The Kingdom We Did Not Know but Always Desired
Transcript
All right. Good to uh good to get back together. Uh I always uh this has been such a pleasure for me to get to hear uh Erik if if and I I got to thinking when Erik was talking that you know Erik talked about a lot of uh a lot of people who uh slipping, compromising, falling. And uh Erik has a lot of uh he has as you know as a young guy a lot of us old guys maybe don't don't see as much of that especially if we're a little bit isolated but he is exactly right. These things are going on big time and and you would think sometimes that it's just the say 18 to 35 year olds but there's a big percentage in that but it's happening with older ones just as well. And I watch this and and I tell you the thing I think about every time I see what Erik was talking about. You're not studying your Bible.
You just simply quit studying your Bible and start listening to your own dumb head. And we all got a dumb head. and we just start listening to my own reasoning and listen to everybody else's reasoning and start thinking in terms of how I might look in the world and whatever. But you're not reading your Bible. The more I spend in study, the more I'm appalled at how people treat the Lord and how even people who claim to love God disregard so much that he has said. And so tonight, to follow up with what Erik said, we're going to look more carefully. We I showed you last night how this emphasis on the gospel as just a plan of salvation is not was not God's intent. That the plan of salvation, as we would refer to it, is a beginning point that God needed in order to get us to where he wanted us to be. And listen to it, for our joy and our pleasure.
I think one of the biggest hugest mistake that has ever been made that started even before my lifetime but I have watched it for so much of my lifetime. I preached 55 years now. And in that time, it it has just been amazing to me how little, and I'm throwing myself into this as well. And I'm not saying that I was any different than you. How little we really knew God. Know his rules. Ask me. I can tell you about his rules. Can you tell me about him? That is the bigger question. Can you tell me about him? You know Hebrews, I mean Hebrews, Hosea chapter 6 and verse 6, Jesus quoted it twice in the book of Matthew. I desire steadfast love, not sacrifice. I desire the knowledge of God, not burnt offering. Now, he's obviously not telling the telling Israel, I don't want your sacrifices. I don't want your burnt offerings. He commanded it.
What he's saying is those offerings and those sacrifices, you could just equate it today to going to church, taking the Lord's supper, giving, praying, singing, whatever. wonderful. We should, but it's worthless without the love, steadfast love of God and the knowledge of God. And we cannot we cannot just think of ourselves, hey, I'm just doing great. I'm breaking my arm, patting my back for how regular I am at church or how regular I am at prayer or how regular I am at helping my neighbor or whatever. If my love for God is not growing deeper and deeper, I used to, you know, this isn't anything in my sermon. If I [laughter] I used to I used to think in terms of, well, do you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? Well, of course,
that that isn't true.
I'm lying to myself. That is not true. That's his command.
We're all falling short of that, aren't we? All All
No, but I'm working on it. Ah, the Lord says, "Good job. Work on it." That's what love is, and is it? When I when I uh when I met my wife, the way I got her to agree to marry me was I pulled out of my back pocket a big long list of husband rules and I said, "Check it out." She read it and fell head over heels for me.
You You don't think I'm telling the truth? Of course I'm not telling the truth. That's ridiculous, isn't it? And it is ridiculous to think that we're going to reach a lost world or we are in some way going to fall in love with God just because we've got the rules down pat.
Yes. Read the word to fall in love with him. I can tell you he's a sure thing. He is a sure thing. When you really know him, you can't help but fall in love with him. I want to show you a reason tonight why we ought to fall in love with him ever deeper than we ever have. Consider first that we have already said this. The gospel is a kingdom message. It's about a king and his kingdom. and how wonderful this king is and how wonderful his kingdom is. When we read in Acts 1:3, I want you to notice a pattern in the book of Acts. Jesus appeared to them for 40 days speaking about the kingdom of God. What's the last things that you might want to tell somebody before you die? Here's the last things Jesus told the apostles before he died. 40 days telling them about the kingdom. You and I both know why that had to happen.
The Jews had such a misunderstanding of that in many ways, thinking more obviously in the physical sense than a kingdom that was not of this world. But he's explaining to them the kingdom. That's what it's about. The apostles are so impressed with this that at the end they say, 'Lord, is it that at this time you're going to restore the kingdom of Israel? You can see what's in their heart. You can see this has been a desire of the lifetime. This is what all the Jews were looking for. They're not just looking for a Messiah. They are looking for a kingdom with a king who gives them what they have never been able to enjoy. peace and rest and protection and love and provision. All of these things Peter preaches in his second sermon that's listed in Acts. Repent therefore and turn back that your sins may be blotted out that the look listen to these words now. That the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord that he may send Christ appointed for you.
Here's the second coming. Jesus whom heaven must re receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. We should expect, and we've seen some of this already, we should expect that when we read in the prophets, we're getting pictures of this restoration of the kingdom. I hope you you you catch hold of that. I remember being taught growing up in my early preaching years that everything in the Old Testament's been fulfilled. If that is in any way in your mind, do this. Delete. [laughter] Delete. I'm going to show you passages tonight that is impossible. It has not been because even this verse tells us that this is telling us about the restoring of all things. And we are in a period of time where we are in between the beginning of that restoration in Acts in Acts chapter 2 and the fulfillment of that restoration when Jesus returns.
It is an interesting thing to me to think in terms of in some ways we're much much different than the people in the Old Testament who were looking forward to something else greater. And now we have this something else greater and yet are still in a yes but not yet period of time where we're looking for the greatest of the greatest to come, the restoring of all things. It [snorts] takes a little while just to let that sink in. And we want to see how that fits uh in the in Acts 8:12. Notice again when they believed Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women. What were what was Philip preaching to these Samaritans, the good news about the kingdom of God?
It was a long time where I taught people and I didn't say a word about the kingdom of God. I didn't know what it was. I thought I knew. I was told it was the church. I was told all those things, but that's not what Philip preached. Philip preached the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, the authority of Jesus as the king. And when they heard this, oh, they were baptized, both men and women. This is how he converted people. He taught a whole city, teaching about the kingdom. There is a motivation that is so much stronger than simply you need to get out of your sins that we need to be sharing with our friends and neighbors. We need to be presenting to them. It not only is something that approaches approaches them uh in a way that is not just condemnation.
It's a way of saying as the Hebrew writer mentioned as we mentioned last night, look what you're missing.
That's a better motivation. [laughter] That's a whole lot better. Look what you're missing. It's so beautiful to think. And then in the very last verse of the book of Acts, Paul is proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ, which is just saying, "Lord Jesus the King with all boldness and without hindrance." Look at the book of Acts. Look at what Luke does. He bookends his whole letter to Theophilos with kingdom and kingdom and in between it's all about Jesus is restoring his kingdom bringing it together. And how's that restoration taking place? Christians are made, Christians are made, Christians are made. We're involved in the restoration of the kingdom and we're involved in preaching the kingdom. And that is the strongest motivation of all. It's so pretty, so beautiful to see what is going on. Restoration summarizes then the whole gospel message and and we need to keep those things in mind. Now let's get a picture. Let's get an idea of why the kingdom is good news.
First and foremost, the good news of the kingdom is that there is enjoyment that the kingdom brings to us. Now, here's here's a you know, I I called this lesson the the kingdom we did not know but always desired. And you go, how can you desire something you didn't know?
