay? Can we just take a 00:21:38.539 --> 00:21:41.460 moment? Stop right here. Engage with the Scripture. 00:21:41.500 --> 00:21:43.480 I think this is an important part of kingdom 00:21:43.480 --> 00:21:51.940 living. If you are offended towards the Lord, 00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:56.410 would you just be honest with Him? Just right 00:21:56.410 --> 00:21:59.130 now, just tell Him right now in your heart, Lord, 00:21:59.210 --> 00:22:02.410 I'm offended at You, but I want to move past 00:22:02.410 --> 00:22:09.730 this. And then what I would encourage you to 00:22:09.730 --> 00:22:14.009 do is right now, just bow your heart before the 00:22:14.009 --> 00:22:18.769 Lord and say, I give You all things, Jesus. I 00:22:18.769 --> 00:22:24.630 surrender everything to You. You are the King 00:22:24.630 --> 00:22:29.240 of kings. And I lay everything down before You. 00:22:31.440 --> 00:22:33.599 And I'd like to pray for You. Lord, I just pray 00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:40.539 for the hearts of my friends even now as a fence 00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:44.519 wants to be stirred in their hearts and be an 00:22:44.519 --> 00:22:47.539 obstacle of their communion with You and their 00:22:47.539 --> 00:22:50.720 effectiveness in Your kingdom. Father, would 00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:54.200 You dismantle those things by Your Holy Spirit? 00:22:55.210 --> 00:22:58.130 Would You allow them to be honest with their 00:22:58.130 --> 00:23:01.250 pains and their hurts with You? Would You meet 00:23:01.250 --> 00:23:04.230 them in that place? Bring healing, forgiveness, 00:23:04.569 --> 00:23:09.890 and mercy. And Lord, we commit to You to be unoffended 00:23:09.890 --> 00:23:15.150 people. As we work hard to advance Your kingdom 00:23:15.150 --> 00:23:17.630 on the earth and we come against all kinds of 00:23:17.630 --> 00:23:20.569 difficulties, it's our commitment now that we 00:23:20.569 --> 00:23:23.470 will not be offended towards You. Can you pray 00:23:23.470 --> 00:23:30.569 that to the Lord? Alright, good job. Number two, 00:23:31.009 --> 00:23:36.009 you okay? Number two, lessons about kingdom of 00:23:36.009 --> 00:23:39.150 heaven expansion on the earth. Number two, do 00:23:39.150 --> 00:23:42.589 not settle for a powerless lifestyle. Remember, 00:23:42.769 --> 00:23:46.309 the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but 00:23:46.309 --> 00:23:49.769 of power. Okay, that's not a man's idea. That's 00:23:49.769 --> 00:23:52.769 the Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 4, verse 20. 00:23:53.829 --> 00:23:56.549 Talking about the kingdom of God is not a matter 00:23:56.549 --> 00:24:01.609 of talk. but it's a matter of power. Listen to 00:24:01.609 --> 00:24:11.049 Jesus' response when John says, are you the one 00:24:11.049 --> 00:24:13.630 that we're looking for? Or should we look for 00:24:13.630 --> 00:24:18.230 somebody else? Interesting what Jesus' response 00:24:18.230 --> 00:24:26.589 is. He's like, hey, here's the deal. Sick or 00:24:26.589 --> 00:24:30.750 healed. The lame walk. The dead are raised. The 00:24:30.750 --> 00:24:33.130 good news of the Gospel is preached to the poor. 00:24:33.809 --> 00:24:38.789 His response to John's question was the supernatural 00:24:38.789 --> 00:24:41.450 fruit of his life in the Kingdom of Heaven on 00:24:41.450 --> 00:24:53.569 the earth. I think we understand that we're in 00:24:53.569 --> 00:24:59.000 a culture that is... Very critical in nature, 00:24:59.160 --> 00:25:02.079 yes? I mean, we're in a culture special with 00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:05.180 social media that's always looking a way to argue. 