Good News- Part II - Pastor Kipp Penrod

Thank you for listening to this message from Life House Church.

Turn to somebody give them a high five tell them it is good to be in the house of the

Lord this morning.

Tell them they're looking okay today.

Give them some kind of word of encouragement.

If you can't tell them the truth about how they look tell them they got a nice shirt.

How's that?

Alright come on.

God bless you.

Thank you.

You may be seated after you give somebody some good news this morning.

Good news.

Amen.

Listen we are in a sermon series called good news and we should be spreading good news.

Here's what I believe.

I believe this.

I don't think I'm not sure about this completely but I don't think we can get too much good

news right.

I haven't studied this out.

I haven't researched it any but I'm pretty sure there's no adverse effects to getting

too much good news.

If anybody has that study anybody has that please fill me in right.

In my very humble unprofessional psycho analogy of good news I don't think we can get too

much good news.

As a matter of fact if you can I'm willing to give it a shot anyway even if there's an

adverse effect anybody with me on that.

How many of you like perpetual nonstop good news in your life?

Amen.

Anybody with me?

It's true.

We're all down with getting some good news.

We're all about it.

Bring it on.

Give it to us.

Hit us with it right every chance you get.

If you can save a lot on your car insurance by switching to whatever.

Ah yeah I see how many of you are watching TV right.

Bring it on.

That's something like yeah right out there.

Alright if you can retire to her two years early from your job and get an enormous bonus

doing it.

That's what I'm saying like bring it on.

Amen.

Alright school or work is canceled because the weather is just too nice.

Amen.

Come on bring it on.

You just received a large inheritance from a long lost uncle that you didn't even know

you had.

How many are like sign me up.

Sign me up right.

Can we really get too much good news?

I don't think so.

I don't think it's possible.

I think I think we want good news.

We crave good news.

I crave good news.

We want to hear the good news.

And I believe that's true in scripture too.

I believe it's true in the Bible.

We really can't get too much of the good news of God.

So if you got your Bibles I want you just to go ahead and head to the book of Matthew.

I said that twice in a row.

Alright head to the book of Matthew.

We're going to go into chapter 24 this morning and while you're turning there if you're listening

online we'll give you just a moment to get there as well.

I'm going to pray over God's word of my prayer over this morning and the word that's coming

forth and I want to pray over you receiving the word.

Sometimes I got to pray for my tongue and your ears.

Amen.

Alright sometimes my heart and your heart.

We got to pray along those lines that we hear God's word we receive it and here's what I

know and believe is the Holy Spirit will accomplish whatever He needs to in your own life.

He will.

So let's pray.

Father we come today just grateful thankful for your word.

God I pray.

God that as the word goes forth Lord that it would be a light unto somebody's path.

God Lord it would shine forth God that it would Lord really just illuminate in front

of them and God I pray that the Holy Spirit goes in amongst all these people and those

who are listening online and God it just speaks to them personally and Lord God it gives them

a word that they need now and now word a ramal word and God Lord that it will change their

hearts it will change their minds it will change their direction and God will give them perspective

in all that they see and do.

We give you glory in Jesus name and amen and amen.

All right Matthew chapter 24 Jesus is talking to his disciples in his passage of scripture

Matthew 24 · chapter mention

and he's talking about future things.

He's talking about things that are out ahead of them.

He's talking about things that aren't taking place currently but are going to happen one

day in the future and he's filling them in and he's talking and discussing with them

about how he's going to return to this earth one day.

How many are glad that Jesus is going to return right.

If you didn't know that I'm here to tell you this morning he's coming back.

He's going to return so he's talking about his return to this earth from heaven and he's

talking about the end of the age.

He's talking about when things begin to shift and when things come to a close as life as

we know it and God sets up his kingdom on this earth.

So it's stuff we like to talk about.

How many of you know we like to talk about the future right.

Anybody like to talk about the future.

You all do.

We want to we all want to know what's happening out the line.

