The Story | The Kingdom Arrives

So as Ashley shared, we're continuing our sermon series

through the story, the grand story arc of Scripture.

So for the past six weeks we have been exploring the major

themes of the Old Testament. But today we finally get to turn

the page to the arrival of Jesus, the Son of God, the

Messiah. I kind of like that deserves a a

cheer. Does that feel exciting to you

all? Feels exciting to me.

I get to talk about our Messiah today.

Messiah just means Savior. So you'll hear that word a lot

this morning, but this is the moment where all of the pieces

of the story come together and the greatness of God's plan and

his love for humanity is put on full display.

So since we've started the sermon series, the story, I

found myself kind of referencing my own background in

storytelling pretty often, just like thinking about different

things that I learned. My undergraduate degree was in

screen writing. And so one important

storytelling tool that I learned is called Plants and Payouts.

So it works something like this. Basically the writer introduces

the detail kind of early on the story, maybe that may or may not

seem important at the time, but at a later point in the story,

that detail turns out to be pivotal to what happens next.

So one example that came to mind is from Finding Nemo.

I had to pick an older movie where it was OK for me to spoil

the ending. So in Finding Nemo, a young

clown fish named Nemo is captured and he's put in this

fish tank where these older wiser fish basically teach him

like how to survive fish tank living.

So for example, if their human owner tries to use a net to

remove one of the fish, all of the fish like crowd into the net

at once and they all swim down in the same direction until the

human drops the net and then all the fish are free.

So it's a fun scene, but it may not seem significant at the time

until the climax of the movie when Nemo remembers this

technique and uses it to free like our forgetful friend Dory,

who we all love in like a school of like hundreds of other fish

from being captured by this fishing boat.

So this idea that is planted earlier in the story is paid off

by the end. This pattern is also found

throughout the Bible, especially as we shift from the Old

Testament to the New Testament. So through the story of Israel

and the words of God's prophets, a bunch of promises and

predictions have been planted, and now they're about to be paid

off. So another way to look at this

is the Old Testament introduces a number of problems that need

to be resolved. So they're kind of four

essential problems that we've been talking about through the

sermon series. Let's review them really

briefly. So problem number one is the

problem of broken identity, and this goes back to the story of

creation and the fall. Humanity was created with a

beautiful purpose, to reflect God's image and to partner with

God in caring for this world and helping it to flourish.

So what went wrong? Well, instead of relying on God,

humans tried to seize control. Instead of reflecting the

goodness of God, humans chose selfishness and rivalry and

blame. And that is the nature of sin,

that we reject God in his ways and we follow our own egos

instead. So problem #1 is that humanity

is God-given goodness has been distorted and even damaged by

sin. Problem #2 is the problem of

unfulfilled promises. And this goes back to the story

of God's promise to Abraham, that through Abraham's

descendants God would raise up a people who would be a blessing

to the whole world. So what went wrong?

Abraham's family, the ancient Israelites turned from God and

became corrupt. They perpetuated injustice and

they pursued false gods. So Israel is left to face the

consequences. They are conquered by a foreign

nation and they are taken into exile.

So problem #2 kind of asks this question.

How can God keep his promise to bless a people who are actively

rebelling against him? Problem #3 is the problem of

unrighteous kings. This goes back to the story of

Israel's lineage of kings, starting with Saul and then

David. And basically God has promised

that from the line of David will come a new king who is uniquely

wise and righteous, and his throne will be established

forever. So what went wrong?

So far every king of Israel has been deeply flawed, and many

even lead Israel into idolatry, so the worship of false gods.

And now at the Old as the Old Testament closes, the Last King

has been deposed and Israel is ruled over by its enemies.

So problem #3 is that this hope of a good king in an everlasting

Kingdom seems completely out of reach.

And lastly, problem #4 is this problem of separation from God.

And this goes back to the stories of Exodus and exile.

The first time Israel lived in captivity, they were slaves in

Egypt. But God powerfully delivered

them. And not only that, God made this

new promise that if they lived according to His Word, His

presence would dwell among them. So what went wrong?

Well, we heard how the Israelites rebelled and rebuilt

against God like again and again.

And because God is holy and righteous, he cannot be an

intimate relationship with the people who are actively choosing

unrighteousness and unjustice again and again.

And so as Israel goes into exile, God's presence also

withdraws from them. So problem #4 is this kind of

distance and disconnection from God.

