Being Kingdom Minded - Looking Towards the Future

We've been talking about this series, this theme about being kingdom-minded.

Can you say kingdom-minded this morning?

You can do a better job than that.

Say kingdom-minded.

The world is filled with a lot of nonsense things.

And the world is good at filling our minds with a bunch of nonsense.

A bunch of nonsense that keeps us going in circles and circles and circles and never really going anywhere in life.

Somehow these nonsense things they become important to us.

While Christ, Jesus Christ, set the example over 2,000 years ago that we can be in the world, but not of this world.

Can you say that with me this morning?

We can be in the world, but not of the world.

One more time.

We can be in the world, not of this world.

See, when Jesus stands before Pilate, and this is part of that passion week leading up into today, during the final days before his death and resurrection, Jesus establishes the kingdom of God is different than the kingdom of this world.

I want to look at John chapter 18.

John 18 · chapter mention

It says, Therefore, Pilate entered Praetorium again and summoned Jesus and said to him, You are the king of the Jews.

Jesus said, answered, Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about me?

Pilate answered, I am not a Jew, am I?

Your own nation and the chief priest handed you over to me.

What have you done?

Jesus answered, This My kingdom is not of this world.

If my kingdom were of this world, my servants will be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews, but as it is, my kingdom is not of this realm.

Therefore Pilate said to him, So you are a king, Jesus answered.

You say correctly that I am king for this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world to testify to the truth.

Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.

Pilate said to him, What is truth?

Jesus was here on an assignment, and so are you.

Jesus was here on an assignment, and so aren't you.

Jesus sets this perfect example of how we can be in the world, but not of the world, but instead we can be in the world and kingdom-minded.

Kingdom-minded, what is being kingdom-minded over the past few weeks?

If you haven't been with us, you can watch online.

But we've pointed out the difference between church-minded people and kingdom-minded people.

What are church-minded people?

Church-minded people are concerned about their own spiritual appetite and what they can get out of the kingdom of God.

It's all about them.

While kingdom-minded people are concerned about furthering the kingdom of God and are concerned about what they can do for the kingdom of God.

See, there's a big difference.

And naturally, I'm telling you this: as you surrender your life over in service for the Lord, you find that you don't need to be chasing your spiritual appetite any longer.

Because as you begin to serve, as you begin to get in his word and just get to work, you're gonna find that your spiritual appetite, your desires, your wants, everything that you need will naturally be satisfied because you are kingdom-minded.

What does it say in Matthew 6 33?

Jesus says this, read it with me this morning.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

What are you supposed to seek first?

His kingdom and his righteousness, and all those other things that you need that you worry about every day, they will be given to you.

Praise the Lord.

Amen.

See, we said this kingdom-minded is having what?

The mind of Christ.

Being kingdom-minded is having the mind of Christ, receiving your signals from the head, which is Christ, as you are a member of his body.

Everything he says in his word, guess what?

You do it.

That's a signal from Christ.

What it says in you in his word, you do it.

The example he has set for us in his word, guess what?

You do it.

Jesus, especially towards the end of his ministry on earth, he sets a perfect example of how to serve, how to love, how to give generously, how to forgive, how to exercise faith in the power of God.

See these signals this morning, they're coming from the head of Christ and they're coming to you.

Will you receive the signals that Christ is sending to you?

Will you listen to the head?

Will you receive the signals and do your best to operate in the same way as a functioning member of his body, also known as a church?

We also said this being kingdom-minded might involve doing things out of the ordinary.

Can you say out of the ordinary this morning?

Jesus did things out of the ordinary.

Guess what?

They did things out of the ordinary.

Sometimes they had to let go of what others thought about them, people of God.

Sometimes you have to let go about what other other people think about you.

Sometimes they had to give out of the ordinary, serve out of the ordinary, love out of the ordinary.

Why?

Because they were a peculiar people.

Do I have any peculiar people here in the house this morning?

And we saw that their out-of-the-ordinary acts pointed to the kingdom of God.