We all want to know what's going to take place tomorrow.

It'd be awesome if we could figure out what's going to happen tomorrow.

The day after three days after that a month a year 12 years from now.

We want to know what it's going to look like.

We want to know what it looks like in the near future.

We want to know what it looks like in the distant future.

We want to know if the end is near and then we do.

They make movies about that stuff right.

How many of you see there's like 5000 movies about the end of the age you know about the

end of the world.

They do it over.

We want to know this stuff.

We want to know what's coming and Jesus the disciples had the same ideas we did.

They want to know.

So Jesus gives them some clues about what will happen at the end of the age.

What's going to lead up to the return of Christ.

What's going to lead up to the end.

And the good news is that that Jesus is going to return.

That's the awesome news.

But the bad news in this portion of scripture is just some evil things are going to happen

at the end of the age.

The evil is going to bound towards the end.

So Jesus kind of unfolding this and as he's doing that at the end of this passage he hits

into some truth about some good news.

So while I'm reading this it's not going to sound like it's good news but at the end of

this passage we're going to pull out some things that really are good news.

Matthew 24 verse 3 that says this.

Matthew 24:3

Now as he sat on the mount of Olives the disciples came to him privately saying tell us when

will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the

age.

And Jesus answered and said to them take heed that no one deceives you for many will come

in my name saying I am the Christ and will deceive many and you will hear of wars and

rumors of wars.

See that you're not troubled for all these things must come to pass but the end is not

yet for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom and there will be

famines and pestilence and earthquakes and various places and all these things are the

beginning of sorrows.

How many know this doesn't sound like very good news.

All right and then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you and you will be

hated by all nations for my name's sake and then many will be offended will betray one

another.

You see some of that these days right will betray one another and hate one another and

many false prophets will rise up and deceive many because lawlessness will abound the love

of many will grow cold but he who endures to the end shall be saved.

No great news at this point matter of fact I was thinking about disciples you know they're

asking Jesus about the end of the age and they're probably thinking sometimes you ask

a question and you wish you really didn't ask.

They're probably thinking you know maybe ignorance was bliss maybe we maybe we shouldn't ask

the question what the signs are up until the end of the age maybe we should have just kept

quiet about that whole thing.

That might have been racing through their mind as they're listening to Jesus unfold

this and talking about how evil is going to rise and how it's going to get ugly for a

while before he returns and puts an end to all that right.

But 14 says this and this gospel here's the good news and this gospel of the kingdom will

be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come.

Verse 14 is both prophetic it is a prophetic revelation and it also gives us some of the

good news of the Bible the good news of scripture the good news of Jesus.

The prophetic portion of this scripture is that the gospel will be preached in all the

world the gospel of the kingdom of God will be preached in all the world and many scholars

believe that's going to take place before Jesus returns before he comes back before

the second coming.

The church is going to accomplish this task of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ into

all the world.

It's estimated right now that there are 7.83 billion people alive today 3.37 billion of

them are unreached people groups with little or no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

According to the Joshua project there are approximately 17,428 unique people groups in the world with

7,400 plus of them considered completely unreached over 40 42 percent of the world's population

the vast majority 85 percent of these least reached groups exist in the 1040 window and

less than 10 percent of the missionary work is done in these nations.

The 1040 window is a rectangular area on the map you look at a world map of North Africa

the Middle East and Asia it's between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude this area

is often called the resistant belt and includes some of the majority of the world's major

religions of Muslim Hindu and Buddhist Bible scholars believe that before Jesus will return

we don't know for certain but this is what scholars believe that that area right that

unreached people group is going to come to Christ they're going to hear the gospel and

what was once thought was going to take maybe even up to hundreds of years is now all changed

because of digital media because of the ability to communicate worldwide very quickly when

the door opens up in these areas I believe it's going to be like a floodgate and the

gospel is going to go forth so it can happen very quickly this is good news right the gospel

going into all the world but the other part of that good news and that last part of that

