1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,080 Hebrews, chapter two, verse number five. 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:08,880 Bible says, for unto the angels hath he not put in subjection 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,760 the world to come, whereof we speak but one in a certain place 4 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:16,240 testified, saying, what is man, that thou art mindful of him, 5 00:00:16,240 --> 00:00:18,240 or the son of man, that thou visitest him? 6 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:21,680 Thou madest him a little lower than the angel. 7 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:26,670 Thou crowned him with glory and honor, and did set over the works 8 00:00:26,670 --> 00:00:27,470 of thy hand. 9 00:00:28,110 --> 00:00:32,070 Thou has put all things in subjection under his feet, for in 10 00:00:32,070 --> 00:00:36,110 that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is 11 00:00:36,190 --> 00:00:38,030 not put under him. 12 00:00:38,510 --> 00:00:43,230 But now we see not yet all things put under him. 13 00:00:43,230 --> 00:00:46,550 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for 14 00:00:46,550 --> 00:00:50,790 the suffering of death, crown with glory and honor that he, by 15 00:00:50,790 --> 00:00:54,740 the grace of God, should taste death for every man. 16 00:00:55,620 --> 00:00:59,620 Tonight's sermon is titled, what is the Kingdom All About? 17 00:01:00,660 --> 00:01:05,420 And a simpler way of maybe trying to direct us is to ask the 18 00:01:05,420 --> 00:01:07,700 question, what do we get? 19 00:01:08,820 --> 00:01:09,700 What do we get? 20 00:01:10,580 --> 00:01:17,300 You know, if I go and I buy present for my child and, you know, 21 00:01:17,860 --> 00:01:18,580 take my. 22 00:01:18,740 --> 00:01:22,390 My oldest son, Tanner, I know right now he's, like, into. 23 00:01:22,550 --> 00:01:28,390 He was into Spider man, but now he's into the Lion Guard, he's 24 00:01:28,390 --> 00:01:28,950 Mufasa. 25 00:01:28,950 --> 00:01:31,430 And he'll call Travis Sarangi. 26 00:01:32,790 --> 00:01:35,550 And then he called him the other night in nursery Bob. 27 00:01:35,550 --> 00:01:38,470 And so the nursery workers didn't know who this kid was. 28 00:01:39,190 --> 00:01:45,310 But if I buy Tanner a lion and I come home and I get to give that 29 00:01:45,310 --> 00:01:49,560 present to him, and I get to see the joy on his face and just, 30 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:52,520 you know, his glee over receiving something. 31 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:59,160 And then over here are my three other children, and they are 32 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:02,040 asking the question, what do I get? 33 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:03,880 What's in it for me? 34 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:05,760 Don't I get something? 35 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:08,280 You know, so there's the jealousy there. 36 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:14,510 The question is, what is the kingdom of God about? 37 00:02:16,190 --> 00:02:21,870 Whenever we think about serving Christ, serving God, we understand 38 00:02:22,270 --> 00:02:26,590 the terms that he talks about, talks about how the kingdom to come, 39 00:02:27,070 --> 00:02:28,590 the kingdom of heaven preached. 40 00:02:28,590 --> 00:02:30,110 The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 41 00:02:30,670 --> 00:02:35,150 We get some imagery in God's word about that. 42 00:02:36,430 --> 00:02:43,620 We see here a small snippet in Romans, Revelation and Daniel about 43 00:02:44,180 --> 00:02:47,300 us ruling and reigning with Christ. 44 00:02:47,860 --> 00:02:55,300 And in Hebrews, where we're exactly at, we see, number one, the 45 00:02:55,780 --> 00:02:59,540 unique position of Jesus himself. 46 00:03:00,020 --> 00:03:05,540 But also we see the unique position of humanity as a whole. 47 00:03:06,350 --> 00:03:12,310 Humanity as a whole was built differently from as much as what 48 00:03:12,310 --> 00:03:17,070 we know than any other creation that has been made. 49 00:03:17,470 --> 00:03:21,590 It says that you made man a little lower than the angels, and 50 00:03:21,590 --> 00:03:25,470 you crowned him with glory and honor. 51 00:03:25,870 --> 00:03:31,110 That Is what is said of humanity, of man, what is the crowning 52 00:03:31,110 --> 00:03:32,230 of glory and honor? 53 00:03:32,230 --> 00:03:37,440 Well, that's because God made us humans in his own image. 54 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:42,400 We were a unique creation that he desired to make. 55 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:48,320 You have put all things in subjection under man's feet. 56 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:52,440 So all of man was given dominion over the earth. 57 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:54,720 And that is exactly what God said back in Genesis. 58 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:57,920 You have dominion, you have rule. 59 00:03:58,410 --> 00:04:00,650 The angels don't have that dominion. 60 00:04:01,130 --> 00:04:04,410 They have maybe in some ways more powerful. 61 00:04:04,410 --> 00:04:06,010 They are a different creature. 62 00:04:06,410 --> 00:04:11,250 And we read of angels, one angel be able to kill hundreds of 63 00:04:11,250 --> 00:04:14,090 thousands of soldiers in the Old Testament. 64 00:04:14,249 --> 00:04:16,930 So there's great power there, but there's no dominion, because 65 00:04:16,930 --> 00:04:18,490 that's not how God created them. 66 00:04:18,730 --> 00:04:21,850 Man was created to have dominion. 67 00:04:22,090 --> 00:04:24,410 Now, man messed that up in the garden. 68 00:04:24,780 --> 00:04:31,980 And just as it says here, Jesus was made like man for the suffering 69 00:04:32,060 --> 00:04:33,020 of death. 70 00:04:33,820 --> 00:04:38,220 So that we, by the grace of God, that he, by the grace of God, 71 00:04:38,300 --> 00:04:40,460 should taste death for every man. 72 00:04:41,180 --> 00:04:50,780 Now, whenever we come to what it is that we get, what we are getting 73 00:04:51,020 --> 00:04:54,220 is found in a couple of different passages in Romans chapter 74 00:04:54,220 --> 00:04:54,460 eight. 75 00:04:54,460 --> 00:04:59,580 Number one, we kind of established who it is that we are 76 00:04:59,580 --> 00:05:01,780 in relationship to God. 77 00:05:01,780 --> 00:05:02,780 That kind of sets us up. 78 00:05:02,780 --> 00:05:05,700 In Romans chapter eight, he says, for as many are as led by the 79 00:05:05,700 --> 00:05:08,100 Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 80 00:05:08,180 --> 00:05:10,820 For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, 81 00:05:10,820 --> 00:05:13,060 but you have received the spirit of adoption. 82 00:05:13,300 --> 00:05:18,660 So we learn that humans, because of the grace of God, because 83 00:05:18,820 --> 00:05:24,140 of the cross, if you enter into that relationship with Jesus 84 00:05:24,140 --> 00:05:31,220 and have Jesus pay that penalty that we owe, justification 85 00:05:31,300 --> 00:05:34,500 takes place, adoption takes place. 86 00:05:35,300 --> 00:05:41,940 And that adoption whereby we cry abba, Father, we become the sons 87 00:05:42,020 --> 00:05:42,900 of God. 88 00:05:43,140 --> 00:05:45,420 He says, the Spirit itself bear witness to our Spirit, that 89 00:05:45,420 --> 00:05:46,820 we are the children of God. 90 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:51,640 And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with 91 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:55,440 Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also 92 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:56,680 be glorified together. 