The Kingdom That Matters - Week 3

Again, thank you for your generosity. It's uh, it's amazing

to be able to pastor. You know, I pastor the

greatest bunch of people in the world. And of course

I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about eybody else.

But but uh, but thank y'all for giving me the

opportunity to work side by side in ministry with some

of the greatest people I've ever met in my life.

And I say that sincerely. We're gonna continue in our

series uh today the Kingdom that Matters, and we're going

to try to take a little bit deeper look at

some understandings that that a lot of us, you know,

we don't quite grasp the totality of what it means

to operate in the Kingdom. And we're gonna talk about

two buzzwords today that have become common buzzwords. We're going

to talk about equality and equity and how those things

apply to the Kingdom of God. So, uh so, get ready,

I believe that I'm gonna teach. I don't think I'm

gonna preach staff. I'm gonna teach, But so hang on,

get you some peppermints or whatever will keep you awake,

because I know I'm a little boring, but let's go. Galatians,

chapter three, verse twenty six. Galatians, Chapter three, verse twenty six.

For you all are sons, sons of God through faith

in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were

baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither

Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There

is neither male nor female. For you are all one

in Christ. And if you were Christ's, then you were

Abraham seed and heirs according to the promise. Father. We

thank you for your word. It's the only change agent

that we have on the face of this planet. And

I pray that today your word takes residents at the

very fabric of our soul, and it brings significant change

that when we leave here we have a great understanding

of why you operate the way you do and how

we are positioned to receive it. In Jesus' name, Amen,

you know, the reality is we're all equal in Christ.

Every single one of us are equal in Christ. He

sees Us exactly the same way he sees Us, just

like he sees his son. When the Father looks, he

sees the blood of Jesus applied to our lives, and

he sees us as redeemed. And the Bible calls us

airs and joint heirs with Christ. That we are all

the children of God. And you know, I know that

that y'all all have your favorite child, but Jesus, but

the Father. Really, every single one of you are his favorite. Amen,

every single one of you are his favorite. And I

know that's hard for us to imagine because we have

finite minds. But each and every creation is specifically in division.

Jue lee beautifully wonderfully made, and you have been crafted

as his favorite, and he sees us all the same way,

and he goes through it. And listen, you know a

lot of times people want to apply this, this specificity,

this this this literalness to scripture that it's obvious that

it wasn't written for. He's not just talking about Jew

or Greek. He's not just talking about slave or free.

He's not just talking about male or he's talking about humanity.

He's talking about us. And there are no differences. As

God sees us. When we are in the Kingdom of God,

he sees us all the same. We have complete equality

in the Kingdom of God because there is no difference.

He does not differentiate. And there's a lot of misunderstanding

because some of us think that God loves others better

or loves others more because they do more or they

are better. But the reality is we don't live according

to a works based relationship with God. However, now listen, parents,

I'm sorry, I'm gonna go ahead and say it. Though

most of us, though, have grown up environments that are

completely works based, we believe that we have to perform

for the love of our parents. And even though deep

down inside our parents don't believe that, we still believe that.

They think that, amen, that if we make an A

they love us more than if we make a C.

If we get home before curfew, they love us more

than if we get home after curfew. But the reality is,

because we come to that with that kind of understanding,

we think that God views us differently and there are

people that are more important and that are more significant

to God than others, and that's just really not the case.

If you struggled and you blew it last night, and

whatever you did, you hope God never reveals and it

never sees the light of day. God doesn't view you

any differently than he views the person that's been on

their face praying for the last twelve hours, because that's

how God views us, because we're all equal in his sight. Now,

does God want us to stay messed up? No, that's

not what he desires for our lives. Does God want

us to stay broken? No, that's not what he wants

for our lives. But he receives us and views us

the same way. We're all equal. But inside that equality,

in the Kingdom of God, there is a hierarchy. And see,

this is where we really blow it. This is where

we really miss it is because because there is a hierarchy,

because it's a kingdom, because there's levels of spiritual authority,

there's levels in the Kingdom of God that we think

God favors people more than he favors others. I want

to give you a I want to give you a

real I don't. I just want to talk to you

from my heart for a second. You know, people come

to me and they're like, oh, passion, the pray for me,

because when you pray, you're just right up there, and

you know you're so close to God and God so

close to you, and you pray. We're all the same.

