For King And Kingdom

Last week, I talked about for Christ and the gospel.

This week, I'm going to talk about for king and kingdom.

Two messages similar in one sense of just laying foundations.

What are we motivated in?

What is our aim, our focus?

I want to talk to you about the king and the kingdom this morning.

I'm starting in Colossians 4, verse 11.

Colossians 4:11

At the end of Colossians there, you see Paul talking about some different people.

He says,

These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God,

and they have been a comfort to me.

These are fellow workers for the kingdom of God.

And that's who we are.

Fellow workers for the kingdom of God.

That we are living for the kingdom of God.

What is the kingdom of God?

Kingdom definitions.

Jack Taylor says,

God's rule over everyone and everything for all time and eternity.

Wolfgang Simpson says,

The realm of God's uncontested rule.

So if we're starting a church,

and we're seeking to seek and save those which are lost,

we're basically looking for this particular area we live in.

We're looking for people who are not underneath,

who are not submitting themselves to the rule of the king,

and saying,

Hey, where are the people who are not under the realm of God's uncontested rule?

Where are those people who have not submitted their lives to Jesus?

And we want to see them through the gospel of the kingdom,

come out from underneath the kingdom of darkness,

and into and under the kingdom of light.

Okay?

We want to see God's rule extend to those who are bucking his rule.

We're saying,

Jesus is not my king.

You know,

just like,

it's kind of similar,

different seasons of time.

Right now,

you might have Republicans saying,

Biden's not my president.

Or last time with Trump,

you have people saying,

not my,

hashtag,

not my president.

All right?

Which is kind of a dopey thing,

because he is.

Right?

But it's the same thing with God.

Like,

it's like,

well,

he's not my God.

Well,

he actually is.

You just don't recognize it.

You don't submit to it.

You don't live like it.

So there's a lot of people out there who might say,

hashtag,

not my king.

Okay?

Jesus isn't my king.

I'm not submitting to his rule.

I'm living underneath my own rule.

And,

um,

essentially the kingdom of God is what the king wants,

the way he wants it.

And so whenever you care about what the king wants,

and you care about the way the king wants it,

because you can't care about what the king wants

and not care about the way he wants it,

because the way he wants it is what the king wants.

Follow me on that,

Sam?

Okay.

Sam's awake.

So if you care about the kingdom of God,

you care about what he wants,

and you care about it being done on earth as it is in heaven.

Right?

That's what you see in Matthew 6.

It's essentially the same way of saying that.

Say,

I want to see what the king wants in heaven,

because what's going on in heaven is what the king wants.

When I'm saying,

I want it done on earth,

I'm saying,

I want this vision of what I see in heaven,

God ruling and reigning,

I want to see that come down to earth,

where he is exercising that rule,

that reign over every single person,

every single thing,

all creation.

And so that's why we pray,

let your kingdom come,

right,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Okay?

Just as it is in heaven perfectly,

we want that to be here on earth.

And we,

as a church,

are,

you know,

it's all kind of ethereal,

and kind of out there,

until there's an actual church that says,

hey,

we want to be the embassy of that kingdom,

so to speak.

You can basically look at churches as like these,

these embassies of the kingdom.

These are the pockets of God's rule,

where the way it is in heaven is how it is on earth.

People come into the church,

they should see a picture of heaven.

They should see,

oh,

this is what the king wants.

This is the way that life underneath the king's rule

is going to look like in the future,

when he's ruling over it all.

Here's a little pocket of it,

in this embassy of the church.

Much like if you go to Iraq,

where I think we have our largest embassy,

America's largest embassy,

at least we used to,

this massive,

almost like mini city there,

all the laws of America are true

in that little piece of land in Iraq,

even though it's in another country.

How things are done in America

is done right there in Iraq.

By putting that embassy there,

it's like America's will is being done

in Iraq as it is in America.

Do you hear me on that?

And so in the same way,

we're saying the church is like an embassy

of the king in the kingdom,

where everything that,

the way things are supposed to be done,

the way they are done in heaven

is done just like that

in this little picture of heaven in the church.

And our job is to be his ambassadors,

right,

of that kingdom in that embassy

and say,

we want to bring other people.

We are going out to preach about the benefits

of the kingdom that we are under,

the rule that we're under.

We're saying,

hey,

come underneath this rule.

There's actually,

I want to give you some good news

of the kingdom.

As an ambassador of Christ,

I want to give you good news

about the kingdom that I represent

and that I live under.

I want to invite you out of the kingdom of darkness

that you're living under,

whose ruler is the kingdom of the air,

the ruler of the kingdom of the air.

I want to invite you to come out

from underneath his rule,

which is bondage and slavery.

It's stealing,

killing,

and destroying.