93 00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:02,840 So we get to enter into the sonship, if you will, of God. 94 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:09,400 We get to get all of the same privileges that the Son gets. 95 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:16,620 By being a legitimate heir and a firstborn Son of God. 96 00:06:16,620 --> 00:06:17,980 We get those benefits. 97 00:06:18,540 --> 00:06:21,260 We also get the benefits of suffering with Christ. 98 00:06:21,740 --> 00:06:24,860 And if we are suffering with Christ, we also get the benefits 99 00:06:25,100 --> 00:06:28,380 of being glorified one day with Christ. 100 00:06:28,940 --> 00:06:35,180 We are completely inserted, if you will, into the family of God. 101 00:06:35,180 --> 00:06:37,260 That is what the adoption means. 102 00:06:37,660 --> 00:06:41,860 And in terms of Roman policy, adoption was a very hard thing to 103 00:06:41,860 --> 00:06:42,140 do. 104 00:06:43,110 --> 00:06:48,870 You could disinherit an actual born son from your house. 105 00:06:49,270 --> 00:06:52,430 You could remove him from the Inheritance, remove him from your 106 00:06:52,430 --> 00:06:53,830 inheritance and ban them. 107 00:06:53,990 --> 00:06:57,270 Adoption was much, much harder to actually do. 108 00:06:57,590 --> 00:07:01,910 It was very hard to go about the process of adoption, but upon 109 00:07:01,910 --> 00:07:06,150 adopting, you could not get out of that. 110 00:07:06,470 --> 00:07:07,630 You had adopted them. 111 00:07:07,630 --> 00:07:09,350 You now take full responsibility of them. 112 00:07:09,350 --> 00:07:10,990 You can't disinherit them. 113 00:07:11,070 --> 00:07:11,590 That's. 114 00:07:11,590 --> 00:07:14,670 That's our position coming into the family of God. 115 00:07:15,150 --> 00:07:20,390 Now we read more about our position, if you will, in Revelations, 116 00:07:20,390 --> 00:07:21,070 chapter 20. 117 00:07:21,230 --> 00:07:23,990 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection, 118 00:07:23,990 --> 00:07:26,350 on such the second death hath no power. 119 00:07:26,669 --> 00:07:31,830 But they speaking of Christ's bride, speaking of the children of 120 00:07:31,830 --> 00:07:32,990 God, of Christians. 121 00:07:33,150 --> 00:07:37,600 They shall be priests of God, in Christ, of Christ, and shall reign 122 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:39,160 with him for a thousand years. 123 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:41,080 Okay, so now the picture broadens. 124 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:42,440 What do we get? 125 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:44,040 What do we do? 126 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:49,320 We were going to reign with Christ in Daniel, chapter 7. 127 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:53,480 It also speaks of the coming judgment in verse 9, says, I beheld 128 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:56,640 till the thrones were cast down and the ancient of days did 129 00:07:56,640 --> 00:07:59,560 sit, whose garment was white as snow, and there with his head 130 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:03,200 like pure wool, his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels 131 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:04,120 his burning fire. 132 00:08:04,370 --> 00:08:09,050 So we get this picture of God, the ancient of days, sitting on the 133 00:08:09,050 --> 00:08:09,410 throne. 134 00:08:09,570 --> 00:08:11,010 Verse number 22. 135 00:08:11,970 --> 00:08:13,490 I just closed my document. 136 00:08:17,010 --> 00:08:18,370 People not panic. 137 00:08:21,730 --> 00:08:28,050 Verse number 22 gives us a different description of the ancient 138 00:08:28,050 --> 00:08:29,890 of days ruling and reigning. 139 00:08:30,170 --> 00:08:33,130 And he says, until the ancient days came and judgment was given 140 00:08:33,210 --> 00:08:36,690 to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the 141 00:08:36,690 --> 00:08:42,090 saints possessed the kingdom, saints reign with the ancient of 142 00:08:42,090 --> 00:08:42,490 days. 143 00:08:42,970 --> 00:08:48,170 And this is a very common theme of the saints ruling and reigning. 144 00:08:48,330 --> 00:08:53,010 You know, Paul in First Corinthians talked about how, hey, 145 00:08:53,010 --> 00:08:57,190 we're having these petty arguments and taking one another 146 00:08:57,430 --> 00:08:58,150 to court. 147 00:08:58,230 --> 00:09:01,990 And he drops this little small bit of theology, doesn't explain 148 00:09:01,990 --> 00:09:07,270 hard and much of it, but he says, you one day will judge angel 149 00:09:07,670 --> 00:09:10,230 and you will be sitting in thrones of judgment. 150 00:09:10,790 --> 00:09:14,350 And then if you can't even judge the smallest matters here, 151 00:09:14,350 --> 00:09:17,590 you're not unworthy to judge those weightier matters there. 152 00:09:17,830 --> 00:09:24,740 So there is this picture of ruling with God as king, but doing 153 00:09:24,740 --> 00:09:25,140 what? 154 00:09:25,540 --> 00:09:26,660 What does that mean? 155 00:09:26,820 --> 00:09:29,460 What do you, what are you right now thinking about ruling with 156 00:09:29,460 --> 00:09:31,060 God as a king? 157 00:09:32,020 --> 00:09:37,140 Well, most people imagine power, status, authority. 158 00:09:38,660 --> 00:09:46,460 We imagine the person ruling and reigning and being served. 159 00:09:46,460 --> 00:09:48,660 I don't know about you, but that, that comes to mind. 160 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:49,720 Being served. 161 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:51,560 If you're a king, you get to be served, right? 162 00:09:51,560 --> 00:09:55,320 You get servants, one around, feed you graves, you know, the whole 163 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:56,560 nine yards, that sort of thing. 164 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:05,000 What we do get is a different picture of what it means to be great. 165 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:06,640 And that is the next slide. 166 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:08,920 The king served, the king serves. 167 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:14,720 In Luke chapter 22, the disciples, they began asking this 168 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:17,440 question which they had a habit of asking. 169 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:25,320 And In Luke chapter 22, the Bible says in verse number 27, in 170 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:29,520 verse number 24, there was also a strife among them which of 171 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:31,520 them should be accounted the greatest. 172 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:33,520 So here we have the disciples. 173 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:36,800 This is common theme of them trying to one up one another. 174 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:41,520 It's interesting in here they just get done trying to inquire among 175 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:45,680 themselves which of them it should be that would betray because 176 00:10:45,680 --> 00:10:48,640 of Jesus statement that one of you will betray me. 177 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:51,800 So while we're thinking of the least person of our group, we should 178 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:53,760 probably think about who's going to be the greatest. 179 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:55,240 And Jesus makes this statement. 180 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:57,920 The king of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them. 181 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:01,520 And they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 182 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:04,880 But ye shall not be so. 183 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:09,600 But he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and 184 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:12,880 he that is chief, as he that doth so serve. 