Because do you like enjoyment? Do you like joy? Do you like happiness? Do you like peace? Do you like having a good day? Do you like love? Do you like intimacy? Do you like friendship? Do you like feeling like you're worth something? Do you like feeling that someone honored you for the good you did? Do you like the idea that someone cares about you? Do you hate that which is evil? You hate to see people hurt and you hate to be heard hurt. All of those things are deep desires and God has them in the kingdom. He gave us every desire we have and all of those desires. Oh, I love this one. Uh, do you like to eat? Boom. Cha-ching. [laughter]
God loves to provide for our desires that he created in us. Satan came along and went [laughter] and messed it all up and told us ways we could we could abuse it and misuse it and convinced us that somehow we were going to get more out of it if we did it this way and that way. And that's exactly what happened with Eve. Always cracks me up. While Satan says, "You'll be like God if you eat that." He goes, "That's great." And God's sitting over here scratching his head going, "She didn't know that that's my very plan. It's got to come my way because you'll never make it your way." The kingdom we always desired but never knew. This is what he's doing. Look at Look at some of the things. Look at the parables that are Jesus tells. You know these parables, the parable of the hidden treasure, the parable of a girl pearl a great price. What What does Jesus say is so special about these?
They're so special that when a man finds it, he sells everything he has so he can have it.
That's how we're to value Jesus.
We get to be in a marriage with him. I don't need that. Just, you know, my mind goes, "What?" He's he's I always thought, you know, yeah, I'm going to make it to heaven. He's going to go now. I I let you come in here. Get over there in the corner and stay away from me because you were really kind of yucky, but I'm letting you get here. That's what No. No. This is beautiful. And what God is doing is saying, I can't I can't even explain to you this treasure. I can't explain to you how great it is. I can only explain to you that when you see it, when you understand it, when you really get a concept of it, you will sell every single thing you have to get it. There will be nothing that will get in your way.
What is the problem with the kind of people and us sometimes that do what Erik talked about? They haven't appreciated the treasure. In most cases, they haven't the slightest idea what the treasure is.
their ignorance of the Old Testament, their ignorance of the prophets, their ignorance of God because their whole life has been just told, "Follow the rules. Follow the rules. Follow the rules." And they finally realize follow the rules isn't just any way to bring me love. That does not solve my need for love. And so they go searching for it instead of searching for it with God in the proper way. In the kingdom, we are crowned with glory and honor. We talked about that last night. You make known to me, I love this. Have you caught on to this one? I I This is something that I read a jillion times until I slowed down. David said, "Do you make known to me the path of life?" Now, you can stop right there. Go, what's he what God made known to you? Life really living in your presence. There is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forever more. None of us want that. [laughter] We're all like, "Wait a minute.
That's what my whole life, that's what I've thought about my whole life. When I was a kid, I Whoops, I hit something bad. When I was a kid, I I I wanted joy, the fullness of joy. I want pleasures forever more." And God says, "Yoo! I got it. It's yours. I'll give it to you." Prodigal son left the father's house, went out cuz he's going to find all he could find. And he found a hog pin and finally came to realize that everything he was looking for was in the father's house the whole time. Doesn't that make you sad? Because you and I have been that guy. And we forgot that everything we ever needed has always been in the father's house. All the pleasure and all the joy, the singing and the dancing and all that there was there. The killing of the fatted calf, the special ring, the robe, the whole thing was always there in the father's house. And he didn't appreciate it. In Hebrews 12 21- 24, the scripture tells us, listen to these words.
Scripture tells us, indeed, it's talking about Mount Sinai. Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I trembled with fear. I think that's the way we've lived our life before God a lot of times, trembling with fear. And yet he says, "But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, the innumerable angels and festival gathering, cheering and joyful
to God, to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God the judge of all, unto the spirits of righteous of the righteous made perfect unto Jesus mediator of a new covenant and sprinkled blood. Look at these things. Mount Zion, you've come to Mount Zion. Innumerable angels and festival gathering assembly of the firstborn their names written in heaven to God the judge of all. Have you paid attention to this part? to the spirits of right the righteous made perfect.
I'll talk about this more Wednesday night. But what we see in each other right now is imperfect. One day we're going to know each other a bit differently. Spirits of the righteous made perfect. Woohoo. [laughter] I'm gonna really want to get to know you better then.
It's just kind of exciting to think about that, isn't it? I mean, we all got these dumb little flaws with us. We irritate each other at times and all this. The spirits of the righteous made perfect to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. A new covenant where I'll remember your sins no more. Beautiful, beautiful picture. restoration for cha shadowed what we see in the beginning here. By the way, I'm going to give you just a little heads up. Here is where I begin to teach somebody nowadays. This is where I start. I start with God made us in his image. He made us like him. And he told us he wanted us to spread that image to the world. Think of what a world it would be if everybody was living as the image of God. And he wanted us to have dominion over this future world. He wanted us to dominion over these things and crown us with glory and honor as we saw in Hebrews 2. And then there's the rest he talked about.
Remember in Genesis 2, he started out and he he says the seven he talked about the seventh day. He really highlights it. He blessed the seventh day. Will you bless a day? I know he blessed the animals, he blessed us humans, he blessed the day. And the unique thing about this day is that the day according to Hebrews 4 never ended. You know, there's an evening and morning. One day, evening and morning, two days, three days, four days, all the way to six days. There's never an evening and morning with the seventh day. Why not? Because it never ended. David spoke about that in in Psalm 95 and the Hebrew writer quotes that that you can enter his rest still. Do you ever see all the rest he talks about in the law of Moses? Well, you you know the first one Sabbath rest. What's he doing on seventh day? Okay. On the seventh day, I want you to rest.
That means you get to go home and you're going to work on your house and you're going to build a garden and you're going to do this. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm giving you rest so that you and I can have time to for each other
like you know before you sinned when I'd come into the garden in the cool of the day so we're have time to be together it's really slap in the face when the people said no we we don't want to be together with you we just want to do our thing what a slap in the And then what else? Oh, every seventh year. Oh, by the way, can you imagine have a boss like this? By the way, you work for him for six years. In the seventh year, you don't get to work. You go, well, what? What am I going to do to eat? It's okay. I'm going to pay you twice as much on the sixth year so you can have the whole year off. What are you talking about? And I better not catch you working. [laughter] You're like, huh? This is our God. I want you to take a whole year off. And by the way, the reason I sent you into captivity because you didn't take the year off. [laughter]
Oh, and by the way, every 50th year, I want you to take that whole year off, and I want you to forgive all the debts, and everybody starts over again. And everybody gets your land back and the whole thing. Oh, by the way, the 49th year is also a seventh year, so you get to take two years off. And you're like, "Wait a minute. How am I going to feed myself?" Don't worry about it. I'm going to give you enough to last all the way till the crop comes in in the 51st year. But I better not catch you out there working on it cuz I want you to have time to enjoy me and I to enjoy you.
What kind of God does that?
God who loves for us to enjoy him and wants to give us that time. He gave them a garden. There's no weeds. Wow. My wife and I have a deal. I clean the floors. I clean the kitchen. I do all those things. She does the weeds. [laughter] She loves to have her hands in the soil. She loves to pull weeds. It takes her cares away. I love to wash floors and clean kitchens. It takes my cares away. Hooray. I hate weeds. [laughter]
How nice. A garden. And most importantly, a marriage. I talk to people about those things that look what God is doing. Look who he is. He's restoring all of these things in a much more much greater way, in an escalated way, so that we can enjoy him. He's fun.
Took a trip to Teresa, took our first Alaska cruise a couple years ago. That was a kick. I think God made some pretty ice. And she'd asked me, "Ain't this great?" I said, ' Yeah, honey, it's great. What's the matter with you? Isn't this great? I said, 'Yeah, honey, it's great. I love it. I want to do it every year. Can we get somebody to give us money every year so we could do it every year? I said, yes, this is great. She said, I not sensing. I said, I got to tell you something. It is great, but there is nothing greater than the one who made it. And all I can think about is those passages I've read in the Bible. It tells me how wonderful it is. It's just something. The more you know it, the more the things in this world begin to depreciate in their value to us. It's so pretty. Jesus description of the kingdom and parables and miracles. Think about it. A wedding feast of a king's son. What happened in that?