So as the Old Testament comes to a close, this is where we find

ourselves facing these problems of broken identity, of

unfulfilled promises, unrighteous kings, and

separation from God himself. But amid all that darkness, a

light shines out, and it starts with God sending prophets to

speak words of hope over his people.

So the prophet Isaiah predicts the coming of a Savior who will

pay for humanity's sins. And Isaiah says this Savior will

be pierced for our transgressions.

He will be crushed for our iniquities.

And by his wounds we are healed. And the prophet Jeremiah reveals

God's plan to change the hearts of humanity.

God says, I will put my law in their minds and write it on

their hearts. I will forgive their wickedness,

and I will remember their sins no more.

The prophet Daniel anticipates God establishing A righteous

king on the throne of David. David declares or Daniel

declares. His division dominion is an

everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his Kingdom

is one that will never be destroyed.

And the prophet Ezekiel, he sees this vision of God bringing his

people out of exile and returning to dwell among his

people. And God says, I will give you a

new heart and a new spirit. I will put within you, I will

remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of

flesh. And I will put my sanctuary

among them forever. My dwelling place will be with

them. I will be their God and they

will be my people. So these are the promises that

God's people are clinging to as they live in exile, as they as

they suffer, as they, as they wait, that God will make a way,

that he will give his people a renewed identity, that he will

fulfill his promises of blessing, that he will establish

A righteous king, and that he will restore humanity's

relationship with himself. So this is kind of the hope that

is that is cutting through the darkness like the sun on the

edge of the horizon. And this is where we find

ourselves as a New Testament opens.

So centuries have passed. Israel has been oppressed by

foreign rulers, first Babylon, then Persia, then Greece and now

Rome. But people continue looking to

scripture and seeing the words of the prophets being fulfilled

slowly 1 by 1. And so this era of Jesus arrival

is already full of expectation. The era is like buzzing with

anticipation that the Messiah is coming soon.

So I was trying to think of like a modern day illustration that

kind of captures the energy and the excitement that would have

characterized Jesus time. And the only example I could

think of is the vibe when Taylor Swift announces a new album.

So I don't identify as a Swifty, although I do really like some

of her albums. But my Instagram algorithm has

decided that as a millennial woman, I obviously want to be

spammed with Taylor content nonstop.

So This is why it works as an illustration.

So when a new album is announced, you have like, tons

of people who are like, all in can't stop talking about it,

like radiating this fervent energy into the air.

And all the enthusiasts are like, looking to past albums and

interviews and like searching for clues and like trying to

predict what the new album is going to be like.

And then you have people who are like, like, Swift Agnostic,

right? Like, they're not actively

anticipating her new album, but they are hearing about it

constantly and maybe becoming curious in spite of themselves.

You know, like, everyone's so excited about this.

Maybe I should be too. And then you have the haters who

refuse to believe that the album will be any good and just want

people to shut up about it. So that's the full range.

And this is not unlike the energy that you would have felt

throughout 1st century Israel, just like, amplify it by like

10,000, right? So people are like, decoding the

Old Testament prophecies and like doing the math.

And many believe that the Messiah would come within their

lifetime. And there were whole movements

within the Jewish community that predicted that the present age,

which is marked by sin and suffering, was coming to an end.

And one Bible commentator says that the enthusiasm and even the

fanaticism around the Messiah had reached a fever pitch.

So people were, like, ready and waiting for a new era to come.

So imagine this. So you're living in ancient

Israel. You're surrounded by this, like,

messianic fever and these predictions that salvation is

coming soon. And one Sabbath day, you go to

synagogue. So kind of like a church

gathering, kind of like the one we're in now.

And it turns out that the guest teacher is Jesus of Nazareth.

And so this is his hometown. And he's returned amid, like,

all sorts of rumors that he's been traveling throughout the

countryside teaching these, like, wild and beautiful things

and working miracles and healing people.

And so all eyes are on Jesus as he picks up the scroll of the

prophet Isaiah, and he reads these words.

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

freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of the

Lord's favor. The next part of the story kind

of seems to play out in slow motion, like Jesus rolls up the

scroll, gives it back to the attendant, sits down and looks

out at a room full of people just watching and waiting.

And then Jesus says, today the Scripture has been fulfilled in

your hearing, meaning the era of healing and freedom and wide

scale transformation begins now. And what happens next is

fascinating because at first the people are flattered.