verse is that God has a kingdom amen my watch is talking to me even all right I just got

an amen from my watch almost all right how many know God has a kingdom amen he's got

a kingdom the good news of the kingdom of God is that we will become citizens of the

kingdom of God what Jesus came preaching about it begins with the gospel it begins with the

good news last week was Easter we were preaching Jesus Christ risen from the grave right come

back from the dead and because he was alive and because he came to life and because he

conquered death hell in the grave we now conquer death hell in the grave through him we now

have life everlasting and part of that good news is that we become citizens of a different

kingdom the kingdom of God Jesus came to preach salvation and reconciliation but he also came

preaching the kingdom of God Mark 1 14 says this now after John was put in prison Jesus

came to Galilee preaching the kingdom right the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying

that time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand repent and believe in the gospel

the good news is if we follow Jesus if we repent if we believe if we follow him we become

citizens of another kingdom a different kingdom if you're following Jesus if he's your Lord

and he's your Savior if you've repented of sin and you've confessed him as Lord your

citizenship is not just in the United States of America any longer you belong to the kingdom

of God and that's good news the gospel the gospel of Jesus Christ is not just fire insurance

do you know that a lot of people think the gospel of Jesus Christ is just fire insurance

right a lot of people believe that the reason I get saved is just to keep me out of hell

right just so I don't go to hell you know when I was a kid they preached on hell a lot

now I know you don't hear that so much anymore but when I was a kid they preached on hell

like it was their job I knew preachers and pastors that preached on hell so much I thought

they went and visited and came back to tell me personally about it I mean they would preach

and I don't know if you ever heard the terminology scared straight anybody ever hear that that

terminology when I was a kid you got scared straight right they would preach on hell and

we were down at the altar all getting saved we got saved the week before but we were back

again just in case right just in case we didn't get it right the first time but the gospel

of Christ is so much more than just fire insurance it's more than just keeping us from hell it

really is the good news of Jesus Christ it is about salvation it's about new life and

it is really about a new kingdom that we come into a new citizenship it's important listen

who we belong to is important what we experience is important and where you belong is a big

deal it's important to know where you belong it will affect your present it will affect

your future it will affect your mindset if you know where you belong where you live matters

where you call home what you call home matters where you're a citizen of it matters and if

you don't believe me just pull up your citizenship in the United States of America and move to

a little country called North Korea you just slide up into North Korea and park yourself

for a little while my son and I my son's in from Philadelphia yesterday him and I were

talking about a podcast that we both listened to he's actually reading a book on North Korea

and if you don't I don't know if you know this or not but you want to talk about violation

of human rights in North Korea there is such oppression there is such fear there is such

a push down on the citizens of that country do you know that they don't even have a word

that they use for love it is so oppressive there they don't even talk about love if you

listen to somebody that maybe has escaped from North Korea and I listen to a testimony

of that there is so much oppression by the government there that they believe that the

government can almost read their mind I listened to a young lady's testimony who escaped from

North Korea she said when I was growing up I thought that the government could read my

mind I didn't even think a bad thought about the government even though they were starving

us to death even though they oppressed our family even though we knew people who spoke

up one time and disappeared from the face of the earth it matters where you live amen

it matters where you have citizenship it matters whether you live in freedom or you live in

complete bondage it matters and it matters if you understand if you are part of the kingdom

of God if you have got citizenship in the kingdom of God it will change how you think

it will change your future it will change how you function amen it will Jesus said you

are part of another kingdom a different kingdom when you come to Christ your citizenship changes

right and we need to think that way we need to pray that way do you know what is talked

about in the Lord's prayer I am going to read you the first part of the Lord's prayer Matthew

