The Kingdom of God: Search For It — Ps Jacques Roux (TGA)

Sunday the 5th of October, 6:00PM Gathering, Tauranga Location
Ps Jacques Roux on a Freedom Centre 2025 series: The Kingdom of God pt. 2 — “Search For It“

"We know the verse, but do we really know what heaven looks like?"

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Led by Senior Pastors Adem and Grace Guneyi.
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Transcript

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So, for those of you that don't know me, my name is Jacques Roux. That's the way you pronounce it, not Jacques and Rooks and all of these funny things that the people in the front row would have you believe. But um we're in our Kingdom of God series, if you don't know. So, how many of you were here in the room this morning at either the 9 or the 11 a.m.? I honestly don't know how I am supposed to follow a sermon like that that Pastor Adam preached this morning. It was incredible, it was revolutionary. I don't have the words to actually um accurately describe it, but can I encourage you if you weren't in the room, you are missing out if you are not going online to go watch it. Great. Are you gonna watch it? Yeah, come on. I love some engagement from you too tonight as I preach the word of God. Um I want to say this. Um, Pastor Adam and I did not share any notes in our messages about the kingdom of God. So you might tonight hear some stuff that he's already preached this morning if you were at the 9 or the 11 a.m. Um having said that, I'm actually reminded, you know, when Jesus was tempted in, I think it was Matthew 4, he Jesus actually quoted out of the book of Deuteronomy 8. Um, and he said, Man does not live by um bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God, right? So if I'm saying that, so if you hear something again that you've heard this morning, this is the Holy Spirit, I believe, wanting to feed you, not because you didn't listen this morning, but there's something that he wants to seal in your heart that he wants you to grasp. So um don't sit there and say, Oh, I've already heard that, I know it all, but because the Holy Spirit's gonna do something tonight, I really believe that. Um so let's just pray. Um, Father, I thank you, God. Honestly, Lord, I I consider it such an awesome privilege to be able to stand on a platform here um in front of your people, God, your people that love you, that are um are people of the kingdom, God, and want to engage in the word, that are hungry for your word, that want to um feed themselves on your word and grow and be nourished and spiritually mature, Father, into all that you have for them, Lord. So, Father, I pray as I share tonight, Holy Spirit, fall on every word that I say tonight, Lord, that it may not be the opinion of Jacques, but it's the opinion of your Holy Spirit that's with us in this room tonight, Lord. Amen. Hey, um, I really want to start my kingdom of God story about my marriage, Sinee and I. Um, when we first got married, we knew each other since Sinee was eight years old, basically, and we got married reasonably young. I think Shine was 21, I was 23-ish, something like that. Um, all butterfly and daisies and stuff, and actually had no idea the reality of going into a marriage. And now, how many of you believe that marriage is covenant and covenant is kingdom, right? So the moment we got married, our relationship got under attack. Now, there's many reasons for for that because both of us, probably more so me than Sinee, didn't truly understand our identity. Even though we were Christians, that marriage was under attack. And for a long time, I probably at least seven to nine years, you know, it was very volatile. Up and down, it went good, it went well, it went really bad. Um, Sinee wanted to leave, and it's actually just by the grace of God that we are still here together. But um, during that time, we we tried different things. We read books, we prayed, um, we got mother-in-laws involved, which I would highly advise you never to do. Um, yeah, that's really good. Uh we did various things. We even attended marriage seminars, and and and it might have worked temporarily, but nothing ever really stuck. It's only when we got to a a we got referred to a lady, um, a Christian counselor, and I clearly remember the first time we went in there. And I think we both actually sit sat there, and I don't want to speak on behalf of Sinee, but we both sat there with the intention of this lady fixing Sinee and fixing me on on each other's behalf. So I had a list, and Sinee had a list. Sinee's list was a lot longer, what needed to be fixed. Um, and this lady, all that she kept saying is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Seek the kingdom, seek the kingdom, seek the kingdom. And and I I I know there's a lot of married people. Hey, Gabby and Sam, congratulations, nice to see you guys back here. You know, so I'm going a little bit sideways in my in my message now. This is just some advice from somebody that's like, I don't want people to repeat the same mistakes, man. Just make Jesus the center of the all from the beginning in your marriage. You know, and so I'd love to say we took on the advice straight away, and a week later it was perfect. It wasn't because it was a process for us. We