And I want to invite you

into this invitation

that my king has made to you

that he could give you citizenship

in heaven as well.

Does that make sense?

Do you see the,

there's that language littered all over.

I just quoted a bunch of scriptures.

Your citizenship is in heaven.

You're not of this world,

right?

We're just sojourners,

alien earthlings,

so to speak,

right?

Aliens and strangers on this earth.

And yet,

we are not just from some mysterious place,

we're from a specific place.

We are citizens in a specific kingdom

with a specific king,

bringing a specific rule

that is to be extended.

It is to be advanced.

It is to be moving forward.

And it comes to the good news

or the gospel of the kingdom.

Does that make sense?

So the kingdom

or the king's domain,

the domain of the king,

the domain of Christ's uncontested rule

is what we should be about.

And you've heard me talk about this before.

I'm going to get into it a little bit deeper.

Every kingdom has three essentials.

Okay?

The ruler,

the ruled,

and the rules.

Okay?

If any one of those three is missing,

it's not the kingdom.

Does that make sense?

If there's no ruler,

nope,

that's not a kingdom.

All right?

Or if the ruler is usurped

and there's some other ruler,

that's not Christ's kingdom.

Christ's kingdom

has to be ruled

by Christ.

If you're on the throne,

that ain't his kingdom.

If you're doing what you want,

what you want,

when you want,

how you want,

the way you want,

sorry,

it's not the kingdom.

You can't say,

oh yeah,

I'm about the kingdom

and do what you want,

when you want,

how you want,

the way you want.

No.

You do what the king wants.

You're submitted to the king.

If he's not the ruler

and you're not submitted to him

as the ruler,

whenever you're talking about the kingdom

and that isn't the case,

that's not the kingdom of God.

Okay?

Starts with the ruler.

This one's for Adam.

The preeminent potentate.

Okay?

Adam likes that.

I know he does.

Okay?

The one whose rule is above all,

all-powerful,

all-mighty,

ruler,

preeminent,

potentate of everything,

everywhere,

for all time and eternity.

Okay?

That's Jesus.

And if you try to,

like,

kind of dial down his rule

just a little bit

and say,

well,

yeah,

he was a prophet.

He's a good guy.

Someone I want to emulate.

You know?

No.

There's an unbeliever

I've chatted with many times

and he says he's a Christian,

but whenever he talks about Jesus,

he does not talk about him

as the preeminent potentate,

the ruler over all creation,

the king of kings

and the lord of lords.

He talks about him

just like he's a cool dude.

You know?

Like,

I'm just like,

this is not some cool

spiritual doji here.

Like,

this is the ruler

of heaven and earth.

This is Jesus,

King Jesus.

The way you talk about him

makes me think

the kingdom of God

has not come to you.

You may be close,

but you are not yet

in this kingdom

you speak

so familiar with.

Okay?

1 Timothy 6,

14 to 16

says,

Our Lord Jesus Christ,

verse 15,

He who is the blessed

and only sovereign,

the king of kings

and the lord of lords,

who alone has immortality,

who dwells in unapproachable light,

whom no one has ever seen

or can see,

to him be honor

and eternal dominion.

Okay?

Forever rule,

that means.

He's the ruler.

Revelation 19, 16,

on his robe,

speaking of Jesus,

and on his thigh,

he has a name written.

King of kings

and lord of lords.

All right?

King of kings

and lord of lords.

So, essentially,

you could even say

he's more than a king.

What is someone

who's a king of kings?

The emperor, right?

I mean,

he's bigger than a king.

He is the king of kings.

Even the kings of the earth

are underneath the rule

of the emperor.

King Jesus,

the king of kings.

Right?

Revelation 1, verse 5,

Revelation 1:5

Jesus Christ,

the faithful witness,

the firstborn of the dead,

and the ruler

of the kings

on the earth.

Ephesians 1, 19-23,

What is the immeasurable

greatness of his power

toward us who believe,

according to the working

of his great might,

that he worked in Christ

when he raised him

from the dead

and seated him

at his right hand

in the heavenly places,

far above

all rule

and authority

and power

and dominion,

and above every name

that is named.

He's not just

a little bit above.

It's not just

there's the kings

and then there's Jesus.

He's far above

all rule and authority.

There is no comparison.

You don't even,

it's even hard

to even put them

in the same sentence.

Okay?

That when you talk

about rules of kings

and then the rule

of the king,

it's so incomparable,

it's hard to even say

them in the same sentence.

Right?

Because he's far above

all rule

and authority

and power

and dominion

and above every name

that is named,

not only in this age,

but also

in the one to come.

So not just now,

but forever.

The next age,

every age that is to come.

And he put all things

under his feet

and gave him as head

over all things

to the church,

which is his body,

the fullness of him

who fills all

in all.

Put all things

under his feet.