6 says therefore do not be like them for your father knows the things you have need of before

you ask him in this manner Jesus was talking to disciples therefore pray our Father in

heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come your kingdom come we should be longing

for a kingdom that we have really never stepped foot in yet the kingdom of God now we know

what is in our hearts and I don't mean to go back and reminisce a little bit but I did

this week I went back a little bit growing up in church they used to talk a lot about

being a citizen of the kingdom of God they really did I remember when I was growing up

in church the preachers and the teachers and those who were around they would call us pilgrims

they would say we are pilgrims in a foreign land listen I still lived in the United States

I was just in Western Pennsylvania but they knew the kingdom of God and they used to talk

about being pilgrims in this land they used to talk about listen we are citizens of heaven

we are only here they would say we are only here for just a little while this is just

all temporary I remember my grandparents saying this isn't our home man this is just this

house I live in this is just a temporary dwelling till I get to heaven one day till I am a citizen

of the kingdom of God we are foreigners they call themselves foreigners you don't hear

that much anymore do you?

And they would say we are traveling to a different place and they started getting into our minds

and our hearts we don't really belong here we are just here for a little while it is

just temporary our real citizenship is with God it is the kingdom of heaven you start

thinking different I remember as a kid like hey this is just all how different is your

approach to everything if you are just like this is all temporary my house is temporary

my car is temporary everything I got is just kind of temporary it is just a place for now

and one day I am going to step into where I really belong one day I am going to step

into a kingdom that God is going to reign and rule in and all this is just going to

fade away into the background amen?

That's how we thought that's how we lived right we should get there again we should

practice talking all things kingdom of God we should practice that practice that if the

kingdom is so much better the kingdom of God is so much better than the kingdom that is

here right now shouldn't we be talking that way?

Can I be honest for a second?

I don't think I really do that I am just going to be flat honest I think as I look back at

this sometimes I preach it myself and sometimes I convict my own self when I am preaching

right I am looking at this and I am thinking you know I don't really talk about God's kingdom

near as much as I talk about this kingdom I don't talk about God's kingdom when I am

in everyday life as much as I talk about the United States of America or what is going

on around the country what is happening in the news right if we are supposed to be newscasters

for the kingdom of God what should we be casting?

News about the kingdom right God's kingdom and I know some of you are thinking well I

can't do that where I work right I get in trouble I get fired from my job some of you

are thinking well you know if I start doing that out I start talking about the kingdom

of God out in society where I am at in school or work or you know at play wherever I am

they are going to think I am a religious nut job right we think those things right well

pastor you don't understand this conversation doesn't fit that context I know it is good

preaching on Sunday but I don't know I can't really talk kingdom out there it is not practical

it is not reasonable right it is not normal we will think those things not sure you know

I just can't do it right but I don't buy into that logic when I look into God's word have

you ever noticed that when Jesus spoke out in public it was this natural way of bringing

in the kingdom right he just did it if someone was talking about water Jesus would start

talking about living water right he started talking about water that you could drink and

you will never get thirsty about again he was talking kingdom if somebody was talking

about money he would say well you know what the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden

in a field right and everybody leaned in he is talking about kingdom right if somebody

was talking about gardening and or farming he says you know gardening is a little bit

like a mustard seed you know the kingdom of heaven is just a little bit like a mustard

seed you take that mustard seed and you throw that thing into the ground and it begins to

grow and the branches spread out and the birds of the earth he starts talking the kingdom

and you know if he was talking fish and he would say you know what if you are fishing

the kingdom of God is like casting a big old net out into the ocean and when you pull it

in there is fish in there that you begin to separate Jesus spoke that way all the time

how many know that supernatural speaking completely natural amen right it isn't weird right you

don't come off like a religious flake anybody ever meet a religious flake all right don't

point at me all right anybody ever meet me what come on Jeremy somebody was weird that

wasn't Jesus he spoke the kingdom all the time he was talking kingdom with people and

he is pointed into conversation be naturally supernatural do you know that you ever hear

that terminology I totally ripped that off from somebody else but I liked it all right

be naturally supernatural I think the apostle Paul he gets his writing Colossians he starts

writing in Colossians and he is asking some people to pray for him about him presenting

the gospel and I love this in Colossians 4 2 it says this I think they are going to put

it up on the screen for you continue earnestly in prayer being vigilant in it with thanksgiving

meanwhile praying also for us that God would open to us a door for the word to speak the

mystery of Christ for which I am also in chains that I make it manifest as I ought to speak

walk in wisdom towards those who are outside redeeming the time let your speech always

be with grace season with salt that you may know how you ought to answer each one he is

telling them the apostle Paul the person who can write who wrote two-thirds of the New

