Understanding the Kingdom of God (Pt 18) : Actions Speak Louder - The Parable of Two Sons

And if we want to keep in step with the Spirit, we have to break the notion that what we do

is we run the service on a Sunday.

We meet with God, we meet with each other. We're hungry for what the Lord wants as a church.

You can't ask for revival yet be upset when things are uncomfortable. They don't work together.

And I'm telling you, God is going to do something. You can feel it in the air. The air is pregnant.

God is going to be breaking through more and more and more in people's lives, and we need to give space for that.

And you need to just begin to understand that God actually wants to minister to you as well as through you.

We are a priesthood of believers.

This is not a preaching center where one person preaches, you all listen, and we go home.

We are a priesthood together. Gifted differently, equipped differently.

We are the army, the bride, the aroma, the fragrance, the people of God together.

And from here, he wants to launch us weekly into our city to do

what God wants us to do.

And that also means that he's going to bring change and it's going to bring adjustment to all of us

as we pursue the next season of what

God has for us.

Are you good with that? And if you're not, he's going to

make you good with it.

Because if you are filled with the Holy Spirit in this place today, it means the Holy Spirit dictates, not you.

And I wonder how many of us we pray, Lord, fill me, but we live

Lord, just let's be polite here.

I have a life, so you can do moments with me. But if you don't mind, don't disrupt me too much.

Can I be honest enough to tell you? I believe we're going into some seasons now where God is going to disrupt some of our lives.

When you pray for revival, it literally changes everything. When God revives you, you're not the same as before.

And some of us have had very comfortable lives.

And I promise you this, under God, he will make you uncomfortable in the seasons to come.

Look from Genesis to Revelation, how many

times God dealt with somebody.

And when God introduced himself into their lives to deal with him, nothing stayed the same again.

It's not just a response to salvation. It's not just a come down to the front and let God minister to you.

It is an adjustment in the way

you live your life from now out.

You cannot allow a moment in God

to stay a moment in God.

It has to bring a life shift. Are you hearing me?

I wouldn't want to be a blind

person who gets healed for a day, and then I can't see again.

If I get healed, delivered, touched, adjusted

I want that adjustment to last through my life,

that I do something with what God's given me.

And I'm aware that God is wanting to do a lot of stuff with us that we just got to be open to.

Last week I spoke on this immoral woman at Simon the Pharisee's house and

how Jesus uses an illustration to her of saying someone's forgiven of 500, a debt of 500 pieces of silver, another of 50.

When you have 500 pieces of silver's worth of forgiveness that you have received, it's so much easier to give 50 to

to somebody else.

To the degree it's been revealed to you that you are forgiven is a degree to which you can forgive.

And I said last night that you need to really, last Sunday, you need to walk into a personally received forgiven life.

The Lord has forgiven, but sometimes we have to receive in our very beings that we are forgiven.

Because when I'm forgiven, the enemy can no longer accuse me because I'm forgiven.

And John, that beautiful disciple of Jesus, he says in 1 John, chapter 2, there's a progression of faith,

1 John 2 · chapter mention

there's a progression of maturity in 1 John, chapter 2.

1 John 2 · chapter mention

And he says, a little child in the faith is one who knows that his sins are forgiven and that he has a father in heaven.

That's the beginning of the Christian walk.

You haven't even begun to be a young man or a father in the faith yet.

And I'll tell you, the enemy comes to rob and steal and kill and destroy and accuse, and this world is full of it.

There is international uncertainty right now, but there is a rock that was hewn in the book of Daniel,

and that rock is going to pull down the nations of this world.

And there is a secret, hidden kingdom we are preaching about the kingdom of God that comes to invade people's lives.

And the first thing God does is he has to let you know you are forgiven.

And when you're forgiven and the shackles come off and you are free, you need to live free and act free.

My precious wife does animal rescue.

I did not know too much of that before we got married.

She does animal rescue.