185 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,880 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat or he that serveth, 186 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:21,920 it's not he that sitteth at me, but I am among you as he that 187 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:22,640 serveth. 188 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:31,360 And so Jesus, he sets the bar for how Christians should interact. 189 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:36,160 So try to sum up some of this in your mind. 190 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,600 What is the kingdom of God about? 191 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:46,160 Whenever humans were first created, they were given dominion 192 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:47,920 over the entire earth. 193 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:52,960 They were set up to rule the earth, so to speak. 194 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:57,520 What comes to our mind is ruling and reigning like a king. 195 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:03,600 What comes to God's mind is taking care of the earth, taking 196 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:06,050 care of, of one another. 197 00:12:06,690 --> 00:12:13,250 What comes to God's mind about what it means to be a human? 198 00:12:14,290 --> 00:12:17,730 That's the question that we are really trying to ask. 199 00:12:18,130 --> 00:12:18,930 What is what? 200 00:12:18,930 --> 00:12:22,930 What was God's intention for humanity? 201 00:12:23,410 --> 00:12:28,610 What was his design for humans to behave like? 202 00:12:29,490 --> 00:12:31,570 We get that figure in Jesus. 203 00:12:31,570 --> 00:12:34,290 We get that example in Jesus. 204 00:12:34,770 --> 00:12:40,210 Jesus said that this is not the way of serving and lording over 205 00:12:40,210 --> 00:12:40,690 one another. 206 00:12:40,850 --> 00:12:42,930 That is not the way for my people. 207 00:12:43,570 --> 00:12:44,930 That is not what I do. 208 00:12:45,330 --> 00:12:47,690 He says, which one of you is supposed to be greater? 209 00:12:47,690 --> 00:12:51,490 The person that gets served the food or the servant? 210 00:12:53,250 --> 00:12:58,330 Obviously in today's society, it's the person that gets served 211 00:12:58,330 --> 00:12:59,410 the food and the meat. 212 00:12:59,970 --> 00:13:02,930 They said, I'm the one that served you for this. 213 00:13:03,650 --> 00:13:09,330 You see me serving and you clearly know that I am the greater. 214 00:13:10,370 --> 00:13:16,370 So what is your opinion of being a king? 215 00:13:16,930 --> 00:13:21,730 What is your opinion of ruling and reigning? 216 00:13:22,290 --> 00:13:28,700 Because Jesus is that ultimate example Number one, the kingdom reveals 217 00:13:28,940 --> 00:13:31,660 what humanity was meant to be. 218 00:13:32,060 --> 00:13:38,580 So going back to the garden number one, humans are created in 219 00:13:38,580 --> 00:13:39,660 God's image. 220 00:13:40,860 --> 00:13:46,780 There's a very special thing that began and a very special plan 221 00:13:46,780 --> 00:13:47,420 begins. 222 00:13:47,500 --> 00:13:52,820 Humans are to represent God and to rule under God. 223 00:13:53,060 --> 00:13:59,020 And the fall was fundamentally one thing, my will instead of God's 224 00:13:59,020 --> 00:13:59,300 will. 225 00:13:59,460 --> 00:14:01,180 Adam was created in God's image. 226 00:14:01,180 --> 00:14:04,700 He was supposed to represent, rule and rule underneath God. 227 00:14:04,700 --> 00:14:06,740 But Adam chose self. 228 00:14:07,300 --> 00:14:09,780 And this is kind of our position at times. 229 00:14:10,420 --> 00:14:11,940 At times, maybe all the time. 230 00:14:11,940 --> 00:14:12,580 I don't know. 231 00:14:12,660 --> 00:14:14,220 You have to ask your own heart this. 232 00:14:14,220 --> 00:14:15,460 I know my own heart. 233 00:14:15,700 --> 00:14:19,380 And most of the time I would choose myself rather than other people. 234 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:20,040 Why? 235 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:20,960 We're selfish. 236 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:24,160 That is just our natural inclination. 237 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:26,240 We are selfish individual. 238 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:32,480 And ever since that point, humanity has then been carved inward 239 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:33,200 on itself. 240 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,760 Cain killed Abel because he didn't like that his brother. 241 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:42,960 One update, you have the Tower of Babel, the biggest structure dedicated 242 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:46,990 and built for self to show look what we can do. 243 00:14:47,470 --> 00:14:51,710 And God said if we let them go, there's nothing that will stop 244 00:14:51,790 --> 00:14:52,150 them. 245 00:14:52,150 --> 00:14:55,070 In their imagination, they will continue upward. 246 00:14:55,310 --> 00:14:57,710 For beyond the imagination. 247 00:14:58,830 --> 00:15:02,990 Then we have obviously everything that happens after the 248 00:15:02,990 --> 00:15:03,310 fall. 249 00:15:04,510 --> 00:15:10,270 The rule and reign of kings, the constant battle of, of rulers 250 00:15:10,350 --> 00:15:10,990 conquering. 251 00:15:10,990 --> 00:15:12,830 It's just one after another. 252 00:15:12,990 --> 00:15:17,330 Even to today, self, self exalting self. 253 00:15:17,330 --> 00:15:21,050 And we see this even amongst our friends, people at work. 254 00:15:22,010 --> 00:15:23,850 Self is exalted. 255 00:15:24,250 --> 00:15:30,810 Now what we see is that as humans, this isn't how we were created. 256 00:15:31,850 --> 00:15:35,370 Christ is the perfect human number two. 257 00:15:35,610 --> 00:15:39,930 So Adam, he grasped at that greatness. 258 00:15:40,710 --> 00:15:42,230 Christ emptied himself. 259 00:15:43,590 --> 00:15:45,430 Adam self exalted. 260 00:15:45,990 --> 00:15:49,470 Christ humbled himself, became obedient to death. 261 00:15:49,470 --> 00:15:50,710 Even the death of the cross. 262 00:15:51,270 --> 00:15:55,590 Adam brought death by his actions and Christ brought life. 263 00:15:55,590 --> 00:16:02,190 So what we see is Christ exemplifying what it means to be, 264 00:16:02,190 --> 00:16:05,190 as the Bible says, the perfect Adam. 265 00:16:05,270 --> 00:16:09,980 The second Pat, turn your Bibles to Philippians chapter two. 266 00:16:10,860 --> 00:16:12,500 This is where Philippians chapter two. 267 00:16:12,500 --> 00:16:17,820 And the example of what Christ did in the plan for redemption becomes 268 00:16:17,820 --> 00:16:18,540 kind of central. 269 00:16:19,340 --> 00:16:23,980 See, Jesus is not merely an example for how we should act. 270 00:16:23,980 --> 00:16:25,820 We all have had examples. 271 00:16:26,940 --> 00:16:30,620 We would get an example of saying, you know, that's a example 272 00:16:30,620 --> 00:16:32,540 of someone with good character. 273 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:34,200 You know, it's really neat. 274 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:39,440 Whenever you see in sports competitions, people battling it 275 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:45,040 at one another, going head to head, and then something happens, 276 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:49,200 the opponent is able to take advantage of that, but they know 277 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:50,480 that isn't fair. 278 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:55,680 And so they hold back and there's this great example of sportsmanlike 279 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:56,320 character. 