The Kingdom: With Every Act of Love, 4/19/15

Sermon 4-19-15 the kingdom - With Every Act of Love: 2 Cor 5:11-20 NIV

¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. ¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

If we truly love god, we will express it by loving our neighbors, and when we truly love our neighbors, it expresses our love for God. 66

Series – the kingdom.  Last week, where is it and who is in it.

This week- kingdom principles, kingdom actions

In every kingdom there are rules.  Pay your taxes and don’t break the law.  Then you are ok.

This keeps us pretty self absorbed.  Do a few things and then your life is yours.

This line of thinking does not transfer well to the Kingdom of God

It is not a matter of pay your tithes and do no harm

It is not a mafia payoff to god so you can live as you please

In this kingdom, the king asks for every moment

We no longer live for ourselves, but for him v15

Paul spoke of the flesh warring with the spirit.

Are we even aware which one is which?

The cartoon of the martins

We are not asked to set aside our preference on easter and Christmas, but every day.

Inconvenienced every day for the kingdom

Turn the other cheek, go the second mile, take up your cross

We are on a mission for god [blues brothers]

Christ’s Love Compels us v 14

Love is the motivator, not guilt

Mt 25 – why do they do these things?

He was blind to their faults

Father forgive them, they know not what they do

Mother Teresa

Why we love mother Teresa

Shane Claiborne once worked alongside Mother Teresa in Calcutta:
When entering the church to worship, it was customary for everyone to remove their shoes, and it was during these times that Shane noticed that Mother Teresa's feet were very deformed. So deformed, in fact, that Shane thought that it was perhaps due to leprosy.

But, he didn't dare ask her.
One day, while talking to one of the other sisters, the subject came up. The sister asked if Shane had noticed Mother Teresa's feet. She went on to tell him that they get donations of shoes only once and a while, and there are only just enough for each person to get one pair. When the shipments come in, mother Teresa would sort through all the shoes. She would look for the worst for wear pair, and then she would claim them for herself.

Mother Teresa never wanted anyone to wear a pair of shoes that were in worse shape than her own.

Its not what you belive that counts, its what you believe enough to do. 87

We do not regard others in an earthly fashion v16

When we are judging someone, we cannot love them.

The ke class.  Sending a note to a registered sex offender

"I know you don’t know me, and I don’t know you.  But I found your name on the internet on the registered sex offender website.  I know this is a strange thing to do, but I wanted to send you a note of encouragement and a small gift.  I wanted you to know that you are loved and cherished by someone who has no conditions or expectations.  His arms are open wide to all of us who will accept His grace.  I’m sure it must be difficult to be in your position- but I just wanted you to know that God loves you, and I will be praying for you."

We see sex offenders online.  We think things

are their sins worse than ours?

Jesus ran with the people that others rejected.

We do not judge them

We do not look to see what is wrong

We see them as souls

Kindness has converted more sinners than zeal, elegance or learning. – Frederick Faber 13

Parable of the talents

What do we offer to God?  Time, talents, treasure?

·        What if we also offered him:

·        Hands to touch others

·        A mouth to speak kindness

·        A heart occupied only with love

Everything we have and everything we are can be used in service to the Lord and to further his kingdom goals.

We have been given the ministry of reconciliation v 18

What is our role

How can we help it happen?

For too long the church has badgered people, guilted them, ruled them to death.

This is not reconciliation

Reconciliation is pictured as the prodigal son comes home

At st marys hospital in blue springs there is a letter from mother Teresa..

Dated march 10, 1986

Dear Mr. Coen,

Thank you very much for your letter and good wishes.  Thank god for god.  For using our nothingness to show his love.  He calls me, he calls you – each of us to be his sign of love to each other.  This is a great privilege that  he shares with us.

I shall pray that you may learn to love him much and share this love with those around you, your loved ones, first, then your neighbors and every person that you meet.

God bless you

Mother m. Teresa

Ark –examples of acts of random kindness

Bill carter

Diane harper

How can I get involved at wcc?

Why are there cars here during the week?