I'm no Okay, we use these terms closer to God, right,

but but positionally I'm no closer to God than anybody else.

Your neighbor can lay hands on you and pray for you,

and you receive the same miracle that I can receive.

I had a good friend, Bishop Lance Johnson, who preaches

an amazing message about this, and he calls them, he

calls it milk baby. And he said that. Somebody called

him one day and said, hey, my neighbors are out

in the yard and we need you to come over

to the house so you can talk to them about Jesus.

And he said, say that again, say that again. I

think my phone was breaking up. He said, I need

you to come over here because my neighbors are out

in the yard. They're never outside. We want you to

come on over here so you can go over and

talk to Jesus. And he said, well, you go over

and talk to them about Jesus, like no, no, no,

But see you you're anointed and you you're so close

to God that if you go over and talk to

them about Jesus, they're gonna get saved. And he said,

you're a milk baby. You need to get off milk

and start eating steak, and you need to get out

of the chair and go talk to your neighbors about Jesus,

because when I get there, they're going inside. He said,

they know who you are. The reality is, there's nothing

special about someone on a stage. It just happens to

be our position that God has called us to in

the kingdom. But it's not about favor, it's not about

who he loves more. It's just about the fact that

there's a hierarchy just to make things run smooth. Come on, somebody,

But we think that there are certain jobs in the

kingdom that are more important than others, and as a

result of that, we're less than or somebody is more than,

and we have to break that out of our mind.

But there is definitely a hierarchy. I had a discussion

not long ago about anti government, in other words, that

that that the organized church is not scriptural. That you

should get together and whoever wants to sing can sing,

and whoever wants to preach can preach. And first of all, well, okay, well,

I just want to show a hands for those of

y'all that are here every week for first time guest,

thank you so much for being here today. But uh,

for those of you, how many of you would like

to sit through I'm just saying, sit through me preaching

a message, and Pastor Clay preaching a message, and Pastor

Gary preaching a message, and Pastor Shamee preaching a message.

And then we're gonna let Terry jump up there and preach,

and we gonna let Chase jump up there and preach.

That's Tuesday, y'a've already got fired because you miss work

for two days. See, there's a higherarchical order to the

Kingdom of God because God works in perfect order. But

just because there's a hierarchy doesn't mean that He shows

more value to those things that we objectively see because

we look at it from a human perspective. There's no

more value in those areas. I used to just get

overwhelmed and feel so bad that when I first became

lead pastor at Cornerstone, there was this whole mentality of

when we ate pastor had to go first, and I

succumbed to that for a couple of years. And what

broke me of that is we had this We didn't

do homecome. I don't even know what you call it.

We just dinner and people came and they're like, old Pastor,

you got nobody can eat. I was up there talking,

like I do you know, I talk a long time

after church, and I was up there talking and they

came to go out to this pastor. Nobody can eat

because you're not down there to go through the line.

I'm like, that's ridiculous. They said, come go through the line.

So I went that. I went through the line. First,

I got my food, I sat down and I ate

as fast as I could eat so I could get

up and talk. And the people at the back of

the line didn't get food. So I called everybody together

that planned those things, and I said, never ever again,

will I ever go through the line. First, if somebody

goes home without eating, it's gonna be me. If the

next person in line goes home without eating, it's gonna

be At the time, it was John Bland you because

he was another staffing Mary. I say, it's gonna be

Pastor John. I said, we both a little chunky. We

can do without it. Come on, somebody, I said. But

other than that, there is this honor that you want

to bestow. It's really not placed in the right way

because you're the same level of specialness to God as

I am. But because there's a hierarchy, we see it different.

