There is always a king. There is always an enemy. There is always a need for rescue. There is always a choice as to which Kingdom you choose.

Transcription

1 There are two Kingdoms... GOD AND WORLD There are always two kingdoms... But we understand it in art. So many of the stories that capture our hearts and imaginations derive from the inner truth that God has planted in us for a good King in a vibrant Kingdom. King Arthur and the Knights of the round table Cinderella Lord of the rings Narnia Harry Potter Star Wars The main thing that Jesus was about was the Kingdom of God. (Over 100x) He wasn t about giving a moral example though he did. He wasn t about being the greatest teacher ever, though he was. Even his death on a cross was important insofar it enabled the entrance of us into the Kingdom. There is always a king. There is always an enemy. There is always a need for rescue. There is always a choice as to which Kingdom you choose. First thing in all Gospels is a communication of the Kingdom Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor. Physical realm AND spiritual realm The Matrix and the Creators disdain about a Biblical link

2 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. 22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at j the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. luke 4:21 You can agree with Jesus and appreciate how gracious He is but that's never how He intended to be perceived. This is a Rebel. A person rebelling against the ways of the world. This is a King who demands allegiance. To simply say, "He was a great teacher" or "He was a great moral example" or even "He is the Savior" isn't good enought. He is king and leader of a tribe set apart by God to do God's bidding in this broken world. Mark 18:36 My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world. 37 Then Pilate said to him, So you are a king? Jesus answered, You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. What is a Kingdom? It is hard to understand what a Kingdom is in our culture because we are in a nation with distinct geographical boundaries that is governed by the will of the majority of the people through elections and politics. 1) Kingdoms Have a Culture Physical Geography vs. Spiritual Geography Part of how you know which kingdom you are in are the cultural cues. Rules of the road, How you Greet Common Language South African Time Listens to voice = aligning with His cultural

3 Personal Examples... Response to car being gone on Craigslist West side ground breaking and response of caterers PIC FROM WEST SIDE GROUND BREAKING Kingdom of God is a party DUCT TAPE DIVIDING LINE Kingdom of this World Kingdom of God Entry Into... Taken Receive VS: Mark 10:15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. John 10:10 11 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Authority... Fear Love Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Relationships... Selfishness Sacrifice HO LEE SCHITT GRAPHIC Money... For accumulating For blessing Matt 6:19 21 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

4 Future... This life is all there is The best is yet to come King Dom Me Dom 2) Kingdoms Have a Sole Authority We don't understand this. We only vote on someone who has the privilege to represent us... Not lead us... And only so long as we approve of the job he or she is doing and then we vote for someone else. Here is one of the most revolutionary figures in history. He comes from the humblest of beginnings. He never held elected office. He never had an army at his disposal. He never got rich; he had nothing that we would associate with power and advantage. Nonetheless, what does he accomplish? An unfathomable amount. Malcolm Gladwell huffington Post 10/9/2013 Absolute rule isn't always bad. It is bad absolute rulers. We live in a world where there are two realms. The KOG and Default Mode. John 12:31 32 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. John 16:11 the prince of this world now stands condemned. So where are these Kingdoms?... They begin with a choice in what will be our king and play out in our daily choices with their ensuing outcomes. OFFERING: SARAH GORDON STORY 3) Kingdoms Expand Their Territory Right now all the geography on our world is pretty much divided up. There aren t really any new frontiers. Furthermore, if a country were to try to do a landgrab, the world has shrunk to the point that they couldn t do it. The international community would cry out and there would be economic ramifications in economic sanctions in being cut out of the aupply chain. That would bring serious economic hardship so no country or kingdom today is going to try to expand their territory. But this is only a

5 recent development on the World stage The birthing and early establishment of America is so fascinating for me to read because every major country had a stake in our landmass. England still believed we were theirs. France had a foothold in Louisiana. Even Spain had to be reckoned with as President Polk back in the mid 1800 s was trying to expand American territory in the west and a potential purchase of Cuba. Why are all these countries interested in a landmass way far away across oceans? Because that is what Kingdoms and Kings always do. You are booty. I m not saying anything about your booty. I m saying that you are booty for warring Kingdoms. The Evil prince wants to keep you in his territory. God wants to pull you into his territory and through you expand his territory. GRAVITY GRAPHIC Sandra Bullock in the movie gravity is drifting in space which may be a feeling you have at times in this journey because you may lose your bearings at points because beliefs you held dear were actually delusions that are a part of the mindset of this world. At a pivotal point she says' I should probably pray but no one ever taught me to pray. We are going to teach you how to pray and the ways of the King and His Kingdim. Jesus had to teach His followers this. In fact, once they said to him, "Lord, teach us how to pray"... Matthew 6:9 10 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. You might have never heard someone refer to God has "Lord" so many times in such a short time period. If you come into the Kingdom, you will grow comfortable referring to God as Lord and at the same time, Dad. The world s definition of love is entirely different than Jesus definition of love. He is a king who has died for you. He is a king who loves you and yet he isn t a

6 higher power who exists to serve you. He isn t a king that is looking to make you the center of his affections. He is a king who has a big and all encompassing agenda that includes you and therefore He invites you. All other agendas are actually dastardly schemes that come from His nemesis. The evil prince who will never be King. We will talk next week about how to get into this Kingdom. You get in by receiving it. One of the ways I've experienced the generosity of God is that I have two disposals in my kitchen. One of them has been bad and stinking the house for over a year. I finally said the other day, "wait a minute. I'm handy and I have this new thing called the Internet". I felt relieved and fulfilled that I have something working at full capacity again. I believe a lot of us in here are going to operate at full capacity again. In fact, I believe that you may have at worse some broken stench and at least untapped power that on Jesus and entering his kingdom will resolve. This could be the most important 6 weeks of your life.

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