How can I get involved in the kingdom

There are a million ways – 40 + mission endeavors

Countless opportunities for service at wcc

From the kingdom experiment class: We bring the kingdom to earth with our acts of love, whether big or small.  Through the kingdom experiment, we were challenged to reach out with an act of kindness to ‘invisible people in our lives’.

Brent Parsons wrote a thank you and left a gift card for the cleaning staff that work at night at his office.  Janet Smith struck up a conversation and now a friendship with the lady that cleans her office.  Several bought pizza or baked cookies for the google fiber guys working outside their house.  Guys were popping out of holes when they heard free food .    

Every day holds its hands out to you and bids you to love

A cup of cold water in his name

We are going to close with the beatitudes again, from the message bible.  They are the principles of the kingdom.  Lets say them together.

·         ³ “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

·         ⁴ “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

·         ⁵ “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

·         ⁶ “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

·         ⁷ “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

·         ⁸ “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

·         ⁹ “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

·          ¹⁰ “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. Margaret mead

The Kingdom: On Earth As It Is In Heaven, 4/12/15

Sermon 4-12-15 kingdom- on earth as it is in heaven Acts 1:1-9

1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach ² until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³ After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with^[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with^[b] the Holy Spirit.” ⁶ Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

Starting a new series on the kingdom

Who is theolophilus?  Friend of God – great title

Jesus in scripture announces the kingdom over and over

When his ministry began……Jesus came to declare the Kingdom of God is at hand - Luke 4:18-19¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me  to proclaim good news to the poor He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners  and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,¹⁹     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”^[f]

When he taught his prayer-Lord’s Prayer:  Bringing Heaven here on earth - Matthew 6:9-13  

“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, ¹⁰ your kingdom come, your will be done,    on earth as it is in heaven.

What is the kingdom like in heaven?  Jesus wants us to bring that here

Here the disciples ask about the kingdom and are told to wait for the spirit to fall.

Signs of the spirit……..kingdom living

Learning to live outside of yourself

Lets talk about church and the kingdom.

Lets deconstruct the notion of church

I go to church –

This one, that one

The church is a building.  A group of people

A fellowship.

Jn 2:19 Jesus said I will tear this temple down….. building is not necessary

Kingdom of heaven

Kingdom of God

Kingdom is both here and now – and god wants to do something

Overarching idea…….we are citizens of gods kingdom

Back to the church

We need a kingdom-shaped view of the church, not a church-shaped view of the kingdom. 

Lets talk about the idea of a kingdom? 

Roman empire.  British empire.

What is God’s kingdom?

Who are his subjects.  Not just Americans.  Not just Christians.

Not just people like us.

Everyone is in his purveyance. 

Is 66:1-2  “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me?   Where will my resting place be?

Psalm 2 ¹ Why do the nations conspire^[a] and the peoples plot in vain?² The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together  against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,³ “Let us break their chains  and throw off their shackles.”⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

The king in charge makes the rules.

Examples

And of course I have rules for my life………

But I don’t really have a kingdom do I

We have a choice in life, to accept the rule of god or reject it

Kingdoms rise and fall.  Not the k of God

Where is it

We like boundaries

God has little or no interest in boundaries.

We live in a certain state, a certain county.  Does jesus recognize when he crosses over from Missouri to Kansas?

He doesn’t care about ku/mu rivalry.

These are made up boundaries to him

The story of the Russian winters-I recall a farmer whose large property was on the Russian-Finnish border. He had to decide whether he wanted his farm to be in Finland or Russia. He chose Finland. The Russian officials set out to inquire why he didn’t want to remain in Russia. He said, “Look, all my life I’ve wanted to live in our Mother Russia, but now at my age, frankly, I don’t think I could endure another Russian winter!”

What does this mean for us?

He has claims upon us

Not a guilt based list of things to do, but the chance to be on the journey of discovery about what truly brings joy in life

All that jesus began to do and to teach.  He started something.  He wants us to continue it

There is a new class at wcc

A story to share from the KE class

Week 1:  on earth as it is in heaven

We are sent to the ends of the earth to be witnesses and to build God’s kingdom here on earth.  The kingdom life is uncomfortable and challenging. 

In my younger years I spent much time in studies related to spiritual gifts.  The goal was to find the specific one you were created for and use it for His glory.  But as I have "grown up" in the Lord, I realized how compartmentalized I became in my thinking and serving and how much I was missing out on in trying to stay within the boundaries of those gifts I was assigned.  It has been freeing to break out of my element, face some unknown territory and find I don't need to specifically have the talent to experience God.  So yesterday I participated in a Habitat for Humanity Women Build.  A few good men taught us nine women use a jack hammer, power saw and air powered staple gun so we could work on the outside of the house.  We also hauled cement and rock up and down basement stairs and old lumber to a dumpster.  Had I known beforehand what the job entailed, I would have immediately said, "I can't do that stuff, I'm out.  How about I just bring lunch, that is within my comfort zone, I can easily share my gift of hospitality without fear." 

I didn't need any information, but we were told the owner of the home, Matrika, is a single mother working in the Raytown school district and has a young daughter.  It was a tiny little house, but you can just imagine all the love, sweat and free man hours that will be wrapped up into this endeavor by the time it is finished.  It is just about the motion of mercy, telling God I'm in without knowing the details and maximizing my gifting for His glory.  I wonder what our Habitat leader thought when these nine women exited their vehicles laughing, whining about the cold and wanting their picture taken together?  I believe he was pleasantly surprised at the end of the day with our strength, abilities, and enthusiasm.  I always narrow everything down to two choices in my life, so today I say:  Do I lie dormant or do I hear His kingdom calling?

Our lives are so much about us

In the kingdom, our lives are aobut everyone, expecially those who are in need

The KE class invites you to do some The experiments

·         Fast from food for a time to remind yourself that food is not god

·         Grocery shop … donate all of it to food pantry

·         Pay for someone behind you @ drive-in

·         Sleep on floor … identify w/ those who don’t have beds

·         Shower w/o hot water  for a week

·         Ride a bicycle for a week……

·         Give away something valuable … don’t replace it

·         Use candles for a week … read books instead of watch TV

·         Donate to electric company’s poverty fund

·         Kiva – micro loan to someone in a developing country

Do you live as though you are the king of your life

Or do you live as if jesus is king of your life?

The beatitudes are the Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount Mt 5:3-10 [the message]  These are the principles of the kingdom

³ “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. ⁴ “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. ⁵ “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. ⁶ “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. ⁷ “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. ⁸ “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. ⁹ “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. ¹⁰ “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

Lead to holy communion

Pursuit of God - Meekness and Rest, Matthew 11:28 8/18/2013

Sermon 8-18-13 mt 11:28 pursuit of god- meekness and resttttttt

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  

Here are two things that don’t go together

A burden and rest

Mutually exclusive

When we have burdens, it is hard to rest.

Jesus offers to release us from our burdens

He taught the peaceful beatitudes-

Mt 5 Blessed are the meek,  for they will inherit the earth.

we live the exact opposite

Instead of poverty of spirit, we find rankest kind of pride...

instead of mourners, pleasure seekers.....

instead of meekness, arrogance....

instead of hunger after righteousness, we pursue riches

instead of peacemakers, quarrelsome and resentful....

instead of rejoicing in mistreatment, fighting back---complaining life isn’t fair

Jesus offers to release us from our burdens

This happens in two ways

Religious burdens have no place in jesus theology

He breaks all of the rules

He talks to women

He gets close to lepers

He heals on the Sabbath. 

The eats with sinners

He turns water into wine

The teachings of jesus are his yoke

[Define yoke]

They are not burdensome

The teaching of the Pharisees were a burden

You place great burdens on the backs of the people but will not carry them yourselves

Matthew 23  of the Pharisees, Jesus said……

⁴ They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.⁵ “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries^[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; ⁶ they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; ⁷ they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

Famous seven woes...

²⁵ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. ²⁷ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Jesus teachings vs the Pharisees is illustrated in the story of the Pharisee and the publican

A sinner with a heart for god vs someone who thinks they have it going on

The Pharisees were pretenders.  They dressed it all up.

