A DREAM COME TRUE
Matthew 4:12-17; 23-5:12
S: Celebrate Jesus
Th: Kingdom Living
Pr: JESUS CAST A VISION OF A BETTER KINGDOM, NOW AND FUTURE.
?: What? What kind of kingdom?
KW: Changes
TS: We will find in our study three changes that Jesus introduced with the announcement of the kingdom.
The _____ change that Jesus introduced was that the kingdom…
I. ARRIVED (12-17)
II. ARRIVED WITH POWER (23-25)
III. ARRIVED POWERFULLY UPSIDE-DOWN (1-12)
RMBC 2/27/00 AM
INTRODUCTION:
1. Are you afraid of change, or do you look for it?
Sometimes, we can be so set in our ways that we miss how it could be better.
Take for instance…
ILL Internet
In 1870, the Methodists were having their annual conference in Indiana. The presiding Bishop was asking a group for an interpretation of current events, when the president of the college where the conference was held volunteered his input: "I think we are living in a very exciting age. I believe we are coming into a time when we will see wonderful inventions. I believe we will fly through the air like birds!" Bishop Wright, visibly disturbed by this scientifically based comment proclaimed, "This is heresy, this is blasphemy; I read in my Bible that flight is reserved for the angels. We will not have such talk here in my area." Bishop Wright then returned home to his two young sons, Orville and Wilbur.
Well, here is a lesson about vision and change.
So often, we are afraid of what change might bring.
On the other hand…
2. When we look at the world as it is, we often long for it to be different than it is.
I glanced through the paper yesterday.
I read the following articles:
One was about the four NYC policemen acquitted for shooting an unarmed man.
Another was about a funeral for the man that hit the wall on the Scajaquada.
I read another about the woman found guilty for murdering a visiting psychiatric worker.
I also read a letter to the editor by Tom Bauerle defending the new sports guy on WGR in the evening.
As I looked through the paper, there was a spattering of positive stories, but they were the minority.
In fact, when I open the newspaper or the news magazines, they are filled with reports of murder, rape, child abuse, war, corruption, students killing peers, massacres, AIDS, cancer, starvation, adolescent sexual activity, adultery, and divorce.
These matters dominate the pages.
It is evidence, I believe, of an intrinsic evil in our society.
We are not becoming more moral or better as some believe.
This is a truth that the Bible surely confirms.
On our own, we make the wrong choice.
Have you ever said to yourself, “I wish things could be different?”
TRANSITION:
1. During Jesus’ time, people were tired of physical and spiritual oppression.
Even then, people were tired of the bad news.
For years, they had been living under severe Roman oppression.
The desire to be from this tyranny ran strong.
For they were also living under spiritual leaders that either compromised their heritage to get along with Rome or under spiritual leaders that were so strict that the enjoyment of life was taken away.
It was all so oppressive.
But Jesus came to offer something better.
For…
2. When Jesus came on the scene, he offered hope by saying that, “Things can be different.”
“Things can be different.”
“Something good is here.”
“Something better.”
“Something available…now.”
And in offering this hope…
3. JESUS CAST A VISION OF A BETTER KINGDOM, NOW AND FUTURE.
In casting this vision, Jesus’ aim wasn’t to entertain the multitudes.
Instead, his goal was to cause them to encounter the living God.
His aim wasn’t to impart information alone, but to make a significant change in the lives of his hearers.
So then, our question this morning is, “What kind of kingdom was Jesus speaking about?”
Well…
4. We will find in our study three changes that Jesus introduced with the announcement of the kingdom.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first change that Jesus introduced was that the kingdom ARRIVED (12-17).
(12) When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. (13) Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali (14) to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: (15) “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles (16) the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (17) From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Isaiah had looked forward to a time when the great light had dawned.
It is Matthew’s testimony that the light had come.
The light came to a simple working class people in the north, surrounded by Samaritans and Gentiles.
Though they were Jewish, they did not have the biblical education of the Judeans.
It was to these people the light had come.
And this light came preaching.
1. Jesus came preaching.
To preach, simply, is to proclaim.
It is to make known the truth.
When one preaches, it is by definition to be a matter of certainty, not doubt.
So when Jesus came preaching, it was not a matter of “What do you think,” but a matter of “This is the way it is.”
And Jesus spoke a message of repentance.
2. The message spoke of the need to change.
Repentance means that we have a necessary change of mind.
Our views change.
Our values and goals change.
The way we live changes.
Repentance means that we turn away from sin and turn to God.