And you know what happens when you rescue an animal that comes from another environment?

Even though it's free and it's no longer in its environment, it still cowers when you walk near it.

For at least we've got a dog now. I think we cast every demon out. Although it jumps on the stove and

eats our food occasionally.

Cooper. And you know, when we got that dog, you couldn't put your hand anywhere near its head.

Just now you can do anything you like because you come into an environment where you start to live in the freedom you've already received.

And if you don't, you will be free but still live cowering.

And I want to tell you, there are guys and girls in this room today.

God wants you to start standing up in the freedom you have received.

And I'm going to go somewhere on this. I just texted Mark now, I said, looking at where the worship's gone,

looking at what God's doing. I just texted him, babe, we ain't

going past point two of seven, so be free.

Point number one for this morning, I'm still on last week's Lost and Found,

where God is going after our hearts.

And my point one, that I might get to a second one this morning, is this unrestrained acceptance of God's will.

Unrestrained acceptance of God's will.

When revival comes, it means there are guys and girls who are saying this.

I am willing to do whatever God wants me to do, submit to his will.

I yield to his will. I have come to do your will, O Lord.

You can pray with accuracy. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done in and through me.

That should be the life of every single Christian.

Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Do I use the other one? Handheld. On. Brilliant. I love technology. Where was I?

Every Christian should start every morning. My Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done.

I'm telling you today that Jesus defeated the enemy on the cross. And right now, the battle he fights is to get his own people to do his will.

He's not fighting the enemy anymore so much as he's fighting us to do his will. And he gives us an illustration of a story I'm going to read in a moment in Matthew, chapter 21,

Matthew 21 · chapter mention

if you want to turn there. Matthew, chapter 21, or just follow behind me. Verse 28. Do you remember what happened just before that? Before chapter, verse 28.

Matthew 21 · chapter mention

It's where the Pharisees went to Jesus and said, who gives you the authority? By what authority are you doing what you're doing? And Jesus said, well, let me ask you a question first.

John's baptism, did it come from God or is it human? Because if they said it's from God, everyone repented except them. So they're irrelevant.

If it's from man. Then why did anyone have to be baptized? So they were stuck. They didn't know how to answer. And Jesus carries on from there. Verse 28.

But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, son, go out and work in the vineyard today.

The son answered, no, I won't go. But later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, you go.

And he said, yes sir, I will. But he didn't go. Which of the two obeyed his father? They replied the first.

Then Jesus explained his meaning. I tell you the truth. Corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you do.

For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn't believe him. Well, tax collectors and prostitutes did.

And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe in him and repent of your sins. Now Jesus is having a go at the Pharisees,

who we read in the earlier passage were sitting in the seat of Mount Moses. The seat of Moses was the seat of prophecy. Moses was a great prophet, A great prophet.

And Moses had sat in a seat of authority under God. He had received word from God. He delivered the word of God to the people of God.

And he had led the people of God according to what he had received. So this guy did it, said it and lived it. And now we've got Pharisees who are doing none of that.

And they've taken a lot of the laws of God and they've changed them around and they've messed things around.

And now Jesus comes and he says, I want you to understand that from the very beginning,

God's intention for you, the Jewish people, the intention of God for you from the book of Isaiah, was that the Gentiles would see the light through you. The Gentiles would be saved through you, through your ministry.

You are a kingdom of priests. From the book of Exodus, the world is meant to know who God is through your lives.

But you have retreated into a group of rule keeping hypocrites.

And then he points out that there are these two boys, these two young men, and the first, an older brother, is one who is in rebellion to the will of God.

But later on he repents and does

the will of God.

And we know from the story it's the unqualified, it's the prostitutes and the tax collectors. People like Matthew, who was a tax collector, gets saved, becomes an apostle and goes and preaches into the world.

And Jesus is saying that in these days there will be many older sons who are going to hear the gospel. They're going to take their lives. That didn't count for much.

And they're going to surrender their wills to God and say, okay, Lord, whatever you want. That's what I want.

That's what Jesus is trying to say.

Then there's another son who has a reluctance to do the will of God, proven by the false start.

That younger son says, yes, sir. And that word sir, by the way, is the name Lord. And it's a differential term.

These are the ones who give honour to God with their lips, but not with their lives.

And these are people who stand up and say, yes, I'll do it. I'll do whatever God says. Then they go and they never do it.

And he says, who enters the kingdom? Who tastes the power and the authority of the kingdom of God? It is those who repent and enter, not those who say and don't.

And I want you to see something this morning. The father wants to put both boys to work in the vineyard. God wants fruitfulness from every single person who responds to the gospel.

Can I say that again? God wants fruitfulness from every single person who responds to the gospel.

Now, I want to tell you that puts a pressure on every single local church because almost every single local church allows people to come in and be entertained Robbie Williams style.

Great worship, great preach, great coffee, great environment. And you leave here feeling like you've been served.

And I want to remind you, you are actually here to be put to work.

God takes a person and joins a person to a local church based on what God wants to do in the community through that person, as they're equipped by the church they go to. That's why they're put there.

The Bible says that you are a purchased possession. When you're born again, God buys you with the blood of his son and you no longer belong to yourself.

But we have churches everywhere around the world who struggle to get their people to do anything.

And when God wants to revive a place, he gets his people back to work.

Any of you ever played sport? A great analogy of rugby is if you go to ellis park with 60,000 people, they say church is like a rugby game.

You got 30 people on a field desperately in need of a rest, being cheered on by 60,000 people desperately in need of exercise.

And you know what happens when you're not playing on the field? Everyone who's not playing are spectators.

And if you've ever watched a sports game, how long is it before the spectators become commentators?

I don't know. He dropped the ball, that idiot. Why is he playing for the Springboks? Oh, wait, why aren't you? You're not even qualified to go to the fridge to get your next Coke.

And if you're not a player, you're a spectator. And if you're a spectator, you're a commentator.

And you know what happened? Because the Pharisees, the teachers of the law and the scribes were no longer playing the game. They became commentators.

And commentators tell everyone what to do while they don't get on with the job.

And I want to tell you, our churches are full of it.

I'm going to make two disclaimers right now. Number one, I believe worship was God centered this morning. I believe the spirit of God moved on us. The anointing was tangible and palpable.

But can I just say, it wasn't for you, it was for him.

And some of you might leave today. I thought worship was a bit long.

You know, I forgot to get the memo that we set everything up for you. I'm so sorry.

Please send me an email in the week, okay, telling me your songs and your preference and how long you would like it.

Whether it's hillsong or the Gaithers, you get to decide. Please send me an email and say I would like the following.

And please send it to tell someone who cares dot com. Send it off there.

When Israel was called to worship, you know what they did.

You bow the knee before Holy God and you give him what he wants.

And in those days he wanted the sacrifice of animals. He gets it today. He wants your heart. Is he going to get it?

And I want to show you a truth that we don't often see, is

that Jesus said, there will be some. The older brother says, no, I'm not going to do this Christian thing, not for me.

And then a moment comes where God grabs their hearts and God grabs their lives.

And so many of you today have that kind of testimony. You are out there in wild, reckless living and God got a hold of you.

Now all you want to do is you'll run through walls for Jesus. And I celebrate you. And I celebrate who you are and what you're doing.

But there's another category of those who have said I will do it and who don't.

A heart of indifference and even rebellion may exist beneath the appearance of, of a nice religious person.

They look and smell just like the stand up example of a good Christian.

They're poster boys, they're poster girls for the faith, but they really are self seeking, critical, bitter and unforgiving. On the inside,

everything must happen on their preferred terms.

You see the prostitute and the tax collector, they know full and well what it's like to live without God in their lives.

They've known the pain and the hurt and the loneliness and the fear and the desperation of trying to make life on your own.

And they know what it's like when in an undeserving way, a righteous, beautiful and holy God reached in and saved them

and showed them life eternal and forgave all their sins and washed them whiter than snow.

That they know how to celebrate. And they want to go tell people about Jesus.

Then there are others who have never received this forgiveness because they didn't think they needed it.

Called by God, not used of God, by the state of their own hearts.

They don't see themselves as lost.

And you know, when you don't see yourselves as lost, you can't be found because you think you already are.

Actions speak louder than words. And true obedience to God comes from genuine repentance and changed behavior, not just

from outward compliance or empty promises.

I felt the Lord say to me today that there will be many people, even in this room right now,

those watching, who are sitting on a command, an instruction or a demand that God has previously given you

and today he wants to remind you of that. Has he spoken? Has he whispered?

Has he called you to things you've just neglected in the busyness of the day?

He's called you to do something, you haven't done it.

But now is your season to say, okay, actually, I am going to go. I'm going to be that older brother.

The Bible says, to whom much is given, much will be required.

God will call you to something and he will not let you off the hook of what he's called you to.

And if God's called you to do this, you can go and do that with all your heart for Him. He will still bring you back to this.

Because often what we do is say, lord, you've called me to something. I choose not to do that.

I'm going to go and do this, but I'll do it with all my heart. And I'm trying to buy your favor again by doing what I wanted to do, but doing it for you.

And on that day, remember some of the Lord, I did this for you. I did that for you. I did this for you.

I didn't know you. He says, that's not what I asked you to do. Have you done what I asked you to do?

What do you do when you don't know what to do next? Go back to what God told you last

and ask God, have I done it faithfully? Have I paid attention?

Have I spoken to that person? Have I done this? Have I given that? Have I done, Lord, what you said

last so that I'm able to walk into what's next.

I wonder how many callings and opportunities are lying on the floor just waiting to get picked up.

I believe the air is pregnant with possibility and opportunity.

I believe there are guys and girls even in this room who God has spoken to you

and he's reminding you right now. Even in worship this morning, even now, he's reminding you you said yes once upon a time, but you haven't done it.

And now he's calling you back to serve him in areas where he wants you.

James chapter four and verse five says, do you think Scripture has no meaning?

They say that God is passionate. The scriptures say that God is passionate, that the Spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him.

God has put a willing and obedient spirit inside you and he demands that that spirit be faithful to Him.

In our elder's prayer earlier, a sense came out that sometimes we love the Holy Spirit so much.

We love his leading, we love how he ministers. We love the flow of the Spirit. You got to admit, when the Spirit comes, it's something, eh?

I know when I pray for people I get like electric shocks through me. Just this presence of God.

I love the way the Holy Spirit leads and his power and his glory. When the Spirit comes, I believe there's

going to be glorious mess. Some of you say, no, no, God's a God of order.

Well, the same God of order so filled the disciples in the upper room with the Holy Spirit

that people who don't know different said, these men are drunk.

Which means there was some kind of drunken looking behavior, some strange behavior

when God, the Holy Spirit was poured out. And are we going to see that? Absolutely.

Are we going to see some of you that stumble your way to the car? Absolutely.

Are you going to get stopped by the EMPD on the way home? Absolutely.

And you're going to talk and slur and they're going to do tests and you're going to be as sober as them

and they're not going to know what to do with you and you're going to say bless you in the name of Jesus

and they're going to topple over and then their superiors are going to test them for blood.

We love the Holy Spirit. We Love Jesus the merciful one, the kind one. Jesus who died for our sins. Jesus who cares for us and nurtures us, who brings us good news.

But is there a possibility we have neglected the Father and we have neglected the fear of God.

Is there a chance that in the church we tolerate way too much?

Is there a chance that our edges of holiness are way too blurred?

Revival is going to sort that out because I quote again from James chapter four.

They the Scriptures say that God is passionate, that the Spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him

and he gives grace generously.

