WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:04.719 Last Sunday, we started a brand new series called A King and His Kingdom. 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:12.160 Jesus, in his three years of ministry on this earth, it's hard sometimes to believe that he accomplished everything he accomplished in three years. 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:15.039 In his three years of ministry on the earth, he did a lot of things. 00:00:15.119 --> 00:00:17.039 And I know that that's a gross understatement. 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:18.879 Jesus did a lot of things. 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:19.920 But he did, right? 00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:22.000 He did amazing, epic things. 00:00:22.079 --> 00:00:28.239 And even if you're not a Jesus follower, you're probably familiar with the things that Jesus is said to have done. 00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:30.079 He walked on water. 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:32.000 He turned water into wine. 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:33.439 There's a lot of water stuff in the Bible. 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:36.240 He healed people. 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:40.479 He healed people of diseases that modern science doesn't have a cure for. 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:44.880 He rose people to life after they had been dead. 00:00:45.039 --> 00:00:48.159 He himself rose to life after he had been dead for three days. 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:51.520 Jesus did a lot of things. 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:54.560 But he also said a lot of things. 00:00:55.520 --> 00:01:06.719 In fact, in the Gospels, the four the four books of the Bible that tell us the story of Jesus, of the 90 times that Jesus is directly addressed in the Gospels, 60 of those 90 times, he's called teacher. 00:01:07.359 --> 00:01:08.560 Because he taught. 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:18.480 And chances are, chances are we are more familiar with the things that Jesus did than with the things that Jesus said. 00:01:20.319 --> 00:01:26.640 But if we consider ourselves Jesus followers, we have to be deeply familiar with what Jesus taught. 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:29.200 Because what he says matters. 00:01:29.359 --> 00:01:33.760 And this series is all about exploring what Jesus said. 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:46.959 Now the reason it's called a king in his kingdom and not stuff Jesus said is because if you start studying the teachings of Jesus, you find his central theme very early on. 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:52.239 In fact, in Matthew chapter 4, verse 17, we get the thesis statement of Jesus' ministry, of his teachings. 00:01:52.400 --> 00:02:00.319 It says, from then on, Jesus began to preach, repent of your sins and turn to God, for the kingdom of heaven is near. 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:02.480 The kingdom of heaven. 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:04.879 Sometimes we see it called the kingdom of God. 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:11.680 Jesus' ministry, his teachings, the central theme of what he spoke, of what he taught, is the kingdom. 00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:15.599 He's always talking about the kingdom. 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:22.879 He says things like the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a garden, or the kingdom of heaven is like a farmer who was sowing seeds. 00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:26.800 The kingdom of heaven was like a man who invited guests to his son's wedding banquet. 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:29.840 The kingdom of heaven is like a man who hired workers for his field. 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:33.520 The kingdom of heaven is like a person who found a treasure buried in a field. 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:40.479 He's always telling these stories, we call those parables, describing this thing he calls the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God. 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:45.120 It's the central theme in the teachings of Jesus. 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:49.280 And it's not just a kingdom, it's his kingdom. 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:51.199 It's his kingdom. 00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:52.240 And he says as much. 00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:54.960 We see this in the book of John, chapter 18. 00:02:55.120 --> 00:02:58.080 There's this man named Pilate who's a governor for the Roman Empire. 00:02:58.159 --> 00:02:59.439 He's over the area that Jesus lives. 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:03.039 It says, then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:13.120 Jesus has been arrested, he's been put through the sham of a trial, and he's been presented to Pilate because the leaders of Jesus' community want him executed, and Pilate's the only one who has the authority to execute. 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:16.240 And so Pilate asks him, Are you the king of the Jews? 00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:18.159 And Jesus does what he almost always does. 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:22.000 He responds to a question with the question, Is this your own question? 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:24.080 Or did others tell you about me? 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:25.199 Am I a Jew? 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:26.479 Pilate retorted. 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:29.520 Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:29.919 Why? 00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:31.039 What have you done? 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:34.319 And Jesus answered, My kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. 00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:41.039 If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders, but my kingdom is not of this world. 00:03:41.199 --> 00:03:44.560 And Pilate says, and it's really a question, so you are a king? 