But not only that, their out of ordinary acts received out of ordinary blessings from the kingdom of God.

See, when you do things out of the ordinary, you are going to get blessed out of the ordinary.

Do you believe that this morning?

I believe it because I've watched it unfold in my life, in my family's life, in people's lives in this sanctuary.

When you do things out of the ordinary, you receive out of the ordinary blessings.

Amen.

Someone needs to be encouraged in that this morning.

Last week we said being kingdom-minded is reflecting the supernatural.

Can you say that with me this morning?

Reflecting the supernatural.

Oh, we're good at reflecting a lot of things.

We reflect of a lot of things, some good, some bad.

Some things we intentionally reflect, while other things we can't help but reflect.

It's just the way that we were brought up.

It's just the environment that we are in.

But when Christ is going about his ministry, Christ chose to reflect the supernatural power of God.

What do you reflect this morning?

How about this?

Who do you reflect?

Do you reflect his supernatural love?

Or do you reflect the world's love?

Do you reflect his supernatural humility?

Or do you reflect the pride of life?

Because that's what's promoted in the world.

Are you filling your life with his supernatural word and reflecting it?

Or are you filling your life with the things of the world and reflecting that instead?

See, being kingdom-minded is reflecting the supernatural because, as Jesus says, the kingdom is within you, the kingdom is among you, the kingdom is in your midst.

The kingdom should be reflecting from each and every one of us the supernatural power of God.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, they asked, Who is this?

Who is this?

They're waving palm branches.

We talked about it last week, throwing their cloaks.

They knew he was a prophet, they knew he was a man of God, but they suspected that he was so much more.

And when he died on the cross, as it was read earlier, and the earth shook, they realized who this guy was.

In Matthew 27, when the centurion and all that that were with him watching Jesus saw the earthquake and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, What?

Truly this was the Son of God, because he reflected the supernatural.

And even though they buried the body of Christ in a borrowed tomb, it would be three days later they would see there was so much more to the story.

So much more to the story.

Being kingdom-minded is looking towards the future.

How do I know this?

If we look at his word, you notice that every step that Jesus took was purposeful.

Every step that Jesus took was intentional.

Every word that he spoke, it was leading somewhere.

That is the God that we serve.

God is not a time waster.

God doesn't waste your time and he doesn't waste his.

Suddenly, two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.

In their fright, the woman bowed with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, Why do you look for the living among the dead?

He's not here.

He has risen.

Remember how he told you while he was still with you in Galilee, the Son of Man must be livered up, delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again.

Then they remembered his words when they came back from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the others.

It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles, but they did not believe the woman, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.

Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb.

Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

Although Jesus was dead, the woman could not stop looking towards the future.

They knew that this wasn't over.

They knew that there was more to the story.

Yet these women still find it necessary to bring spice, bring spices for a dead body of Christ.

This was their savior.

This was their redeemer.

And although they did not understand God's full plan in men and women, many times we don't understand God's full plan.

But yet, you still do things out of the ordinary.

Out of honor and respect.

After three days in the grave, they brought spices that they had prepared for his body.

But when they got to the tomb, they didn't find a body.

But they found an empty tomb.

Why?

Because the kingdom of God was not yet finished being revealed.

The kingdom of God was not yet finished being revealed.

There was so much more to the story.

So much more that would unfold the women.

They run and tell the disciples, but to the natural mind, this doesn't make sense.

To the natural mind, this is all nonsense.

Eventually, all the disciples would get on board, realizing that the kingdom of God was so much more than what they could see.

So much more than the temporary circumstance.

The kingdom of God is so much more.

So what did they have to do?

They had to look towards the future.

They had to have faith without seeing.

They had to believe that the words of God were true.

Jesus would appear to all of them.

So when they had come together, they began asking him, saying, Lord, is it at this time that you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?

But he said to them, It is not for you to know the periods of time or appointed things which the Father has set by his own authority.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.

And you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.

More to the story, more that God is revealing.