280 00:16:56,560 --> 00:17:00,330 And everyone's like, wow, you know, I actually Think of a lot of 281 00:17:00,330 --> 00:17:05,770 different UFC fights that I've seen where different people. 282 00:17:07,610 --> 00:17:11,250 Something happened in the ring and the fighter knew I had the advantage, 283 00:17:11,250 --> 00:17:12,570 but it was wasn't fair. 284 00:17:12,890 --> 00:17:16,570 And so they stopped and they checked on the person and everyone's 285 00:17:16,570 --> 00:17:18,890 like, wow, it's a sportsmanship of this guy. 286 00:17:18,970 --> 00:17:20,490 You know, we get small examples. 287 00:17:20,490 --> 00:17:22,010 We say, oh, that's an example of that. 288 00:17:23,370 --> 00:17:25,230 That's an example of this. 289 00:17:26,110 --> 00:17:34,630 Christ is not merely an example of what it means to be a 290 00:17:34,630 --> 00:17:35,470 good person. 291 00:17:36,990 --> 00:17:45,230 Jesus is the perfect picture of humanity as God intended. 292 00:17:45,950 --> 00:17:49,990 Paul explains In Romans chapter 5 that great compare and 293 00:17:49,990 --> 00:17:55,040 contrast of Adam grasping Adam exalting self, Christ emptying self, 294 00:17:55,040 --> 00:18:00,920 Christ humbling himself, Adam bringing death by his disobedience, 295 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:04,360 Christ being light, bringing life by his obedience. 296 00:18:04,360 --> 00:18:08,000 And then we come here to Philippians chapter two, and in Philippians 297 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:11,760 chapter two, we've already kind of touched on that in the past 298 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:13,240 couple of sermons. 299 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:21,230 But we get this great example of who Jesus is and the lowliness 300 00:18:21,390 --> 00:18:23,390 of himself there in verse number three. 301 00:18:23,390 --> 00:18:26,990 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglow glory, but in 302 00:18:26,990 --> 00:18:31,710 lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 303 00:18:32,750 --> 00:18:41,230 And Jesus, what he did is kind of unfathomable in our understanding. 304 00:18:41,710 --> 00:18:49,190 He took upon himself the mind that I am a servant. 305 00:18:49,510 --> 00:18:50,230 Says who? 306 00:18:50,230 --> 00:18:53,750 Being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal 307 00:18:53,750 --> 00:18:54,950 with God. 308 00:18:55,990 --> 00:19:02,510 It wasn't a crime for Jesus to remain in his divinity, in all of 309 00:19:02,510 --> 00:19:06,710 his glory, in the express and brightness image of God. 310 00:19:07,350 --> 00:19:12,430 It wasn't anything for Jesus to say, yeah, that's who I am. 311 00:19:12,430 --> 00:19:13,950 That's who I'm going to be. 312 00:19:14,830 --> 00:19:21,390 And yet the terminology here means that Jesus did not look at 313 00:19:21,550 --> 00:19:31,950 that image of being God, being almighty, being king, having every 314 00:19:31,950 --> 00:19:37,200 single right for people to wait on him, having every single 315 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:40,600 right to be born in a palace as a king should. 316 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:45,240 He didn't look at that as something that he wanted to grasp. 317 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:47,800 That was not his intention. 318 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:53,800 His motive was to be the perfect son of man. 319 00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:57,640 This is his 100% humanity trait coming out. 320 00:19:57,880 --> 00:19:59,480 This is exactly who he was. 321 00:20:00,120 --> 00:20:04,560 He was the Son of Man, his favorite title that he loved to refer 322 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:05,480 to himself by. 323 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:08,760 He did not think it robbery would be equal to God, but made himself 324 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:13,320 of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant, was made 325 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:14,600 in the likeness of men. 326 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:18,360 Being found the fashion as man, he humbled himself and became 327 00:20:18,360 --> 00:20:21,640 obedient unto death, even the death of wrath. 328 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:30,600 Wherefore God also because of this, hath highly exalted him and 329 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:33,700 given him a name which is above every name. 330 00:20:34,580 --> 00:20:38,900 You see, he is the perfect human. 331 00:20:40,180 --> 00:20:42,420 If there ever was a perfect human. 332 00:20:42,580 --> 00:20:47,340 That is exactly who Jesus set out to be to show man this is what 333 00:20:47,340 --> 00:20:48,259 it looked like. 334 00:20:48,980 --> 00:20:52,660 This is the image that I had planned for in Adam. 335 00:20:53,140 --> 00:20:57,460 Biblically, perfection means complete, mature, whole. 336 00:20:58,250 --> 00:21:03,330 Perfection in human terms is not part. 337 00:21:03,330 --> 00:21:06,210 You know, we think about people with really good memories 338 00:21:06,210 --> 00:21:07,850 or really good skills, really talent. 339 00:21:07,850 --> 00:21:10,770 We say that perfect, he's better than everyone else. 340 00:21:10,770 --> 00:21:13,450 You know, that's not what we're talking about here. 341 00:21:13,769 --> 00:21:18,730 Christian perfection, Christian maturity expresses itself 342 00:21:19,530 --> 00:21:25,190 in a humility that puts other people first. 343 00:21:25,990 --> 00:21:31,510 And now this is not the only expression of mature Christian. 344 00:21:32,150 --> 00:21:39,230 But this is a pervading characteristic of what it means to 345 00:21:39,230 --> 00:21:40,470 be a Christian. 346 00:21:40,709 --> 00:21:46,150 You love God, but you love others expressly above yourself. 347 00:21:46,630 --> 00:21:49,110 And that is what Jesus was constantly doing. 348 00:21:49,270 --> 00:21:52,880 He was constantly putting other people above himself. 349 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:56,120 There's an episode, I don't know how many of you watched, the 350 00:21:56,120 --> 00:21:56,640 Chosen. 351 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:59,360 There's an episode of the Chosen. 352 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:05,920 And the Chosen is not really a show that centers on Jesus. 353 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:09,400 You don't really get to see Jesus in every single episode all 354 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:09,840 the time. 355 00:22:09,840 --> 00:22:14,080 And I really like that because you don't see too much of him. 356 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:18,600 They can't mess him up too much, you know, And Jesus shows are 357 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:20,200 always like, Jesus really say that? 358 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,220 Or would really, would he really do that? 359 00:22:22,220 --> 00:22:24,900 But it remains and holds his mystique. 360 00:22:24,900 --> 00:22:30,660 I believe the Chosen is set on those that Jesus chose to follow 361 00:22:30,660 --> 00:22:31,900 him, the disciple. 362 00:22:32,220 --> 00:22:37,020 There's a whole episode where Jesus is kind of a blur in the background. 363 00:22:37,259 --> 00:22:38,380 He's healing people. 364 00:22:39,100 --> 00:22:44,140 And all those who are sick, paralyzed, blind, they're coming 365 00:22:44,140 --> 00:22:45,260 to Jesus for healing. 366 00:22:45,660 --> 00:22:48,480 Disciples have made a way for this to happen, but they don't really 367 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:49,120 have much to do. 368 00:22:49,120 --> 00:22:50,280 And they're sitting there talking. 