All things.

Not some,

not most,

all things.

He is the ruler.

Okay?

If you're going

to talk kingdom,

you must talk

Jesus is the ruler,

the king.

He rules over all.

We don't negotiate

with him.

We don't try to say,

well,

I kind of,

you know,

yeah,

I like a couple things

about Jesus,

but like,

I kind of want my way

in this thing.

I don't know.

He's the ruler.

He's above all rule.

You don't,

uncontested.

It's not like the devil

and Jesus are in this

like neck and neck race

and it's kind of close

and it looks like

the devil won that one.

Never,

ever,

ever,

albeit to think that,

to utter that.

Never.

Never.

There is no,

he is uncontested

in his rule.

That's why I love

Wolfgang's definition

of the kingdom.

The realm of his

uncontested rule.

There is no competition.

There is no contest.

No one challenges

his rule.

It's not even possible.

Okay?

He is the ruler.

When you think kingdom,

you think that.

Okay?

The second thing

in a kingdom,

the ruled.

Psalm 103, 19,

the Lord has established

his throne in the heavens

and his kingdom

rules over all.

Okay?

All.

Psalm 22, 28,

for kingship belongs

to the Lord

and he rules

over the nations.

You might say,

well,

even the nations

that are totally godless,

you bet,

every nation

he rules over.

Is there anything

he doesn't rule over?

No.

I think it was

A.W. Pink who said

if there was one

rogue molecule

in the entire universe,

he would cease

to be God.

Not one rogue molecule.

He is king over all.

He is ruler over all.

There's not one molecule

that is not under

the sovereign rule

of King Jesus.

Do you hear me on that?

Okay?

And so we are

under his rule.

Revelation 1, 5,

the ruler of the kings

on earth.

All right?

So there's the ruler

and then there's the ruled.

Those who are a part

of his kingdom

are ruled by King Jesus.

You can't be in his kingdom

and not be ruled.

You can't say,

I don't believe

he's the ruler

and I'm not underneath

this rule.

You know,

I think I can do

what I want to do.

It's like,

that has to hit

every area.

Okay?

It has to,

the rule of God

hits your checkbook,

your bank account,

your sex life.

Okay?

It hits your marriage,

your parenting,

your single life.

Right?

It hits your work life.

It's how you use your time.

Are you ruled

or are you not?

Who's ruling?

Is he the ruler?

If he's the ruler,

then you're the ruled.

That means nothing

is your own anymore.

Your time isn't your own.

Your money isn't your own.

Everything is his.

Right?

By nature,

in a kingdom,

nobody owns anything

but the king.

Did you know that?

In a real kingdom.

We don't know that

because we live in a republic

where we care very much

about our property rights.

Right?

In a kingdom,

there's only stewards.

There is no owners

other than the king.

He gives property

and things

for you to use,

but you do not own them

in a kingdom.

Okay?

For God to be a king

and to be the ruler,

nothing is yours anymore.

It's all his.

By nature of him being king

and you being the ruled.

All right?

And then three,

you have the rules.

If you remove any of these,

you don't have a kingdom.

Okay?

You say,

yeah,

God's the ruler

and I'm the ruled,

but I play by my own rules.

No.

Ipso facto,

not the truth.

Cannot happen.

There's no,

it doesn't work that way.

If he is ruling,

then he sets the rules.

You cannot make your own rules.

You might say,

well,

I want to do,

handle my money this way.

No.

You have to go by the rules of God.

Well,

I want to use my time this way.

No.

God gets to decide that.

I want to do church this way.

No.

He's the head of the church.

He's the ruler.

The rules must be God's.

Leviticus 18.4,

you shall follow my rules

and keep my statutes

and walk in them.

I am the Lord,

your God.

Ecclesiastes 8.4

and the CEV.

The king's word is law.

Okay?

In a kingdom,

whatever the king says is law.

That's why when Daniel

got thrown into the lion's den,

it was just like,

he made this declaration

and it became law

as soon as he said it.

And so he had to

throw him in the lion's den.

And remember when he apologized

to Daniel

and he's just like,

oh,

I'm so sorry.

I didn't,

you know,

this wasn't really,

I didn't think this was going

to be directed towards you.

But that's the nature

of the king's word.

The king's word is law.

Okay?

Psalm 119 verse 20,

Psalms 119:20

my soul is consumed

with longing for your rules

at all time.

Who says that?

People who are ruled

by King Jesus

and who know

that he is a good ruler.

Right?

They say things like,

my soul is consumed

with longing for your rules

at all times.

Do you think that way?

What a weird statement to say.

Lord,

I'm consumed

with longing

for your rules.

That's so un-American.

It's not even funny.

Right?

It's like the antithesis

of what it means

to be an American.

To long for rules.

Americans long

to break rules.