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:47.520 He hasn't really gotten anywhere, Pilate. 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:49.680 He's still looking at Jesus like, Who are you? 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:51.120 I don't know what to do with you. 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:52.800 I can't figure you out. 00:03:53.520 --> 00:04:01.360 See, the the Jewish leader said that Jesus was proclaiming to be a king, which is grounds for execution because Rome already had a king, the emperor. 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:07.120 And if you said you were a king and you were trying to oppose the emperor, well then you would be executed. 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:12.639 But Pilate can't quite figure out what Jesus is talking about, and Jesus is really clear, my kingdom is not of this world. 00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:15.599 Essentially he's saying, look, the emperor doesn't really have much to worry about. 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:16.720 Not right now. 00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:20.000 My kingdom is not of this world. 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:23.040 But notice that he says, my kingdom. 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:25.439 It's his kingdom. 00:04:25.759 --> 00:04:27.199 Which makes him a what? 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:28.879 A king. 00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:39.120 And just in case we might think he's speaking metaphorically, he says in Matthew 28, verse 18, I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:41.759 That's a bold claim. 00:04:42.319 --> 00:04:45.040 I try to think of the places I have authority in life. 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:46.639 And there's a few. 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:47.360 You know? 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:50.959 Whether or not that authority is recognized or respected, that's different. 00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:54.319 But like, there's a few places that I have authority. 00:04:55.199 --> 00:05:00.480 Jesus says, everywhere you look, I have authority. 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:03.040 Wait until it's dark tonight. 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:08.639 Walk outside, look up at the stars, Jesus has authority there. 00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:15.759 There is no place, there is no place where Jesus doesn't have authority according to his own claims. 00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:16.720 Those are bold claims. 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:22.639 Many choose to reject those claims, ignore those claims, but Jesus himself says, I am not just a king. 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:24.480 There have been a lot of kings. 00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:26.639 He says, I am the king. 00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:31.439 He's always talking in this kingdom language, and sometimes we don't even see it. 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:41.839 Like it's the central theme in his teachings, but we have this tendency when we read scripture, we read it here in our culture today, 2,000 years after the fact, and we we take all the things that we think and we know and we put it into the story. 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:45.839 And it causes us to see things that aren't there and not see things that are sometimes. 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:49.839 So a great example of that is actually something we talked about last week, Matthew chapter 16. 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:52.720 Jesus asks his disciples this really important question. 00:05:52.800 --> 00:05:55.040 It's a question that all of us have to answer for ourselves. 00:05:55.199 --> 00:05:56.800 Who do you say Jesus is? 00:05:57.040 --> 00:05:59.680 He says to his disciples, you know, who do the people say I am? 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:00.879 And they have good things to say. 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:02.319 Oh, you're a prophet. 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:05.199 You're someone really special, you're from God. 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:09.040 And he's like, Okay, that's fine, but who do you say I am? 00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:13.759 And Peter actually says, You're the Messiah. 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:15.600 We would say Christ. 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:19.040 The word Christ means Messiah, the anointed one, the son of God. 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:25.839 You're not just a person, you're not just a prophet, you're not just a teacher, you're the king that we've been waiting for. 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:28.000 You are the son of God. 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:36.639 And when Peter says that, Jesus responds in verse 17, You are blessed, Simon, son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. 00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:38.560 You did not learn this from any human being. 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:41.759 Now I say to you that you are Peter, which means rock. 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:46.319 And by the way, Peter means like little rock, like a look like a pebble, okay? 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:52.319 And Jesus says, and upon this rock, and he actually uses a different word there, it means like a solid rock, a foundation rock. 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:56.240 Upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 00:06:56.319 --> 00:06:59.600 Now let's leave that up for just a second, because that last statement he says. 00:06:59.759 --> 00:07:02.160 We read that and we say, okay, what does Jesus mean by rock? 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:03.279 Is Peter the rock? 00:07:03.360 --> 00:07:03.839 No, he's not. 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:05.279 Again, two different words. 00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:09.120 The rock that he's referring to is the declaration that Peter has made. 00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:13.439 The acknowledgement that Jesus is Lord, that Jesus is the King, that He's the Son of God. 00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:18.000 Upon that rock, that declaration, he says, I will build my church. 00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:24.639 Which, by the way, is so it's so important for us to realize that as Jesus followers, I know not all of us in this room are, but but the majority of us are. 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:27.519 Many of us are probably thinking about it if we're not. 00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:30.720 We can never, we can never backtrack on that declaration. 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:32.800 We can never diminish who Jesus is. 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:45.920 When we talk about Jesus in our world, we have no reason ever to back off of the boldness of that claim that Jesus Christ is the King of kings, he is the Lord of Lords, He is the Son of God, He is God. 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:50.560 That's the rock, that's the foundation, in other words, that our faith is built on. 00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:52.000 That declaration. 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:57.519 And he says, upon this rock, I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 00:07:57.600 --> 00:08:00.319 Now, when he says the word church, we read into that, right? 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:02.560 We think of this experience. 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:08.240 We think of worshiping together and bringing offerings and learning and all those things. 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:09.680 We think of church. 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:12.959 But but language is an interesting thing. 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:18.160 The word that Jesus uses here that we translate church has has come to mean that over time. 00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:21.759 But the actual word he uses in the Greek language is the word ecclesia. 00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:26.399 And the word ecclesia literally translates the called-out ones. 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:28.959 So if you're a Christian, you've been called out. 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:33.840 You've been called out of an old life, you've been called into a new life. 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:39.519 Now, in their culture, that word specifically referred to government. 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:42.639 The ecclesia would have been the Roman Senate. 00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:51.519 The ecclesia were the assemblies of people who were called out to govern, who were called out to carry out the laws of the land. 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:58.879 And so when the disciples heard Jesus say, upon this rock, I will build my ecclesia, none of them would have thought of the synagogue. 00:08:59.039 --> 00:09:04.320 None of them would have thought of worshiping and someone teaching from one of the Old Testament scrolls. 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:06.960 They wouldn't have thought of sacrifices and offerings. 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:08.000 They wouldn't have thought of that at all. 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:10.480 It wasn't some type of religious institution to them. 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:13.519 They would have completely and totally pictured government. 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:16.159 Jesus is using kingdom language here. 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:20.960 We just don't see it because of where we stand in time and our culture and all of that. 00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:24.639 What I want us to understand with that is that he's always talking in kingdom language. 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:26.320 Jesus is clear. 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:27.919 He is clear. 00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:29.759 I am the king. 00:09:31.519 --> 00:09:32.480 I am the king. 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:36.159 He is not afraid to talk about his own authority. 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:42.879 And what that means for us is that if we consider ourselves Jesus' followers, some things are true. 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:45.759 Number one, we've been adopted into the family of God. 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:50.879 Scripture says that anyone who's given their life to Jesus has been adopted into God's family. 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:53.360 Now we get to call him daddy, like Abba Father. 00:09:53.440 --> 00:09:56.320 There's a relationship that we get with God, and it's intimate and it's close. 00:09:56.399 --> 00:09:57.519 That's an amazing thing. 00:09:57.679 --> 00:09:58.720 That is true. 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:02.799 If we consider ourselves Jesus followers, that means that we're actually friends of God. 00:10:03.039 --> 00:10:06.080 Jesus says that he considers us to be his friend. 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:08.080 We can have friendship with God. 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:10.159 That's an incredible thing to think about. 00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:10.960 That's amazing. 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:12.159 It doesn't really make sense. 00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:15.120 I don't know if you've ever had a friend who's who's kind of important. 00:10:15.759 --> 00:10:17.679 Like even just sort of kind of important? 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:18.879 You want to have a friend? 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:21.759 Like you can raise your hand, you want to have a friend who's like kind of important. 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:22.639 Sort of. 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:23.759 Yeah, right? 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:30.879 I've got a good friend who's who's one of his best friends, is a former Heisman winner. 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:32.399 So he's like kind of important. 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:37.279 And so I guess I'm kind of kind of important because I'm friends with a person who's friends with someone who's kind of important. 00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:37.679 Right? 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:39.440 To a certain group of people, that guy's really important. 00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:41.120 Others, they don't care at all. 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:46.080 If you are a Jesus follower, you're a friend of someone who's not kind of important. 00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:49.759 You're a friend of the God of the universe. 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:51.120 That's amazing. 00:10:51.360 --> 00:10:52.320 So that's true. 00:10:52.480 --> 00:10:54.879 You're God's child, you're his son, you're his daughter. 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:57.360 You are you are God's friend. 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:01.200 But that doesn't change the fact that he's your king. 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:09.679 See, the child of a king is still under the authority of the king. 00:11:11.039 --> 00:11:17.759 And Jesus, he's our king, which means that when we when we call ourselves Jesus followers, it doesn't mean that we just like Jesus. 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:21.039 It doesn't mean that we just agree with Jesus from time to time. 00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:25.679 It doesn't mean that there's a few sayings of Jesus that we really, really like and we hold on to those. 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:28.320 It doesn't mean that we're we're just proud of Jesus. 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:32.960 It means that we have submitted our lives to following Jesus. 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:35.200 It means that we see him as our king. 00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:40.399 It means that we recognize his power, we recognize his dominion, we recognize his rule. 00:11:40.559 --> 00:11:44.879 It means that our own desires and dreams are not what we're living for. 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:47.120 Now here's the cool thing about God. 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:52.799 He says, Those who delight in me, I will give them the desires of their heart, but they come from him, not from us. 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:56.080 That we've submitted ourselves to our King. 00:11:56.159 --> 00:12:00.159 We see Jesus as our authority, and so we live for his dreams, for his desires. 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:01.919 What does Jesus dream about? 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:03.919 What is Jesus' desire for this world? 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:05.759 What is Jesus' desire for your life? 00:12:05.919 --> 00:12:10.799 If you consider yourself a Jesus follower, those should be the questions that you ask that guide everything you do. 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:16.080 Not just what do I want, what do I like, what would I like to see happen, but Lord, what do you want? 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:22.080 We spend so much time in prayer trying to get God to see things from our perspective, trying to get God to buy into our dreams. 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:26.639 What if we spent time in prayer trying to see things from his perspective, trying to buy into his dreams? 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:27.919 That would change everything. 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:30.720 Because he's our king and we should submit ourselves to him. 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:34.240 If we consider ourselves Jesus' followers, that means we obey him. 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:41.200 That means when our desires, when our wants clash with what he desires, he wins, not us. 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:59.519 That means when what God desires, what God wants, when that stands at odds with our culture, we don't waver and we don't feel shamed that we're living differently than our culture lives, because we see ourselves first and foremost as citizens of his kingdom, not citizens of this world. 00:12:59.759 --> 00:13:02.720 Because we've submitted ourselves to Jesus and He's our King. 00:13:02.879 --> 00:13:05.279 That's what it means to be a Jesus follower. 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:07.600 But that's hard for us. 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:09.519 That's hard. 00:13:09.600 --> 00:13:11.120 It's hard for a lot of different reasons. 00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:13.600 Number one, we talked about this last week. 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:16.080 We're Americans, we don't like kings. 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:18.240 That's kind of why we're here. 00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:19.120 You know? 00:13:19.679 --> 00:13:33.759 I remember watching a TV show a few years ago, and there was this political issue, and this British person was weighing in on it, and this British person was saying, Well, in England, and they probably said that like 20 times, in Britain, and I just remember the American in me was rising up, and I'm like, we don't want to be England. 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:36.080 That's our whole history, that's our story. 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:37.279 We don't care. 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:39.039 We don't want to be you. 00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:40.639 That's why we're us. 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:41.759 Right? 00:13:41.919 --> 00:13:44.320 That was like the American in me coming out. 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:48.000 We don't need a king, we don't want a king. 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:49.840 We don't even like our leaders. 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:52.000 That's America, you know? 00:13:53.279 --> 00:14:06.960 So it's kind of a hard thing to shift from that mindset where we mock and make fun of our leaders and fire them on a regular basis, and then having a king and giving ultimate authority to a king. 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:08.879 That's that's a hard thing. 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:14.879 The reason that we don't like kings is because if you're in a kingdom, it's all dependent on the character of your king. 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:18.960 And history has not borne that idea out very well. 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:26.000 Because if that king happens to be selfish, ambitious, then you're in trouble. 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:27.679 And most kings are. 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:31.279 But Jesus is a different kind of king. 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:37.360 His kingdom is not of this world, his kingdom is so different, radically different than what we would picture. 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:40.399 In fact, it's often referred to as the upside-down kingdom. 00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:44.720 Because everything we think a kingdom would be about, it's like the opposite of that. 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:51.360 It's different, and it's it's a good different, but even good different can be hard to wrap your mind around. 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:56.399 And we have to, we have to understand, as Jesus followers, what Jesus is talking about, right? 00:14:56.480 --> 00:14:57.440 That's important. 00:14:57.840 --> 00:14:59.360 What does he mean when he says that? 00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:00.159 We have to know that. 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:02.240 That's what we're exploring in this series. 00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:04.159 Like, I think about it this way. 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:10.480 Have you ever met someone who who maybe you're close to and you realize that you think in totally different terms than this person? 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:13.039 Like, you just see the world in very different ways. 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:14.879 It's almost like they're from a different planet. 00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:16.480 You know what I'm talking about? 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:19.360 Like, are any of you currently or ever have been married? 00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:23.039 That would be a question I could ask that would just say the same exact thing, you know? 00:15:23.759 --> 00:15:28.720 I remember early in our marriage, my wife and I got into a pretty decent fight. 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:32.080 I think I've told this story before, but it's it was about a TV and a couch. 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:38.720 Here's what happened Um we moved into a new apartment, and I remember I recently bought my first HD TV. 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:41.120 That was when it was like they were new, new-ish. 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:55.200 And I went to Best Buy, and uh she wasn't with me because she wouldn't have approved this decision, but I went to Best Buy, and and there was this one TV, and it was like the display model, so it was really cheap compared to everything else, and I'm like, oh my gosh, I can afford this, and it's an HD TV. 00:15:55.279 --> 00:16:07.679 And so I bought it, brought it home, set it up, and we had this couch, and one day I come home and Megan has arranged the furniture in our living room, and she's arranged it so that the couch is not directly facing the TV, it's at like an angle. 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:12.000 So if you're gonna watch the TV, you have to like sit and kind of like do this, you know? 00:16:12.320 --> 00:16:16.879 And I'm like, that that no, like men back me up, blasphemy. 00:16:17.360 --> 00:16:17.919 Hello? 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:22.799 Like when you go to a movie theater, all the rows are parallel with the screen. 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:26.879 They're not like we have these at an angle, so you can kind of like sit here and look at it like this. 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:27.440 No. 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:37.200 And so I go to Megan, like, what I don't understand why the furniture's like this, you know, the the couch isn't facing the TV, the armchairs are not nothing's facing the TV. 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:40.159 And she said, get this. 00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:44.559 She's like, that's because the primary purpose of the furniture in this room is for us to talk. 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:47.919 And men, again, back me up, like blasphemy, right? 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:51.360 We're married, we don't need to talk. 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:52.480 Right? 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:55.600 Like, we definitely don't need to look at each other when we talk. 00:16:55.759 --> 00:16:56.480 I'm a man. 00:16:56.559 --> 00:17:01.840 Some of the best conversations I've ever had have been when I'm not looking at someone, when I'm driving in a car or doing something. 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:04.319 I don't even have to be facing you to have a conversation. 00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:10.000 We can have a conversation at the kitchen table, we can have a conversation anywhere, but this room is for the TV. 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:12.000 That is why this room is here. 00:17:12.160 --> 00:17:15.440 I want to watch a game, I want to watch a movie, I want to see an HD. 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:21.039 Men, she did not share your enthusiasm in this moment. 00:17:21.359 --> 00:17:24.960 And so an argument ensued. 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:30.160 There have been other things that I realized we just don't, we don't see eye to eye. 00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:34.319 Like, for example, early in our marriage, I walk in our bedroom. 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:36.480 There were nine pillows on our bed. 00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:40.799 Like, do you know how many pillows I would own if I were single? 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:43.440 This is how many heads I have. 00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:45.359 It's how many pillows I need. 00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:46.400 One pillow. 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:48.880 I walk into our bedroom and there's like, what are all these? 00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:49.920 Did we buy these? 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:51.680 Did we spend money on these? 00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:57.200 Do you have any TVs I could have bought over the years with all the pillows we've purchased? 00:17:58.079 --> 00:17:59.440 I'm like, what's the what is the point? 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:01.119 She's like, they're called throw pillows. 00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:02.160 Can I throw them? 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:02.799 No. 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:03.519 Okay. 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:06.480 So explain the concept. 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:09.839 Well, they're pretty, and you know what we do is we put them on the bed. 00:18:09.920 --> 00:18:10.480 They look pretty. 00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:13.920 Every night we take them, we throw them on the floor, and then the next morning we make the bed. 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:15.759 We put them back on the bed and we do the same thing. 00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:23.440 So then the off chance someone happens to be touring our house, they see the throw pillows, and that didn't make sense to me at all. 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:26.160 Like you are a weird creature. 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:30.240 You're a strange, unique thing that I don't get at all. 00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:38.880 And we've been married for 15 years, and here's all I can say the couch now faces the television. 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:41.440 Yeah. 00:18:43.599 --> 00:18:47.519 And we have a ton of pillows at our house. 00:18:47.599 --> 00:18:48.319 They're everywhere. 00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:50.000 They're everywhere. 00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:55.440 Megan is my partner, and we're equals. 00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:58.880 We partner in our home. 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:07.599 And so I've learned in these 15 years it's really important for me to try to figure out and understand how my partner thinks, to see things from her perspective. 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:10.799 Our marriage will not go well if I don't see things from her perspective. 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:16.000 Well, the same is true of myself and Jesus, but to a greater degree. 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:24.160 Because even though he's brought me into a relationship and a status that I could never have had without him, he's not my equal. 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:25.680 He's my king. 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:27.519 He's my superior. 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:30.079 I will spend all of eternity worshiping Jesus. 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:38.720 And so if it's important for me to have a healthy relationship with my wife, to see things from her perspective, it must be really important for me to see things from Jesus' perspective. 00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:40.799 To have the right relationship with him. 00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:47.839 And so if we're gonna if we're gonna call ourselves Jesus followers, we've got to understand our Jesus. 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:56.880 And if he's using this language of kingdom over and over and over again, if he's always talking in terms of his kingdom and what it's about, then we've got to get our minds around that. 00:19:57.200 --> 00:19:58.000 That's important. 00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:04.640 Now, now next week, we're gonna start diving into like the nuts and bolts of the kingdom of God. 00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:09.599 We're gonna start exploring all these parables where Jesus says the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God is like this. 00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:11.680 We're just gonna read it, say, here's what he's saying. 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:16.160 To the best of our ability to interpret this, here's what Jesus is saying. 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:30.640 But before we do that, before we start digging into the nuts and bolts, the details, my hope today is that we just leave here having a basic understanding of what he means when he says kingdom. 00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:34.559 That's what we're gonna do with the time that we have left. 00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:35.440 And it's not much. 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:37.920 So let's just ask a few basic questions. 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:42.480 Number one, it's the most important question to ask most of the time, it's the question why. 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:43.599 Why? 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:46.240 Why kingdom? 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:48.079 What is the purpose? 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:51.119 What is the why of the kingdom of God? 00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:54.640 Little kids ask the question why all the time. 00:20:54.880 --> 00:20:56.160 Like all the time. 00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:01.039 As adults, we should ask it a lot more because it's a really important question. 