Participants: Pr. John Carter (Host), James Venegas
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001210
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00:08 From Arcadia, California, the Carter report presents
00:11 "The Living Word" around the world. 00:18 Hello friend, I'm John Carter, 00:20 it's my privilege today to welcome you to worship. 00:24 We're here today to study 00:26 the Living Word of the Living God. 00:29 Today it is my great honor 00:31 to introduce to you a great preacher 00:33 from the land down under from Australia, 00:36 Pastor James Venegas. 00:39 He is the new pastor of our church 00:42 right here in Southern California, 00:44 our church at the Carter Report center. 00:47 Would you please join me 00:49 in welcoming this man of God, 00:53 Pastor James Venegas? 00:58 What a joy and privilege it is for me 01:01 to be here at the Carter Report. 01:05 It's just unbelievable for a young pastor 01:08 who grew up in Australia. 01:10 And I saw Pastor Carter, 01:12 when he came to the Sydney Opera House 01:15 and I was just a mere little boy 01:17 and then to be here in his pulpit 01:20 at the Carter Report it's nothing short of amazing 01:22 and I just praise God for His leading us here 01:26 and we're here just to serve 01:28 and to share the Word of God with you today. 01:32 And we feel that the message that we've brought with us today 01:35 is a message of great importance for us as Christians 01:39 and as a church, as Seventh-day Adventist. 01:42 It's a message that's been 01:43 sitting on my heart for quite sometime. 01:46 And it's a message that I believe 01:48 is revolutionary to us and for us. 01:52 And we need to heed the message from the Lord today. 01:58 We will discover as we go along 02:01 that the glorious kingdom of God 02:05 is a reality not just in the future 02:09 not just something that we look forward to 02:11 at the end of time but it's a reality here now 02:14 that plays itself out in our very, very lives. 02:18 Let's just open with the word of prayer as we begin. 02:21 Our Father in heaven, we just want to invite You to come 02:24 to anoint these words, to anoint this message. 02:27 Thank You for the truth of Your word 02:29 and we just ask that it will speak to us as we open it. 02:33 And we pray in Jesus name, amen. 02:39 Over a 100 years ago an ageing inspired Christian lady, 02:45 Ellen White left us 02:47 a short little phrase in one of her books. 02:49 That I believe speaks directly to our day and age today 02:53 and it reads like this. 02:56 "The fifth chapter of Revelation needs to be closely studied." 03:01 Did you hear that? 03:02 "The fifth chapter of Revelation needs to be closely studied. 03:06 It is of great importance to those who shall act a part 03:10 in the work of God in these last days." 03:16 The fifth chapter of Revelation. 03:20 Now my first thought, my initial thought is why, 03:23 why the fifth chapter. 03:24 What is it in this chapter that is so important? 03:27 What is that in the chapter 5 of Revelation 03:29 that is so special that Ellen White has to, 03:32 has to point it out in particular 03:35 for us to keep an eye on in the last days? 03:38 Why this book? What does it contain? 03:41 I would have expected her to say, 03:43 you need to study Revelation 14, 03:46 because Revelation 14 is important for the last days 03:49 or perhaps Revelation 12 or Revelation 18 03:53 but why does she mentioned Revelation 5. 03:58 Well, let's open up the Bibles to Chapter 5 of Revelation 04:03 to try to extract from the word 04:05 what important message is there for us 04:09 in the last days of earth's history. 04:12 Revelation 5 and starting at verse 1. 04:21 Revelation 5:1 and it says 04:28 "Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne 04:32 a scroll with writing on both sides 04:36 and sealed with seven seals." 04:39 This is the Apostle John speaking 04:41 on the Isle of Patmos, his envision 04:43 and he sees a throne 04:46 and a scroll with seals on both sides. And he says. 04:50 "And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, 04:53 'Who is worthy to break the seals 04:56 and open the scroll?' 04:59 But no one in heaven or on earth 05:01 or under the earth could open the scroll 05:03 or even look inside it. I wept. 05:08 John says, and wept because no one was found 05:10 who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside it. 05:15 Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep! 05:18 See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, 05:22 the Root of David, has triumphed. 05:24 He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."' 05:32 The focus on the previous Chapter, 05:34 Chapter 4 was on the throne room 05:37 of the ancient of days of God, 05:39 the Father of the reign of God. 05:42 That's what it was about, the reign of God, the Father. 05:46 And now we enter this throne room 05:47 through the eyes of John 05:49 and we find it shifting to a scroll 05:52 and this scroll is so important 05:54 that it has writing on both sides 05:56 and it doesn't only have one string with one seal, 05:59 it has seven seals. 06:03 And so the person to read this scroll, 06:05 the person to unveil the truth that is kept inside of it, 06:09 that person would have to go through one at a time 06:11 breaking the wax seals. 