00:25:05.279 --> 00:25:09.920 Always looking for a way to tear down, put down. 00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:14.920 And if we're not careful, we as Christians can 00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:19.900 literally waste large portions of our life in 00:25:19.900 --> 00:25:23.960 online conversations about our theology and all 00:25:23.960 --> 00:25:28.299 the reasons why, and yet, the most powerful thing 00:25:28.299 --> 00:25:32.660 we can say is not a word at all, but the overflow 00:25:32.660 --> 00:25:35.440 of the supernatural power of God through our 00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:41.740 kingdom living. Yes? So let me ask you, why are 00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:46.880 we settling for powerless lives in the kingdom? 00:25:48.619 --> 00:25:52.980 You say, Jesse, I mean... I'm with you. I want 00:25:52.980 --> 00:25:56.180 to be a person of the kingdom. I want to operate. 00:25:56.259 --> 00:26:00.920 I want to glorify Jesus. But I'm not experiencing 00:26:00.920 --> 00:26:06.839 supernatural power of God in my life. Okay, that's 00:26:06.839 --> 00:26:10.259 a great point of intersection for you to be right 00:26:10.259 --> 00:26:12.599 now. If you are saying, yes, I want to be a part 00:26:12.599 --> 00:26:14.920 of the kingdom. Yes, I want to give Jesus in 00:26:14.920 --> 00:26:17.380 that day all that He deserves to be rewarded 00:26:17.380 --> 00:26:20.579 with. But I don't see any power in my life right 00:26:20.579 --> 00:26:23.109 now. That's a great place to be. And I want to 00:26:23.109 --> 00:26:28.609 ask you this question. Why not? If I ask you, 00:26:28.690 --> 00:26:31.890 why do you not have the supernatural power of 00:26:31.890 --> 00:26:35.990 God in your life as a lifestyle? What answer 00:26:35.990 --> 00:26:41.490 would you give? Because here's what I want. And 00:26:41.490 --> 00:26:43.950 I know we've talked about this so many times. 00:26:44.490 --> 00:26:49.539 But Jesus... has made the kingdom of heaven available 00:26:49.539 --> 00:26:53.519 to every follower of Christ. He has given us 00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:57.079 everything we need for life and godliness. He 00:26:57.079 --> 00:26:59.380 has promised that if we thirst for Him and drink 00:26:59.380 --> 00:27:02.500 of Him, then out of us will flow rivers of living 00:27:02.500 --> 00:27:05.849 water by the Holy Spirit. He actually promised 00:27:05.849 --> 00:27:09.829 in John, right? Chapter 14, verse 16. He says, 00:27:09.869 --> 00:27:13.049 if you believe on Me as the Scriptures say, you'll 00:27:13.049 --> 00:27:16.250 do everything that I have done and do even greater 00:27:16.250 --> 00:27:19.650 things. And if you read it in context, He says, 00:27:19.670 --> 00:27:26.230 and He was speaking of the miracles. And so, 00:27:26.230 --> 00:27:31.730 you and I, we have no valid reason for why we 00:27:31.730 --> 00:27:34.450 are not operating in the supernatural power of 00:27:34.450 --> 00:27:37.869 God as the fruit of our lives. So let's just 00:27:37.869 --> 00:27:41.329 own it. Let's own it. I don't know about you, 00:27:41.369 --> 00:27:43.369 but I'm not walking in the power of God like 00:27:43.369 --> 00:27:47.990 I want to. Am I experiencing some amazing things? 00:27:48.250 --> 00:27:51.529 Yes. Am I anywhere close to where I want to be 00:27:51.529 --> 00:27:54.950 in Christ? Absolutely not. So what am I going 00:27:54.950 --> 00:27:57.930 to do? Make excuses for why it's not there? Or 00:27:57.930 --> 00:28:01.670 say, Jesus, You've made it available to me. I 00:28:01.670 --> 00:28:05.410 will not stop pursuing in faith the lifestyle 00:28:05.410 --> 00:28:11.670 that You led as an example for me. We read this 00:28:11.670 --> 00:28:14.529 at the beginning of service, but in Luke 11, 00:28:14.650 --> 00:28:22.890 Jesus is teaching His disciples how to pray. 00:28:23.650 --> 00:28:27.069 The Lord's Prayer is in the context. But can 00:28:27.069 --> 00:28:29.740 I bring you back to verse 9 again? So I say to 00:28:29.740 --> 00:28:31.880 you, ask and it will be given to you. Seek and 00:28:31.880 --> 00:28:33.940 you will find. Knock and the door will be opened 00:28:33.940 --> 00:28:36.859 to you. For everyone who asks... Does anyone 00:28:36.859 --> 00:28:42.599 believe when Jesus speaks? For everyone who asks, 00:28:42.660 --> 00:28:46.920 receives. He who seeks, finds. And to him who 00:28:46.920 --> 00:28:56.279 knocks, the door will be opened. We're not going 00:28:56.279 --> 00:28:58.980 to get to it today, but... Next week we're going 00:28:58.980 --> 00:29:01.339 to continue on this thought, but when Jesus says 00:29:01.339 --> 00:29:05.039 the kingdom of heaven is suffering violence and 00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:10.599 violent men take hold of it, this word for violence, 00:29:10.700 --> 00:29:14.579 this is the only time Jesus ever uses it in all 00:29:14.579 --> 00:29:18.140 of Scripture. The only time. Now, it's used in 00:29:18.140 --> 00:29:21.339 Luke 16, 16, but it's the exact same passage. 