Testament the man who can put more information in one paragraph that will just blow your

mind if you start reading the writings of Paul in scripture he packs so much in one

paragraph sometimes I can't hardly get my head around it Paul the wordsmith Paul the

communicator he is telling them listen pray for me because when we cast out into the society

when we start preaching the kingdom when we start preaching the good news I need some

things to happen that is what he was telling them he says ask God to open the door for

the kingdom of God today that is one of the things we pray for pray for the right opportunity

to share the kingdom of God he said help me to speak the mystery of Jesus Christ I love

that right help me to unfold the mystery of Jesus Christ help me to speak the right message

that is what he was saying help me speak as I ought to speak today he literally uses that

term help me to speak in context right help me make it fit help my speech be graceful

and at the same time season with salt help me speak graciously but so effectively it's

just like throwing salt on someone it makes their taste buds savor right how many of us

all can do a bunch of things it really can't it makes food taste really good but you ever

dumped just straight salt on your tongue what's that do right it's potent it's strong help

me to be gracious and salty all together Paul's telling them pray this way our prayers should

be God give me opportunity in the kingdom our prayers should be give me the right message

our prayers should be help me to incorporate Jesus and the kingdom and everything that

I speak help me to do this in the right context right that's where the weird part comes by

the way right if you just come with some cookie cutter thing and you get in the wrong context

you just start saying some random religious things people looking at you like you got

three heads no they put it in context help me have grace help me to have salt you know

just let me do good news tell somebody about the kingdom of God it's what Jesus did it's

what Paul did it's what the Holy Spirit helps us to do if we ask them I thought about this

morning and I like process and I like systems and I like giving people a one two three on

how to do something right but you can't do this for this yeah I can't give you a one

two three I can tell you you know why because your conversations are going to be so wide

they're going to be so vast you're going to be in conversation with somebody some of you

going to be talking about fish some of you going to be talking about water some of you

going to be talking about something else some of you going to be talking about the news

and I can't give you a one two three on how to bring the kingdom into that conversation

but I can tell you if you pray the Holy Spirit will guide you in speaking kingdom do you

know that that's why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit when he went back to be with the father he

sent the Holy Spirit and he said I'm going to help you to speak kingdom it can't be cookie

cutter I can't give you just that now listen learn a little bunch of scripture will really

help you by the way you'll pull it into the conversation but I can't give you just say

this say this and say this I can't give you that you got to walk in the spirit you got

to follow the leading of the spirit you got to be willing to jump into conversation I

love talking to people that have done this and sometimes it blows their mind the first

time it happens they'll get in this conversation like pastor I got to talk to somebody about

Jesus you know they kind of rub their hands I got it I got to talk about the kingdom a

little bit and it was so awesome you know no leaning a little bit and I'm talking I

started talking and I don't even know where the words came from I don't I don't even know

how I said all that you know I don't even know where it came from and it's like it just

came and I began to stop and I was beginning to speak and they're talking about the game

and you know what that was that was the Holy Spirit feeding it in right and they're just

projecting it out and they're just blown away they're like I didn't think about it was just

there and they're speaking the kingdom of God as we get opportunity because it's the

greatest kingdom to be a part of we all live in this lousy kingdom down here give them

up the kingdom amen John 15 26 says this but when the helper comes say the helper whom