369 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:56,240 The whole episode is just of them talking and arguing with each 370 00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:56,520 other. 371 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:01,600 And part of that argument is about Matthew. 372 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:03,640 Why did you have to tax this so much? 373 00:23:04,120 --> 00:23:07,600 They're getting into some argument about the most pettiest 374 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:07,960 things. 375 00:23:08,120 --> 00:23:12,400 And just right at the climax of their argument, when they are 376 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:12,920 at their. 377 00:23:13,490 --> 00:23:17,730 That the hottest point of it, Jesus finishes for the night, it's 378 00:23:17,730 --> 00:23:19,890 late, he comes into them. 379 00:23:19,890 --> 00:23:23,010 You know, you ever get caught doing something that you don't want? 380 00:23:23,010 --> 00:23:25,850 I'm sure arguing in front of Jesus was something you didn't want 381 00:23:25,850 --> 00:23:26,530 to be caught doing. 382 00:23:26,610 --> 00:23:29,010 The disciples put their foot in their mouth many times. 383 00:23:30,130 --> 00:23:34,850 They, in the heat of their argument, Jesus comes and immediately 384 00:23:34,930 --> 00:23:37,170 they're like, oh, there's Jesus. 385 00:23:37,170 --> 00:23:38,050 And we're arguing. 386 00:23:38,370 --> 00:23:41,630 And Jesus just says, I'm really tired, I gotta go. 387 00:23:41,630 --> 00:23:42,470 I Gotta go to bed. 388 00:23:42,470 --> 00:23:45,310 He just falls and collapses in exhaustion on his bedroll. 389 00:23:45,630 --> 00:23:48,550 And they're just thinking to themselves, we just spent this entire 390 00:23:48,550 --> 00:23:51,630 day arguing with ourselves about ourselves. 391 00:23:51,950 --> 00:23:54,750 And Jesus has been sacrificing himself the entire time. 392 00:23:54,990 --> 00:23:58,270 And that was the example of Jesus throughout everything. 393 00:23:58,430 --> 00:24:00,990 Jesus took time to visit the woman at the well. 394 00:24:01,470 --> 00:24:04,510 Jesus went out of his way to heal. 395 00:24:05,070 --> 00:24:10,540 Jesus went out of his way to do things that the disciples at times 396 00:24:10,620 --> 00:24:11,020 question. 397 00:24:11,260 --> 00:24:16,700 And it was the selflessness of God that drove him to do that. 398 00:24:17,100 --> 00:24:18,940 This is who God is. 399 00:24:19,820 --> 00:24:26,100 And so whenever we think about perfection in Christ likeness, we 400 00:24:26,100 --> 00:24:30,460 understand that the kingdom produces Christlike people. 401 00:24:31,020 --> 00:24:34,900 Not an astounding, unoriginal thought. 402 00:24:35,620 --> 00:24:37,460 We're all supposed to be Christlike. 403 00:24:37,620 --> 00:24:38,380 We know that. 404 00:24:38,380 --> 00:24:39,860 But what does that mean? 405 00:24:40,420 --> 00:24:46,820 Well, a lot of that is how we're acting in our attitude as Christian. 406 00:24:47,700 --> 00:24:48,220 You know, we. 407 00:24:48,220 --> 00:24:54,420 We talked about in Philippians Chapter two, about how we are not 408 00:24:54,420 --> 00:25:00,020 to murmur and dispute among each other because we are set up 409 00:25:00,510 --> 00:25:02,190 as lights on a hill. 410 00:25:02,430 --> 00:25:05,790 And that that meaning does not mean that what your light shine before 411 00:25:05,790 --> 00:25:07,750 men so all can, can see. 412 00:25:07,750 --> 00:25:09,470 And you're just a testimony of. 413 00:25:09,550 --> 00:25:10,470 Of God's goodness. 414 00:25:10,470 --> 00:25:11,710 And you're sharing that testimony. 415 00:25:11,710 --> 00:25:16,469 It means that you are shining as a Christian, bright as can be, 416 00:25:16,469 --> 00:25:17,630 and everyone knows it. 417 00:25:17,790 --> 00:25:21,470 And whether or not you act like Christ or act like the world, 418 00:25:21,630 --> 00:25:24,350 they see it and they take note of it. 419 00:25:24,830 --> 00:25:27,230 The kingdom produces Christlike people. 420 00:25:28,220 --> 00:25:34,260 And as a selfish generation, we can sometimes get into the act 421 00:25:34,260 --> 00:25:37,980 of being so unchristlike because of our motives and how we 422 00:25:37,980 --> 00:25:39,180 treat other people. 423 00:25:40,140 --> 00:25:50,780 For, practically speaking, for men, how do we as men serve in our 424 00:25:51,020 --> 00:25:53,500 family or for one another? 425 00:25:54,640 --> 00:26:00,720 That looks that servant leadership is what Christ so often 426 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:04,560 exemplified in so many of his actions. 427 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:06,480 Trying to teach the disciples. 428 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:13,840 The act of leadership is not in ruling and reigning over our family, 429 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:16,720 but rather in serving our family. 430 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:20,160 I mean, most of us men, you know, I understand. 431 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:23,200 You know, you get home after a long day of work. 432 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:29,280 You stay in the vehicle when you get home for like 5, 10 minutes 433 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:31,080 until the wife says, why are you still in the vehicle? 434 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:31,520 Get out. 435 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:33,040 We got stuff for you to do. 436 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:36,200 I kept just trying to rest before I have to go in and meet the 437 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:36,480 house. 438 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:40,440 Then you come home and the only thing that I want to do sometimes 439 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:41,440 is just sit down. 440 00:26:42,560 --> 00:26:46,000 And that serves who that serves me. 441 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:50,560 As ladies, we get into ruts of. 442 00:26:51,610 --> 00:26:57,370 We ladies, you get into ruts of different types of vices. 443 00:26:58,330 --> 00:27:02,570 And again, the focus is on cell. 444 00:27:02,890 --> 00:27:04,730 What can I get out of this? 445 00:27:04,810 --> 00:27:10,410 Practically, we as Christians, how we interact with one another. 446 00:27:10,730 --> 00:27:17,740 What we do for one another, does it match up to the lung that 447 00:27:17,740 --> 00:27:19,300 Christ would show us? 448 00:27:19,620 --> 00:27:22,220 Men don't really have a problem with gossip and talking about 449 00:27:22,220 --> 00:27:22,580 people. 450 00:27:23,060 --> 00:27:29,540 No, ladies, I know that the temptation to speak about others 451 00:27:29,860 --> 00:27:35,140 can always be a dragging weight. 452 00:27:36,580 --> 00:27:38,980 Whenever it comes to our tongue. 453 00:27:39,380 --> 00:27:42,020 We learn from James chapter three. 454 00:27:43,070 --> 00:27:45,390 James chapter three makes an astounding statement. 455 00:27:46,110 --> 00:27:52,510 He talks about our tongue and how what would is becoming of Christians. 456 00:27:53,230 --> 00:27:58,909 And he speaks about how the tongue is a a small thing and yet 457 00:27:59,710 --> 00:28:03,310 it controls the whole body. 458 00:28:03,950 --> 00:28:08,110 So whether you're a lady or a guy, the tongue is a problem. 