Like here's this man rumored to be a prophet coming back to his

hometown and declaring that God is fulfilling these beautiful

promises. Salvation for the poor, freedom

for the captive, sight for the blind, this new age of peace and

prosperity. What great news.

But then Jesus challenges them by referencing these two Old

Testament stories where God sends a prophet to Israel, but

they reject God's prophet, and so God sends the prophets to

bless foreigners or Gentiles instead.

And when the people in the synagogue hear this, they are so

furious that they drive Jesus out of town and try to throw him

off a Cliff. Like, isn't that insane?

When's the last time that someone made you angry enough

that you tried to throw them off a Cliff?

Don't answer that, but the tension and like the extreme

reactions kind of paint a picture of what the rest of

Jesus ministry will be like. So as Jesus continues teaching

about God's Kingdom and and healing the sick and casting out

demons and offering forgiveness from sin, more and more people

praise and venerate him and more and more people strongly oppose

him and plot against him. And sometimes people who

passionately declare that they're all in on Jesus will

suddenly feel challenged by one of his teachings and walk away.

Isn't that confusing? Like, hasn't everyone been

waiting and praying and longing for the Messiah?

And here is this man who has extraordinary insight into

Scripture and the ability to perform miracles, and he's

meeting kind of all the prophetic words about the

Messiah. What is stopping them?

What's stopping the people who have, who have studied God's

promises and hoped in God's promises, from receiving Jesus

as their savior and their king? There's this old meme or it's

kind of like, I guess like a format of a meme and it's called

expectations versus reality. Maybe you've seen them.

So like for example, on one side you'll see someone's like

idealistic expectations, like say like a like a perfect hyper

realistic birthday cake shaped like a tropical island.

It has like a working waterfall and on the other side is cold,

harsh reality. So what it might look like if

you or I tried to make that cake, like it looks like a

tropical iron like island after a meter hit it.

And they're like waterfall is just like a blue trickle of dye

like running down the side, right?

Expectations, reality. The people in Jesus Day are

facing their own expectations versus reality conflict.

On one side is there a vision of what they think the Messiah

should look like, what he should do, what he should say, and on

the other side is the reality of who Jesus is and what he has

come to do. And when the sides don't match,

you get disillusionment and rejection of Jesus and even

violent animosity. And we see this even among like

the leaders and teachers of Israel at the time, there were

these 4 influential groups that held very different views on the

Messiah and different beliefs about God's Kingdom.

And I think that these are worth naming because they actually

tell us a lot about where this kind of doubt in opposition

stems from. So we're going to do a quick

montage of introductions, kind of like, I don't know what movie

I'm thinking of where there's like like a bunch of villains

that each just kind of get a quick cameo and it tells you

what they're all about and what they do.

Anyway. We're going to do that.

So as we do, just notice if any of these viewpoints or attitudes

feel familiar to you. So first we have the Pharisees,

the religious rule keepers, and their big concern was that

people aren't taking Scripture seriously.

And their strategy was to invent a system of very specific rules

around ritual purity and personal holiness and observance

of God's law. The Pharisees believed that if

people follow these rules, God would see that they were living

faithfully and the Messiah would finally come #2 We have the

Sadducees, the kind of aristocrats and the politicians.

Their big concern was their own social status and security.

Most of them were wealthy and even held roles as judges and

priests. Their strategy was to play nice

with Rome, to kind of secure favor with the powers that be.

So the Sadducees were not interested in the Messiah

because the Messiah meant change and disruption, and that would

get in the way of the prosperous lives that they've built for

themselves. 3rd, we have the Essenes, the holy hermits.

So their concern was their own holiness and adherence to God's

law. Their strategy was to retreat

from society to kind of create their own community out in the

desert and to follow their own religious practices.

So the Essenes believe that the Messiah was coming soon and that

their own piety was what mattered.

So they did not concern themselves necessarily with the

fate of others. And the last group are the

Zealots, who are the radical revolutionaries.

Their big concern was Rome, like the nation that was oppressing

their people, and their strategy was to fight back or die trying.

At one point, Zealots even assassinated fellow Israelites

who opposed their war with Rome. So the Zealots believed it was

their job to take back power by force and pave the way for God

to establish a new king. Now, all four of these groups

have one important thing in common.

None of them recognized God when he was walking in their midst.

Or in the Essenes case, they didn't meet the Messiah.

They said they were waiting for it because they retreated from a

broken world and Jesus stepped right into that broken world to

heal it. The Kingdom that Jesus ushered

in was not the Kingdom many people expected or even wanted.