00:29:21.380 --> 00:29:24.160 It's the same teaching. It's just Luke's rendition 00:29:24.160 --> 00:29:26.460 of it. But this teaching right here about the 00:29:26.460 --> 00:29:29.799 kingdom is the only time that Jesus uses this 00:29:29.799 --> 00:29:35.640 word in the Greek. And it literally means, when 00:29:35.640 --> 00:29:38.500 it talks about violent men take hold of it, we're 00:29:38.500 --> 00:29:40.240 going to look more deeply at this next week, 00:29:40.279 --> 00:29:43.460 but it literally means to press oneself into 00:29:43.460 --> 00:29:47.779 something. And when Jesus is saying, the kingdom 00:29:47.779 --> 00:29:50.119 of heaven on the earth right now, and some people 00:29:50.119 --> 00:29:53.240 have said, well, this is a negative connotation 00:29:53.240 --> 00:29:55.859 that people are violently trying to take the 00:29:55.859 --> 00:29:58.859 kingdom of God and raid it. Well, first of all, 00:29:58.920 --> 00:30:02.500 no one's taking the kingdom from Jesus, number 00:30:02.500 --> 00:30:06.400 one. And secondly, in Luke 16, 16, Jesus makes 00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:08.960 it very clear. No, we're talking about the positive 00:30:08.960 --> 00:30:12.500 nature of pressing into the kingdom of heaven. 00:30:12.579 --> 00:30:15.609 We'll look at that in more depth later. But when 00:30:15.609 --> 00:30:18.890 we talk about this pressing, here's what I want 00:30:18.890 --> 00:30:22.710 to encourage you. There is absolutely nothing 00:30:22.710 --> 00:30:25.970 prohibiting you from pressing into the supernatural 00:30:25.970 --> 00:30:30.789 life of Jesus Christ on the earth. But it will 00:30:30.789 --> 00:30:33.869 not be automatic and it will not be an accident. 00:30:34.650 --> 00:30:36.730 It's something you're going to have to set your 00:30:36.730 --> 00:30:40.529 heart towards and press into with the violent, 00:30:40.609 --> 00:30:45.609 zealous nature of I will be like Him. I will 00:30:45.609 --> 00:30:49.750 live like Him. I will sound like Him. I will 00:30:49.750 --> 00:30:53.150 love like Him. And I will press myself into the 00:30:53.150 --> 00:30:57.369 mold of Jesus in a zealous nature. Do we have 00:30:57.369 --> 00:31:01.029 that photo? Should I put that photo up there? 00:31:01.769 --> 00:31:04.670 Alright. This is a picture of my back porch. 00:31:05.769 --> 00:31:09.930 Alright. This is a metal trash can. In the metal 00:31:09.930 --> 00:31:15.099 trash can is cat food. Okay? This is cat food. 00:31:15.220 --> 00:31:19.400 Because we have some outside cats. Alright? What 00:31:19.400 --> 00:31:25.519 we also have is a raccoon named Ricky. We used 00:31:25.519 --> 00:31:28.660 to just keep the cat food in a plastic tub. But 00:31:28.660 --> 00:31:31.599 after a few nights, Ricky ripped that into nothing, 00:31:31.700 --> 00:31:34.420 right? Then we're like, we'll put the cat food 00:31:34.420 --> 00:31:38.940 in a metal trash can. Well, Ricky ripped right 00:31:38.940 --> 00:31:41.430 through the lid on the metal trash can. Like 00:31:41.430 --> 00:31:43.230 just takes it off in the middle of the night, 00:31:43.250 --> 00:31:45.750 eats all the cat food, right? So then we're like, 00:31:45.829 --> 00:31:48.470 we'll put a lid on and put these bungee. Do you 00:31:48.470 --> 00:31:51.450 see the green bungee straps over the lid? Surely 00:31:51.450 --> 00:31:53.549 this raccoon's not going to be able to get into 00:31:53.549 --> 00:31:56.250 the cat food. You come out the next morning, 00:31:56.309 --> 00:31:58.809 the trash can's knocked over, the lid's pried 00:31:58.809 --> 00:32:01.589 open, and Ricky's had himself some cat food. 00:32:01.869 --> 00:32:04.329 So do you see what I, this is my next evolution 00:32:04.329 --> 00:32:08.019 of making this Fort Knox. I have taken a ratchet 00:32:08.019 --> 00:32:11.119 strap and strapped it to the metal wall of the 00:32:11.119 --> 00:32:13.819 porch so that it can't be knocked over by Ricky 00:32:13.819 --> 00:32:16.440 and he can't pry. So I go out this morning and 00:32:16.440 --> 00:32:21.039 I think, Ricky, I've beat you. This is this morning. 