had to start seeking the kingdom, reading the word, forgiving each other when it was hard to do, and actually start focusing on our own heart and what God wanted for us. So this is the kingdom of God. There's a king, and he's got a kingdom that even affects your marriage. So, what I really like to do tonight, in fact, I actually wrote my message yesterday. I rewrote my message yesterday. The whole two weeks leading up to this, um, I stressing what is Pastor Adam gonna say, and I don't want to repeat what he said, and I was just putting it all on myself, and only I even phoned Mark Hunter for some of the ideas that I had because he's a real he's got a real teaching gift, and we were debating certain parables and stuff, and so yesterday, just after that conversation, I rewrote my my sermon, and I before I did this, I stood there and I said, Holy Spirit, what do you want your people to know? And I felt the Lord say this, and this is my aim to tonight, is God wants you to know what heaven looks like, you know, because the Bible tells us pray as it is um on earth as it is in heaven. But some of us we know the verse, but we have no concept of what heaven actually looks like, what the kingdom of heaven is, what the kingdom of God looks like, right? So um let me just find where I'm in with my notes. The title for my message tonight is search for it. My note says, Turn to your neighbor and tell them, search for it. And I've actually got two verses, my main verses tonight is the first one, if you're taking notes, is Matthew 6.10. It says, Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Um, you know, Pastor Adam briefly shared this morning. Um, if we understand kingdom, we'll understand that we are citizens of heaven, but we're ambassadors on here on earth, right? We are seated in heavenly places, but we're ambassadors here. The best way for me to explain that would be um as a South African, I still hold a South African passport, which means I am a citizen of South Africa. Um, and so is the ambassador in Wellington at the high consulate or whatever they are called. He is a citizen of South Africa based in Wellington, representing a different government in Wallington, right? That is what the shortest explanation, what I can tell can can explain, what a citizen of one country is, but you're an ambassador of another, you represent a different kingdom, and that's what you and I are meant to do. My second verse is Matthew 6 33. But first, sorry, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things, including including a restored marriage, will be added to you. All of these things. I want to just tell you again tonight, make a note, search for it. Um, in Matthew 6 33, where it says, Um, first seek the kingdom. That word seek me um in the gr in the Greek is spelled zeto, z-e-t-e-o. It means to desire, crave, or strive after, to aim at or endeavor to obtain. It basically implies a continuous, diligent, and intentional pursuit, not a casual interest. Jesus is calling for an active primary pursuit of God's reign or his kingdom and his righteousness. You know, if you've ever read your Bible, you you'll never notice Jesus talking about church programs, he'll never talk about worship styles or how to build a ministry. But Jesus never stops talking about the kingdom of God. You know, even when he began his ministry in Matthew 4.17, he said this repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. And after his um um ascension into heaven, even in the book of Acts, Luke wrote, he said, he speaking about Jesus, presented himself alive, so after his resurrection, to them after his suffering, by many proofs, appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about what he was speaking about the kingdom of God. From the beginning to the end, Jesus was obsessed with one theme, the kingdom. Um, in fact, phrases, the phrases kingdom of God, um, I think Pastor Adam touched on it this morning, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven um appear all over the Bible, but just in the New Testament, those two phrases appear over 70 times. So, you know, if Jesus or the Bible mentions something 70 times in the New Testament, we should take note. Hey, uh, so I want to look at what is the kingdom of God. I want to tell you tonight, it is not a geographical place, it is the rule and the reign and the authority of God wherever his will is done. Romans 14, 17 says this for the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So the kingdom is not a religion, it is a reality, a way of living where heaven's order governs earth's chaos. How many of you have some chaos in your life? Did you need governing? Um, I do want to just explain a little bit. Um touch on that kingdom of God versus the kingdom of heaven. They are not two different kingdoms. Um Pastor Adam, like I said, gave a little bit of an explanation this morning. Um go listen to it. But I want to add this though, um, that I found in my in my preparation for this. You know, Matthew uses um both those two phrases, kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven, I believe in Matthew 19, in the in one of the parab, uh yeah, one of the parables, he uses both phrases. But um, Matthew was writing to a Jewish um audience, and they revered the word of the name of God, so they would limit