OCTOBER 3, 2021 SUNDAY MESSAGE
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We Seek the Kingdom
Transcription:
Core CULTURAL Values:
We are Common Ground meaning
we choose to seek common ground amongst a wide array of traditional, liturgical, theological, and denominational structures within the accepted community of historically orthodox christian church.
We Empower meaning this:
Instead of a top-down structure of ministry, whenever possible, we lead by handing off authority and giving away power as we engage our congregation in ministry and with marginalized people groups in our world.
We are Courageous meaning
We are willing to take some risk when we feel called to do something, to be bold, and to say “yes” to Kingdom work that maybe others would say “no” to.
This is where our Elders have gotten up to this point! we will continue to work on 1-2 more but with the remainder of our series, I want to accomplish 2 things:
I want to make an observation about the culture of our church that I think contributes to our identity and
call us to consider our own commitment to one another as a church while we move out of COVID and build into what’s next!
Here is my observation: WE SEEK THE KINGDOM...
There was a time when popular ministry paradigms (often to under-resourced and houseless populations) would look something like this…
We want to help you,
we have clothes to give you,
we have a meal cooked just for you,
there’s toiletries/hot showers,
socks, bags, and anything else you may need and
we will even create a bus ministry & deploy a FLEET of vehicles to pick you up…BUT
BUT there’s one thing we need from you: you gotta sit through a 1 hr sermon and a 40 minute altar call before you can have access to any of it.
Maybe you’re more familiar with the youth group version:
We got a lockin
We got Pizza
We got Dodgeball and the band is gonna be rockin...and best of all students, your parents aren’t invited.
Right at midnight, you hit em with the 1 hr sermon and a 40 minute altar call.
I told you about my friend and I who did apartment ministry where we had a clubhouse meeting with kids and youth and
some of our student leaders from the group were invited to go to In & Out as a reward
Carlos said no and I asked why?
Last time: on the way he took them to the Wednesday night service at his church & THEN to get the burger...
Tony, technically, you just kidnapped those children.
I kidnapped them in Jesus’ name brother Erik.
It’s the classic bait and and switch…
I understand the ministries and leaders meant well,
and I am being critical to some extent because I have PARTICIPATED in ministries like it
But something doesn’t sit well when conditions of this nature are added to caring for others, works of compassion, serving those in need, and ministering to people!!
So, I want to show you something from the scriptures that I believe gives a little insight on this...Open up to Matt. chapter 25
MATTHEW 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.(Catch the royal authority built into this imagery) 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then THE KING will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are BLESSED by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
So, on the RIGHT-hand side, there are SHEEP on the LEFT-hand side (sorry for those of you who sat on my left today but y'all are the goats) and a SEPARATION is occurring which places a reward for some and a consequence for others!
I know this has end-times implication but
I want us to focus on the commentary and application it presents to us today - in the “here and now!”
because the judgement described is meant to put an emphasis on the importance of a Kingdom principle which has implications for the way we serve and see humanity!
WHICH IS:
What are we doing with the resources God has given us?
What are we doing to serve others? AND (more importantly)...
What is our heart posture in the midst of it all when we engage in these things?
In the story the King provides the explanation for the separation like this:
One group (called sheep) were BLESSED and received an INHERITANCE BECAUSE they gave
Food/drink to those in need
Invited the stranger
Clothed the naked
Looked after the sick &
Visited the prisoner
The other group (called goats) are told to DEPART from God BECAUSE they neglected to give
Food/drink to those in need
Invited the stranger
Clothe the naked
Looked after the sick
Visited the prisoner
Let’s dig a little deeper though because the Imago Dei, the IMAGE OF GOD, is deeply represented in humanity here in that:
Jesus EQUIVALATES Himself WITH those in need and
Jesus CONVEYS his presence THROUGH those in need.
If you want to see the face of God, don’t go to church buildings and grand cathedrals,
go to your local shelter and look into the face of the poor,
go to your local hospital and look into the eyes of the cancer patient,
go to the clinic and look into the eyes of the addict,
go to the prison and look into the eyes of the captive because there God is!