459 00:28:08,770 --> 00:28:17,850 Regardless, he says that same fountain that brings forth the blessing 460 00:28:17,850 --> 00:28:24,250 of God, even God our Father, wherewith we curse men with which 461 00:28:24,250 --> 00:28:26,690 are made after the similitude of God. 462 00:28:27,010 --> 00:28:33,170 Now why is that such a big deal to curse a person or to speak 463 00:28:33,170 --> 00:28:34,370 ill of them? 464 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:38,680 Why is that such a big deal? 465 00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:42,280 He says they're made after the similitude of God. 466 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:45,560 They are made in the image of God. 467 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:52,320 Therefore there is a responsibility and an aim of that 468 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:57,040 that doesn't just attack the person, but it actually attacks the 469 00:28:57,040 --> 00:28:58,440 very image of God. 470 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:03,140 You will recall to your mind Joseph, whenever he met with the 471 00:29:03,140 --> 00:29:04,900 temptations of Potiphar's wife. 472 00:29:06,260 --> 00:29:11,060 I've always looked at Joseph and the way that he spoke about his 473 00:29:11,060 --> 00:29:13,780 temptation as a little interesting. 474 00:29:13,940 --> 00:29:21,460 He said, how can I do this wickedness and sin against my God? 475 00:29:21,860 --> 00:29:25,860 Now whenever I think about Joseph, Potiphar's wife, It's Potiphar's 476 00:29:25,860 --> 00:29:26,020 wife. 477 00:29:26,020 --> 00:29:27,020 It's not God's wife. 478 00:29:27,020 --> 00:29:30,810 It's just, you know, an Egyptian and it's Potiphar's wife. 479 00:29:30,810 --> 00:29:35,210 Wouldn't he be more accurate in saying he would sin against another 480 00:29:35,210 --> 00:29:35,610 man? 481 00:29:36,010 --> 00:29:39,570 And wouldn't we say, well, you know, I spoke those things and I 482 00:29:39,570 --> 00:29:41,370 said that, and that was against them. 483 00:29:41,450 --> 00:29:43,290 So I sinned against that person. 484 00:29:43,769 --> 00:29:50,170 But Joseph equates sinning against another human as sinning 485 00:29:50,410 --> 00:29:52,570 against God himself. 486 00:29:53,780 --> 00:29:55,780 That's what sin is. 487 00:29:56,100 --> 00:29:58,980 It is the coming up short. 488 00:29:59,220 --> 00:30:03,060 It is the attack, the disobedience against what God has 489 00:30:03,060 --> 00:30:04,260 said and done. 490 00:30:04,740 --> 00:30:06,860 We say, wasn't this hurting Potiphar? 491 00:30:06,860 --> 00:30:14,060 But yet Joseph said that is a person, an individual made in the 492 00:30:14,060 --> 00:30:17,020 image of God, a creation made in God's image. 493 00:30:17,020 --> 00:30:20,670 And therefore that sin is against God himself. 494 00:30:21,070 --> 00:30:27,870 And so it makes us act and ask the question, how am I acting towards 495 00:30:27,950 --> 00:30:28,350 others? 496 00:30:28,830 --> 00:30:33,190 This goes into so many different avenues and aspects of 497 00:30:33,190 --> 00:30:35,390 our life and how we are treating others. 498 00:30:35,630 --> 00:30:41,230 The last time that you are thinking ill towards a person or 499 00:30:41,390 --> 00:30:45,350 thinking absolutely wrong towards that individual, that is 500 00:30:45,350 --> 00:30:48,200 a person made in the image of God. 501 00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:54,200 That should make us pause, that should make us stop and remind 502 00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:57,000 ourselves of the greatness of sin. 503 00:30:57,080 --> 00:30:57,640 Sin. 504 00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:00,520 The exceeding wickedness of sin. 505 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:02,520 How do we act towards others? 506 00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:07,280 To our friends, to our parents, to our teachers, to your 507 00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:07,880 enemy? 508 00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:10,760 What a question. 509 00:31:11,970 --> 00:31:12,610 There's a girl. 510 00:31:12,690 --> 00:31:13,330 She was. 511 00:31:13,810 --> 00:31:15,490 Her name was Lauren Blankmore. 512 00:31:15,890 --> 00:31:19,810 She was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in which tumor invades 513 00:31:20,050 --> 00:31:22,050 the bones and the body. 514 00:31:22,530 --> 00:31:26,290 And through all of that, a lot of times that leads to amputation, 515 00:31:26,290 --> 00:31:28,050 the type of cancer that she had. 516 00:31:28,530 --> 00:31:32,370 And through all the chemo, through all, all the radiation and 517 00:31:32,370 --> 00:31:35,170 all the treatment through those years, up and down. 518 00:31:35,170 --> 00:31:38,610 She had a neighbor, her name was Miss Mildred. 519 00:31:39,650 --> 00:31:45,090 And she made her comfort blanket, a blanket of many colors, 520 00:31:45,410 --> 00:31:46,770 knitted it for her. 521 00:31:47,090 --> 00:31:51,330 And in that hospital, she would oftentimes cuddle that blanket, 522 00:31:51,570 --> 00:31:57,010 trying to stay warm, trying to be comforted through the vomiting, 523 00:31:57,010 --> 00:32:01,170 the throwing up, the sickness, the weakness, the dehydration. 524 00:32:01,170 --> 00:32:04,930 At times, just every single symptom that comes with cancer. 525 00:32:04,930 --> 00:32:12,990 The archdant of that life and throughout her battle, she was comforted 526 00:32:13,070 --> 00:32:13,870 by that. 527 00:32:14,270 --> 00:32:17,710 After Warren's dad visited a children's cancer ward in India, 528 00:32:18,030 --> 00:32:20,070 he returned home to tell her about the kids. 529 00:32:20,070 --> 00:32:24,830 And immediately, this girl, still on the outskirts of cancer, 530 00:32:24,910 --> 00:32:28,230 she began to raise money by speaking at Rotary Club meetings 531 00:32:28,230 --> 00:32:32,230 and schools, asking and requesting donations. 532 00:32:32,230 --> 00:32:36,510 She wanted every child to have a Miss Mildred blanket because, as 533 00:32:36,510 --> 00:32:38,990 she said, chemotherapy makes you cold all the time. 534 00:32:39,630 --> 00:32:42,710 Thanks to women in Bosnia working at peacecrafts, a cottage 535 00:32:42,710 --> 00:32:45,990 industry started by Southeast missionaries and whom Warren asked 536 00:32:45,990 --> 00:32:49,390 to make the blankets, each child's bed in the cancer ward is 537 00:32:49,390 --> 00:32:51,870 now worn by Miss Mildred blanket. 538 00:32:53,310 --> 00:32:56,630 She said, when I was first diagnosed with cancer, I knew God 539 00:32:56,630 --> 00:32:57,950 had a plan for my life. 540 00:32:57,950 --> 00:33:00,430 Warren said, this is part of that plan. 541 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:02,120 That's a nice story. 542 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:03,720 It's a nice warm. 543 00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:06,480 If it, you know, if you didn't get any kind of emotions of that, 544 00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:07,320 you might be heartless. 545 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:11,560 But what does this teach? 546 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:17,960 How do we act towards others when life and circumstances are not 547 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:18,600 going away? 548 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:22,560 The selfishness in our hearts. 549 00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:24,920 That's not how God made us to be as human. 550 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:32,740 God made us to have a utopian society that doesn't work because 551 00:33:32,740 --> 00:33:34,820 of sin, obviously. 552 00:33:35,300 --> 00:33:38,180 That doesn't work because of the fall, obviously. 553 00:33:38,900 --> 00:33:41,140 But the design is still there. 554 00:33:41,140 --> 00:33:43,380 Love your neighbor as yourself. 555 00:33:44,660 --> 00:33:46,420 This is not a feel good message. 556 00:33:47,140 --> 00:33:50,580 This is a that is extremely hard to do message. 557 00:33:51,380 --> 00:33:55,560 That is something that is impossible for us to do at times. 558 00:33:56,120 --> 00:34:01,720 Whenever the only thing that we want to do is just what and If 559 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:06,840 I was having and battling cancer and I was cold and sickness, 560 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:10,200 I'd be thinking, goodness, I just want to be comforted from this. 561 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,000 The times put me out of my misery. 