Kingdom citizens

of Christ's kingdom

say,

I am consumed

with longing

for your rules.

Do you care

about what his rules are?

Do you care

to obey them?

Do you care

to know them?

Psalm 119.43

Take not the word

of truth

utterly out of my mouth

for my hope

is in your rules.

My hope

is in your rules.

Who says that?

Someone who believes

that he's a good king.

Someone who is content

to be under the rule

of King Jesus

and say,

hey,

my hope

is in your rules

because I know

you're a good ruler.

Psalm 119.52

When I think

of your rules

from of old,

I take comfort,

O Lord.

You take comfort

in the rules of God.

Is that comforting

to know that God

has rules,

that God has ways,

that God has a will?

Does that give you comfort?

It should.

It would not be comforting

if he wasn't

in control of everything.

If he wasn't sovereign,

that wouldn't be comforting.

And if he was sovereign

but not good,

that wouldn't be comforting either.

I'd say,

well,

okay,

I know he's in charge

of everything

but if he's not good,

how in the world

does that give me comfort?

It has to be both.

You will never be comforted

by his rules

if you do not believe

he's both sovereign

and good.

And I got good news

of the kingdom for you.

He is.

He is good

and he is sovereign.

He's not just good

like that manager

who was always nice to you

but never had the authority

to do any of the things

he wanted to do.

I'd love to give you a raise

but I just don't really

have the authority,

you know?

God is not just good.

He's not just the kind of manager

you love to have.

He also has the authority

to execute his will.

We've all had managers

who had good intentions

but no authority.

Right?

We've even had good

government officials.

Man, I wish I could do this

but I don't have the authority.

Right?

Maybe you've experienced

that at the DMV.

Yeah, I know this doesn't

make much sense

but I don't have the authority

to change it.

You just have to deal with it.

Right?

God has the authority

to execute his good purpose

and will

and he does as he pleases

and what he pleases

is best for you

and me.

That's why we can say

I take comfort

in his rules.

Psalm 119.62

At midnight I rise

to praise you

because of your righteous rules.

Have you ever praised God

for his rules?

Have you ever praised God

for the things

that he has set up

for your good

and his glory?

That's why they're there.

His rules are there

for your good

and his glory.

Every kingdom must have

these three things.

You can't say you're about

advancing his kingdom

seeing his kingdom come

on earth as it is in heaven.

If you yourself

are not submitted

to the king

you're not ruled by him

you don't believe

that he is the ruler

and you don't adhere

to his rules.

You are not submitted

to the king

if you're not adhering

to his rules.

And if you're bucking that

and walking in darkness

and trying to avoid that

and trying to get around it

that's not the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God

must be obedience

to the rules of God.

And you only do that

when you know

that he's good.

Alright,

what the kingdom is

and what it isn't.

Romans 14, 17 says

the kingdom of God

is not a matter

of eating and drinking

but of righteousness

and peace

and joy in the Holy Spirit.

In the Bible

they got really hung up

on a lot of things

when it came to eating

and drinking.

What you can eat

what you can eat.

Right?

He says

what this is really about

is righteousness,

peace,

and joy in the Holy Spirit.

When you experience

righteousness

and you experience

peace

and when you experience

joy in the Holy Spirit

that's the kingdom of God

that you're experiencing.

You ever experience that

when you come into a home

where there's righteousness there?

Things are being done

right according to God.

There's peace

in that home.

There is joy

that comes from the Holy Spirit

in that home.

What is that?

It's an embassy of the king

and the kingdom.

His rule is present there

where there's righteousness,

peace,

and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Now,

have you seen in a family

or a home

or a business

or a geographical area

or in a nation

where there is not righteousness

and there is not peace

and there is not

joy in the Holy Spirit?

What is that evidence of?

That the kingdom of God

is not there.

Not in,

at least not in the fullest sense.

God is sovereignly ruling

but we're not at present

seeing that rule

manifesting itself.

in that particular time.

Okay?

Kingdom of God

is righteousness,

peace,

and joy in the Holy Spirit.

You should look for that

to identify it

and when it's not there,

you as an ambassador of Christ

can and should

bring that

wherever you go.

You start working

on a new job,

what should you bring there?

The kingdom of God.

Well,

what does that mean?

Don't just say

I'm bringing the kingdom of God.

What does that specifically mean?

It means righteousness.

It means peace.

It means joy

and the Holy Spirit.

Is that evident in your life?

Does it go where you go?

If it doesn't,

perhaps one of the three aspects

of the kingdom

is missing.

What the kingdom is

and what it isn't.

1 Corinthians 4.20

The kingdom of God

is not a matter of talk

but of power.

Okay?

And say,

okay,

we're a church now.

We're going to,

here I am,

talking.

I'm talking about the kingdom.