In Hebrews Chapter thirteen, verse seventeen, Hebrews Chapter thirteen really

talks a lot about hierarchical involvement in the kingdom. It says,

obey those who rule over you. Now, we don't like

wording like that. We don't like that language. I'm not obeying.

Ain't nobody rules over me. Listen, this is what it

literally says. Hey, when somebody's leading you, just get in line.

We want to put emphasis to things that language communicates.

Now that didn't communicate. Then he's like, listen, here's the thing.

Authority is authority. Authority is leadership. Leadership is influence, and

if it's godly influence, just line up and go there.

Come on, somebody, he says, Obey those who rule over you,

and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls

as those who must give account. Those who watch over

your souls give an account for your soul and their soul. No.

I want you to think about that tonight when you

go to bed. Think about why I worry about y'all,

Why I pray for you, Why the staff prays for you.

Why the Ulster team prays for you. Why because there's

a level of accountability there. Let them do so with

joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable

for you. This hierarchical process the Kingdom of God frustrates

us because we think that because there's a hierarchy, that

there's not equality. But the equality is about the value

of a person. Equity is about an outcome that's only

that's only held by God. And we all want the

same level of blessing. But the reality is God is

telling a story through each one of our lives that's

different than the other life. Because I just want to

tell you there are some people in this ministry that

are absolutely amazing people. When I compare myself to Pastor Gary,

I fall short in every measure except I'm a little taller.

Come on, somebody, But he's amazing. But yet, you know,

he lost his leg and he's struggles with his leg

and it hurts his hips, and then his hips hurt

his back, and I think, why not me? Why him?

But God is writing a story through his life that's

not my life, and it would be easy for him

to say, hey, this is not fair, but I would

like for everyone to go home and do a word

search tonight in your Bible for the word fair because

is that it is a fairy tale. It's not about fairness.

It's about the Kingdom of God. And when we begin

to realize that the Kingdom of God is God telling

a story through us, some a story of blessing and prosperity,

and some the story of overcoming struggle, and some the

ability to live in what looks like defeat but do

it with peace, we realize that God is doing something.

It's so much more significant than just gathering a group

of people in a building to hear some music and

a sermon on Sundays. But He is established a kingdom

that is woven throughout every fiber of our community and

every fiber of our families, because each person needs to

hear a story that moves their heart. I sat in

my office one day with a missionary when he's a

pastor from Thailand, and he sat in my office and

for about an hour he told me sad story after

sad story after sad story after sad story, and he

looked at me and he said, all I need, all

I need to change all these lives. All I need

is fifteen thousand dollars a month, And I said, Wow,

that's pretty amazing. I said, but I do need you

to understand something. I'm not moved by your sad stories.

He said, yes, I can tell that. He said, why

are you not moving by? Because evidently everybody else he

had sat down with Cride and gave him money. Amen,

because that's why he did what he did. I said,

because really, those needs are going to be there somewhere,

regardless of whether I help you or not. It may

not be the names of those people, but there's always

going to be need on the face of the planet.

And that's not the story I'm moved by. What I'm

moved by is your vision to make a difference. And

you hadn't told me how you're going to help. You

just told me you need fifteen thousand dollars a month

to do it. And by the way, I'm not giving

you fifteen thousand dollars a month. We're all moved by

different stories and different things. That the story in your

life may be harder, and it may look different than

the story in my life, but all of those stories

work together to paint a picture for the broken humanity

that lives around us, because the Kingdom of God is

about expansion and growth. It's not about stagnation. It's about

us reaching a commune that's hurting and broken and dying

in the darkness of the pressure of life. And because

we don't get to do the things we want to do. Listen,

I'm gonna be honest with you. You know, I in a

perfect world, God would bless me and I would build

a I would buy a ranch in Montana, and I

would build a big fence around it with a long driveway.