06:13 One at a time to try to reveal 06:16 what important message is held in the scroll. 06:21 The scroll is so important 06:23 because it holds the book of the destiny of humankind. 06:28 It actually holds the full Revelation 06:30 that is coming in the book. 06:32 And humankind needs to know what coming 06:35 and yet no one is worthy, no one is found worthy 06:38 in heaven and on earth to even break open those seals 06:43 and reveal the ultimate destiny of humankind. 06:47 Only someone above the order of creation could do it. 06:51 Only someone divine could actually unfold 06:55 the future plan for God's people. 06:58 And so there we find John weeping 07:00 because the search went out, the call went out 07:03 and no one, absolutely no one is found to break the seals 07:08 and give this revelation. 07:10 And then we find in verse 6 07:13 that when John looks up to see this lion from tribe of Judah, 07:18 he sees something completely different and distinct. 07:21 Let's read, verse 6, it says, "Then I saw a Lamb, 07:25 looking as if it had been slain, 07:29 standing in the center of the throne, 07:33 encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. 07:36 He had seven horns and seven eyes, 07:39 which are the seven spirits of God 07:41 sent out into all the earth. 07:43 He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him 07:47 who sat on the throne." 07:49 From the ancient of days, from God the Father. 07:51 "And when he had taken it, the four living creatures 07:54 and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. 07:58 Each one had a harp 08:00 and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, 08:04 which were the prayers of the saints." 08:08 So we have a lot of imagery here. 08:11 Not only do we have the throne room 08:13 in the ancient of days God the Father, 08:15 suddenly the call goes out, 08:17 who is worthy to crack these seals open 08:21 and then we hear that it is the lion 08:23 from the tribe of Judah. 08:24 It's a powerful animal and when John lifts his eyes 08:29 to see this lion, he sees what? 08:33 What did he see? 08:36 He sees, he sees a lamb 08:38 and the word for lamb in Revelation here 08:42 is a word that implies a tiny weak little lamb 08:47 and on top of that this lamb was slain. 08:50 It was killed it was not looking pretty. 08:54 So the contrast between these two images 08:57 couldn't be more powerful. 08:59 On the one hand you've got the majestic king of the jungle, 09:02 the lion that whose roar is so powerful. 09:07 And then on the other, on the other hand 09:09 you have this tiny little slain lamb. 09:13 Almost a weak, almost a weak figure 09:17 compared to the powerful lion. 09:22 And I believe that this imagery 09:24 is deliberately laid side by side. 09:27 We call that juxtaposing. 09:29 Deliberately it's laid to contrast, 09:32 so we can look at them both and say to ourselves well. 09:35 Well, that's a powerful animal 09:36 and yet that's a very much domesticated weak looking animal 09:41 and yet both of these images represent the one individual. 09:48 Both of these images combine to represent 09:52 the person of Jesus Christ 09:54 and why He came to this earth to do. 09:57 And you cannot have one image over the other, 10:00 you can't have the powerful lion image for Jesus 10:04 or the lamb image for Jesus, 10:06 You must have both to have a balanced view of the gospel. 10:12 You must have both 10:13 a powerful lion and a slain lamb. 10:17 That's who Jesus was. 10:19 Let me ask you an important question. 10:24 Why--and it may seem like a simple question 10:28 to you but nonetheless, why do you think 10:32 or what was the primary purpose 10:33 for Jesus coming to this earth to die? 10:39 What was the main reason Jesus came 10:41 from His kingdom of heaven from immortality 10:44 through this broken world to gives His life on the cross? 10:47 Why did He have to die? 10:49 And it seems like such an obvious question, 10:51 Christianity one on one. 10:53 I mean we know why Jesus came to die? 10:55 Don't we? 10:56 Why did Jesus come to die, tell me? 11:00 Well, and my answer standard 11:03 as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian answer would be 11:06 Christ by His own sacrificial choice was punished 11:11 or penalized in my place as a sinner, 11:16 for you and me as our substitutes. 11:19 Thus satisfying the demands of justice 11:22 so that God could justly forgive my sins 11:26 and that's what He did. 11:29 This understanding is what the theologians call 11:32 substitutionery atonement. 11:35 Which means that Jesus came as a lamb to take our place, 11:38 to die the death that we deserved to die. 11:42 He died to give us life and to forgive our sins. 11:49 And this is the way that Jesus used 11:52 to restore us back to God the Father, 11:55 something we call atonement. 11:57 At one ment Jesus comes to die for our sins. 12:02 And this truth-- is foundational to Christianity 12:08 but let me tell you that the image of a slain lamb 12:13 is only part of the picture. 12:16 There is a greater or bigger reason 12:19 for why Jesus came to this earth. 12:21 Now you may think I'm speaking out of turn here 12:24 or speaking blasphemy. 12:26 How could you tell me 12:27 that Jesus came for another reason 12:30 then other than to come and save us from our sins 12:33 and take our place on the cross? 