ILL Notebook: Change (rivers)
Rivers in extremely cold climates (colder than ours) freeze over in winter. In the spring, when they thaw, the sound of ice cracking is an incredibly violent sound. The more extensive and severe the freeze, the more thunderous the thaw. Yet, at the end of the cracking, breaking, violent period, the river is open. The river is life-giving. And notice, no one has said, "Let’s not suffer the thaw; let’s keep the freeze; let’s keep everything nice and quiet."
The same is true here. We are enjoying the warmer weather, but there often is a danger that goes with it, like flooding.
To wrench anything out of its accustomed course often is a painful process. It does great violence to the existing pattern. Many people want change, both in the external world and in their own internal world, but they are unwilling to undergo the severe pain that often must precede it.
Jesus’ message, though, was uncompromising.
The need to change was a certainty.
There was no compromise.
For…
3. The better thing had arrived.
The kingdom of heaven had arrived.
It was no longer something that was far away.
It was no longer something that was “someday.”
It was now!
It was a dream come true.
What they had hoped as a people had finally arrived.
The silence had been so long.
But now, God was on the scene.
God’s kingship, His rule, and His sovereignty were no longer matters of heaven alone.
It was near.
And it was so near, that it was there.
It had arrived!
II. The second change that Jesus introduced was that the kingdom ARRIVED WITH POWER (23-25).
(23) Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. (24) News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. (25) Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
We live in a culture that is concerned about health.
Rightly so.
And I want to announce that…
ILL Notebook: Health (Mikey’s Thot)
I am in shape. I am in shape because round is a shape!
Really…
When it comes to health, we want to be better.
For example…
ILL Notebook: Healing (kiss)
After pinching his finger in a drawer, three-year-old Kelly came crying to his mother, looking for the ritual “kiss to make it better.” He went back to playing, but was back about a minute later, saying, “You didn’t kiss it well enough!”
We will always be inadequate in the healing process.
But when Jesus came, He really healed people.
For…
1. Jesus brought both restoration and liberation.
He had enormous and sometimes baffling power.
People were amazed.
And it is the testimony of the text that no one was left out.
If they had the flu, he healed them.
If they had leprosy, he healed them.
If they were demon-possessed, he cast the demons out.
If they were mentally ill, he healed their minds.
If their body was damaged, he made their bodies whole again.
Jesus exercised His compassion.
He wanted to restore them.
He wanted to liberate them from what was keeping them in bondage.
He had come to heal the brokenhearted.
2. He demonstrated that the power to reconcile people to God was available.
When Jesus came to do all these physical healings, there was a point to it all.
For healing pointed to a greater need.
Physical healing pointed to the need of spiritual healing.
What Jesus really wanted to do was heal people’s hearts.
He desired to bring them back into right relationship with God.
You see, this is where the real power is.
Healing the body is one thing.
But healing the broken spirit that has torn itself away from, that’s quite another.
This was the message, though, they were to receive.
God has the power to change people.
III. The third change that Jesus introduced was that the kingdom ARRIVED POWERFULLY UPSIDE-DOWN (1-12).
(1) Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, (2) and he began to teach them, saying: (3) “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (4) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (5) Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (7) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (8) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (9) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. (10) Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (11) Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. (12) Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
When Jesus came was not a time of happiness.
It was a sad time.
The oppression, both politically and spiritually, weighed heavy on people.
Nevertheless, Jesus’ message was that…
1. Blessing and happiness were not far from reach.
To the typical Hebrew, blessing and happiness seemed to be a universe away.
Given the circumstances of their situation, it seemed impossible.
But then, Jesus begins what is known as the Sermon on the Mount.
And in this message, Jesus points to a change that can take place in each of them.
They can experience Godlike joy,
They can know joy that is serene and untouchable.
But the truth of the matter, they are not going to find it in the regular places.
Rather, happiness is found in strange places.
For Jesus explodes the traditional wisdom of this world.
2. Jesus showed that hope could be found in the fact that the world’s priorities were the opposite of God’s.
There is hope.
There is hope in a kingdom that is upside-down.
It is a kingdom where the poor matter to God as much as the rich;
…where those who mourn will be comforted;
…where the meek win;
…where those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled;
…where mercy is the order of the day;
…where the pure in heart will see God;
…where peacemakers are the heroes.
Jesus gave a vision for something different than what they were living.
He offered change and the revolution began.
These listeners became followers.
3. Jesus was followed because the better days had arrived.
Jesus’ message was not just a message of future hope.
No.
It was a message that was being lived out before their eyes.
So when Jesus called, they followed.
Peter and Andrew left their fishing nets at the shoreline.
Two other brothers, James and John, did the same.
A rich, but unpopular man, collecting taxes, named Matthew, also gathered up the nerve to do the same.
