Our series has been called "There is a King," so we started the first week with "Our King is invincible, unstoppable, and powerful." In the second week, we discussed how "Our King is compassionate," and last week, we explored "Our King is eternal." On Christmas Eve, we declared that "The King has come." Today, we will delve into the fact that there is a kingdom. The verse we read together, Matthew 6:33, says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." We need to understand what exactly the kingdom is. People talk about the kingdom of God all the time, and today we want to break down what the kingdom of God is. Because this is a topical message, I went back to seminary and put it in a nicely capsulized form for you; every point starts with the letter 'D,' so that'll be exciting. If you hear a 'D' word, you probably want to latch on to that.
So, who here has a priceless family treasure somewhere in your house? The thing that gets passed down from generation to generation. Okay, so in our household, I'm named after a grandfather I never met. My grandfather Carl was a career military bomber pilot who flew in World War II, Korea, and during the Cold War. He flew a lot of cool airplanes over the years: the B-24, the B-50, excuse me, B-47, the B-36 Peacemaker was one of his aircraft. That's what I know of him, but the one thing that I have of him, and it's my cherished possession, is a Japanese pearl-inlaid table that sits in our entryway. That is the cherished family heirloom that someday will get passed on, and the kids are, you know, making dibs as to who gets it. Here's the thing: that table will, at some point, rot and be gone. What we're going to talk about today is something lasting—the kingdom of heaven—and so we need to understand why the kingdom of heaven is so valuable. Why would scripture tell us that when the kingdom of heaven is found, it's worth getting rid of everything else? Here's the reason we want to understand this: because Jesus spent an awful lot of time talking about the kingdom. His original message was, "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is here." So, if the kingdom is so important, we need to understand what exactly is the kingdom.
And so, we're going to begin by understanding that the kingdom is, number one, a dwelling. It is where God lives, where He engages His people. We're going to walk through scripture and get the historical perspective of God's dwelling in His interaction with mankind. So, in Genesis chapter 3, verses 8-9, we see that God dwelled with Adam and Eve in the garden before the fall. Verse 8 and 9, shortly after the fall, they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" So, in the beginning, God and man were in fellowship together; they would walk together, they would commune together, they would fellowship together, and when sin entered the world, that fellowship was broken. So, we see a change in how God relates to His people, beginning in Exodus chapter 40. God began to dwell within the Holy of Holies but in the midst of the people of Israel. When we look at verse 34 of Exodus chapter 40, we see this: "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out, but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day and fire was in it by night in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.
So, God was in the midst of His people leading them, yet the people could not approach God one-on-one. In fact, when you read Scripture, when you read the historical portion of the Tabernacle, what you'll find is the Great High Priest was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies once per year to make intercession for the people. This was such an ominous task that his robe had bells around the bottom so they could hear him moving, and if the bell stopped, there was a rope around his ankle so they could pull his body out. It was an incredibly important position but a daunting position. So what the people of Israel knew of God in their midst was the cloud by day and the fire by night. They would wake up in the mornings, and if the cloud was there, they knew they were to stay put, and if the cloud was moving, it was time to go. But that was their encounter, their experience with God. But then we come into the truth of Christmas: God became flesh and dwelt among us. Emmanuel was one of His names, meaning "God with us." John chapter 1, the first five verses, and then verse 14: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Now here's the beauty of this passage, verse 14: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
When Jesus said, "Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand," He was referring to Himself. God is no longer distant. God is no longer a pillar of cloud or a column of fire. God is now in the flesh among you, His glory being revealed day by day. But then it gets even better. We move to Romans chapter 8, verse 11, and we find this: God indwells His people as the Holy Spirit's power indwells. Read this: If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. I don't want you to miss the beauty of this 'D.' Where does God dwell? He dwells within you. The very power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. Sadly, too many Christians don't tap into that power. It's as though we have a house rigged with electricity. The light bulbs are on, all the neighbors stand around to see this electric work, the sun goes down, we flick the lights on for a minute, and then we turn them off, and the candles come on. That's how many of us live our lives. We're rigged up for the power, but we're still living by candle light. That's not what God intended. We're going to get into this fact here at a moment: that what He intends for us is to live in power because His power indwells us. Understand this, that the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power available to you to deal with the problems of life, but some of us play anemic and small. We're not convinced that the power is really there, and yet that was the good news. Jesus said, "I'm going to leave, and the Comforter is coming." We're going to get into another verse here in a minute that when He comes, you're going to receive power. Are we living in power? The second 'D' we want to look at is there is a dynasty with the Kingdom of God. So the Kingdom of God, number one, is defined by power. Let me leave us with one last point here on that power topic before we move on to dynasty. I mean, a lot of people who have read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and they understand the power of Jesus, you know those people, they get on Facebook and say, "I need prayers and fuzzy worms and good vibes and positive energy because I'm going through a crisis." They've had a little taste of who Jesus really is. However, they've come to church and been very disappointed to see that people who claim Jesus don't live in the power of Jesus, and so they move on. "I'll just commune with God out in nature; I'll go do my God thing somewhere else." Are we the representation we need to be as His people?