12:35 I mean surely that's the main and only reason that there is 12:40 and its true as far it goes but there is another bigger, 12:44 more cosmic, more universal reason 12:47 for why Jesus left His throne room in heaven 12:50 and came to this world. 12:51 You see, if someone in the first century 12:54 after cross was asked that question, 12:56 why did Jesus come to die? 12:58 Or what was the purpose for Jesus coming. 13:00 They would have answered it 13:01 completely different to you and I. 13:04 What they would have said 13:06 is that Jesus came to destroy the devil 13:12 and triumph over evil. Amen. 13:16 That Jesus came to this world not just to forgive our sins 13:20 and to take our place from the cross 13:22 but He came for a bigger purpose 13:25 to destroy the devil and triumph over evil. 13:28 Let me show you in scripture where that is found. 13:31 We're looking at 1 John 3:8, 1 John 3:8, 13:36 it's just a bit early than Revelation. 13:39 It's not far away. 1 John 3:8. 13:44 This gives us the very reason that we're talking about. 13:47 1 John 3:8, it says, 13:51 "He who does what is sinful is of the devil, 13:55 because the devil has been sinning from the beginning." 13:58 And then it says this, and listen carefully, 14:00 I'm reading the NIV here. 14:02 It says "The reason the Son of God appeared 14:06 was to destroy the devil's work." 14:11 Did you get that? 14:13 The reason the Son of Man appeared 14:16 was to destroy the devil's work. 14:21 That's an interesting concept. 14:22 I mean I don't know about you 14:24 but having growing up in my church 14:28 I very rarely have heard this topic discussed 14:36 or even preached too often. 14:39 We are very big on subsitutionery atonement 14:43 or what we call penal substitution. 14:45 But rarely do we talk about the other images 14:47 that describe what Jesus came to do 14:50 when He came to this earth. 14:52 There's fellow by the name of Dr. George Knight 14:55 and he is someone that I love to read from his, 14:58 he's amazing historian. I think he is retired now. 15:01 He read a book recently called the Apocalyptic Vision 15:04 and the Neutering of Adventism. 15:07 That is a strong title if there ever was one. 15:10 And he in that book 15:11 basically lays down the fact that it is important 15:14 and fundamental to believe that Jesus won the victory 15:17 by dieing in our place 15:19 as the substitutionery lamb on the cross. 15:21 That is foundational it cannot be removed, 15:24 fundamental to Christianity. 15:26 But he says, that if you only have the lamb 15:30 you only have half the gospel. 15:33 If you only have the slain lamb on the cross, 15:36 he says Dr. George Knight, not just me, 15:39 you only have half the gospel. 15:42 The other half he says 15:44 is the triumphant lion of the tribe of Judah. 15:50 He suggest that Adventism must preach the Lamb of God 15:54 and the lion of the tribe of the Judah 15:56 and that's how we achieve a fully balanced gospel message. 16:03 Both images describing the work of Jesus Christ. 16:10 Let me tell you something that we don't often think about. 16:14 At creation Adam and Eve 16:15 were given dominion over the world. 16:18 They were invited by God into His world 16:21 and asked to name the animals. 16:25 And in a way God was saying, 16:27 guys I want you to be a part of this. 16:29 I want you to have some ownership over my creation. 16:32 I want you to name them. 16:33 I wanted to look after the nature. 16:35 I want you to have a dominion over this earth as human beings. 16:39 I want you to be stewards of my world 16:41 but very early on, our primordial parents 16:45 did not use this authority very well. 16:48 In fact early on we surrendered 16:51 our dominion over this earth 16:54 to another to Satan. 17:00 And the consequences have been catastrophic. 17:04 We invited into our domain 17:07 a cosmic battle, cosmic conflict. 17:11 We allowed the pollution of the demonic realm to come in. 17:16 We opened the door, we cracked the door open 17:18 to Satan to come in to our world. 17:21 He was restricted to that tree, 17:24 of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 17:26 He couldn't tear away from that. 17:29 And in succumbing to his temptation 17:32 Adam and Eve basically ushered 17:34 the devil in to the world to reek absolute havoc. 17:40 And so the authority was kind of usurped. 17:43 It was kind of surrendered to Satan or Satan 17:46 and his powerful regime, 17:49 the kingdom of darkness. 17:54 If you don't believe me, let me show you once again, 17:57 The Book of John, this time the Gospel of John, 18:00 John 12:31, John 12:31. 18:06 "Now is the time for judgment on this world, 18:09 now the prince of this world will be driven out. 18:14 But, I when I am lifted up from the earth 18:17 will draw all men to myself." 18:19 You notice what it said there in verse 31. 18:21 You notice that it referred to Satan to the devil 18:25 as the prince of this world 18:30 and you notice that that is in red letters, 18:33 That Jesus in fact, conformed the fact 18:36 that the devil actually had taken over the world 18:39 and established his own kingdom of darkness here. 18:42 That he had taken over dominion that you usurped it 18:45 and Jesus basically admits it, 18:47 that he had become the prince of this world of course, 18:51 that he was driving him out. 18:53 He acknowledged the fact. 18:56 Come with me to Luke 4:5, Luke 4:5. 