You see, the kingdom of God is moving even today.

Do you believe that?

The kingdom of God is still being revealed today.

Being kingdom-minded is looking towards the future and realizing that God has so much more for you.

God has so much more for you.

God has so much more for your family.

God has so much more for your children.

God has so much more for your workplace and your community and every place that you step foot.

God has a plan.

God has a purpose.

God has so much more.

As we march towards the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

You see, being kingdom-minded isn't just stopping.

Being kingdom-minded isn't just waiting around while there are lost, hurting people that are missing out on the blessings of God.

They're missing out on joy.

Unspeakable.

They're missing out on a peace that passes all understanding.

Could you imagine if they knew that even through the storms of life that they can still have peace?

Yet we're just sitting around.

You see, being kingdom-minded is grabbing a tool belt, strapping it tight, being kingdom-minded is putting on what?

The full armor of God.

Not just pieces.

Sometimes we like to just put on pieces that look good on us.

Being kingdom-minded is putting on the full armor of God.

Being kingdom-minded is getting to work because there's work to be done.

Listen, being kingdom-minded is watching.

Being kingdom-minded is looking.

It's building.

It's going into all the world, preaching the gospel, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

While the disciples were with Jesus, while Jesus was in the garden praying.

What were they doing?

The disciples are caught sleeping in the Garden of Gethsemane before Jesus is arrested.

And what does Jesus turn around and say?

Why are you sleeping?

See, the kingdom of God is moving.

Even in the scripture that we read, why do you look for the living among the dead?

He is not here, he is risen.

There's life, there's more.

Why are you looking for the living among the dead?

See, Jesus is alive, and there's so much more to the story.

Did you know that he's gone to prepare a place for you?

So that one day he can come back and take you to where he is.

Do you know that because of Christ, you have gained access to everlasting life?

What does that look like?

I have no idea.

Except what the word of God gives us glimpse to.

There's so much more to the story.

So yeah, you can just choose to give up, you can choose to stay in the toil that life has dealt you.

Or you can choose to be kingdom-minded and get up, stop sleeping already, and look towards the future, towards the future of the promises that God has.

See in Mark 13, he says, This watch ye therefore, for ye know that the master of the house cometh at even or at midnight, or at the cock crowing or in the morning, lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

And what I say unto you, I say unto all, watch.

Let's look towards the future, people of God, let's look towards all that He has.

So, what does that mean for you?

Don't stop growing in the Lord, don't stop serving, don't stop telling people about what Christ has done for you.

It might be the same old story for you, but there's somebody out here, maybe out here or there who has not heard it yet.

God wants to use you, God wants to pour out his blessings upon you.

Oh, they ran to the tomb, they didn't know what they were going to find, but he's not here, he's risen, and because he's risen, I can face tomorrow.

I know who holds tomorrow.

Heavenly Father, Lord, I pray over this people on Easter Sunday, resurrection Sunday.

God, we've come here to celebrate.

God, we come to celebrate because what you did on that cross.

Was just part.

What you did by coming out of the grave, that's just another part.

But God, you have so much more.

The half has never yet been told.

So, God, I pray for this people here watching at home and in this house this morning.

God, that we would wake up sleeper, that we would know that there's so much more that you have for us.

God, let us be excited about what you are doing, not just in our lives, but in the lives of the people around us.

Use us, God.

Use us to serve, use us to love, use us to show them what forgiveness looks like.

God, I pray for the person that has not yet surrendered their life over to you.

God, I pray that they would realize in this moment that there's so much more for them.

So much more that you want to reveal to them.

So, God, I pray that they would be so brave to say, God, I'm sorry, and I surrender every part of my life over to you.

I believe in your Son Jesus Christ, and I receive the life that he came to bring.

God, I pray that they would make a commitment to serving you, knowing that their past is washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the future is open wide because he is risen from the dead.

We thank you and we praise you.

We give you all the praise and the glory.

In Jesus' name we say together, Amen.