And after all, if you are, you know, building your life and

your worldview around values that God does not share or a

posture that does not reflect God's heart, how will you

recognize him when he appears? So, friends, this is a lot more

than just a history lesson. These groups reflect ways that

we still try to approach the problems of the world today.

Like the Pharisees, we try to force people to change by

shaming them, maybe by shaming ourselves by reminding people of

the ways they don't measure up. Like the Sadducees, we focus on

our own security and success instead of addressing the

problems around us. We fixate on making sure we have

what we need to feel secure and in control.

Like the Essenes, maybe we run away from the world and kind of

distance itself ourselves from its problems.

And maybe we try to invest in our own growth and our holiness,

but we neglect the call of God to love our neighbor as

ourselves. Or, like the zealots, we look

for an enemy and we identify them as the cause of all of our

problems. And we declare war, assuming

that if we can just take back power, all of our problems will

be solved. Do we see ourselves in any of

these postures, Maybe all of these postures, depending on the

day? Each of these groups was

convinced that they had the truth, that they knew what the

Messiah in his Kingdom was all going to be about, or just that

he didn't exist. But they were all wrong.

And because they clung to these false ideas about who God is,

they opted into counterfeit kingdoms.

Kingdoms built on religious rule keeping or social status and

influence or isolation and self protection or militant might.

They believe that if you were just rigid enough in your

religion, or if you just climb the social ladder, or if you

just fled from a broken world, or if you just waged battle

against your enemies, you would be saved.

And does any of that actually sound like good news?

To me, it sounds exhausting. Friends, Jesus didn't come to

tell us how to save ourselves. He came to bring us good news.

And that good news is that Jesus is the rightful king and he is

building a different kind of Kingdom.

And we see this reflected all throughout the Gospels and how

Jesus taught, how he lived, how he ministered to people.

Instead of elevating his own status, Jesus pushes back

against authorities who enable corruption or oppress others.

Instead of shaming us into righteous living, Jesus frees us

from bondage to sin by shedding his own blood.

Instead of retreating from society, Jesus goes to the poor,

to those in need, to the least of these, and he heals their

diseases and casts out demons and restores their wholeness.

Instead of going to battle with Rome, Jesus inhabits the hearts

of anyone who puts their trust in him, whether Jew or Gentile.

He gives us the gift of his presence because he's not just

like a king on a distant throne. He's Emmanuel, God with us.

So if the Kingdom we are seeking, if what we, you know,

invest in and build towards is not characterized by justice and

freedom and healing and intimacy with God, I think we have to ask

ourselves, is Jesus in it? Because God's Kingdom is a

reflection of his character. The way Jesus lived flowed out

of who he is and his Kingdom is not just about or it just

doesn't, doesn't depend on us just kind of reforming the

infrastructure of society. Jesus focuses on our hearts,

what we desire the most. Or to put it another way, what

do we worship? Because Jesus knows that when

our allegiance shifts, transformation will follow and

He is after deep personal soul level change.

God's Kingdom is made-up of people with transformed and

transforming hearts, and the Kingdom of God, which we hear

and talk about again and again, it's really just a place where

the goodness and love of Jesus has its full expression.

And there's a reason why those who believed that they had power

or who desired to seize power did not see Jesus for who he

was. But the outcasts, the lepers,

the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the socially shunned

sinners, they did. Because these people did not

have illusions about their own self-sufficiency.

They did not have like a 10 point plan for their own

salvation, and they were not grasping for control.

They were simply desperate. They knew they needed a savior.

And This is why Jesus identifies the poor and the marginalized as

ready to receive the Kingdom. Because they want Jesus to be

king. They see his goodness, his

kindness, his mercy towards them, and they fall to his

knees. Their knees because what they've

been longing for has finally come.

And there's for them. There's no conflict between

expectations versus reality. Jesus is what they want and who

they've been waiting for. So as I was writing the sermon,

I found myself thinking about my first experiences ever telling

people about Jesus. I became a Christian when I was

in college, when I was an undergrad, and at the time, I

mean still, none of my close family members were are a

Christian. My parents aren't Christian.

At the time, very few of my friends were Christian.

And I remember first telling like my mom and my uncles and my

roommates and my classmates that I believed in Jesus now.

And most of them, you know, had questions.