He I mean you you get invited to the king of the universe's son's wedding
and he's giving you the wedding garment and all the needs to get there and the whole thing and you go um you know I'm busy I haven't cleaned out my sock drawer in forever.
He's trying to explain to you how great it is. It's like a wedding feast. I had an uncle. He didn't like me a whole lot, but when his daughter got married, he invited me and our family to his big wedding for his daughter. This is way back in the 70s. And he spent I mean this this how I mean he's he's like my grandmother used to say, he's rich as cream. Yes, he was. $50,000 in the 70s on his daughter's wedding. It was duted up. She got divorced one year later. Dooted up. I mean, Teresa and I, we got we went there and I mean, we're just going, we get to drink. He had open bars. We get to drink all the perier we want. Woohoo. [laughter]
Yeah. Is free. We broke. It's a lot of fun. The wedding feast of the king. Water to wine. The wedding of Canaan of Galilee. You read that and what do we talk about? Well, was it alcoholic? Will you stop it? You're missing the whole point.
180 gallons of wine he created for a little wedding feast in a little Canaa of Galilee. What was his message?
But when you read about the coming kingdom in Amos and other passages, the mountains will drip with sweet wine. He's saying my kingdom is abundance. It is abundance. [snorts] Jesus calls himself the bridegroom. And that's a time for eating and drinking and joying. It's not a time for fasting. The great supper of Luke 14. They won't come. Go on the highways and byways. Somebody's got to come in. I've done all this preparation for this. Please come and eat of my supper. It's wonderful. the parable of talents when he says to the faithful, he says, "Enter into thee." Oh, I love this, "Enter into the joy of your Lord." God lives with joy. God is joy. God provides joy. God's kingdom is joy. Woo! It's all of these things. Feeding the 5,000, the 4,000. You think, "What's that got to do? Anything thing?" Did you notice how much leftovers there were? They all ate. Scripture says they all ate and were satisfied. I can almost I can almost see the apostles running around going, "We we still got more. Anybody else?
Anybody else?" And you go, "Man, I'm stuffed. I can't I can't even. Whoa. Well, here's some more. Here's some more. Anybody else?" What was his message? When I give in my kingdom, you are going to have more than you can ever imagine.
I imagine most of us here, especially those of us are older, remember when we were living pretty poor, [laughter] just better making it week to week. I told a guy one time a number of years ago, we somehow came up about being rich. I said, you know, I don't care about being rich. About the only thing I I ever think about is I just like to go out to dinner when I'd like to sometimes to me that was rich.
Jesus just fed it. It's just there in Matthew 8:11 and 12. I tell you many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Look how he pictures the kingdom reclining at table while the sons of the kingdom be thrown into outer darkness in that place will be weeping and nashing of teeth. Why are they going to be weeping and nashing of teeth? Because they see what they could have had and they refused it and now it's done. They have no hope. Oh man. You ever you ever you ever took a test in college or high school that you decided the night before you weren't going to prepare for it because you guys came and said, "Hey, let's go, you know, drive around Tasty Freeze and Cruise and stuff and etc." And and you had to worry about the test later and you got there the next day and you you everybody starts answering the questions.
You take a look at and remember that feeling you get in your stomach like I think I'm going to throw up my inards. I don't know anything.
You imagine having that feeling for the rest of eternity of what you missed. Oh, please no. Please no. That's why you got to make your election and calling sure. As Peter said, God foreshadows our kingdom life and family and community when he designed the church. It's it's a primary motivation. I'm always surprised people like, "Well, you know, you don't have to go to church that much, do you? Well, you have to." We're not talking about going to church, folks. We're talking about eternity together. If you don't like us now, you ain't going to like us then. [laughter] What are we doing? He's picturing how we're to learn to love while we're flawed so that we can have the love he has when we get there. It is the time. That's why he said when all people when people see you love one another, they'll know that you're my disciples. What a sham we have been. as churches over the years dividing on foolishness and silliness and self-centeredness. Oh, how ashamed God has to be of us in those times.