00:32:21.420 --> 00:32:25.819 Strapped to the metal, the bungee straps, somehow 00:32:25.819 --> 00:32:29.819 he has made his way into the trash can and eaten 00:32:29.819 --> 00:32:32.920 the cat food. Now some of you have said, why 00:32:32.920 --> 00:32:39.529 is Ricky still alive? Well, that was a clear 00:32:39.529 --> 00:32:43.609 option, but Ricky, we actually find out, is more 00:32:43.609 --> 00:32:46.809 like Raquel, and she has three baby raccoons. 00:32:47.589 --> 00:32:51.930 And so the whole Ricky not living anymore option 00:32:51.930 --> 00:32:56.529 is not a good one. So we're going through this 00:32:56.529 --> 00:33:03.089 evolution, but the reality is that Raquel and 00:33:03.089 --> 00:33:07.869 her babies... will not be put off of the cat 00:33:07.869 --> 00:33:10.890 food. They're like, you do whatever you want, 00:33:11.009 --> 00:33:14.170 humans. You want to ratchet strap that to the 00:33:14.170 --> 00:33:18.490 world? You do that? All the things. But there's 00:33:18.490 --> 00:33:22.789 a desire, there's a hunger in them that says, 00:33:22.869 --> 00:33:27.950 nothing will stop me from pressing into what 00:33:27.950 --> 00:33:36.529 feeds me. And there is an entire There's an entire 00:33:36.529 --> 00:33:39.789 portion of my life and there's an entire portion 00:33:39.789 --> 00:33:47.950 of Christianity in which we have been not hungering 00:33:47.950 --> 00:33:50.289 and pressing into the kingdom of heaven. Yes? 00:33:57.390 --> 00:34:01.990 And I just want to encourage you, don't settle 00:34:01.990 --> 00:34:09.239 for a powerless life. I know you know this, but 00:34:09.239 --> 00:34:12.579 can we just agree together, learn by repetition? 00:34:13.980 --> 00:34:23.420 The devil is not overly concerned with religion 00:34:23.420 --> 00:34:28.519 and church services. The world is not overly 00:34:28.519 --> 00:34:31.920 concerned or interested in religion or church 00:34:31.920 --> 00:34:35.730 services. I mean... We live in a country in which 00:34:35.730 --> 00:34:37.389 we have all the freedom in the world to worship 00:34:37.389 --> 00:34:40.090 openly. And we've got more than half of these 00:34:40.090 --> 00:34:44.409 seats empty. The world's not interested in coming 00:34:44.409 --> 00:34:49.429 into the church in these days. Now, I believe 00:34:49.429 --> 00:34:51.750 that's going to change in this understanding 00:34:51.750 --> 00:34:55.590 of revival and us beginning to live as kingdom 00:34:55.590 --> 00:34:58.409 people. But where that's going to intersect their 00:34:58.409 --> 00:35:04.050 world is out there. Out there. doing our jobs, 00:35:04.210 --> 00:35:08.369 playing on the sports teams, being families, 00:35:08.710 --> 00:35:12.889 the things outside these walls, and actually 00:35:12.889 --> 00:35:15.469 living in the kingdom of heaven on the earth. 00:35:20.250 --> 00:35:23.869 Here's my challenge to you. You ready? I'm in 00:35:23.869 --> 00:35:27.690 a discipleship relationship with one of my dearest 00:35:27.690 --> 00:35:30.750 friends right now. And we've been really stirring 00:35:30.750 --> 00:35:33.449 each other up in the things of the Lord. And 00:35:33.449 --> 00:35:37.610 we've made this commitment. It is our goal every 00:35:37.610 --> 00:35:42.250 day to find at least one person to pray for in 00:35:42.250 --> 00:35:46.650 the kingdom of heaven. Just one. Every day we 00:35:46.650 --> 00:35:50.210 have committed. It's our goal to find one person 00:35:50.210 --> 00:35:54.590 who needs the prayer and the power and the gospel 00:35:54.590 --> 00:35:58.730 and the supernatural strength of the Lord. and 00:35:58.730 --> 00:36:01.489 just be willing to pray for them. I know Brad 00:36:01.489 --> 00:36:04.349 taught last week. He did a great job. I listened 00:36:04.349 --> 00:36:08.210 on the live stream. But we were at this conference 00:36:08.210 --> 00:36:12.789 and there was a gentleman there, Brother Yun. 00:36:12.869 --> 00:36:16.070 I know he mentioned it. He's a Chinese pastor 00:36:16.070 --> 00:36:20.530 who spent, I believe, 14 or 15 years in being 00:36:20.530 --> 00:36:23.210 tortured in Chinese prison for the cause of Christ. 