Those who look into THEIR eyes are looking into the eyes of God
The very PRESENCE of God dwells in the presence of those who are in need….and so serving those in need IS serving Christ himself.
AND, isn’t it interesting that BOTH parties in the parable are surprised! In our preaching collective, we talked about the idea that “the sheep cared for Jesus without knowing it because they cared for people in need, the goats neglected Jesus without knowing it because they neglected people in need.”
The KINGDOM principle being sown is something like this:
It’s not that your good works earn you the right to enter the Kingdom, it’s that the Kingdom of God is so internalized in you that you ACTED on it which makes it clear that you were a Kingdom person.
If you were a participant in the Kingdom here, you will continue to be one in the age to come!
So, they are less divided by the things they do and more divided by WHAT they are made of...and what they are made of is revealed by what they did. Do you see the difference??
One commentary I read said this: SHEEP do SHEEP things AND Goats to GOAT things and they will be separated in kind, likewise, Kingdom people do Kingdom things and they will be recognized by their deeds.
SO, our goal is not to simply BE BUSY DOING GOOD DEEDS but to to internalize and BECOME Kingdom People so that our deeds are an outpouring of our IDENTITY! OUR DEEDS, BECOME the EVIDENCE OF OUR AFFILIATION WITH THE KINGDOM!
With that reorientation, what kinds of DEEDS do Kingdom people do? Well it gives us examples:
Food/drink to those in need
Invited the stranger
Clothe the naked
Looked after the sick
Visited the prisoner
Faithlife Commentary says: “The actions described here reflect obedience to the command to love one’s neighbor—and thereby demonstrate love for God, as well.”
These are tangible examples of the types of things required of us to fulfill the law.
I want you to see that there is both service and justice represented in this description. Kingdom people are about this life and it extends to all...the least of these!
Jesus’ remarks here call for Christian care to reach all the way to the bottom of the social structure, thus inverting earthly values
AND it is possible you witnessed a christianity wherein
communities in the west, or communities with social advantages struggle to move past a cognitive, theological understanding of service, mission, and Justice.
Many denominations tend to do lots of good study work and biblical exegesis within the four walls but, as soon as it means putting it into action, there is a gap.
Small Groups meet for years to do a hundred bible studies but never, ever go out and serve.
Were completely content to consume doctrines, memorize systematic theologies and pursue knowledge without doing any of it
They’ve read the instructions but they have not actually done anything with them.
This is one of the major pushes of the missional movement in America. Let’s get to work and do what we preach!!
OR many of us grew up in a season and in certain pockets of Christianity who:
who pulled the bait and switch and added requirements or undue conditions in front of their extensions of God’s love, service to others, and meeting needs - conditions that God Himself doesn’t add.
One of the things I am proud to say is that we are not THAT…
I am love that I have not had to spend much time trying to convince our church that we need to serve,
As a pastor, it is a delight to see that we willingly serve schools, communities, and those in need
When a new opportunity arises culturally, people call/email us to find out what we are going to do!
We have a desire to SEEK the KINGDOM and we are hungry for more
This was clear to me one day when someone asked “what kinds of things does your church do for mission and outreach?”
Outreach
All worthy of love
Careportal
Blood Drive
Freedom Schools
Ministry in Uganda
Puerto Rico
Mexico
AND….(that’s good!!)
COMMON GROUND NORTHEAST We have a desire to seek the Kingdom
WE want to be a community that SEEKS the Kingdom and DOES the work of the KINGDOM and loves like Jesus freely and we do it without
the added requirements
Without making people jump through hoops to be treated like HUMANS
Without reciprocation and, perhaps,
Without recognition at all!!
This is my encouragement to us:
COMMON GROUND, let’s keep up the good works of the Kingdom that God has called us to engage in and do even more on the earth until there are none left hungry, naked, thirsty, hurting, uninvited, sick or imprisoned!
There is MORE to do and accomplish on the earth and I pray we grow in our Kingdom representation here.