But make no mistake,

that's not what this is

ultimately a matter of.

It's a matter of power.

If my words are just words,

it's not the kingdom.

Kingdom is not just

a matter of talk.

It's a matter of power.

Okay?

And when the disciples

were sent out

as apostles of Jesus,

he said,

wait in Luke 24.49

until you're clothed

with power from on high.

And then in Acts 1.8,

he said,

when the Spirit comes upon you,

you will be my witnesses.

And then in Acts 4.31,

they were filled with the Spirit

and they spoke the word

of God boldly.

What do you see

in all three of those instances?

Power.

Not just talk,

power.

Those same ones

who were yelling,

crucify him,

crucify him,

are all of a sudden

among the 3,000

who are getting saved

after the guy who preached

was the guy

who denied him three times.

The same guy

who denied him three times

is now saying

to the people

who yelled,

crucify him,

crucify him,

you killed the author of life.

What is that?

Power.

That's power.

You see the difference?

We need power.

The kingdom is not

a matter of talk.

If you think

we're going to start a church

and you're going to go evangelize

by just saying

the right words,

you are sorely mistaken.

That's not how this works.

It's a matter of power.

Power.

You need power.

I need power.

You're going to go evangelize?

You're going to be

a missional community

and get on a mission?

You better have power.

You better have power.

You better have boldness

to be his witness.

You better not just

give them words.

They don't need words.

They need the power of God

in your words.

They need words

but not words without power.

Okay?

They need the gospel.

They need

the power

of the Holy Spirit.

That should make us dependent.

Okay?

We have to be

emptied of our self-confidence

and say,

okay,

I think we're getting this.

We figured this out.

I mean,

this week we have chairs.

We're doing it.

All right?

Like,

no self-confidence

in anything.

All right,

we're starting this

missional community.

We've done missional communities

before.

No big deal.

No confidence

in the flesh.

Confidence in the Holy Spirit

saying,

God,

we need you.

We need you,

God.

We need you.

If you don't

give us your power,

those words are going

to fall on deaf ears.

We're going to go

to the wrong people.

We're going to go

to the wrong places.

We want to be precise,

God.

We want to be powerful

in our presentation

of the gospel

and to the people

who are the ones

that God

is drawing.

God,

send us to those people.

No one come to the Father

unless you draw them.

God,

we need the power

of God

to actually see

and hear

where we are to go,

who we are to speak to.

You know,

when Philip's walking along,

the Spirit says to him,

hey,

go talk to that Ethiopian.

Go talk to him.

Who said that to him?

The Spirit did.

Remember?

Do you hear the Spirit

saying to you

who you should go talk to?

That's why you need power

because when God's power comes,

you hear stuff.

You hear the Spirit saying,

hey,

go talk to that guy.

And then you go up

and he's reading Isaiah

and says,

who is this about?

And you're just like,

okay.

Talk about a divine appointment.

That's a divine appointment.

Okay,

that doesn't happen to people

who aren't walking

in the power of God

and aren't hearing

the Spirit of God.

We need that.

We can be like Philip.

Did Philip have a different version

of the Holy Spirit

than you have?

Absolutely not.

You young cats?

Is there a junior Holy Spirit?

No.

There's no like version

of the Holy Spirit for kids

and then an adult version.

It's the same Holy Spirit.

It's the same Holy Spirit.

What the kingdom is

and what it isn't.

It is a matter of power.

How does the kingdom come?

Right?

Matthew 6,

when he tells them,

he says,

let your kingdom come

on earth as it is in heaven.

So the concept

of the kingdom coming.

It's come.

It is coming.

And it will come.

Right?

So it's like three tenses

just like salvation.

Then saved,

being saved,

will be saved,

has come,

is coming,

will come.

How does it come?

Matthew 6,

9-10.

I just read that.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 13,

31-33.

He said,

the kingdom of heaven

is like grain of a mustard seed

that a man took

and sowed in its field.

The smallest of all the seeds.

But when it is grown,

it is larger than all the garden plants

and becomes a tree

so that the birds of the air

come and make nests

in its branches.

Then he told them another parable.

And he says,

the kingdom of heaven

is like leaven

that a woman took

and hid in three measures of flour

till it was all leaven.

Right?

So leaven working through dough,

a mustard seed,

which is the tiniest one,

growing into a big tree.

That's what the kingdom of God

is like.

That's how it comes.

It starts small

and grows bigger.

Okay?

So what do we take from that?

Don't despise the days

of small beginnings.

Don't be discouraged

because we're starting off small.

Don't be discouraged

when you just see

a little bit of fruit.

Okay?

You just keep

sowing seeds of the kingdom.

You just keep preaching

the good news,

the gospel of the kingdom

and believing

that it's going to bear fruit.