The outside of the cup was clean but the inside was not

The tomb was painted on the outside but inside, dead mens bones

We act like Pharisees when we put on the show

Paint up our life

Try to keep up with the joneses

Hide who we are

Thank God, The best of friends welcome us just the way that we are

This is the good news of jesus. 

Not that you are loved after you straighten up,

Not that you are loved if you straighten up,

but simply that you are loved.

Religious burdens have no place in jesus teachings

pretense and artificiality is a burden to live with......many live in secret fear that some day they will be careless and by chance someone will be allowed to peep into their poor, empty souls....so they never relax....

my moms dream of the shower curtain

the wizard of oz…….pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

we don’t have to pretend

Rest is simply release from that burden.  It is not something we do, it is something that comes to us when we cease to do

The second way that jesus wants to release us from our burdens

The burdens of life

A heart break.  A sadness. An illness. We have all had them

We want to pray and have them go away.

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t

When they do, we give thanks

When they don’t, we are invited to trust god

A sheep found a hole in the fence and crept through it.

 He wandered far and lost his way back. Then he realized that was being followed by a wolf. He ran and ran, but the wolf kept chasing him, until the shepherd came and rescued him and carried him lovingly back to the fold. In spite of everyone’s urgings to the contrary, the shepherd refused to nail up the hole in the fence.

If you want to let the world drive you crazy, God allows that

You are not forced to stay in his fold

As long as we are lost in the problems of this world, we will never find his rest

The world invites us to fight & kick and scream and try to get it our way

Jesus invites us into a world where we rest in him.  Where we let it all go

·        He invites us to stop caring who is the greatest,

·        to stop caring about whether someone pulled out in front of you in traffic. 

·        To stop worrying about who makes more money. 

·        To stop worrying. 

·        To stop……

Rest is what we find when we stop trying to fight everything, stop trying to fix everything

You can let a thing drive you crazy or you can lay down your burdens and rest in jesus.

When we see our selves as god sees us, we have no more need to prove to everyone how great we are.

Those who say don’t know, those who know, don’t have to say.

When we see ourselves as god sees us, we are confident not in our own superiority, but we are confident in his love.

When we rest in god we are no longer worried about keeping up with the jones, for we can find a place of soul rest.

In this life we can get busy…
So busy so busy that we cant find our keys, our check book. We are not living in the moment, we are living in where we need to go next.

The day that you stop, you will arrive. You will find peace

The man with three wishes…….

wife dead.  Wife alive.  Not sure what to choose…

one friend said money, another said health, another said to live forever

he couldn’t decide

god, what should I pick?

the serenity prayer
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as Christ did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. ----Reinhold Niebuhr

We never rest until we let go of the outcome.

Once upon a time a man was visited by a dragon. Man was visited nightly by a 12 foot dragon with 3 heads. Terrified, he went to the psychologist who told him. I can cure you but it will take years and costs thousands of dollars. The man said, ok, never mind, I will just go home and make friends with it.

Tim C- make friends with the pain

Hello mr pain….

We find no rest because we continue to fight our dragons. We continue to resist our thorn in the flesh.

Paul asked for it to go away

Jesus said no.  my strength is made perfect in weakness.

If we can grow accustomed to the fact that some of this isn’t going to get better, the we can get our mind off of our pain and onto the person of Christ and the joy of life.

Conclusion

Jesus has one rule.  Love.  Do this, and relax.  Rest in him.  Stop trying to fix everything, stop trying to fix others. stop trying to be perfect.  Love and be loved.  Welcome him in and rest in him.

His yoke his teaching is easy, his burden is light

Do you know a Jesus who’s yoke is easy?

Come to him and you will find rest for your souls

Matthew 11:28-30  The Message (MSG)

^28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Prayer
– Lord, make us simple and clean like little children. At times, we have been posers. Deliver me from the urge to compete with another for place or prestige or position.  Help us to lay our burdens at Your feet and take up your life of love.  Help us to forget ourselves and find true peace and rest in You.   Amen