19:06 And this is where Jesus was being put through 19:10 some temptations in the wilderness by Satan. 19:17 This is the Luke 4:5-8. 19:24 And I want you to listen carefully to what it says, 19:27 "The devil led Him Jesus up to a high place 19:30 and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 19:35 And he said to Him, 19:37 I will give you all their authority and splendor, 19:41 for it has been given to me." 19:44 Did you get that. 19:45 I'll give you all the kingdoms, 19:48 all the authorities of the world and splendor, 19:52 "For they have been given to me, 19:54 and I can give it to anyone I want. 19:57 So if you worship me, it will be yours." 20:02 And notice what Jesus says, "Jesus answered, 'It is written, 20:06 Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'". 20:15 Powerful words, it is written 20:18 Jesus didn't beat around the bush. 20:20 He didn't engage with any discussion with the devil 20:23 went straight to the word and rebuke the devil. 20:27 But, I want you to notice something. 20:29 Did Jesus question this authority 20:33 that Satan was claming was his? 20:36 Did Jesus say to him, hold on a minute what? 20:39 You are saying you got authority of this 20:40 over this world, I created it, you don't have authority, 20:45 I mean Jesus would have rightly been able to say that 20:47 and yet He doesn't. 20:50 He doesn't question the fact 20:52 that Satan is claiming to be 20:55 to have dominion over this earth. 20:57 He accepts it, He accepts it. 21:00 People often wonder 21:02 why bad things happen to good people. 21:07 And how evil things happen in this world 21:11 but when you see this for what it is. 21:15 When you see that the devil is at work 21:17 and this is kind of his realm that Jesus had to come into, 21:22 these things should not be surprising to us. 21:26 It shouldn't be surprising 21:28 the bad things happen in our world. 21:31 It's amazing that good things happen, 21:35 given the dark cloud that hovers over this place. 21:40 Did you get that? 21:41 We've just flipped it on its head. 21:43 We often blame God why is this happening to me, 21:45 it shouldn't happen to me. 21:46 God is a good God, He is a loving God. 21:48 You know, things should be going well for me, 21:50 why do bad things happen to good people. 21:52 But if you look at it this way, 21:54 that there is a dark cloud hovering over this world, 21:57 this evil there is a dominion going on, 22:01 you just thank God for the good that still happens, 22:04 for the activity of God in this world even still, 22:08 Even given that there is a dark cloud over it. 22:14 This world is not what it was originally 22:17 designed for, even this week, 22:21 we had our first funeral here in the Untied States 22:25 and we said the same words. 22:27 This was, this was not what we were designed to do. 22:30 We were designed to live for eternity with no separation 22:33 and He were having to say goodbye to this dearly beloved 22:37 and we kind of revolt, we don't want to accept it, 22:40 because we weren't created for it. 22:42 We were created for something more, 22:44 something has gone wrong in our world, 22:46 it is, it is in fact a very inevitable war zone 22:51 as a result of what Satan has done 22:55 and war zones are ugly. 22:58 This world is now caught in the crossfire 23:02 of a cosmic battle between good and the evil 23:06 that's why this world is so contradictory, 23:08 that's why you can enjoy 23:10 beautiful music and beautiful art 23:13 and enjoy wonderful relationships on one hand, 23:16 and then what's the news, turn on the news of an evening 23:19 and see horrible crime and violence and stuff 23:24 that just doesn't make sense. 23:27 This world seems to have a contradiction going on. 23:31 On the one hand you can see the glory of God 23:33 everywhere in nature 23:35 and on the other we see lots of things 23:38 that definitely do not glorify God, 23:41 we live in a war zone. 23:45 We are in a war zone, a zone that I saw horrible 23:49 so difficult to live through 23:51 that the other universes don't understand 23:53 what we are going through, it is a unique story 23:56 that only we can tell, 23:57 only we can tell the others like because we lived through that 24:01 and you never want to go there again. 24:04 It is a dubious privilege to be here in this war zone. 24:11 So much evil still in our world, 24:16 so the world is not as it was created to be, 24:18 it is not the ideal God 24:19 that world that God made it to be, 24:22 so Jesus comes into this world, 24:25 yes to reconcile us back to the Father, 24:27 yes to save us from our sins, 24:29 yes to forgive us for our individual sin 24:33 but he ultimately comes for even greater 24:36 more universal more cosmic reason. 24:39 He comes as an act of war 24:41 to put an end to this bloody battle, 24:45 to defeat the enemy, to free the slaves, 24:49 to bring glory back to God, 24:52 to bring in His principles and to end the dominant power 24:56 and reign of Satan, that was the bigger picture 24:59 for why Jesus came to this world. 25:02 He came as the lion at the time of Judah 25:05 as a powerful war like figure 25:08 to reclaim this world back to God. 25:14 So He doesn't just come to get rid of individual sins. 25:20 He comes to destroy sin itself. 