This is my concern for us…
I have used this borrowed phrase before but I worry that we have accidentally swung the pendulum and become more concerned with philanthropic services which ARE the good deeds of the Kingdom...but we forget the King in the midst of it.
I fear, at times,
we have de-emphasized our devotion to God through the study of scripture and spiritual disciplines,
we have relinquished the importance of truth,
We struggle to evangelize and instead, run to acts of service because it’s more palatable to the world around us...almost like we are embarrassed of that part
We struggle to bring Jesus into our acts of service...
As I think of THIS IDENTITY to which we may be affiliated through THESE ACTIONS, it could serve as evidence that we belong to something else!
We have syncretized - or have come into alignment WITH the popular culture around us
Secular & increasingly post-christian
They aren’t sure about this whole Jesus thing but, as long as the church does good things we are good with it and we will even help out here and there...it looks good for our giving profile!
It resembles the Kingdom BUT it’s marked by the idea that WE get to pick and choose our favorite things out of Christianity - and every other spiritual belief - to create a patchwork quilt religion that suits
our preferences,
Our values, and
likely accommodates our sins.
When, in fact, there is no Kingdom without Jesus enthroned as King! Our mission statement says that we “invite all people, regardless of age, ethnicity, or background, to be formed into the image of Jesus…” not to form HIM into the image of HUMANITY and our wavering cultural values.
To dig a little deeper, my hope isn’t a disciplinary course correction so much as it is a fear that we may, in our zeal for good works, find ourselves running into the arms of another King and another Kingdom...
If it’s not Jesus, its something else and I’m not trying to serve any other Kings
Make no mistake, if it’s not Jesus and His Kingdom, it is a counterfeit good serving an EMPIRE that will reveal itself in due time with
A Pharaoh on it’s throne and
slavery in it’s streets.
Jesus didn’t free us from one false idol of pharisaic legalism to just for us to into the arms another.
In our culture, it will be difficult to keep both of these two things -the Kingship of Jesus and the works of the Kingdom together BUT IT’S NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
Let us serve but let us not forget the words of Jesus in Mark 8:36 For what will it profit a person if they gain the whole world, and lose their own soul? ...For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.
WE SHOULD SEEK AND LONG FOR THE KINGDOM BUT I WANT TO SEE OUR HEARTS BURN FOR THE KING WHO ESTABLISHED IT AND GAVE US THE PRIVILEGE TO TAKE PART IN IT!!
May we not be lured into the arms of false suitor who claims to be our Good God and instead, fight TO KEEP BOTH OF THESE TOGETHER:
SEEKING THE RELIEF AND JUSTICE OF THE KINGDOM
WHILE SEEKING TRUTH, FIDELITY TO OUR GOD and
KEEPING THE KING CENTERED IN THE MOVEMENT SEATED ON THE THRONE IN OUR LIVES.
COMMUNION:
(1 COR. 11:23B-26)
“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
PRAYER REQUESTS:
We are hosting prayer team meetings for both the congregation at large and individuals to sign up for individual prayer.
SUGGESTIONS FOR WORSHIP:
“Praise & Worship” Spotify playlist and “Praise & Worship” YouTube playlist (slightly different from each other), both of diverse music that are being constantly updated!
Bethel Music :
Bethel Music’s hours of live music YouTube Playlist, also being constantly updated
Bethel provides chords to most (if not all) of their songs here (just have to register email, but free!)
Live worship moments from the Upper Room YouTube Playlist
Journal writing! (I’m a writer too, so sometimes creative writing and writing my thoughts to God is my form of worship.)
Declare and worship with truth by singing and praying scriptures.
WORSHIP NIGHT! Dedicate a night to worship with friends and family, your house church or neighbors, those who need prayer, love worship, or just enjoy music through a video chat platform like Zoom. You can have one person leading at a time (switching off to whoever else wants to lead) while others sing along, pray, or prophesy, etc.
Serving your community, both online, in person, or both, is a great way to worship God, from spreading encouragement and God’s Word online to physically serving food to others. If you are able to go out and serve, click here for opportunities.
COMMISSIONING:
As Jesus said in John 20:21,
"Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
Go, be the Church!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen.