this sunday morning i had the opportunity to share a word of God with our congregation. i had a couple of people mention that they would like to see it in some form on here. so here it is… not a transcript, but almost a behind the scenes peak at what i had prepared to share. here is the written form of the sermon that i wrote and referred to as i spoke yesterday morning…
once upon a time, a long long time ago, there was a great and powerful King. he was regal and majestic, yet kind and compassionate. and all who gathered in his presence praised him with glory and honor.
his castle was huge! his throne room was enormous, filled with precious metals, and gemstones, and jewels. his banquet room was always set for a feast – ready for a royal wedding celebration like has never been thrown before.
one day the King decided to create.
and so the great King, who is 3 thought he is 1, spoke and all of the world came to be. everything we can see and everything we cannot came to be at his command. at the word of the Father, through the creativity of the Son, by the power of the Spirit – all things came to be. from nothing came everything!
as time passed, the plan unfolded so that on the 6th day of his work creating everything, the King stooped down, took some dirt from the ground, and began to shape it and mold it. he formed it like a great Artist, masterfully crafting his finest work of all. and when he had finished forming the dirt, the King breathed into it his own royal breath – his “ruhah.” and instantly, the masterpiece – the man, adam, started to breathe. his heart began to beat, the synapses in his brain began to fire, and life began.
but there was still something missing… something very important. you see, the King knew that it was not good for his creation to live alone. after all, the King created his masterpiece to be like him, and relationship is very important to the King, who is 3 though he is 1.
and so, the King caused the man to go into a very deep sleep and once again, the King began to use all of his skill and masterful artistic talent to create. the King carefully, delicately began to shape a beautiful, exquisite form. he blessed this, the absolute pinnacle of his creation, the crowning jewel of all of the work he had done, the final stroke of his masterpiece. and he blessed her with tenderness, compassion, and a nurturing spirit.
then the King pronounced a blessing on all of his creation because it was so very good!
and so the story begins…
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it’s a story of the kingdom.
the kingdom was the primary descriptor that Jesus used to speak of God’s presence with his people.
the kingdom was the physical reality of God’s presence with his people in ancient israel.
the kingdom is the perfect descriptor of the spiritual reality that you and i live in – in union with God.
and the kingdom is never in trouble. it is unshakable - hebrews 12:28
it is a kingdom with a great and mighty King before whom every knee will bow and every tongue will confess - romans 14:11, philippians 2:10-11
it is a kingdom with a great and mighty King who perfectly provides for every need and completely protects - matthew 6:25-33
this is a kingdom in which we are citizens - philippians 3:20-21
when paul wrote of citizenship he wrote out of a view of citizenship that is all but completely different than our view of citizenship.
paul wrote to christians who saw daily the privileges accompanying the title of citizen and the danger for those who were without it. he wrote in a time of imperial conquest where many were part of the empire, but very few enjoyed the rights and privileges that citizenship afforded. the citizen could own land, and travel freely throughout the empire. the citizen could not be punished or bound without first being found guilty by trial, and even then a citizen’s punishment was often less than that of the non-citizen.
we live in a time of freedom and globalization. we live in a time of expectation of safety, equality, and entitlement – a time where rights are demanded for all – even enemy combatants. we live in a time where there is virtually no difference between the citizen and the non-citizen.
but as he writes, paul wants us to know – to be assured of our standing as citizens in this kingdom – citizens with rights, protection, provision, and position.
not only is this a kingdom in which we are citizens, this is a kingdom in which we are sons and daughters of the King - 1 john 3:1, galatians 4:4-6
we are sons and daughters of the King, and that makes us the princes and princesses of this kingdom. we have not only the rights and privileges of citizens – we have inheritance and the favor of the King.
little girls dream of being a princess – and to their daddies, they are princesses. even disney and barbie understand this deep longing of every young girl’s heart.
little boys long to be princes too – battle tested, valiant, brave, adventurous.
and that is who we are in Christ!!
we are princes and princesses of the kingdom that is never in trouble!
the kingdom is never in trouble!
the King – the Almighty never sleeps nor is weary - isaiah 40:28
the kingdom is never in trouble!
the gates of hell shall never prevail against it - matthew 16:18
the kingdom is never in trouble!
and its citizens are never in trouble
the kingdom is never in trouble!
and its princes and princesses are never in trouble
the kingdom is never in trouble!
the kingdom is never in trouble!!
the kingdom is never in trouble!!!
and so we are enabled and emboldened to live lives of faith
we are able to live lives that show the world and each other what it looks like when people live bravely -
to show what it looks like when people live fully in the promises of their King, following wherever he may lead -
to show what it looks like when we abandon all fear -
to show what it looks like when we abandon all need for control -
to show what it looks like when we begin to understand that the kingdom it never in trouble!
we cannot live in or lead out of fear and be pleasing to our King.
he demands that we live by faith
he demands complete control
he demands full reign
whenever we begin to worry and become consumed by the here and now
when we begin demanding the results we want to see
when we begin to manipulate and form alliances based on what might or might not come to be
when we become consumed by minutia and numbers and nuance…
we are claiming the throne for ourselves! we are telling the King that we know better how to run the kingdom than he does. we are telling him that we can do a better job of defending, protecting, and providing for the kingdom than he.
and that is treason!
not only in our lives, but much more in the church – we cannot live or lead out of fear.
the church needs no defender
the body of Christ needs no watchman to keep her safe
she already has a King who promises to protect and preserve her.
she has a great and mighty Groom who rides triumphantly through the spiritual realm, mounted on a white horse, his robe stained crimson with the blood of his victory!
there is no storm that can howl and no gale that can blow so hard that we need to reach and take the helm from his mighty hand.
the kingdom is never in trouble!
we are not the King
we are not asked to do the work of the King – and thank God because even on our best day we could never come close.
we are called to be his “am sehulah” - exodus 19:5
we are called to be his very own precious, treasured possession
we are called into amazing relationship with the King who created us, knows us, adores us, and who gave his life to defend, protect, provide for, and ransom us back from the dead.
when we take up our role as his “am segulah” …
the world will be drawn to that kingdom
when the world sees that kingdom it will not be able to look away
when the world tastes the sweetness of that kingdom, it will come back for more… and keep coming back for more.
when we read of the kingdom in scripture we do not read of fear
there is no reason for fear
the kingdom is never in trouble
the citizens of this kingdom are never in trouble
the princes and princesses of this kingdom are never in trouble
the King’s “am segulah” could never be in trouble
in this kingdom we have assurance like an anchor, tethering us to the depth of his love and mercy and grace - hebrews 6:19-20
in this kingdom we have assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus - romans 8:37-39
in this kingdom we have boldness in our standing because of Christ’s sacrifice - ephesians 3:11-12
in this kingdom we have confidence to become ministers and ambassadors of the kingdom - 2 corinthians 3:4-6
in this kingdom we have confidence to approach the throne of grace and find mercy every time we are in need - hebrews 4:14-16
in this kingdom we have confidence to live in the very presence of the almighty King - hebrews 10:19-25
and we know all of this because we have been sealed with the royal seal. we have been stamped by the King’s own signet – his own sign of belonging – his Holy Spirit. - ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5
we belong to the King and we like this kingdom are never in trouble
we are never in trouble!
we are never in trouble!!
we are never in trouble!!!