562 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:19,400 There are many times in our life where we go through these battles. 563 00:34:19,750 --> 00:34:24,230 We don't have necessarily a you before I attitude. 564 00:34:24,470 --> 00:34:27,110 The kingdom is not try harder to be nice. 565 00:34:27,510 --> 00:34:34,390 The kingdom is God has shown grace to us in Christ and therefore 566 00:34:34,390 --> 00:34:39,510 we reflect that grace towards others by liberty. 567 00:34:40,150 --> 00:34:41,110 Serve one another. 568 00:34:41,190 --> 00:34:45,830 You have liberty, the Bible says in Galatians, you use that liberty 569 00:34:45,910 --> 00:34:47,790 to love one another. 570 00:34:48,670 --> 00:34:55,630 Though comfort that we are comforted by God, we then take that 571 00:34:55,630 --> 00:35:00,070 comfort and comfort the world in the understanding of what a relationship 572 00:35:00,070 --> 00:35:01,150 with Christ is. 573 00:35:02,430 --> 00:35:04,710 Who is the greatest in the kingdom? 574 00:35:04,710 --> 00:35:05,870 That's, that's the question. 575 00:35:06,830 --> 00:35:12,630 And over In Matthew chapter 19, we get a small another glimpse 576 00:35:12,630 --> 00:35:13,070 of this. 577 00:35:14,300 --> 00:35:16,620 The disciples turn there and we'll be done. 578 00:35:16,940 --> 00:35:18,140 Matthew chapter 19. 579 00:35:18,220 --> 00:35:27,900 We got a guy who, desiring to inherit something, he desires to 580 00:35:28,140 --> 00:35:32,220 inherit the kingdom of heaven. 581 00:35:32,220 --> 00:35:33,420 That was his desire. 582 00:35:34,700 --> 00:35:40,990 And he asked the question, good master, what must I do to eternal 583 00:35:41,150 --> 00:35:43,350 that I may have eternal life? 584 00:35:43,350 --> 00:35:48,030 How can I obtain, how can I inherit this kingdom? 585 00:35:48,830 --> 00:35:52,070 And Jesus tells him frankly what to do. 586 00:35:52,070 --> 00:35:54,190 You know, you know what the prophets have told you, you know 587 00:35:54,190 --> 00:35:56,430 what the, the commandments are. 588 00:35:57,150 --> 00:36:00,110 And he gives him that great commandment of if you're going to 589 00:36:00,110 --> 00:36:02,950 be perfect, go and sell all that you have and then come back 590 00:36:02,950 --> 00:36:03,590 and follow me. 591 00:36:03,590 --> 00:36:04,590 Take your cross up. 592 00:36:04,910 --> 00:36:06,590 If you do that, you'll have treasure in heaven. 593 00:36:06,590 --> 00:36:07,230 And he goes away. 594 00:36:07,230 --> 00:36:10,860 And Jesus makes that proclamation to the disciples, how 595 00:36:10,860 --> 00:36:12,980 hard is it for a rich man to go into heaven? 596 00:36:13,460 --> 00:36:17,100 And the disciples are astonished by this because they thought 597 00:36:17,100 --> 00:36:21,740 that riches were equating to God's merit and God's grace. 598 00:36:21,740 --> 00:36:24,260 And wow, this guy is wealthy. 599 00:36:24,340 --> 00:36:26,860 God must love him, he must be going to heaven. 600 00:36:26,860 --> 00:36:29,140 And wow, this guy's really wealthy. 601 00:36:29,220 --> 00:36:31,860 That means God really loves this guy. 602 00:36:31,940 --> 00:36:34,980 And Jesus just told us that this guy doesn't get to go there 603 00:36:35,140 --> 00:36:36,500 because he's wealthy. 604 00:36:36,990 --> 00:36:38,590 How then can we go to heaven? 605 00:36:39,070 --> 00:36:42,670 Who then can go into the kingdom of God? 606 00:36:43,470 --> 00:36:48,070 And Jesus says, with this, with men this is impossible, but 607 00:36:48,070 --> 00:36:49,470 with God all things are possible. 608 00:36:50,190 --> 00:36:54,750 And then they all look at this and they're thinking, he told him, 609 00:36:55,550 --> 00:36:57,430 take up your cross, sell all that you have. 610 00:36:57,430 --> 00:37:02,510 Jesus, verse number 27, behold, we have forsaken all and 611 00:37:02,510 --> 00:37:03,220 followed thee. 612 00:37:03,770 --> 00:37:05,050 What shall we have? 613 00:37:05,050 --> 00:37:08,090 Therefore, what do I get again? 614 00:37:09,210 --> 00:37:13,850 And he says, that you that have followed me shall sit upon 12 615 00:37:14,090 --> 00:37:17,370 thrones, and everyone that hath forsaken Houses or brethren 616 00:37:17,370 --> 00:37:20,410 or sisters or father, mother or wife, children of lands for my 617 00:37:20,410 --> 00:37:24,170 name's sake shall receive a hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting. 618 00:37:24,650 --> 00:37:26,810 Kind of takes us back to that initial thought. 619 00:37:27,210 --> 00:37:29,290 This is what the disciples were thinking. 620 00:37:29,980 --> 00:37:32,700 We get a hundredfold, what do we? 621 00:37:33,260 --> 00:37:37,740 Is that what's matching up to what Christ is saying, though? 622 00:37:38,300 --> 00:37:39,260 No, it's not. 623 00:37:39,580 --> 00:37:43,260 And he gives them that statement, but many that are first 624 00:37:43,420 --> 00:37:45,660 shall be last, and the last shall be first. 625 00:37:47,180 --> 00:37:50,620 Many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first. 626 00:37:51,820 --> 00:37:56,380 That statement leads him to give this parable In Matthew, chapter 627 00:37:56,380 --> 00:38:02,230 20, about the farmer, the vineyard owner that goes and hires 628 00:38:02,230 --> 00:38:05,710 out that very first helping hand to work in the vineyard in the 629 00:38:05,710 --> 00:38:09,150 early morning, the wee hours of the morning, he hires them. 630 00:38:09,150 --> 00:38:11,230 He says, whatever's right, I'm going to pay you. 631 00:38:11,550 --> 00:38:12,670 He comes and he works. 632 00:38:12,670 --> 00:38:16,030 He goes out and finds more men, tells them, whatever's right, 633 00:38:16,030 --> 00:38:16,750 I'm going to pay. 634 00:38:17,390 --> 00:38:19,870 Throughout the day, he does this four or five times. 635 00:38:20,030 --> 00:38:21,750 The last hour of the day. 636 00:38:21,750 --> 00:38:25,550 He goes out one more time, sees men standing idly by, and says, 637 00:38:26,200 --> 00:38:27,320 no one's hired you. 638 00:38:27,720 --> 00:38:28,760 Come work for me. 639 00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:30,840 Whatever's right, I will pay. 640 00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:34,240 You have to imagine and think about this, okay? 641 00:38:34,240 --> 00:38:37,000 You know, it's the end of the day, we'll get something. 642 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:40,280 Maybe we'll be able to buy some sort of loaf of bread or something. 643 00:38:40,760 --> 00:38:42,320 Maybe we can put it towards tomorrow. 644 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:45,880 They get there, they work for the hour, and then the good man of 645 00:38:45,880 --> 00:38:49,040 the house says, pay them all, starting with the last, unto the 646 00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:49,320 first. 647 00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:53,320 Every single one of them receives the same thing. 648 00:38:54,520 --> 00:38:59,960 It's not fair, and yet it is completely fair. 649 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:06,040 He says the people that come in first, they ask that great question, 650 00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:07,880 what in the world? 651 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:09,480 This isn't right. 652 00:39:09,720 --> 00:39:12,840 You've made them who have worked but an hour with. 653 00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:16,680 They've made them equal to us who have borne the heat of the day. 654 00:39:17,480 --> 00:39:20,670 I said good friend, in the King James. 655 00:39:20,670 --> 00:39:25,910 English Good friend, Didn't you agree to work for a day's labor? 656 00:39:28,150 --> 00:39:29,190 I gave you that? 657 00:39:30,630 --> 00:39:34,630 Is your eye evil to me because my eye is good? 658 00:39:36,230 --> 00:39:44,270 The kingdom is not a merited thing because of all the hard work 659 00:39:44,270 --> 00:39:45,190 that do that. 660 00:39:45,830 --> 00:39:48,150 Not how God operates. 