00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:01.839 What's the purpose? 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:03.119 What's the why? 00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:08.799 And if I could sum up the why of the kingdom of God with one word, it would be the word glory. 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:10.559 Glory. 00:21:13.039 --> 00:21:14.400 Let's look at this. 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:16.240 Romans chapter 6, verse 10. 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:25.279 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin, but now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:30.160 In John 11 4, Jesus hears that his friend Lazarus is sick. 00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:33.279 And he says, Lazarus' sickness will not end in death. 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:38.640 No, it happened for the glory of God, so that the Son of God will receive glory from this. 00:21:39.359 --> 00:21:40.640 Romans 6 13. 00:21:40.880 --> 00:21:44.160 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. 00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:48.400 Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. 00:21:48.640 --> 00:21:53.599 So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:56.000 Philippians 2 9 and 11. 00:21:56.160 --> 00:22:02.400 Therefore, God elevated him, meaning Jesus, to the place of highest honor, and he gave The name above all other names. 00:22:02.640 --> 00:22:13.359 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:16.799 God's kingdom is all about, it's all about glory. 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:18.160 And if you're like, what is glory? 00:22:18.319 --> 00:22:24.559 Glory would be like respect, reverence, awe, wonder, majesty, splendor. 00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:27.680 Wrapped up together, that's glory. 00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:30.319 It's just it's glory. 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:39.599 I don't know if you've ever like gloried at something, you just stuck, you're like, oh, like maybe you're a car person and a car drives by and you're like in another world for a minute. 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:40.319 You know? 00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:43.839 You're just basking in the glory of what you saw. 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:47.440 God is ultimate glory. 00:22:47.920 --> 00:22:51.519 And the ultimate purpose of everything is the glory of God. 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:54.400 Like that's that's the end result. 00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:57.599 That's why it's so important that we worship together. 00:22:57.759 --> 00:22:58.559 Like together. 00:22:58.720 --> 00:23:01.039 Because in heaven, no one's gonna give a message. 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:03.519 I have no job in heaven, I am out of work. 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:07.279 But the worship team, they're fine, like they're good. 00:23:07.920 --> 00:23:10.240 Because we'll never stop worshiping God. 00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:13.039 There'll never be a day where we've worshipped him enough. 00:23:13.119 --> 00:23:14.720 Like that's that's the way it's gonna be in heaven. 00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:15.599 It's gonna be awesome. 00:23:15.759 --> 00:23:17.119 I can't wait. 00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:20.640 Because of his glory, because he's God. 00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:23.359 We worship him because he deserves to be worshipped. 00:23:23.599 --> 00:23:28.000 And when we see him, oh guys, like when we see him, can you imagine what that's gonna be like? 00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:30.640 And the answer is no, you can't. 00:23:31.119 --> 00:23:31.839 You can't. 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:38.240 There there are there are beings described in Scripture, in heaven, spiritual beings. 00:23:38.480 --> 00:23:40.240 We maybe say angels. 00:23:40.559 --> 00:23:42.559 When we think of angels, we always think of the wrong thing. 00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:51.119 We think of what we've seen, like written about, you know, like we think of a nice-looking person that maybe has wings, right? 00:23:51.359 --> 00:23:57.039 There's no description, by the way, of like a human with wings in the Bible being an angel. 00:23:57.519 --> 00:24:06.720 There is a description of a being covered in eyeballs with three sets of wings, one set of wings is flying around, like flapping, I guess. 00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:09.599 The other set of wings is covering its body, the other set of wings is covering its eyes. 00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:13.279 And I don't know how you cover the eyes when you're all eyes, but it's doing it. 00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:16.000 That's crazy. 00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:16.960 Right? 00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:21.920 I don't know to be excited or scared about heaven when I read stuff like that. 00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:28.799 Usually in scripture, when someone sees an angel, they fall down and think they're dead. 00:24:28.880 --> 00:24:29.599 I said this last week. 00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:32.480 Every it read stories in the Bible about a time a person sees an angel. 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:33.920 What's the first thing out of the angel's mouth? 00:24:34.079 --> 00:24:35.039 Don't be afraid. 00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:36.799 Because they freak us out. 00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:37.920 Right? 00:24:38.160 --> 00:24:39.839 Because they're different than us. 00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:50.400 Now, sometimes we see stories where God sends his angels and he like disguises them as us so as not to cause us to freak out because it's super inconvenient if people are falling down everywhere and you're trying to get something done. 00:24:50.480 --> 00:24:51.359 That's not helpful. 00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:53.680