Some of them had strong objections and push back, some

of which was really hard for me. But as I look back and kind of

re like recount those conversations in my mind, I also

noticed something else. Most of what they had to say

centered on ideas. Like they had questions about

how my ideas had changed. Like, you know, I used to think

this, but did I believe in that now?

You know, did I now? Did I think of everybody as

sinners? Did I believe this and that

about sexuality? Did I have a different view on

this political topic? And sometimes, depending on what

it was, they wanted to convince me that my old ideas were better

or that their ideas were better. If I had noticed this pattern

back then, I might have had a different response.

I might have been able to say, you know, this isn't really

about ideas for me. I mean, yes, a lot of my ideas

have changed or maybe are changing, but I'm not a

Christian because I was captivated by new ideas.

I'm a Christian because I felt lost and confused about life.

So I went looking for the truth, like the actual universal truth

with a capital TI went looking for the truth and I met a

person. I'm a Christian because I met

Jesus, or he met me, and he's the best thing that ever

happened to me. And I know that sounds weird

because he's not here in the flesh.

Like I can't invite him over for dinner so you can interview him.

But he's as real to me as the breath in my lungs.

And since I've met him, I've experienced real love and

acceptance and forgiveness and healing and freedom and change.

And I don't really know how to explain how it happened, but if

this was happening to you, you'd probably have some new ideas

about what was true too. And I, I couldn't articulate it

as clearly back then, but that is my story.

And when I read the New Testament, I find a bunch of

other people who have very similar stories, people who have

these powerful encounters with Jesus and they're no longer

preoccupied with like, you know, strong arming other people and

to behaving a certain way or like, who is in power and what's

my social standing? They're just in awe.

They're like, I don't know what to tell you, except no doctor

could heal me, but Jesus healed me.

I was trapped in my own sin, but Jesus freed me.

I was hiding in my shame, but Jesus told me everything I ever

did. I was blind.

But now I see those are the testimonies of people 2000 years

ago, and those are the testimonies of people today.

He healed me, He freed me, He forgave me, He changed me.

And if you met him, and if you really saw him for who he is,

you would believe He's the Son of God too.

This is what the Kingdom of God is like.

Jesus is a king for those who are broken and hopeless and

outcast and betrayed and longing for a better world.

He is God Almighty who is powerful enough to calm a storm

or heal a lifelong illness with a single word.

But he is also gentle and lowly enough to visit a 19 year old

girl sitting in an ICU room because her mother is sick and

she's alone and she needs somebody to comfort her.

Because that's where I met Jesus.

And that's the kind of king that we need.

Not one who rules by force, or who strong arms us with laws, or

who elevates the mighty and ignores the weak.

We need a king like Jesus who meets us in our hour of darkest

need and becomes our hope. So this is what?

Thanks friends. Unfortunately, we're about to

close. This is my this is my invitation

for you today. I'm going to I'm going to

Createspace for you to do business with Jesus.

This is the most important thing this morning.

This is more important than anything I've said because I'm

describing to you who you can encounter.

We're going to Createspace for you to encounter him right now,

if you haven't already. My invitation for you today is

maybe challenging, but also maybe deceptively simple.

Let Jesus be King in your life, friends.

No politician, no influencer, no counselor, no love interest, no

church leader can become your hope.

Only Jesus can hold your whole life safely in his hands and

offer you real healing and restoration, a future and a

hope. He's the only good and righteous

King whose Kingdom has both arrived and is still unfolding.

So wait on him. He's everything we've been

waiting for. So we started our time together

by talking about plants and payouts, right?

How all the predictions and promises of the Old Testament

find their fulfillment in Jesus. So here's where it all comes

together. What was true 2000 years ago is

true today. Jesus is inviting you to come to

him, to leave your past behind and to follow Him.

And so as we close, first I want you to just listen to this list

of invitations. I'm going to read several of

them. There are these truths about who

Jesus is and what he can do and just take hold of the one that

you sense. God's Spirit is speaking to you

today. So today, if you've lost your

sense of identity, if you feel broken or ashamed of who you

are, let Jesus make you a new creation.

If today you feel the weight of your mistakes and failures, let

Jesus lift your burdens and cleanse you of your sins.

If today you feel fearful about your future, let Jesus show you

that He is the covenant keeper and His promises never fail.

If today you feel trapped in patterns from your past or

baggage from your family of origin, let Jesus rescue you

from bondage and set you free. And if today you're feeling

alone in the world and in the challenges that you face, let

Jesus fill you with his Spirit and be Emmanuel to you, the God

who is always with us.