00:36:23.469 --> 00:36:27.559 He currently... has in the underground Chinese 00:36:27.559 --> 00:36:30.179 church, I believe they said 3 million people 00:36:30.179 --> 00:36:32.579 under his leadership through an underground Chinese 00:36:32.579 --> 00:36:35.820 church network. And he's currently discipling 00:36:35.820 --> 00:36:39.760 1 ,300 plus Chinese pastors. Every day he does 00:36:39.760 --> 00:36:44.500 four to six one -hour Zoom calls every day discipling 00:36:44.500 --> 00:36:47.139 these pastors. And I thought it was so interesting 00:36:47.139 --> 00:36:49.539 when they asked what his discipleship material 00:36:49.539 --> 00:36:53.650 was. He said, I teach all my disciples. Number 00:36:53.650 --> 00:36:56.230 one, he said they memorize a chapter of the Bible 00:36:56.230 --> 00:37:03.409 per day or they don't eat. Just let that sink 00:37:03.409 --> 00:37:08.309 in. Memorize a chapter of the Bible a day. And 00:37:08.309 --> 00:37:10.210 if the pastors come to him and say, we got too 00:37:10.210 --> 00:37:12.489 busy in the work of the ministry, he says, it's 00:37:12.489 --> 00:37:16.630 okay, you just fast until you memorize it. But, 00:37:16.730 --> 00:37:20.130 let's not meddle into things that convict us, 00:37:20.150 --> 00:37:24.280 right? No offense, but we've been asking this 00:37:24.280 --> 00:37:26.199 church to memorize the New Testament collectively 00:37:26.199 --> 00:37:29.679 for about 15 years now. We haven't got it done, 00:37:29.820 --> 00:37:33.599 but we're still working on it. But he says, my 00:37:33.599 --> 00:37:37.039 five discipleship principles, I think Brad said 00:37:37.039 --> 00:37:38.559 this, but act like you've never heard it. He 00:37:38.559 --> 00:37:40.500 said, this is what I teach every one of my disciples. 00:37:40.659 --> 00:37:44.460 Number one, every time and always be ready to 00:37:44.460 --> 00:37:50.780 pray for someone. Boom. Number two, anytime and 00:37:50.780 --> 00:37:53.320 every time, always be ready to release the power 00:37:53.320 --> 00:37:55.460 of God through that prayer and share the Gospel. 00:37:57.400 --> 00:38:00.300 Number three, every time and always be ready 00:38:00.300 --> 00:38:03.199 to suffer for the cause of Christ. Number four, 00:38:03.320 --> 00:38:06.539 every time and always be ready to die for the 00:38:06.539 --> 00:38:09.239 cause of Christ. And number five, every time 00:38:09.239 --> 00:38:11.699 and always be ready to run from the police so 00:38:11.699 --> 00:38:16.139 you can share the Gospel at the next place. Alright, 00:38:16.260 --> 00:38:19.690 so in our context, Number five is probably not 00:38:19.690 --> 00:38:21.730 a good discipleship tool. Don't run from the 00:38:21.730 --> 00:38:26.369 cops here just yet, right? But this whole understanding 00:38:26.369 --> 00:38:31.110 of every time always be ready to pray for someone 00:38:31.110 --> 00:38:35.710 and release the power of God. There's no reason 00:38:35.710 --> 00:38:40.250 that we should not be living this way as a lifestyle. 00:38:40.630 --> 00:38:43.630 Do you agree? Alright, who's willing to commit 00:38:43.630 --> 00:38:45.849 to that? Is anyone willing to commit to say, 00:38:46.420 --> 00:38:50.079 Jesse, I will not settle for a powerless lifestyle 00:38:50.079 --> 00:38:53.340 and I'm going to set my gaze looking for people 00:38:53.340 --> 00:38:56.559 to pray for and release the kingdom to. If that's 00:38:56.559 --> 00:38:58.260 you, would you just raise your hand? That's you. 00:38:58.420 --> 00:39:02.659 Alright? Okay, let me pray for you. Father, thank 00:39:02.659 --> 00:39:04.760 You for my friends. This is our commitment to 00:39:04.760 --> 00:39:07.219 You. We will not settle for a powerless lifestyle. 00:39:07.380 --> 00:39:12.260 Help us. By faith, we have expectation through 00:39:12.260 --> 00:39:19.659 Your words. That Your power will flow through 00:39:19.659 --> 00:39:22.380 us for Your kingdom on the earth. Would You give 00:39:22.380 --> 00:39:24.780 us eyes to see the needs of people around us? 00:39:25.739 --> 00:39:28.559 May not one day this week go by that we did not 00:39:28.559 --> 00:39:32.059 pray for and release Your power. Share the Gospel. 00:39:32.380 --> 00:39:37.460 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Alright. I've got 00:39:37.460 --> 00:39:40.380 to just close with this. Number three, the kingdom 00:39:40.380 --> 00:39:43.820 of heaven is a kingdom of honor. The kingdom 00:39:43.820 --> 00:39:47.599 of heaven is a kingdom of honor. we will be relentless 00:39:47.599 --> 00:39:51.559 in highly valuing each member of the body despite 00:39:51.559 --> 00:39:55.300 personal disappointments and offenses. It should 00:39:55.300 --> 00:40:01.079 say offenses, not defenses. I think this is so 00:40:01.079 --> 00:40:05.599 important. We're closing with this. Jesus is 00:40:05.599 --> 00:40:13.039 here. Can you even imagine how hurtful it would 00:40:13.039 --> 00:40:17.639 be to Jesus for John the Baptist to openly question 00:40:17.639 --> 00:40:22.420 Him. This isn't some acquaintance He barely knows, 00:40:22.739 --> 00:40:26.320 right? You remember Mary and John the Baptist's 00:40:26.320 --> 00:40:31.099 mom Elizabeth when they come together? John the 00:40:31.099 --> 00:40:33.880 Baptist leaps in his mother's womb and Elizabeth 00:40:33.880 --> 00:40:36.300 is filled with the Holy Spirit and begins to 00:40:36.300 --> 00:40:45.230 prophesy. John the Baptist, I would say, is definitely 00:40:45.230 --> 00:40:49.630 one of Jesus' most closest friendships, long 00:40:49.630 --> 00:40:54.550 -term friendships. It's John the Baptist that 00:40:54.550 --> 00:40:58.690 sees Jesus before the kingdom of heaven Jesus 00:40:58.690 --> 00:41:01.650 has even established. And he says to the world, 00:41:01.690 --> 00:41:05.769 behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins 00:41:05.769 --> 00:41:12.019 of the world. Who gets to baptize Jesus? Can 00:41:12.019 --> 00:41:19.579 you imagine baptizing the King of Glory? It's 00:41:19.579 --> 00:41:23.500 John the Baptist. His whole life, his whole mission 00:41:23.500 --> 00:41:26.780 life is to prepare the way for Jesus. And Jesus 00:41:26.780 --> 00:41:31.960 is here and that man is openly questioning who 00:41:31.960 --> 00:41:38.199 He is. And so how does Jesus respond? I'm not 00:41:38.199 --> 00:41:40.880 talking about His... verbal response. He said, 00:41:40.960 --> 00:41:43.679 hey, it's the power, right? We read that. But 00:41:43.679 --> 00:41:48.719 then look at how Jesus responds to the offense. 00:41:49.800 --> 00:41:52.960 As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began 00:41:52.960 --> 00:41:57.340 to speak to the crowd about John. He says, what 00:41:57.340 --> 00:42:01.179 did you go out to see in the desert? A reed swayed 00:42:01.179 --> 00:42:03.380 by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? 00:42:03.400 --> 00:42:05.860 A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who 00:42:05.860 --> 00:42:09.030 wear fine clothes are in king's palaces. then 00:42:09.030 --> 00:42:12.030 what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I 00:42:12.030 --> 00:42:14.949 tell you, more than a prophet. And then he goes 00:42:14.949 --> 00:42:17.409 on to tell in verse 11, I tell you the truth, 00:42:17.510 --> 00:42:20.849 among those born of women, there has not risen 00:42:20.849 --> 00:42:26.150 anyone greater than John the Baptist. Jesus, 00:42:26.230 --> 00:42:30.250 when faced with personal offense from someone 00:42:30.250 --> 00:42:33.929 He considered extremely close, His response was 00:42:33.929 --> 00:42:42.809 honor. That's what the kingdom of heaven looks 00:42:42.809 --> 00:42:50.250 like. Yes, it should be filled with miracles. 00:42:50.349 --> 00:42:53.909 Yes, we should be going to the nations and sharing 00:42:53.909 --> 00:42:58.849 the story of Jesus and baptizing people in wells 00:42:58.849 --> 00:43:01.329 and in darkness and discipling them to follow 00:43:01.329 --> 00:43:05.710 Jesus. Yes, it's all of that. And it's also honoring 00:43:05.710 --> 00:43:10.590 the people in this room. as valued members of 00:43:10.590 --> 00:43:13.769 the body of Christ even when they hurt us, betray 00:43:13.769 --> 00:43:20.889 us, discourage us, or openly question us. That's 00:43:20.889 --> 00:43:24.170 what the kingdom of heaven looks like in an offended, 00:43:24.250 --> 00:43:30.630 critical world. It looks like honor. Honoring 00:43:30.630 --> 00:43:35.469 one another. There is not one person in the body 00:43:35.469 --> 00:43:38.360 of Christ that is not worthy of honor despite 00:43:38.360 --> 00:43:41.760 their failures, despite their struggles, despite 00:43:41.760 --> 00:43:45.500 their weak moments, they're worthy of honor. 00:43:50.260 --> 00:43:56.079 How did Jesus honor John the Baptist? Could I 00:43:56.079 --> 00:43:58.980 just make a couple of suggestions? And then we're 00:43:58.980 --> 00:44:02.750 going to close with this. These three things 00:44:02.750 --> 00:44:05.130 I think are so important for the practical reality 00:44:05.130 --> 00:44:09.170 of living the honor lifestyle. Number one, he 00:44:09.170 --> 00:44:12.150 refuses to let current disappointment eclipse 00:44:12.150 --> 00:44:16.969 John's value in the kingdom. Here's John questioning, 00:44:17.110 --> 00:44:18.789 should we be looking for somebody? What? Are 00:44:18.789 --> 00:44:21.650 you kidding me? Should we be looking for another 00:44:21.650 --> 00:44:27.230 Messiah? How does Jesus respond? When he's talking 00:44:27.230 --> 00:44:31.659 to the disciples, he does not even mention. John's 00:44:31.659 --> 00:44:34.699 moment of weakness. He doesn't even verbalize 00:44:34.699 --> 00:44:36.940 it. He says, what did you go out to see, man? 00:44:37.019 --> 00:44:41.039 This guy is greater than a prophet. This man, 00:44:41.159 --> 00:44:45.800 the greatest man ever born of woman. He refuses 00:44:45.800 --> 00:44:48.980 to let that moment of weakness in John eclipse 00:44:48.980 --> 00:44:52.860 his value to the kingdom. And there's so many 00:44:52.860 --> 00:44:56.349 of us. That we are in this lifestyle and somebody 00:44:56.349 --> 00:44:59.369 wounds us. Someone offends us. Someone says something 00:44:59.369 --> 00:45:01.849 against us. And what do we do? We write them 00:45:01.849 --> 00:45:04.909 off. We write them off for the kingdom. Well, 00:45:04.929 --> 00:45:10.469 you're no value to me. The kingdom is a kingdom. 00:45:10.530 --> 00:45:13.369 The kingdom of heaven is a kingdom of honor. 00:45:13.969 --> 00:45:17.329 The father honors the son. The son honors the 00:45:17.329 --> 00:45:20.369 spirit. The spirit honors the father. The church 00:45:20.369 --> 00:45:23.130 honors the bride. The bridegroom honors the... 00:45:23.449 --> 00:45:29.570 bride. It's a system of honor. And you think 00:45:29.570 --> 00:45:31.989 you and I get to exist in the kingdom of heaven 00:45:31.989 --> 00:45:36.110 and trash talk people and dishonor them and write 00:45:36.110 --> 00:45:38.449 them off in the kingdom and get to be effective? 00:45:40.590 --> 00:45:44.889 You know who's the biggest failure at this? You're 00:45:44.889 --> 00:45:48.710 looking at them right here. There have been so 00:45:48.710 --> 00:45:52.110 many times over these years that I've gone to 00:45:52.110 --> 00:45:57.000 my wife as a safe place. And I have dishonored 00:45:57.000 --> 00:46:03.519 many people in this church. I'm being so honest. 