25:26 He comes to destroy the principalities 25:28 and the powers 25:30 that are behind all of the sins in our world, 25:33 not just to forgive us for racism, 25:38 but to destroy racism all together, 25:41 not just to heal our sick bodies 25:43 but to vanquish the virus 25:46 that makes us all sick in the first place. 25:49 Not just to help the poor 25:51 but to destroy the principalities 25:53 and powers behind poverty. 25:56 He comes to restore us. 25:58 He comes to restore this earth 26:00 to the dome in which God is king, 26:04 the way it was meant to be. 26:07 He comes to restore the kingdom of God. 26:08 Are you with me? 26:11 In the New Testament the term 26:13 the kingdom of God is a dominant theme. 26:15 And this is why I'm surprised 26:17 that we don't hear about it much, 26:19 it is so dominant, I mean in Mathew, 26:21 the Book of Mathew we find the term, 26:24 the kingdom of God at least four times, 26:26 then we find it 14 times in the Book of Mark. 26:29 32 times in Luke, 26:31 and then we have a synonymous term 26:33 called the kingdom of heaven 26:34 which is founded throughout Mark about 32 times 26:38 the kingdom of heaven is talked about, 26:41 making this possibly the major theme of the gospels, 26:46 the kingdom of God its there everywhere. 26:51 Jesus talked about it, He taught about it, 26:53 he told parables about it and yet we don't talk about it. 27:00 The Kingdom of God and Christ as King. 27:05 The reason why Jesus goes to such great lengths 27:09 to teach about His kingdom is that the Jews were so fixed 27:15 on an idea that they thought about the Kingdom of God. 27:19 You see this poor nation had been subjugated for so long 27:24 for hundreds and hundreds of years 27:27 at the hands of many, many different kings and kingdoms, 27:31 so much so that they lost their identity, 27:33 they were just so sick and tired 27:36 of being slaves to someone else, 27:38 that they long for a Messiah 27:40 a Christ to come, a king to come 27:42 and they expected this king to come of course 27:46 to liberate them from this enslavement. 27:48 And so they thought it was going to be something visible, 27:51 something powerful and strong. 27:53 Some military action 27:55 that this Messiah was going to come with 27:57 to reclaim God's people back to God. 28:01 And because Jesus know that the kingdom was different, 28:04 He had to go to great lengths to explain the kingdom, 28:09 His kingship to His people. 28:12 Let me grab a little example from Luke 17, 28:15 Luke 17 where Jesus is 28:22 engaging with the Pharisees 28:25 and He mentions this kingdom, 28:28 Luke 17:20, 28:33 Luke 17:20 28:37 and it says, "Once, having been asked by the Pharisees 28:42 when the kingdom of God would come, 28:46 Jesus replied, 'The kingdom of God 28:48 does not come with your careful observation, 28:52 nor will people say, Here it is, or There it is, 28:56 because the kingdom of God is" where? 29:02 Now there is couple of versions of scripture on this point. 29:06 Some of them say, the kingdom of God is in your midst. 29:11 Have you got that version? 29:14 Another version, mine, the NIV says 29:16 the kingdom of God is within you. 29:21 Very interesting take 29:25 that was completely unexpected for the Pharisees. 29:30 They believed Pharisees and many Jewish leaders there 29:33 that the kingdom could be brought about 29:35 by observable visible means. 29:38 For example the Pharisees believed that 29:40 they could hasten the kingdom of God, 29:42 through their religious lives and enforceable laws, 29:47 they were big on external righteousness 29:50 or goodness, rules and regulations 29:53 and they felt by looking after the outside 29:56 and how the outside came across 29:58 they would be able to hasten the kingdom of God 30:00 and bring it into our midst. 30:03 Very rule dominated. 30:06 Then there was another group called the Jewish Zealots, 30:09 these guys were completely different, 30:11 these guys were firebrand Jews. 30:13 They wanted to bring about the kingdom of God 30:16 in a more aggressive passion. 30:18 They believe that if enough Jews with faith and courage 30:22 would come together and confront the Romans 30:25 in a physical battle, in a physical revolt 30:29 then God would intervene, honor their faithfulness 30:31 and give them the victory. 30:34 They believe that, that in establishing the kingdom 30:37 by force or violence, 30:40 they would be able to reclaim it back 30:42 for God, tragic, tragic view. 30:47 Well, many of us don't realizes that 30:48 it was these guys the Zealots 30:51 this ideology that lead to a revolt 30:56 in around in and around 70 AD, 30:59 only another 40 years from when Jesus left this earth. 31:03 The Zealots revolted against the Romans, 31:06 and the Romans persuade them back to Jerusalem 31:09 they encircled Jerus-- they siege Jerusalem, 31:12 they didn't allow any food to go in, 31:14 they didn't allow any one to come out. 31:16 They ended up burning the place, ransacking the place. 31:19 They killed just about everyone they could see. 31:21 They even destroyed the second temple of Solomon 31:25 or Herod's temple they destroyed it. 31:27 And you know how many Jews died back then? 31:31 I've read that over one million Jews 31:34 in Jerusalem died because of this ideology, 31:39 let's take it by force of the Zealots. 