Believing that,

oh yeah,

it starts small.

It's just a little leaven,

but it's got to work

through the batch of dough.

You've got to believe that

when you see it

in the people of our church.

Say,

wow,

they need to grow.

Yep.

But I know the leaven is there.

It just needs to work

through the whole batch of dough.

There's some parts of the dough

that have not been reached

by the leaven.

Okay?

But I trust

that the kingdom will come

and I'm going to pray.

I'm going to pray to my kids.

I'd say,

God,

is the kingdom in my kids at all?

Maybe not yet.

All right?

Do you pray that it comes?

And when it comes,

it's going to take time

to work through the whole batch.

Our whole life

is that sanctifying process

of us submitting

in every single area

to the King of Kings.

Okay?

That's how it comes.

Matthew 12, 28

speaks of how it comes.

Jesus says,

if it is by the Spirit of God

that I cast out demons,

then the kingdom of God

has come upon you.

Okay?

That's kind of an obvious one.

If the kingdom comes,

then demons go.

Right?

If I cast out demons

by the Spirit of God,

you know,

he's basically saying

this is what it looks like,

then the kingdom of God

has come upon you.

When the kingdom comes,

demons go.

Because demons

are from another kingdom.

Kingdom of darkness.

When the kingdom of light comes,

they don't have any authority.

You know,

Bellicose is going

into that new building,

right?

That,

what's it called?

Shriner.

The Shriner building.

And,

you know,

people are like,

there's some people

who get almost like

a little afraid of that

because Shriners are

Masons.

Masons

are not of the kingdom of God.

Okay?

Let's just say that.

It's a lot of demonic stuff there.

All right?

And,

people get a little freaked out

about that.

Like,

what are we going to do?

How are we going to pray that?

You know,

are we going to use this room

and how are we going to do that?

And I'm just like,

when the kingdom of God comes,

demons leave.

And,

if it's not theirs anymore,

it's now ours,

they gots to go.

Right?

Like,

I'm giving their eviction notice.

Sorry,

you got to leave.

This house is the Lord's

and everything in it.

You got to go.

And you got to believe

that when you say that,

they have to go.

And it's the same way.

It's James 4,

James 4:7

verse 7.

When someone submits to God

and then you resist the devil,

where does he go?

He's got to flee.

We do deliverance ministry.

I don't,

I never doubt

that the devil is going to go

when I see someone

submitted to God.

Because,

the word of the king,

which is law,

in James 4,

James 4:7

verse 7,

lays it out really plain for me.

Submit to God,

resist the devil,

and he will flee.

What is he going to do?

If that person is in repentance,

if they submitted to God,

and then we resist the devil,

he's got only one place to go.

Far from there.

When he's resisted,

he has to flee.

It's not that we have to,

like,

talk louder,

yell,

and do some kind of weird,

you know,

spiritual,

you know,

gymnastics,

or,

you know,

ninja skills here.

We're just,

we just resist him.

He's got to go.

Because the kingdom of God

is here.

Does that make sense?

And the word of the king

is law.

And his word says,

submit to God,

resist him,

and he has to flee.

Okay?

Luke 10,

9,

heal the sick,

Jesus says.

Heal the sick in it,

and say to them,

the kingdom of God

has come near to you.

Okay?

When sickness is healed,

that's the kingdom of God.

The way it is in heaven

is done on earth.

Okay?

Why doesn't everybody get healed?

Because his kingdom

isn't yet here in fullness.

But it is here.

It came with Jesus.

It's here in some larger doses

in some areas.

There's always the possibility

of kingdom breaking in in power.

One day it'll be here in total,

and there'll be no more tears.

There'll be no more sickness.

There'll be no more pain.

But in the meantime,

we pray that it comes now.

We believe that it can come now.

We believe that it does come now.

That it is coming now.

We also live under

the futility of this world

and the consequences

of our sin

and its effect on the world.

But that should never stop us

from praying

that his kingdom will come

in healing.

Even if we've seen it not happen.

You might say,

well, I've done that many times.

I haven't seen it happen.

Is he king?

Is his kingdom here?

Is his kingdom coming?

And does it not come

through his saints

who lay hands on sick people?

Yes.

But we keep trying.

We keep doing it,

knowing that ultimately,

one day,

he's going to make

all the wrong things right,

including sickness.

Number five,

the priority of the kingdom.

Okay?

Priority of the kingdom.

Seeking isn't enough.

I say,

I'm seeking the kingdom.

Okay?

You're not seeking the kingdom

if you're not seeking it first.

Because the king

who said to seek the kingdom

said to seek it first.

So to disobey the king

and putting it at the wrong priority

is not obeying the king,

which means it's not the kingdom.

Do you hear what I'm saying?