661 00:39:48,710 --> 00:39:51,430 He operates on a merit of grace. 662 00:39:52,070 --> 00:39:56,790 See, God causes it to rain and shine on the just and the unjust. 663 00:39:57,750 --> 00:40:03,670 God blesses the wicked no different than he blesses you and 664 00:40:03,670 --> 00:40:03,990 I. 665 00:40:05,030 --> 00:40:09,190 God doesn't do this on the merits of the person or individual. 666 00:40:10,230 --> 00:40:12,280 God does it on the merits of. 667 00:40:12,430 --> 00:40:14,110 Of his character. 668 00:40:14,430 --> 00:40:18,270 All blessings come from God because he is good. 669 00:40:18,830 --> 00:40:24,270 God is good to you not because you are good or evil is because he 670 00:40:24,510 --> 00:40:25,230 is good. 671 00:40:25,950 --> 00:40:29,390 All good things come from the Bible says in the book of James. 672 00:40:29,790 --> 00:40:35,070 And so whenever it comes for this great question, if I serve, 673 00:40:35,070 --> 00:40:40,350 if I pour everything I have, who takes care of me? 674 00:40:41,150 --> 00:40:43,950 And the answer to that is God says, I do. 675 00:40:44,990 --> 00:40:46,990 Everyone was taken care of that day. 676 00:40:48,030 --> 00:40:50,910 Those that worked the littlest were those that worked the most. 677 00:40:50,910 --> 00:40:52,270 They all got what was fair. 678 00:40:52,430 --> 00:40:54,669 They got a day's worth working weight. 679 00:40:55,070 --> 00:40:56,350 Some people got more. 680 00:40:56,910 --> 00:40:57,830 You know, there's going to be. 681 00:40:57,830 --> 00:40:59,230 People like D.L. 682 00:40:59,230 --> 00:41:03,510 Moody, for example, is a great, maybe epitome of what it means 683 00:41:03,510 --> 00:41:04,310 to be a great Christian. 684 00:41:04,310 --> 00:41:05,150 Or maybe Paul. 685 00:41:05,620 --> 00:41:09,340 We think of rewards and, and getting to enter into the kingdom 686 00:41:09,340 --> 00:41:09,860 of God. 687 00:41:10,100 --> 00:41:14,020 And they spent their entire lives and they end up dying and sacrificing 688 00:41:14,340 --> 00:41:16,580 their life for the gospel sake. 689 00:41:17,940 --> 00:41:20,180 He's getting the same heaven that you and I are getting. 690 00:41:20,900 --> 00:41:25,540 He's getting the same heaven that the thief on the cross is getting. 691 00:41:26,740 --> 00:41:28,900 He's getting the same presence of Jesus. 692 00:41:29,460 --> 00:41:35,500 He's getting the same heaven glory that Jesus is going to give 693 00:41:35,820 --> 00:41:36,940 every single person. 694 00:41:38,540 --> 00:41:42,780 Now, I'm sure there will be differences of what happened, but 695 00:41:42,780 --> 00:41:46,500 there's no way it's going to be fair because none of us deserve 696 00:41:46,500 --> 00:41:47,180 any of it. 697 00:41:48,380 --> 00:41:56,420 And God gives on the basis, not of merit, but rather on the basis 698 00:41:56,420 --> 00:41:57,950 of his grace. 699 00:41:57,950 --> 00:42:01,070 The servant is already great. 700 00:42:01,230 --> 00:42:04,830 If we want to be great in the kingdom, be the servant. 701 00:42:05,230 --> 00:42:08,430 Because Christ is great and Christ serves. 702 00:42:08,590 --> 00:42:11,310 The servant is already great because of that. 703 00:42:11,470 --> 00:42:16,030 And what God wants us to be as Christians is Romans 8:29 says is 704 00:42:16,030 --> 00:42:21,430 to be conformed to the image of His Son, to be conformed to the 705 00:42:21,430 --> 00:42:22,190 image of Christ. 706 00:42:22,190 --> 00:42:22,550 Why? 707 00:42:22,550 --> 00:42:25,130 Because he is the perfect human. 708 00:42:25,850 --> 00:42:31,450 He was the perfect Adam, the second Adam, the Adam that did everything 709 00:42:32,090 --> 00:42:32,490 right. 710 00:42:33,210 --> 00:42:34,970 The first Adam brought death. 711 00:42:35,210 --> 00:42:37,370 The second Adam brings life. 712 00:42:38,170 --> 00:42:42,290 That is why we are to be conformed to the image of God, his 713 00:42:42,290 --> 00:42:43,130 dear Son. 714 00:42:43,290 --> 00:42:45,210 We are conformed to the image of Christ. 715 00:42:45,770 --> 00:42:47,610 Christ is the image of God. 716 00:42:47,930 --> 00:42:52,140 And that is what the kingdom is all about. 717 00:42:52,220 --> 00:42:55,980 It is not about ruling and reigning, but rather it is about 718 00:42:56,060 --> 00:43:00,140 being humble, serving one another, and following that second 719 00:43:00,140 --> 00:43:04,140 great commandment which is loving one another as ourselves. 720 00:43:04,540 --> 00:43:10,540 When we love one another as ourselves, that is what drives us 721 00:43:10,860 --> 00:43:15,020 to focus on the things that God wants us to focus about. 722 00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:17,920 Because we can get caught up on our bills, we can get caught up 723 00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:18,520 on our needs. 724 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:21,560 We can get caught up on all the things that we have to do. 725 00:43:21,560 --> 00:43:26,040 And we can pass someone that God wants us to minister to. 726 00:43:26,520 --> 00:43:31,560 We could forget about the gospel because we are so consumed 727 00:43:31,720 --> 00:43:38,200 with what we need and what we want and God doesn't want that for 728 00:43:38,200 --> 00:43:38,520 us. 729 00:43:38,840 --> 00:43:44,290 God wants us to live a life that is consumed with his desires, 730 00:43:44,610 --> 00:43:49,370 being conformed to the image of Christ doing what God wants us 731 00:43:49,370 --> 00:43:49,810 to do. 732 00:43:50,450 --> 00:43:58,370 So as we live our life, as we go through the day to day grind, 733 00:43:59,170 --> 00:44:04,610 ask ourselves that question, are we doing what God has created 734 00:44:04,770 --> 00:44:06,050 us to do? 735 00:44:06,780 --> 00:44:11,340 Have we taken upon us the form of servant and are we living to serve 736 00:44:11,500 --> 00:44:12,100 one another? 737 00:44:12,100 --> 00:44:16,180 Let's pray Father thank you so much Lord for the great example that 738 00:44:16,180 --> 00:44:22,980 we have of Christ loving us, dying for us, exemplifying what it 739 00:44:22,980 --> 00:44:28,300 means to be that servant, Lord, caring about others more than 740 00:44:28,540 --> 00:44:29,100 himself. 741 00:44:29,820 --> 00:44:33,400 Lord, I don't know if I would have been able to to die for the 742 00:44:33,400 --> 00:44:38,480 whole world the selfishness that drives me Lord, and in all of 743 00:44:38,480 --> 00:44:43,400 us or that didn't exist any you did everything Lord. 744 00:44:43,400 --> 00:44:46,200 The Father loved us Lord, and I thank you for that. 745 00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:50,680 And Lord, I just pray that even with this very hard commandment 746 00:44:50,680 --> 00:44:55,480 to love one another as ourselves, Lord, that you would give 747 00:44:55,480 --> 00:44:58,920 us the grace to grow and that you would strengthen us in the inner 748 00:44:58,920 --> 00:45:03,280 man so that we would be a unified body of Christ and not quarrel 749 00:45:03,280 --> 00:45:05,720 with one another, so that we would have peace with one another. 750 00:45:05,720 --> 00:45:08,840 So that we would be able to accomplish the mission and fight 751 00:45:08,840 --> 00:45:14,320 against the real enemy who is fighting so hard against us or this 752 00:45:14,320 --> 00:45:19,560 one thing of servanthood amongst the brethren of God. 753 00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:24,480 If we would get that Lord, the things that we would be able to accomplish 754 00:45:24,480 --> 00:45:29,730 because not being eaten up by selfish desires but rather serving 755 00:45:29,730 --> 00:45:34,290 one another in love, Lord, I know that we would be able to grow 756 00:45:34,290 --> 00:45:37,770 as a church body and be able to spread the gospel and do what 757 00:45:37,770 --> 00:45:38,770 you've called us to do. 758 00:45:39,170 --> 00:45:42,650 So Lord, I pray and ask for your help, for your grace, Lord, 759 00:45:42,650 --> 00:45:46,770 in us pray and ask these things in Jesus name, Amen.