31:44 There was another group still, 31:46 these were the signs of the times 31:49 Jews that believe that they would 31:51 bring about the kingdom 31:52 simply by watching prophetic signs 31:55 and just sitting on my hands 31:56 watching for the signs to happen. 32:00 And there was a general assumption 32:03 that the kingdom would be associated with a territory 32:06 and the people, the Israelite nation. 32:10 So, you have the Pharisees on one hand 32:12 who are trying to bring in the kingdom 32:13 through the externals and observable behavior. 32:16 Then you got the Zealots on the other hand 32:18 trying to bring it back by force. 32:20 You got other Jews watching the signs of the times 32:22 to see if this kingdom is coming. 32:25 And everyone is believing that it's a territorial thing, 32:27 it's about God's people, the nation of Israel 32:31 and Jesus comes along 32:33 to clear up these misunderstandings. 32:38 The Pharisees want Jesus to weigh in on this, 32:40 of this hot potato issue, 32:43 but no matter which way Jesus would answer, 32:45 they would entrap Him. 32:48 And so said Jesus responds as He always does, 32:51 doesn't really acknowledge the question that have missed, 32:54 that have missed the point, 32:57 he cuts straight to their assumptions 32:59 and he says guys, 33:02 the kingdom of God is not as you think it is. 33:06 In fact the kingdom of God 33:07 is in your midst, it's all ready here. 33:11 In fact the kingdom of God 33:14 is standing right in front of you. 33:18 Jesus here is referring to Himself 33:23 because Jesus is the embodiment of the kingdom. 33:27 You see a kingdom in God's term it's not about territory, 33:31 it's not about a nation, it's about authority 33:34 and the Lordship 33:36 and so because Jesus gave God the Father 33:39 absolute authority over His life, 33:42 then Jesus was well and truly the embodiment 33:44 of the kingdom of God, where ever He went, 33:46 the kingdom was there with Him. 33:50 He was the full manifestation of the kingdom of God. 33:53 He is what the kingdom looks like 33:55 because He is the kingdom and so where Jesus is, 33:59 so is the kingdom of God. 34:03 And there are plenty of verses to support this. 34:06 I just want to quickly take you through some of these, 34:08 so grab your Bibles, we are going to flick 34:10 through a couple of different verses 34:12 that show us that the kingdom of God 34:14 is certainly a present reality where Jesus is. 34:18 First one is Mathew 10, Mathew 10 34:23 and I have to keep it come fast 34:25 because I want cover just the few of these verses. 34:28 Mathew 10:7-8 34:34 and he says, this is Jesus speaking 34:36 "As you go, preach this message, 34:38 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' 34:42 Heal the sick, raise the dead, 34:44 cleanse those who have leprosy, 34:46 drive out demons. 34:48 Freely you have received, freely give." 34:51 Another passage is in Chapter 16 34:54 just a few pages onwards, 34:56 Mathew 16:18 35:01 "And I tell you that you are Peter, 35:03 and on this rock me I will build my church, 35:07 and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 35:11 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, 35:14 whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, 35:18 and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 35:24 I'll unpack this in just a minute. 35:25 Let's keep going with our overview, 35:27 but obviously that he is talking about a key to kingdom, 35:31 to the kingdom here now on earth as it is in heaven. 35:35 Let's look up, Mark 1, Mark 1:14 35:41 And it says, "After John was put in prison, 35:43 Jesus went into Galilee, 35:45 proclaiming the good news of God. 35:47 The time has come, 'he said. 35:50 'The kingdom of God is near, 35:52 Repent and believe the good news!'" 35:55 Again Jesus is talking about the kingdom in present terms, 35:59 is He not or He is talking in future, 36:00 it definitely seems like 36:01 he is talking in present, present terms. 36:04 How about Mark 9, 36:07 Mark 9:1, Mark 9:1, 36:13 "Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth, 36:15 some who are standing here will not taste death 36:20 before they see the kingdom of God come with power."' 36:26 You ever read that before. 36:27 You ever thought what's He talking about? 36:30 Some of you here will never take, 36:32 would not taste death 36:33 before the kingdom of God comes in power. 36:36 Obviously Jesus is talking about 36:38 a more immediate revolution of His kingdom, 36:42 then the final couple of verses one we find in Luke 10, 36:47 Luke 10: 8 to 9 36:54 and it reads, 36:57 "When you enter a town, 36:58 this is Jesus talking to his disciples, 37:00 and are welcomed eat what is set before you. 37:03 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 37:05 'The kingdom of God is near you.' 37:08 But when you enter a town 37:09 and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 37:11 'Even the dust of your town 37:13 that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. 37:17 Yet be sure of this, the kingdom of God is near." 37:22 And one final example is in Chapter 11 37:25 over the page, Chapter 11:20. 37:32 Jesus again saying "But, if I drive out demons 37:36 by the finger of God, 37:38 then the kingdom of God has come to you." 37:44 And of course you can go on and on, 37:46 we can look at the whole of Mathew 13 37:49 the parables there of the kingdom. 