It's not okay

to seek the kingdom

second,

third,

fourth,

or last.

It must be sought first.

Matthew 6.33 says,

seek first the kingdom

and his righteousness.

Seek first.

If it's not sought first,

it's not his kingdom.

The kingdom of God

is the priority.

It should be the priority

for every Christian.

How can I bring

all things,

how can I do my part,

my participation,

my gifts,

my one life that I'm given,

how can I use it

to help bring things

underneath the rule

of King Jesus?

How do I do that?

Let's start with your bedroom.

Okay?

You hear that, Max?

Let's start with our bedroom, right?

Let's bring the kingdom of God

to our bedroom, right?

Let's bring it to our home.

Let's bring it to

our individual lives.

We have families.

Let's bring it to our marriage.

Let's bring it to our kids.

Are there things

that we've been tolerating

our marriages for many years

that need to be

brought into submission

to the King

that we're okay with,

that we seek

is not really that big

of a priority?

The kingdom must be sought first.

We can't seek our own

desires

when there's things

that we are neglecting.

We have to seek first

this kingdom

and say, God,

where do I need

to obey your rule?

Priority of the kingdom.

Cost determines value.

Value determines priority.

Okay?

What does the kingdom cost?

Matthew 13.

Kingdom of heaven

is like a treasure

hidden in a field

which a man found

and covered up.

Then in his joy,

he goes and sells all

that he has

and buys that field.

What does it cost?

It costs all.

You sure about that?

Let's look at 45.

Again, the kingdom of heaven

is like a merchant

in search of fine pearls.

When finding one,

one pearl of great value

went and sold all he had

and bought it.

What does it cost?

It costs all.

The cost determines the value.

The value determines the priority.

If it costs everything you have,

it should be a pretty high priority, right?

But the good news is

is he sold it in his joy.

Why?

Because the pearl of great price,

the kingdom of God,

is better than what you have.

And until your revelation,

your perception of all that you have

is less than your perception

of the kingdom,

you'll never sell all you have

to get it.

Okay?

If you think what you have

is worth more than the kingdom,

you're always going to be

holding on to it

and not wanting to let go.

You think your time,

your stuff,

your relationships,

what you want,

you think that's more valuable

than what the king gives you

in his kingdom,

then you hold on to it

and you won't sell all to get it.

But if you believe

that the kingdom is better,

that the king has

your best interest in mind,

it's your joy

to give something worth less

for something that's far greater.

No one would ever have a problem

giving all that you have

for something way better

if you knew that it was way better.

And it becomes difficult

to give our lives to God

and to give our time to God

and our money to God

and whatever else it might be

that's difficult to give to God.

You have to know that behind that,

you don't really believe

that God is good

or that he has the ability

to give you all

that he promised to give you.

You think in some way,

some form,

you're being ripped off.

And it's not true.

That's not the good news

of the kingdom.

Another reason why it's priority.

Jesus talked about the kingdom

more than any other topic.

And he spent his last days

on earth speaking about it.

Acts 1.3,

he appeared to them

during 40 days

and spoke to them

about the kingdom of God.

He's got his last days on earth.

What's he going to speak about?

The kingdom of God?

He could have spoke about anything.

What did he spend

his last 40 days speaking on?

He spoke to them

about the kingdom of God.

What do you speak about?

Do we speak about

the kingdom of God?

Paul also talked a lot

about the kingdom of God

and spent the last two years

of his life proclaiming it.

Acts 19.8,

he entered the synagogue

and for three months

spoke boldly,

reasoning and persuading them

about the kingdom of God.

Acts 20.25,

and now behold,

I know that none of you

among whom I have gone

about proclaiming the kingdom

will see my face again.

Okay, speaking to the church

in Ephesus.

He went about in Ephesus

for two years.

What was he doing?

Proclaiming the kingdom of God.

Acts 28.23,

when they had appointed

a day for him,

they came to him

at his lodging

in greater numbers.

Paul was in house arrest.

From morning till evening,

he expounded them.

What did he think

he talked to them about?

When he's at the end

of his life,

he's on house arrest,

what did Paul spend

his time talking about?

Testifying to the kingdom

of God

and trying to convince them

about Jesus,

both from the law of Moses

and from the prophets.

He's speaking of the king

in the kingdom,

Jesus in the kingdom.

You see that again

in Acts 28.30.31,

he lived there two whole years

at his own expense

and welcomed all

who came to him,

proclaiming the kingdom of God

and teaching about

the Lord Jesus Christ

with all boldness

and without hindrance.

And we should teach the same.

We should be proclaiming

the kingdom of God

and we should be teaching

about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Very important.

If it was important to them,

it should be important to us.

If it was important to Jesus,

it should be important to us.

If it was important to Paul

to spend his last days

and Jesus to spend

his last days on earth,

speaking of the kingdom,

it should be for us as well.