I build my house right in the middle. I'd never

see another human, me and my family. I can survive

the rest of my life with just us. And I

would grow food and I would shoot deer and I

would just be so happy. And I mean, I wouldn't

even need a car to get out to the end

of the driveway because I would never leave. But God

chose me to do this. All I do is deal

with people I love y'all. I'm not counting y'all, of course.

But the Kingdom of God is not based on fairness. See,

it's about equality, but it's not about equity because equity

says that we get the same thing and in life.

That's not guaranteed that we get the same things, but

we get the same opportunity. The story of the talents,

Jesus or he's representing himself with the Master comes and

there's three servants, and to one he gives five talents,

to one he gives two talents, and to one he

gives one talent. He says he divided each according to

their abilities. And the one that had five went and

made it ten, and the one that had two went

and made it four, and the one that had one

didn't do anything with it, just went and buried it

in the ground. And the Master came back. And the

one that had ten came and said, woo, who I

got ten? And the one that had two said, who

if I got four? The one that said one said, oh, no,

that one. But see, he didn't distribute equally to each.

He distributed equally according to ability, according to where we've

grown ourself too up until this point. Come on, somebody,

the skills that we've developed some of you. The worst

thing in the world that could happen would be God

to grant your prayer to win the lottery, because you

just you wouldn't end up just broke again, but you

would wake up one day in hell, probably because it

would overwhelm the skills you have. And as we understand

the hierarchy and the kingdom and God moving us through

the different levels of hierarchy and the kingdom, it's about

us allowing ourselves to be discipled at a deeper level,

in gaining kingdom skills and now natural skills, so that

we can handle that next level of influence that God

gives us. People are frustrated because they see that someone

else has more, and it's hard for us to make

that easement in our heart to cheer for someone else's

success when we feel like we're just scraping by. But

the Kingdom is based on selflessness, not a not achievement

or advancement. The Kingdom is based on how much we

can give, not how much we can get. The Kingdom

of God is based on how many people we can

pray for, and not how many people pray for us.

It's how many lives we can touch, rather than how

many lives were touched by It's not about the applause

that we receive, it's about the applause that we give.

The Kingdom of God is upside down, and when we

live in this upside down kingdom, we must master those

upside down content, that upside down context so that we

can thrive and be who God wants us to be.

Because kingdom success doesn't look like worldly success. So stop

looking with worldly eyes, because worldly eyes says it's not fair.

But kingdom eyes says, I'm accelerating fashion than I ever

thought I possibly could and one day, because see, there's

a shift that happens. There's this thing that happens that

right now, the Kingdom of God works on equality and

not equity. But the ultimate sacrifice of our service has

a very equitable end. Clay, you guys can come and

get ready. I'm finishing early. Today has a very equitable

end because as we see time after time and scripture.

The most famous of these scriptures is as Jesus is

hanging on the cross suspended between two thieves. One of

those thieves looks and says, Master, I need you, and

Jesus looks back at this thief on the cross, look

right there on line. I don't know where you're watching

me from. Maybe you're incarcerated, maybe maybe you're you're you're

strung out so bad that you couldn't drive, You couldn't

get in the car and go to church today, it

doesn't matter. But wherever you are. The thief on the

cross looked at Jesus and that I need you. And

Jesus' response was this this day, this day, you'll be

with me in paradise. This day. There's no there's no

class you have to go through. There's there's nothing else

you have to do. It's your heart condition pointed towards me,

and in that moment, listen. He didn't host a small

group at his house and have to clean up and

throw everything in the closet. He didn't serve on four

teams at church. He didn't He didn't work in the nursery,

even though he just can't stand kids. He didn't do

any of those things. He didn't give it an offering.

He didn't go knock on doors and invite people to church.