37:52 You can go and have a look at them yourselves 37:54 and you will see that surely Jesus 37:58 could not be mentioning the kingdom in immediate terms 38:01 when He knew that it would be more than 2,000 years away. 38:04 Surely Jesus wouldn't be getting their hopes up 38:07 about a kingdom that would be coming soon, 38:09 or was in the midst if the kingdom of God 38:12 would be coming 2000 years or more into the future, 38:15 Jesus wouldn't, wouldn't be doing that. 38:18 He wouldn't be lifting their hopes in such away 38:21 as to believe that that it was soon. 38:24 So, obviously these passage are not referring 38:27 to the glorified kingdom of heaven at the end of time. 38:30 Obviously these kingdoms, these verses on the kingdom 38:33 are not talking about the kingdom 38:34 that would be established at the second time. 38:37 They are talking about, 38:38 there is a clear concept here about a kingdom 38:41 that had already arrived with Jesus 38:44 in some way at the first coming of Jesus cross. 38:49 And he goes on to say that only those with open hearts and minds 38:52 would be able to see this kingdom 38:54 and of course the Pharisees were too full of jealousy 38:58 and their own pride to see it, they couldn't see it. 39:04 They were scandalized by this. 39:10 I think the application is clear as it is important for us. 39:16 It is so foundational 39:18 because it is so contrary to our culture 39:21 and to the society in which we live. 39:24 It's so apposite even to some religions of our day. 39:31 It's so strongly opposes the idea 39:34 that the kingdom is the same as religion per say. 39:40 And the reason I say that 39:41 is because the religion that atheist see 39:44 day in day out, week and week, week out on the news 39:48 is the religion of child molesters 39:50 is a religion of holy wars is a religion of conflict, 39:55 is a religion of contradictions, it's a religion of lies 40:01 and of televangelists that dupe people 40:04 and make a lot of money. 40:07 This is often the kingdom that people associate with Christ 40:12 and with the church 40:14 and yet it is so far removed from the real kingdom of God 40:19 that is meant to be in our midst. 40:22 The kingdom simply put is all about Jesus. 40:27 The kingdom looks like Jesus. 40:31 The kingdom looks like Jesus especially 40:34 as He was dying on the cross. 40:36 That was the greatest revaluation 40:38 of the kingdom of God the world has ever seen, 40:41 sacrificial, self sacrificing love on the cross. 40:45 That is what the kingdom of God looks like. 40:49 Therefore it is already and Ellen White backs this up. 40:53 The kingdom is already 40:54 a spiritual reality in our midst. 40:57 It's with in us through the present of the Holy Spirit. 41:02 Remember Jesus said, wherever, wherever 41:04 that the spirit was going to reveal 41:05 the things that he taught, 41:07 and so because he said that 41:08 wherever he was the spirit was in their midst 41:11 and because the Holy Spirit 41:12 is now the presence of Christ inside of us, 41:16 then it stands to reason at the kingdom of God 41:19 is now within through the presence of the Holy Spirit. 41:27 So, the kingdom of God, 41:28 the kingdom of God is completely different 41:32 to what we often see represented in our world as Christianity. 41:37 In fact Jesus said 41:38 that His kingdom was not of this world. 41:43 There is no vitriol in the kingdom of heaven. 41:46 There is no violence. 41:48 There is no particular group of people that can lay claim 41:52 to citizenship of this kingdom 41:53 and it is a kingdom that is from above, 41:55 that is centered on Jesus Christ that looks like Jesus Christ. 42:01 Earthly institutions have offered 42:03 absolutely nothing to do with the true kingdom of God. 42:06 In fact the kingdom that Jesus speaks off 42:08 is in direct contradiction to such mentality. 42:12 Jesus demonstrates that the kingdom 42:13 cannot be brought about by observables, 42:16 by lifestyle, by force or even by belief. 42:20 Did you hear me? 42:22 It just doesn't come about 42:24 by having the head knowledge of belief 42:28 and it is not synonymous 42:30 with any people group or religion 42:32 and this was a scandal in those days 42:34 and it is a scandal today. 42:39 Again the kingdom looks like Jesus. 42:45 It means that, we, you and I 42:49 are now to be in the presence of Jesus in this world. 42:53 We are now to be the body of Christ in our world 42:56 because we have God's presence within us. 42:59 We are royal priesthood, we are a holy nation. 43:05 We are set apart to be the kingdom of God, 43:09 the dome over which God is king, 43:11 that's what kingdom means. 43:13 We are to be where God has his authority. 43:17 Ellen White says, "When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, 43:20 a new power takes possession of the new heart. 43:24 A change is wrought 43:25 which man can never accomplish for himself. 43:27 It is a supernatural work, 43:30 bringing a supernatural element into human nature. 43:33 But unless we yield ourselves to the control of Christ, 43:36 we shall be dominated by the wicked one. 43:39 We must inevitably be under the control of the one 43:43 of one or the other of these two great powers 43:47 that are contending for the supremacy of our world." 