The fact that it's eternal

takes priority of the temporal.

Daniel 7.14 says,

To him who was given

dominion and glory

and a kingdom

that all people's nations

and languages

should serve him,

his dominion

is an everlasting kingdom.

Everlasting dominion

which shall not pass away

and his kingdom

one that shall not be destroyed.

Psalm 119.160

Every one of your righteous rules

endures forever.

Psalm 145.13

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom

and your dominion endures

throughout all generations.

His kingdom is forever.

His kingdom is eternal.

And the eternal

always trumps the temporal.

What is eternal?

His kingdom.

Many things will pass.

Many things you enjoy

that I enjoy will pass.

One thing that will live forever

is the rule of King Jesus.

His rule is everlasting.

I love Psalm 145.13.

Your kingdom

is an everlasting kingdom.

Your dominion

endures

throughout all generations.

That's why it takes precedent.

That's why it takes priority.

That's why when they preached

the gospel,

it wasn't just called the gospel.

What was it called?

You see it in Matthew.

You see it in Luke.

You even see it in Acts.

It was called

the gospel of

kingdom.

It's called the good news of

the kingdom.

Okay?

When you hear the gospel,

it's the good news of the kingdom.

That's what it is.

Every good thing about Jesus Christ

is about the kingdom.

Why?

Because he's the king.

All that stuff in the gospel

we love so much.

We say justification,

expiation,

propitiation,

all the Asians that we say

that are so great.

Why are they great?

Because they are executed

by a king.

If he's not king,

none of those great things

come to us.

I love it when people say,

I think this guy

has accepted Jesus as Savior,

but not Lord.

As if that was possible.

As if there's some guy

named Jesus

who's not Lord.

There probably is,

but that's not Jesus the Christ.

The Christ is the anointed ruler.

If he can't,

if he's not Lord,

he can't be your Savior.

How would he have the authority

and the power to save you

if he's not Lord,

if he's not king?

You can't separate them.

Jesus isn't some person

you can like split up

into multiple things

and just say,

I'll take this part

about you, Jesus,

but not that part.

It's got to be all.

So you can't say,

well, I think that guy,

I think he believes

that Jesus is the Savior,

but not his Lord.

It's not even possible.

The only one who can save you

is your Lord.

The only one who can save you

is the one who rules over

and has defeated death.

How could he save you from death

if he doesn't rule over it?

He must.

Okay?

Seven,

it pleases God

to give you the unshakable kingdom.

I love Luke 12, 32.

It is your Father's good pleasure

to give you the kingdom.

Do you believe that?

When you pray Matthew 6

to say your kingdom come,

your will be done,

do you believe that it pleases him

to give it to you?

That he's not thinking,

well,

you know,

Chris hasn't really been

a good boy this week.

I don't know if I'm going

to give him the kingdom.

No.

It pleases God

to give Chris the kingdom.

It pleases God

to give you the kingdom.

Why?

Because

he's a good king.

And he knows that his rule

is the best thing for you.

So it pleases him

to give you all the benefits

of the kingdom.

Because he knows

as a king

who's a good ruler,

he knows that

his rule is best for people

when he's a good king.

And so to give it to them

is to give the best thing possible.

As kids,

sometimes we don't understand

when our parents

are telling us to do something

and they provide rules

and we say,

oh,

I want to do something else

that seems more fun.

They don't realize

that the parents know

what's best for the kid.

And it's the same thing

with your father in heaven.

He is the king

and he knows

that his rules

are good for you

and so it pleases him

to give you the rules.

Because they are for your good.

They comfort you.

Pleases God

to give you the kingdom

and it's not just any kingdom.

Hebrews 12, 28

says it's an unshakable kingdom.

Daniel 7, 27

says the kingdom

and the dominion

and the greatness

of the kingdoms

under the whole heaven

shall be given

to the people

of the saints

of the Most High.

He's giving it to us.

There is a soon

and coming kingdom.

Jesus is returning

and he's going to give us

this kingdom.

We cannot plant a church

that doesn't have

as its focus

the kingdom.

Church without kingdom

is humanism.

It has our ends

as the end.

Stop.

It has our pleasure

as the end.

Right?

A church that is focused

on the kingdom

has the king's will

and pleasure

first and foremost.

You have church

without kingdom,

it's humanistic.

Okay?

And then you get

this weird sacred secular

if you don't have

the kingdom being

the focus of a church

where you think,

oh, this is important

and this is not.

This is ministry,

this is not.

And then full-time ministry

becomes the end-all,

be-all.

And if you work a job,

it's like,

that's no big deal.

That's not that big of a deal.

A stay-home mom,

are you kidding me?

What significance

would that have?

But when your focus

is the kingdom,