I shall send to you from the father of truth who proceeds from the father he will testify

of me that's why when you start speaking to somebody about Jesus and about the kingdom

of God that's why the words begin to come because if the Holy Spirit is working in you

and through you he testifies to Jesus so he just helps you out he partners right up with

you and you start talking right John 14 26 says this but the helper the Holy Spirit

whom the father will send in my name he will teach you all things and bring to remembrance

all the things that I said to you how many have a bad memory come on yeah me too okay

he said he'll bring you all things to your remembrance he says he will teach you all

things he will teach you all things I don't got time to park there I could tell you story

after story after story of individuals they tell me they get in situations they should

have no knowledge of and they get there and they're not sure how what to do and they begin

to pray and all of a sudden the Holy Spirit comes and he teaches them things that somebody

else can't teach them and they know because the Holy Spirit knows all things right he'll

bring it to your remembrance in the instantaneous and in the long term John 15 5 says I am the

brand vine you are the branches he who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit for without

me you can do nothing some of you are going I can't do this I know you don't have to you

can't do this on your own but in him you can do anything just jump into the conversation

about the kingdom just start talking about it a little bit and you're gonna be a man

you just turn it over to the Holy Spirit and all of a sudden it's gonna happen you're gonna

come tell me the story you're gonna say pastor I'm telling you it's so weird all right I

got in her and I just started talking it just started happen John 14 6 says I will pray

the Father and he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever the Holy

Spirit will not leave you in a conversation he doesn't say peace out all right he's with

you in the conversation he's with you and you're bringing the kingdom you're speaking

his language when you start talking kingdom he wants to work you we are carriers we are

newscasters we are carriers of the good news we are the redeemed we are the ones who what

better spokespeople to talk about the kingdom of God than the people who have been adopted

into the kingdom of God he sent us forward what we know about the kingdom we need to

talk about the kingdom say this with me I'm gonna ask you to blindly say something then

I'll explain it say we are preachers some of you did some of you're like I say that

we are preachers some of you're thinking no I'm not right that's your job so you're right

that's what you get paid to do you're the pastor you're the evangelist you're the prophet

you're the you know you're the teacher you're the one that's supposed to be expelled well

let me tell you something not so quick on that conclusion let me reread some verses

to you here and I'm getting ready to close pretty soon get ready to come Matthew 24 14

says this and the gospel I read this already and the gospel of the kingdom will be preached

in all the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come I want you to take

notice what you don't see in that scripture it does not say the gospel of the kingdom

will be preached by the pastors in all the world as a witness doesn't say that anywhere

doesn't say doesn't name exclusively pastors evangelists prophets doesn't name anybody

a teacher doesn't say that it says the gospel will be preached in all the world okay that's

first thing and in fact if you start looking at the pastor the evangelist the prophet the

apostle right the teacher the fivefold ministry actually the Bible says the opposite it really

does in Ephesians 4 11 says this and he himself is talking about Jesus gave some to be apostles

some prophets some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints

for the work of the ministry for the edifying the body of Christ my job is to train you

to go out and speak to a world that's lost and dying my job is to equip you to go out

and to share the gospel to go out and tell people about the kingdom of God that's my

job now that doesn't absolve me from doing it myself I have to do that as well but my

job is to train the pastor the prophet the apostle the teacher all of them right there

were to train we couldn't do it all if we wanted to we got to get the whole world there's

several billion people that haven't heard the gospel yet there's people in your neighborhood

that haven't heard about the kingdom of God in this new citizenship that's so amazing

they think this is it they think this is all there is I'm going to live in the United States

so I die and this is it this is all that get all you can get right grab everything you grab

now and we need to tell them there is so much more this is nothing all this right here this

is nothing compared to what's coming in Christ nothing it's it's it's it's one second with

the Lord and all this will fade so far behind you you won't even you can't even get your

head around it it'll fade in a heartbeat for what you're going to experience what you're

going to see what you're going to be part of in the kingdom of God that's true I'm going

to ask me to stand

Thank you for tuning in to this message from LifeHouse Church.

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