So the next point is the dynasty. It begins in Genesis chapter 17, verses 7 and 8. This is the Abrahamic covenant. God tells Abraham, "I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." Here's the cool thing for those of us who are followers of Christ: What Scripture tells us is we've been grafted into the covenant. And I don't know about you, but I'm really happy about that because, hey, I wasn't born in Israel. My parents weren't Jewish; they were Baptist. And there's a lot of other reasons I should be disqualified. So praise God that the covenant we've been grafted into, that is His people, "You weren't born in My kingdom, but I am making you subjects of the kingdom." Praise God for that.
Then there's the Mosaic covenant, Exodus 19, verses 5 through 8. "Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel. So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do." And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. In this covenant, God says, "Moses, I'm going to make these people a mighty nation and a kingdom of priests." You know what? You've been grafted into that as well. Here's the part I want you to focus on: the kingdom of priests. No longer do we need to go through a priest to intercede on our behalf. We have direct access to God. Here's the caveat, though: What He's asked us to do is intercede for those around us.
Who here is a goal setter? Somewhere this week, if you haven't already done it, you're going to sit down and write goals for next year. Who here? I know some of you are. Don't be liars. Get your hands up. Yes, I know who the entrepreneurs in the room are. So I know that. Are you including in those goals the people you're going to intercede for this year? When you walk into my office, I've got all of my business goals written out, but the most important board is the one off to the left of my desk. It has two columns—actually, it has three. It has the pastors that we work with around the world that I'm praying for. It has the people who, when you come up and pray with me on Sunday mornings and I know you're going through something, I write your name there. But the more important one is there's a list of people who I don't know where they stand with God, and their names don't come off that board till I know for sure they are my priority. Then I've got all my business goals, but the truth is, all my business is is a mechanism to get me in front of people to introduce them to the King of Kings. That's the only thing that matters. That board is the most important thing in my office. So I want to challenge you this year, whether you're a goal setter or not, put some names on the board and begin to intercede because that's part of your dynasty. You are part of the priesthood. Intercede for those around you. Here's the beautiful part of that: Over the years, I've seen so many names come off the board. I get excited about that. One thing that excites me in this church this year: we've used the baptistry more than we have in the last nine years. My prayer is that in the year to come, there's not a week go by that somebody's not getting wet, and my bigger prayer is that there would be a line every week. I hope you'll join me in that prayer because that's really why we're here—to make disciples, not converts. Disciples—people who follow Jesus heart and soul, 100 percent.
Then there's David's covenant, First Chronicles 17, 11 through 14. "When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever." God was making a promise to David. Your heir is going to sit on the throne and reign forever. He was referring to Jesus. In the book of Matthew chapter 1, he recounts the genealogy of Jesus just so we can connect the dots. But what matters to you and I is this next piece: the New Covenant. For this blood of the covenants comes from Matthew 26:28, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. So Jesus established a new covenant. We took communion together Friday evening, reminding ourselves that in his blood a new covenant has been written, and that covenant draws us into some really amazing things, and we're going to get to that here in the next passage.
The promise of things to come, Romans chapter 8, verses 14 through 17. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God, remember the Spirit of God dwells within you." And I say this every time I preach, and I'll say it again today: God knows more about leading you than you know about following Him. The problem is, most of us are too busy to listen. We don't take time to hear, "What are you saying to me?" We don't take time to pay attention to, "What are you doing in my circumstances today? Who are you putting in front of me today?" Seeking first the Kingdom of God means this: I know I'm led by the Spirit. "Where do you want to go today?" For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Are you living a defeated life? Are you acting like you're still in bondage?" Because the truth is, you're not. Some of you just like your handcuffs, but they're unlocked. It's time to let them drop. But you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Don't miss this. And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. Don't miss this at all. Jesus died on the cross and paid the penalty for your sin. His blood wiped the record clean. He stepped forth from the grave to conquer death and hell, so you don't have to fear it and to show you that there is resurrection power available to you. But then he goes a step further. He adopts you as his son or as his daughter, as his heir. You're inheriting the kingdom. See, Jesus' inheritance is He's going to rule and reign. What the Bible teaches us is we're going to be there with Him. But here's what I want you to understand: When you know that's your inheritance, you don't have to live a defeated life because I already know what's coming to me.
The third 'D' is a duty in the Kingdom of God. There's a dwelling. He dwells within us. The fellowship is always there. The intimacy is always available to us. There is a dynasty. You've got a legacy that has been given to you. I've been redoing our estate plans over the last few months, now that we have grandchildren. I don't want to give stuff to my kids; I want to give it to my grandkids. Is that fair? I think it's why I had children, so I could have grandchildren. There is a duty that comes with the Kingdom of God. God dwells with you. There's intimacy with Him. He's given you an inheritance that is mind-blowing. He's given you His power, but there's a duty that comes with that because as subjects of the king, we've got to reflect his kingdom. The first one is we obey His word. John 14:23, Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." We need to obey His word, but it's hard to obey His word if you never open His word. Ooh, wow, it's hard to obey His word if you don't know what's in His word, right? So here's the other thing I want you to do this year, if you'll be brave, which I know you will. Besides writing your names on the board, open your word every day. If all you can do is read a verse, read a verse. If all you can do is read a chapter, read a chapter. But get into the word because what will happen is the word will get into you because the author of the word, the Spirit of God, the one who breathed it, indwells you. The reason we get into the word is to help make the connection between head and heart so that we don't claim one thing and walk something different. So the tongue in our mouth and the tongue in our shoes are moving in the same direction. Obey His word. Declare His goodness. Acts 1:8, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." Let's break down that word power. In Greek, it's actually the word that we get dynamite from—explosive power. Anybody here like "Gold Rush"? Any other nerds? Come on, admit it. If you're a nerd, I guess I'm the only one. So you know, there's an offshoot called "Gold Rush: White Water" where these crazy idiots like go diving in rapids to look for gold in nine-foot pools of water with white water rapids over the top of them. So what obviously happens on a regular basis is these thousand-pound boulders end up where they're trying to mine, and their favorite tool to deal with that is they drill a hole in it, and they stick a charge in, and they blow the rock apart. Coolest thing in the world—explosive power. That's what the Holy Spirit has given you. And here's what He asks you to do: Just go be My witnesses. Witnesses can't talk about somebody else's story; they can only talk about their own. And we're very timid about our stories, and we shouldn't be because what you'll find is God will add the dynamite to your story, and He will put the person in front of you who needs the boulder in their life shattered, and amazing things will happen. But you have to tell the story. Sadly, if I were to walk through here today and say, "What's God doing in your life?" there might be some of us who'd go, "That's not a good witness." That's anemic faith. That's not living in the power of the kingdom. Declare His goodness. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." You just don't know where you're going to be allowed to tell your story. I have the privilege of getting to travel overseas on a regular basis, and I marvel how many times somebody will come to me and say, "Hey, do you remember what you said to me in 2006?" "No, I don't remember what I had for breakfast this morning. What did I say to you?" "Well, you told me this, and here's what God did." Okay, that's pretty cool because you're not from here. We don't speak the same language, and somehow out of my story, you got X. That's the dynamite. But we have to tell our story. That's the duty. That's what citizens of the kingdom do. They talk about the King and His goodness. And then we make disciples, teaching them everything that's been commanded. Matthew 28:18-20, "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples, not converts. Disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'" We're called to make disciples, not converts. Converts are people who pray a prayer and make a decision but don't live it out from that point on. Disciples are people who go, "This is where life and truth is found, and I'm going to walk in this way the rest of my life. I'm not budging." That's what I love about seeing the baptistry full. The conversation that I always have when I get ready to baptize somebody: "You're staking your flag in the ground. Are you going to budge from this? Because if you're thinking, 'Now I'm going to try it,' don't even get in. Stake your flag in the ground and stay there." Make disciples. Teach them everything that you've been taught.