As the Scriptures say, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

So humble yourselves before God.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Come close to God and he will come close to you.

Wash your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

I believe Mark, that was at point one. There's no way to do it anymore.

Of my seven that I spent hours preparing, by the way, I got home from Zimbabwe last night at like half past eight.

Been there since Thursday. We had hundreds of leaders in Harare that came together.

And man did God move. Preached twice Thursday, twice Friday, three times Saturday, and then again this morning.

Now just saw the presence of God moving in people's lives across churches. I think they're poised for revival.

Just God doing some incredible things. Very grateful to him.

But I feel as I read these texts that there are guys and girls even in this room now

where God says, I want that spirit that I've placed in you to be faithful to me.

Wash your hands, purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

And there were two brothers. The one said no, ran back and said yes.

The other said, I'll go. And neglected the call of God upon his life.

And I believe some of them are sitting right here, right now.

And so I want to give you an opportunity. And what we're going to do is I'm going to ask, would you stand with me?

I'm going to ask you if you're an older brother and you have drifted.

Thank God you're in church this morning, but you've drifted and you're far from God.

And you felt like you can't wait for me to stop talking because you want to respond to Jesus this morning,

I'm going to ask you, please, if you want to say, greg, pray with me because I want to come home. I want to surrender my life to Jesus today.

I may have done that before, but today God has done something in me today. And today I'm going to respond to my God.

I literally feel compelled in my spirit. I need to surrender my life to Jesus. I need to be born again. I want to come to Jesus.

What I would normally do is I would ask you to just raise your hands where you are, acknowledge to me who you are. But I'm not going to do that this morning.

If there's anyone like that, I'm going to ask you to leave your seat right now, come stand with me here in the front.

Because that older brother had to turn from where he was, and he had to go and do what the Father called him to do.

And so if you need to respond to the gospel today, I'm going to ask you in your heart to turn.

Turn from where you are. I'm going to ask you to leave your seat and come and stand right here with me in the front.

I don't normally do this, but today I'm making it tough because I felt God said, well done.

I felt God said, they're going to be younger brothers.

If that's you, just come stand here in the front, please. Right in the front.

Felt God said younger brothers were sought out now, but older brothers, God's got a call on your life, and you've wasted some of your time,

and you're big enough this morning to own it, and God's going to turn and transform your life today. Come stand here in the front. If you need to respond, just come.

Is there anybody else? And let me tell you right now, I totally respect people who come in front of hundreds and hundreds of people and say, that's me.

I absolutely respect people like this who come and say, that's me. I'm coming to Jesus. I'm going to give myself to him. I need to surrender.

Is there anybody else this morning who needs to respond?

Listen, if it's not you, please don't go to People. Not yet, boy. Just stand at the back, stand back.

We're going to go to People now, but if you still need to respond, come forward.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Is there anybody else? Got two or three things I'm going to call. This is one of them.

I specifically feel it's. It's a couple of older guys, and you feel like if you actually stand under the heat,

you're going to change from kernels to popcorn. And you don't want to.

You don't want to change. It's like you're holding back, you know, Like, I don't want to be like a Christian, you know, Nazar, they're nut jobs.

But I can tell you now, from the life I've lived as a young man to now,

I think it's more exciting once you've actually found a bit of purpose in what God has called you to be than to stay as the kernel of corn and not the popcorn.

The popcorn is way more fun. So if you're going to wrestle with it, realize that the change is actually beautiful. It's not actually you being a nutter.

God has called you for something, he actually made you for something and don't fight it.

So if you're an older person and you know God's just spoken to you through what Brett was saying,

it means God means he's going to take your life and totally do something new with it.

And you may say, but I'm 80, so is Caleb. He took a mountain, he took an inheritance.

At that age, if you need Jesus and you're an older person, can I be honest?

You need him more than the oaks and the front. Cuz you're going to see him sooner.

No, let's be honest, don't mess with these things. Let's be honest.