themselves to using the word of the name of God, so they would say the kingdom of heaven, where the other gospel writers were writing to um Gentile writers, and they would use the kingdom of God. Um but the kingdom of heaven emphasizes origin. I I want you to if you're if you're taking notes, I want you to write this down. I feel I found this very interesting. You could say the kingdom of heaven is where it comes from, but the kingdom of God is who rules it. Um they both describe heaven's government being established on earth. Um, I mentioned before, is this helpful, guys? You're getting quiet. Um I want to look at what heaven looked like. Now I'm sure if we did a deep study in this, you could find a hundred things, but there's six points I want to leave you with. Um, number one, heaven is a place of God's presence and glory. Revelation 21, verses 22 to 23 says this. And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. He is the temple, and the city, the verse goes on and it says this, and the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it. For the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the lamb. In heaven there is no temple because God Himself is the center. Everything in heaven revolves around his presence. There is no dark corners, his light fills everything. I want to remind you that this building is just a building. This building is not a temple. You and I are the temple. So wherever you and I go outside of this building, it's what is meant to be. We are taking the presence with us. Psalm 1611 says, You make known to me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy. At your right hand are the pleasures for evermore. Wherever God's presence dwells fully, heaven's atmosphere begins. Point number two, heaven is a place of perfect peace and order. Isaiah 9 7 says, Of the increase of his government and the peace, there will be no end on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. In heaven there is no anxiety, there's no panic, there's no confusion, there's no addiction, everything is perfect, aligned with the king's will. You know, when Jesus calmed the storms on earth, he was showing that storms don't exist in heaven. Man, that is exciting. He simply revealed, or he simply released heaven's peace into earth's chaos. I want to ask you guys this. How many of you have ever gone through a storm in your life? But instead of losing your mind or getting anxious after prayer or fasting, you gave it to God, and the perfect peace that surpasses all understanding came over you just by a show of hands. That is the kingdom of God at work. I want to just remind you, man, search for the kingdom. Point number three: heaven is a place of righteousness and holiness. Revelation 21, 27 says, But nothing unclean will ever enter it. I'm gonna say that again. Heaven is a place of righteousness and holiness. Nothing unclean will ever enter it. Nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are who's who are written in the Lamb's book of life. Heaven has no corruption, no moral decay, because God's righteousness reigns completely. You know, so I don't know about you, man. I'm so grateful for the blood of Jesus that makes me righteous. Because I will not live up to that standard otherwise. I don't know about you. I want you to get excited about this one. Number four, heaven is a place of joy and celebration. Revelation 19, 6 to 7 says this. Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty um peals of thunder, crying out, Hallelujah, for the Lord our God Almighty reigns. Come on, can we have an hallelujah in this house? Let us rejoice and exalt and give him glory. Heaven isn't quiet, it's full of life, laughter, and worship, man. When joy fills the church, when you and I laugh, after seasons of pain, heaven's culture is breaking through. Come on, you've got to search for this kingdom. Point number five, heaven is a place of unity in diversity. Now, for me, coming from a very racist country, man, this is big, this excites me. Revelation 7, 9 to 10 says, After I looked and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes, from all people and all languages, standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. Heaven is the most LGBTQ, sorry, I've got to say that. They talk about inclusivity. Heaven is the most inclusive place that exists, I want to tell you today, man. All tribes and and nation worship the king there. There's no racism, there's no division, only unity under the Lord Jesus Christ, man. I want to tell you that the the kingdom comes, when the kingdom comes to earth, when the church becomes a family of every color, culture, and background. You know, I I it's so sad actually. Two years ago, Megan, my daughter, daughter and I, we went back to South Africa and just sharing our story, the church that we belong to, what we do, like people will say, are there people of color in your church? And their mouths would fall open. Like racism is a very real thing, man. Like it's so sad. Number six, heaven is a place of justice and restoration. Revelation 21:4. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore. For the former things have passed away. No tears, no injustice, no sickness. The heaven's justice is um that's the that's heaven's justice. Every wrong is made right under the king's authority. Now that we understand, those are my six points of what heaven looked like, and I'm and I'm sure there's hundreds more. I want to look at what kingdom should look like on earth. When Jesus said, Your kingdom come, he was saying, bring heaven, everything that we've just spoken about, what heaven is, bring heaven's reality into our daily lives. The kingdom is not waiting for you and I to die. It's waiting for you and I to live it out today. I want to say that again. The kingdom, like this was this was like, I don't know how many of you always thought you'll get to the kingdom one day when you die. Like just by a raise of hand, don't be shy. But most of us, I'd say, like the kingdom is not waiting for you and I to die, it's waiting for you to live it out today. And I want to tell you, heaven's culture, this is a point, expressed through you and I, heaven's culture expressed expressed through you and I, God's people. Luke 17, 21 says, Nor for nor will they say, Look, yeah, it is there, for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you. That means when we are laying hands on the sick in prayer in the frontier, this is where heaven's kingdom manifests. How many of you have ever experienced um healing because of somebody praying for you? That's that's that's the kingdom of heaven right there, manifesting on earth. The kingdom is meant to transform society. Matthew 5, 13 to 14 says this you, that's you and I, are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Salt preserves what decay, what decays, light exposes what's dark. Kingdom people don't hide from the world, they influence it. You know, the ex really ex a well-known example that I that I found when I was preparing for this, how many of you know the story of Will William Um Wilberforce? You know, he was the guy, a Christian politician. I'm gonna read this in the 18th century century England, he fought for over 20 years to abolish the slave trade. He faced ridicule threats and political defeat, but the kingdom of God insisted in inside of him refused to accept Earth's injustice as the norm. When Parliament finally voted to end slavery, it was heaven's justice invading the human law. Think about Charlie Kirk. I'm gonna say that again. Kingdom people don't hide from the world, they influence it. How many of you are teachers, business persons, community workers, students? How many of you fit that category in there? How many of you are employees? How many of you have friends? I want to remind you that you influence the world. Matthew 12, 28. But it says this but if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. How many of you are brave enough to say, man, I've been delivered of a demon before because the kingdom manifests it? Look at the hand, look around you, keep your hands up. This is the kingdom in action. It's not a place, it's not, it's not land. The kingdom, point number four, multiplies through discipleship. Matthew 28, 19 to 20. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. Every time someone comes under the king's rule, the kingdom expands. How many of you have led somebody to the Lord in the last month, in the last six months, in the last year? You've influenced the kingdom's expansion. Heaven is not just our destination, it's our demonstration, guys. You are heaven's representative. I want to remind you, you are heaven's representative and God's ambassador on this earth. I um wanna basically finish off tonight. How much time have I got? Um I'm just gonna go for this. So um we're not gonna be religious about this. I'm gonna bring in a prop and I'm um expecting Jesus to walk through the door any moment with that prop. But before he does, I want you to imagine, and and um the worship team can probably come up at this stage. I want you to imagine for a moment a house. Just not just an ordinary house, the most perfect one that you can imagine, the most beautiful place that you can imagine. In this particular house, don't come up yet. Sorry, how often can you tell Jesus what to do or not to do? Jesus, do a toy? Alright, I guess, no, this is serious though. I want you to imagine the most perfect house that you can imagine. I don't know, each one of them will have different styles. It might be a mansion with six bathrooms and six, I don't know, lounges or whatever. But imagine that there's this house, there's no fear, there's no shame, there's nothing broken in this plague. Everything in this house works, everything is in order. There's light at every corner, there's no cobwebs. Um, and this house just flows with love and music, and Jesus calls this house home. Imagine this house that you're thinking about is the kingdom of heaven, and you look through the window, that's the kingdom outside there, and you look through the window, and on this platform over here is the complete opposite. In this house here, there's walls that are cracked, there's windows that are shattered, the roof is leaking, and and the person living in this house is stuck, trapped, powerless to fix it on its own. What does the king of this kingdom do? He leaves heaven and he comes into this house called earth. And I want you to imagine for a moment, he brings with him a toolbox. He leaves his perfect house, he steps into this world, and he doesn't step in empty-handed, but he brings this brings this toolbox. And the first thing he takes out of this toolbox that he brings with to come and help repair this broken house. Ephesians 6 17 says this the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, he brings this sharp tool that cuts or it's God's word, it cuts through confusion, lies, and spiritual clatter. It is sharp, it is precise, and it sets things, it sets things free. And out of this toolbox, he brings authority. He says, This I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. That's Matthew 16, 19. He says, That's just a key to a car, but yeah. He's what does keys represent? Pastor Adam actually spoke about that this morning. Keys open stuff. It gives you access and permission to enter or to close, it gives you spiritual authority to pray, to declare, to walk in freedom. You don't have to knock at the doors Jesus has already opened with those keys. The fourth thing in there is a wrench. Who can guess what that wrench will represent? 1 John 5 4 says this This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. This wrench, that's why I said don't judge me on my prop, represents tightening or loose, meant tightening your loosened faith a little bit. When the enemy tries to come in, you tighten that faith with that wrench that you have. That's the toolbox that he gives us faith. Then in this toolbox, and there could be a hundred things in this toolbox, but in this toolbox, there's a tape measure. What does tape measures represent? It measures a standard, right? Pierre's a book. And what's the standard of heaven? It says this in John 13, 35. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. Man, I I was actually rebuked when I thought about when I thought about this. Just this morning, I'll just be vulnerable. This morning I shared with somebody, I'm like, I'm fed up with that person. I want to give up. I'm telling you, when I thought about this, man, I thought I've missed the standard. God's standard is if you love one another. Amen. So I want to ask you tonight what standard are you missing if I had to give you? And look, Jesus has gone back, He's been resurrected, He's done 40 days, and He's ascended. He didn't take His toolbox with him. This is the kingdom of heaven. He's left you and I the kingdom, the tools, the faith, the wrench, the standard, the word of God to carry on this kingdom. But he's given us something else. He's given us power. The power of the Holy Spirit. Man, Lord, I don't know what to do. He's given us the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of counsel. Lord, I think I need to go in this direction. Oh no, your spirit says, go in this direction. You'll never look at a flashlight the same again. So why don't you stand to your feet tonight as I close this off? I think my question to you tonight is, man, it's a simple prayer that I'd like for you to pray to participate in. I don't want to force you to do it, but only if you feel that is me. Lord, I have completely misunderstood what your kingdom is. I've misunderstood and thought that your kingdom is a future place and a future destination. How many of that is you? Just by a raise of hand. Man, look at the hands go up. I want to just encourage you. I hope this message tonight is a simple message of the kingdom. The kingdom of God is such a wide topic. But I hope this message has encouraged you to pursue the kingdom today. But because in this kingdom, today, because of the kingdom of the king, Jesus, my marriage is before. People's lives have been set free, demons have been delivered, addictions have been broken, and it's by the kingdom of God, it's the kingdom of heaven manifesting on earth right here by the Holy Spirit. Man, I am not a I'm not a uh a handyman at all. And you might not be a handyman either, and you wouldn't know how to use these tools, but he's given us his Holy Spirit so that we can do it together. And if we read the word, like the tool that you might struggle with with is the word. I don't know how to read the word, I don't know how to retain the word by his Holy Spirit. You know, um Lord, I keep getting upset with my brother or my sister or my boss. Remember that tape measure. What is the standard? And with only by the power of your Holy Spirit of the Holy Spirit can transformation happen in your heart. Let me just finish off in a prayer, Lord. I thank you for your kingdom, Jesus. I thank you for a simple illustration, Lord, just representing your love for us that you would leave heaven. I'm reminded about the your word says, You left the 99 for the one. You lack nothing, you had nothing to gain by leaving heaven and coming after us, but your love was so great. I thank you for every person in this room tonight that is in your kingdom, that pursues your kingdom, Lord. And I pray, Father, for the rest of this series, as um as we preach, Lord, I pray that your kingdom will be released, Lord, that every person in this room and in Freedom Center that hears this word, Lord, will be transformed, will that will understand their identity and the authority and the power available to us in your kingdom, Lord. We are your sons, we are your daughters, we glorify you and we magnify your name. We love you. Amen. Thank you, guys. Yeah, can we just we just give it up for Pastor Jacques? What a word, what a beautiful anointed man.