Now, here's some additional things we want to cover, as Josh read earlier: that the Kingdom of God is the most treasured possession. It's the pearl of great price. When you find it, nothing else matters. Besides being a pastor, I'm an entrepreneur, so I'm always studying what's going on in the markets. The good news is the Fed is supposed to raise rates three times this year, which means people's 401(k)s will become 201(k)s again. The real estate market will go up and down. I can't build my legacy on those things. The only thing I can give to my children that matters, to my grandchildren, is the Kingdom of God. My greatest prayer for my family is always, "Let through the generations, my family, my household, be known for one thing, and that's for being Yours, for being people who make disciples and love Jesus." That's the greatest inheritance I can give them. That's all that matters. The money will go away. The stuff will go away. But here's what we find out about the Kingdom of God. Matthew chapter 13: Jesus is speaking over and over about the Kingdom, but He's using parables. And He goes on to tell His disciples, "Not everybody's going to understand this stuff. It's not meant for everybody because not everybody wants it." But what you do find is those who are searching for it will always find it. Luke 11:9-10, "And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened." I've yet to see anybody cry out to God and Him turn a deaf ear. He pays attention to the heart of the cry. Now, let's make no mistake: There are people who aren't looking for God who cry out for His help. What they're really saying is, "Be my genie and come bail me out of my problem." But people who are truly seeking the Kingdom of God, "I want the inheritance. I want the fellowship with God indwelling me. I want to be about the business of the Kingdom." He never ignores. Once you find it, nothing else has any real value. Philippians 3:8 says this, and this is the apostle Paul talking, "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I've suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish." In order that I may gain Christ. What Paul was saying in this passage is, "I've had a lot of accolades in life. I'm well trained, I'm well educated, I've been a prominent person. But in the end, I find those things as rubbish." Rubbish really isn't a great translation. The Greek word is "scupula," which basically means human excrement. So, in comparison to knowing Christ and having the Kingdom of God and being a part of the Kingdom, I count everything else as dung. It's not worth having. We have the greatest treasure. Are we treating it like the greatest treasure? There are people outside these walls today that are crying out to know, "Is there a God who cares and loves them? Is there hope in this life?" I was telling my kids yesterday, I was a police officer for eight years. My worst domestic violence calls were always Christmas Eve, a day that should be filled with hope, was filled with violence and pain. That's not what the world's looking for. There's a greater hope. We have the answer. We have that treasure. Are we putting it out there? We're going to close this morning with just a few thoughts. If you were a follower of Christ, but you're not living as a citizen of the Kingdom, time to make some changes. You've got the power. It lives within you. God's presence is with you day by day. He's not distant. He's not far. He's not holding you at arm's length. He's with you. Remember, He knows more about leading you than you know about following Him. But this year, will you seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness? Will you intercede for the people in your life that desperately need Him? And will you avail yourself to telling your story? It doesn't have to be grand and magnificent. He'll add the dynamite. It will do what it's supposed to do. The Bible tells us that we shall overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Can't overcome if you're not talking.