They followed because the better days had arrived.
They heard the message, “The kingdom begins now!”
ILL Drama, “In My Kingdom”
APPLICATION:
You know, the message is no different today!
1. Change is possible.
You can change.
I can change.
Our world can change.
And His invitation to follow Him still stands.
Say “yes.”
Bow before Him as your King.
Relinquish your rights to be kings and queens and stop your continual striving to “run the show” and “call the shots.”
For simply, whatever solution that is offered out there is wholly inadequate.
It just can’t get it done!
ILL 50 Day material
Malcolm Muggeridge, the noted British journalist, was a guest several years ago at a breakfast in Washington, D.C. When he had finished his testimony, he made a number of comments about world affairs, all of which were very pessimistic. Someone asked him, "Dr. Muggeridge, you have been very pessimistic. Don’t you have any reason for optimism?" Muggeridge replied, "My friend, I could not be more optimistic than I am, because my hope is in Jesus Christ alone." He allowed that remark to settle for a few seconds, and then he added, "Just think if the apostolic church had pinned its hope on the Roman Empire."
You see…
2. It is time to submit to His gracious rule and reap the benefits of His reign.
It is time to enter into true life.
It is time to find comfort when we are devastated and sad.
It is time to experience mercy when we fail.
It is time to find earth as our inheritance.
It is time to experience righteousness to the full.
It is time to know the privilege of living as children of God.
It is time to know God, today and forever.
For each one of us, the kingdom of God begins today.
But though it starts, it is not finished.
ILL 50 Day material (Yancey)
In Philip Yancey’s The Jesus I Never Knew, he writes in reference to Tony Campolo’s popular message, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming.”
Campolo’s message is about the loss of hope on Friday, when Jesus died and the new found hope on Sunday, when Jesus rose from the dead.
So Yancey writes…
"The other two days have earned names on the church calendar: Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Yet in a real sense we live on Saturday, the day with no name. What the disciples experienced in small scale-three days, in grief over one man who had died on a cross-we now live through on cosmic scale. Human history grinds on, between the time of promise and fulfillment. Can we trust that God can make something holy, beautiful, and good out of a world that includes Bosnia, Rwanda, and inner-city ghettoes and jammed prisons in the richest nation on earth? It’s Saturday on planet earth; will Sunday ever come?
That dark, Golgothan Friday can only be called Good because of what hap-pened on Easter Sunday, a day which gives a tantalizing clue to the riddle of the universe. Easter opened up a crack in a universe winding down toward entropy and decay, sealing the promise that someday God will enlarge the miracle of Easter to cosmic scale.
It is a good thing to remember that in the cosmic drama, we live out our days on Saturday, the in-between day with no name. I know a woman whose grand-mother lies buried under 150-year-old live oak trees in the cemetery of an Episcopal church in rural Louisiana. In accordance with the grandmother’s instructions, only one word is carved on the tombstone: ‘Waiting.’”
Here we are, on this symbolic Saturday, with the confidence that the best is yet to come!
God’s gracious way will be the absolute rule.
But in the meanwhile, we can make a difference.
People can see that the kingdom works; that it does offer hope that is real and substantial.
There is joy to be had.
But how do we do that?
Our…
50-DAY ADVENTURE ACTION STEPS:
…can help us.
1. Pray with a Pencil.
Keep your priorities straight.
Set time each day to talk to God.
Study His Word.
Journal your study and/or your prayers.
Make use of the “Show Me Prayer” found in your journal.
2. Light Your Street.
Identify your community.
It can be your neighborhood, apartment complex, workplace or school.
And begin to pray for God’s blessing on them.
Pray that they will see God’s light.
3. Celebrate People.
Affirm people.
Be an encouragement to others.
Practice it so much that it becomes a habit.
And especially be affirming to those in your “neighborhood.”
4. Dare to Care.
Do simple acts of kindness.
Serve that community you have identified.
Be humble and Christlike.
For when we serve, it has a way of breaking down walls.
And as those walls break down, they communicate grace and truth.
Finally…
5. Screen Your Message.
Speak a language that can be understood.
Put away your theological jargon and begin where people are.
Don’t start where you are, but where they are.
Take time to understand the culture so that you can translate the truth of God into it.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are )
Live the kingdom…demonstrate that we can live under God’s gracious rule now, for it is the way to mercy, peace and fulfillment; it is for people that are willing to live life as it is meant to be lived;
Look forward to the kingdom…for we live on “Saturday” waiting on the final fulfillment; our hope will not be in vain, for what God has promised, He will do;
Share the kingdom…live its principles now and allow people to experience grace, in both how you live and in what God offers.
Now…May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