00:46:03.920 --> 00:46:10.119 And I have repented before God. And I did again 00:46:10.119 --> 00:46:14.000 this morning. And I apologize before my wife 00:46:14.000 --> 00:46:18.119 and my own children who have heard me dishonor 00:46:18.119 --> 00:46:22.480 people in the kingdom. because of my own offended 00:46:22.480 --> 00:46:33.699 nature. This has to shift in us. Secondly, he 00:46:33.699 --> 00:46:36.199 remembers and recounts John's sacrifices and 00:46:36.199 --> 00:46:39.280 efforts for the kingdom when he's tempted. Because 00:46:39.280 --> 00:46:41.659 you know Jesus was tempted in every way like 00:46:41.659 --> 00:46:45.559 we are. Every single way that you're tempted, 00:46:45.619 --> 00:46:52.079 He was tempted. So, he refuses. To let John be 00:46:52.079 --> 00:46:54.599 discounted by his moment of weakness. But then 00:46:54.599 --> 00:46:58.679 he remembers and recounts all the sacrifice that 00:46:58.679 --> 00:47:02.159 John has made for the kingdom. So when you're 00:47:02.159 --> 00:47:05.139 tempted to write off me or somebody else or somebody 00:47:05.139 --> 00:47:08.599 else in the kingdom or someone that offends you, 00:47:08.699 --> 00:47:12.380 number one, refuse to let the moment eclipse 00:47:12.380 --> 00:47:15.760 their value in the kingdom. And then in your 00:47:15.760 --> 00:47:19.860 own heart, begin to remember and recount. The 00:47:19.860 --> 00:47:23.019 ways that person has been faithful. The way they've 00:47:23.019 --> 00:47:25.119 given their life to the King and the Kingdom. 00:47:25.340 --> 00:47:28.420 And then thirdly, He publicly confirms John's 00:47:28.420 --> 00:47:31.639 purpose and value in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus 00:47:31.639 --> 00:47:37.659 talks good about John behind His back. And if 00:47:37.659 --> 00:47:42.599 our church could ever grasp this kind of honor, 00:47:42.780 --> 00:47:49.929 I believe... We cannot even imagine the effect 00:47:49.929 --> 00:47:53.150 we can have for the kingdom of heaven on the 00:47:53.150 --> 00:48:01.590 earth. Alright? So, here's how we respond in 00:48:01.590 --> 00:48:03.989 closing. Would it be okay if we stand? We're 00:48:03.989 --> 00:48:12.010 done. Can I just ask this response? If you need 00:48:12.010 --> 00:48:14.889 to repent for a lack of honor, would you just 00:48:14.889 --> 00:48:18.880 do so now? Tell God you're sorry. Say, I repent 00:48:18.880 --> 00:48:21.519 God. I want to change the way I think. I want 00:48:21.519 --> 00:48:25.179 to value each member as completely invaluable 00:48:25.179 --> 00:48:29.179 for your kingdom. Each one. Just repent before 00:48:29.179 --> 00:48:38.820 the Lord. This is so important. Good job. Could 00:48:38.820 --> 00:48:44.659 we commit to be relentless in valuing each member? 00:48:45.550 --> 00:48:48.769 above ourselves. That's what the Scripture says. 00:48:50.030 --> 00:48:53.230 Can we just make that commitment? God, I commit 00:48:53.230 --> 00:48:57.090 to see each person as an invaluable member of 00:48:57.090 --> 00:49:08.510 Your body and to put them above myself. Alright. 00:49:09.570 --> 00:49:14.300 And how about this lastly? Can you commit to 00:49:14.300 --> 00:49:17.119 live honorably so it's not so hard to honor you? 00:49:21.420 --> 00:49:26.059 That's what I'm saying to myself. Like, live 00:49:26.059 --> 00:49:28.380 in such a way that I'm not a stumbling block 00:49:28.380 --> 00:49:30.820 to my brother and sister that they have to fight 00:49:30.820 --> 00:49:53.190 through all my immaturity to give me honor. Lord, 00:49:53.250 --> 00:49:56.329 we ask You to develop us into a culture of honor. 00:50:01.349 --> 00:50:04.809 That the world may see You in us the way we treat 00:50:04.809 --> 00:50:08.630 each other, the way we love each other. Father, 00:50:08.670 --> 00:50:10.429 thank You for this time in Your presence. All 00:50:10.429 --> 00:50:12.309 that was accomplished, thank You for Your Word. 00:50:13.010 --> 00:50:16.010 May it be deeply planted in us to produce fruit 00:50:16.010 --> 00:50:19.110 that will last. So that in that day when we see 00:50:19.110 --> 00:50:22.239 You face to face, We will have many crowns to 00:50:22.239 --> 00:50:26.199 crown you with because you're worthy. We love 00:50:26.199 --> 00:50:29.800 you. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. I love 00:50:29.800 --> 00:50:31.760 you. You're such a blessing. Have a wonderful 00:50:31.760 --> 00:50:32.179 week.