Looking at Isaiah 25, on this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples. This is past Messiah. This is restoration. Make for all peoples a feast of rich food. A feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. He will swallow up this mountain, the cover, the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever. And the Lord God will wipe away tears from every all faces. When is the wiping away the tears? When death is swallowed up forever. when there is no death and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth. For the Lord has spoken. It will be as said on that day, behold, this is our God. We have waited for him that he might save us. This is the Lord. We have waited for him. Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. I love that waited part, don't you? We've waited for him. the anticipation, the patience, the endurance.
We've waited for him. Great, great text. Isaiah 55:12 and 13. For you will go out in joy and be led forth in peace. The mountains and the hills before you will break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Can you imagine? Can you imagine? The mountains just go whoo. Good job.
We made it. That's the kingdom. And what? Instead of the thorn will come up the Cyprus. Instead of the brier will come up the myrtle. And it shall be make a name for the Lord. An everlasting sign. Some versions monument that shall not be cut off. We were thorns and briars. And now we're going to come up beautiful trees and flowers that'll give honor to God forever and ever. Isaiah 63, the spirit of the Lord God is upon me. This is, by the way, a Jubilee 50th year picture. Because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. Who's he bringing good news to? To the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God.
To comfort all who mourn, to grant to those who mourn in Zion, to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified. We are changed to be glorified in a way that then glorifies even him. Psalm 27:4, "One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I will seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple." Oh, he's beautiful. To gaze upon his beauty. It's so fun. Psalm 43. Then I will go to the altar of God, to the God of my exceeding joy. I will praise you with the liar. Oh God, my God, the God of exceeding joy. Why are you cast down on my soul? Why are you in turmoil with me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. Psalm 45. Let me read that one to you. This is the wedding song. The wedding song. and we are the bride in the wedding song. Listen to these words. Psalm 45 and notice beginning at verse 13. All glorious is the princess in her chamber with robes interwoven with gold. That's you. That's you. It's how God has has prepared you and me. In many colored robes, she is led to the king with her virgin companions following behind her. With joy and gladness, they are led along as they enter the palace of the king. In place of your fathers shall be your sons. You will make them princes in all the earth. I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations. Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever. That's That's what God's doing. I wait a minute. I thought he was one of these gods that I caught you. I got you.
No, he's a God who wants everything for us. Peter's gospel message said, "You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise is to you and your children." That gift of the spirit is all those promises of the Old Testament that we just read. It's the promises to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. It's the promises that he's detailed out in those passages that we looked at. You'll receive that. What a rejoicing. When John baptized, he came, you'll you'll b he'll baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Another way of picturing he's going to pour out all the blessings of the spirit of those promises, a great name, a great kingdom, a great blessing, a great place to live, a great land. All of these things God planned before the foundation of the world for you and me. I didn't know he was that great, but I know this now that I know it. I know I cannot give enough to him for how much he's loved me and how much he's loved you.
And I got to give everything I've got because he's the best of the best. What is the kingdom? What's the gospel? It's a righteous king and a kingdom. It's a marriage. It's a family. It's the greatest joy and pleasure beyond imagination. Remember the word Jesus said, "There'll be weeping and nashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The kingdom you yourself thrust out." Don't miss this. There'll be no pain like the pain of missing what God has planned.
Brother Dowman used to say, "If you miss heaven, you missed all there is. Indeed. Don't miss this. We can help you any way this evening. You know, we'd be glad to. We all love each other. We all love each other because we all love God. Let's continue to do that and work on it and help each other. Love to help you if you need help in any kind of spiritual way. Let's stand and sing.