He was a thief on a cross, and he had

a momentary encounter with Jesus that got him to the

same place is John the Revelator, whose whole life was

filled with pain and torture and exile. The man was

bulled and aill from his waist down his eyes, gouged

out with dull instruments, and then he was cast away

to the Isle of Patmos, isolated from everybody he knew

and loved. And the thief on the cross that paid

not nearly that price gets the same inheritance as the

man who paid that price. That me, who listen, I

cannot imagine someone having a better life than I have,

And I end up in the same place as those

people that seem to pay for it with their struggle

and their sacrifice. And I look at that and I

don't reconcile it about whether it's fair or not. I'm

just glad that I'm in a kingdom that has a

destination for everyone. Because this life is only temporal, we

must get our eyes off temporal things. The visible is

not created for us. The invisible is our dwelling place,

and that we may struggle here, but when we get there,

we're all guaranteed that there's no more pain, that there's

no more tears, there's no more suffering, because the equitable

solution to kingdom living is heaven, and this life is

but a vapor. The Bible says, compared to the length

of time that we will live in perfection, So stop

struggling with fairness. You know, when somebody else gets a promotion,

stop stop stressing about it. You don't get to go

to the front of the line when he calls his

home because you're the manager rather than the greeter. You know,

just because you got an extra hundred bucks, you can't

buy a fast pass into Heaven. You've got to stand

in line just like everybody else. Our lives here matter

because we position other people to go with us. And

today he looks at you and he says you're his

very favorite. You know, you may be here today and

you've never asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins.

That means you're outside the Kingdom, where there is a very.

Weighted system weighted against you, where it is about performance

and it is about all of those things that cause

us to feel less than, and outside the Kingdom, in that.

System, you're already dead. In the Kingdom system, you have life,

and life more abundantly. So the option you have to

choose is whether you want the kingdom system that guarantees

you a place of peace, joy and you get to

make an impact in people's lives along the way, where

you live in a system where there is only pain

and suffering at the end. That's what you wait today.

So if everybody would just stand with me all over

the building, Alter team, come one more time. If you're

here today and you've never asked Jesus to be the

lord of your life to forgive you of your sins,

but today you want to do that. You're in the

perfect place, you know. Or maybe you're here and you've

paid and you've prayed that prayer before. But you know,

you just you know, you've allowed things to get in

the way, sin and addiction of crept in. You just

don't feel settled with God. You have some questions about

whether if I died, I don't know where I would

end up. You could settle that today, every head about it,

every eye closed. If you're here and you could say, Pastor,

I want to pray and ask Jesus to forgive me

my says, would be the Lord of my life. Tess,

you slip up your head to say pray for me, Pastor.

That's me. Amen, Amen, I see that. Am Is there

anybody else or maybe you hear and you said, you

know what I've allowed sin to get in my life.

I don't feel like I'm where I used to be.

I wouldn't consider my relationship with Jesus is okay, If

as you slip up your head and say that's my pastor,

pray for me. Amen. Amen, I'm gonna wait just a second.

I believe there's one or two more. Just put your

hand and put it right back down, just real quick.

That's all you have to do. Amen. Now, every eye open,

every head looking around. If you raised your hand to

either one of those things, this is what the Bible says.

The Bible says that if you confess him before men,

he'll confess you before his father in heaven. But if

you deny him before men, he'll deny you before his

father in heaven. This is what we call your public

profession of faith, that you live out the decision you

just made right now, in a group of people that

love you, that have been praying for you and cheering

for you, and on the count of three, if you

raise your hand to either one of those things, I

want you to step out and move Listen. I don't

want you to get scared. I don't want you to

get intimidated. Doesn't matter what size you were, it doesn't

matter if you're just a child, or if you're the

oldest in the room, when I count to three, if

you raise your hands, step out and come to the front. One, two, three,

step out and move right now. Come on, come on,

come on, come on, come on, come on, come on,

come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.

Keep praying, Church, Keep praying Church, keep praying. God's working

on hearts right now. God's working on hearts right now.

Thank you, Jesus, Thank you, Jesus. This alters open as

the Holy Spirit toud's on your heart. Step out and

come step out and come pastor clay Less worship together.