So if you need to respond, come out now and along with them now. I want to give a call because

I'm going to pray one prayer for them. I'm going to give a call to people who said yes once upon a time.

And you know, you said yes but you've neglected that call. And today you are repenting and saying, lord, I'm saying yes again. I am saved, I think.

But I've walked away from your call. And today I want to pick up the call of God in my life again. Is there anyone like that coming quickly? Because we're going to pray for you.

See, people are coming out. Just come out and join these people in the front. Just come out over here like this. Folks, we have to give these moments because the Holy Spirit wants to do stuff.

Just come. If you know you've got to pick things up again, just come stand right in the front. Right in the front, Right in the front while they're coming.

I want to thank some of you for the patience you've got in these meetings. But guys and girls, this is God's time. Let's just give him that time.

So if you still need to respond, just come. There's still space in the front, you guys in a line because we're going to lay hands on you and we're going to pray for you.

Sure okay, now I want to call the deacons, the elders. I just said the deacons and the elders. If you're not one of our leader group right now,

just don't come forward just yet, please. Just come put your hands upon the elder. Come to a boy. I just want you to pray this after me, please. Every single one one of you.

Lord Jesus, I come back today and I give you my life. I ask you to lead me. Draw close to me because I'm drawing close to you.

Wash my hands and clean my heart because today I am responding to the call of God. I was lost, I am found. I am doing what God has called me to do.

We're not going to just pray over you and those 11 people who responded to the gospel. In a moment, I'm going to ask you just to stay here. The rest of the guys will go back,

but can I ask you, just lay hands on. Just begin to pray in the spirit over these people right now. Just begin to pray over them in the spirit. Can I ask all of you, just extend your hands towards them, please.

Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus. Just pray over them. We thank you for lives that have been changed. We thank you, Lord, for workers,

older and younger brothers who have come back this morning and have said, I am giving myself back to the purposes of God. Revival means I am being revived again to the purposes of God.

Lord, we thank you for the courage each one had to come stand here. In the front with us.

And we thank you that what you're doing with them by your Holy Spirit will not be lost in a moment here, but that what they do, Lord, will go today, tomorrow, the rest of the week

and their lives will begin to touch the lives of others as they say. I want to tell you what Jesus

has done for me and I already want to thank you Lord, for the people that these people are going to go and reach

people, they're going to go and bring people, they're going to go and talk to, to bring back. Anoint them, Holy Spirit. Anoint them right now. Holy Spirit, we thank you for your presence.

We thank you for your glory. Thank you for what you've done today. It's been amazing. We're so grateful to you. Be glorified in Jesus name. And God's people said.

Thank you so. Much for being a part of our meeting today. Can I just ask two things?

The first is if today the message has in any way been useful to you, would you mind just maybe liking it or putting perhaps a statement down or a comment down

that we can know how the ministry has helped you. Maybe a thumbs up, maybe you can find, subscribe to the channel, do whatever, just so we can know what impact this message may be having on you.

And secondly, you may be someone who's saying, greg, I hear you and this hope that Jesus has for us can come into my heart and it can change me. But the reality is that I don't even know if I know Jesus.

I want to say two things to you right away. The first is he's near you right now. The Bible says if you believe in your heart that he is the Lord and if you confess him with your mouth,

you will be saved. Which means you just need to where you are. Turn to the Lord Jesus Christ even now and just say, lord, here I am.

I recognize who you are. I confess my sin to you. I acknowledge you as Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, the Son of the living God. And I want to follow you.

I want to become a disciple of yours. I want to give my life to you, Lord. And you can pray that prayer right now between you and the Lord.

Secondly, you can get hold of us. We could either send you some material, we can put you in touch with a really good church near you. If you live in our area, you can come to us,

you can follow us on YouTube. But it is good to get connected into the family of God, to get connected into a local church that your life changes being surrounded with the family of God.

Please stay in touch. God bless you.