43:50 And she says, "It is not necessary for us 43:52 to deliberately choose the service 43:54 of the kingdom of darkness 43:56 in order to come under its dominion. 43:58 Did you hear that? 44:00 She says that you don't have to choose 44:02 the kingdom of darkness 44:04 to align yourself with the devil. 44:07 She says that we have only to neglect 44:10 to ally ourselves to the kingdom of light. 44:15 So if we don't ally ourselves to the kingdom of Christ, 44:18 we are naturally by default with the devil. 44:22 If we do not co-operate with the heavenly agencies, 44:25 Satan will take possession of the heart, 44:28 and will make it his abiding place. 44:30 The only defense she says against evil 44:32 is the indwelling of Christ in the heart 44:36 through faith in His righteousness. 44:38 There is no sitting on the fence, 44:40 we are either for God or against God. 44:45 So I'm primary calling a saints 44:48 who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. 44:53 Foremost fundamental job description 44:56 is that we be imitators of Christ, 44:59 that we live in love, 45:00 as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us. 45:04 We are to imitate the word in Greek is mimetic. 45:07 We are to be imitators, we have to mimic God 45:09 as he was revealed in Jesus Christ. 45:12 And thus we cooperate in the work of the kingdom 45:17 and there we can say your kingdom come, 45:20 your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 45:24 We line ourselves up with the will of God in heaven 45:27 as we live out God's kingdom here on earth. 45:30 Does it make sense to you? 45:34 We are first, we have to seek first the kingdom of God 45:40 and his righteousness, this is what matters. 45:42 We can build nice buildings that are esthetically pleasing 45:46 but from the perspective of the kingdom 45:48 they are worthless 45:49 unless they are conforming us to the image of God 45:52 and we can, we can have wonderful sermons. 45:54 We can do the most amazing things 45:57 but unless we are being conformed 45:58 as the people to the kingdom of God, 46:00 through the presence of the Holy Spirit, 46:02 these things are worthless. 46:05 We need to be learning how to swim upstream 46:08 in this culture in which we live. 46:10 We need to swim against the current of culture. 46:13 We need to look different to the world in which we live. 46:16 We need to look like Jesus. 46:19 Further we, we need to proactively proclaim, 46:22 sorry reclaim when it's a proactively reclaim 46:25 the strongholds of Satan in the power of God, 46:28 not by our own strength not by force, not by violence 46:31 but by the power of the spirit 46:33 through self sacrifice and through love, 46:36 and starting with our very hearts and our minds. 46:40 And then continuing on to take in captive all the emotions 46:44 and the attitudes, our behaviors and our habits. 46:48 Then we move on to our marriages. 46:50 We need to reclaim them back for God. 46:52 We need to reclaim that too for God. 46:54 We need to then reclaim our very homes back to God, 46:57 to make it the dome in which God is king. 47:00 His authority needs to be over our homes. 47:04 Then we move on to those around us, 47:06 our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers, 47:08 our very church and beyond. 47:12 Where there is despair, we bring hope. 47:15 Where there is unbelief, we bring faith. 47:18 Where there is hatred, we bring love. 47:20 Where there is bitterness, we bring forgiveness. 47:23 Where there is sadness, we bring joy. 47:26 Where there is sickness, we bring healing. 47:28 Where there is conflict, we bring reconciliation. 47:35 Note, that we are not waging war against people. 47:37 The Bible says that our struggle in Ephesians 6, 47:40 "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, 47:43 but against the rulers, against the authorities, 47:44 against the powers of this dark world 47:46 and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." 47:50 So therefore if it has flesh and blood 47:53 brothers and sisters it is not your enemy. 47:57 If it has flesh and blood 47:59 these are the one we have to reclaim. 48:01 These are the ones we have to love. 48:04 These are the ones that need a Savior 48:06 that are dying in their sins. 48:09 The message of the gospel 48:10 is not just about the cross of Calvary, 48:13 it's about the empty tomb. 48:15 It's about the triumphant message of Jesus 48:17 who has already conquered sin and Satan, 48:21 It's a victorious message 48:23 that Jesus has already reclaim back 48:25 what was rightfully His, including you and me. 48:29 The enemy is defeated, praise God. 48:33 This good news has two implications for us 48:36 one is that we can experience this now. 48:38 We do not have to wait till the glorified kingdom come. 48:43 We can start living in the presence of Christ 48:45 in His kingdom even now. 48:47 And let me add more to this. 48:48 We are not to sit on our hands, 48:51 watching the signs of the times, 48:52 watching to see when Jesus is going to come. 48:55 We need to expect Him, we need to watch these signs, 48:58 but we don't sit on our heads and do it. 49:00 We need to be living out 49:01 as members of the kingdom of God, 49:03 so Jesus when He returns 49:05 who find us busy doing the King's business. 49:08 We ought to be sign doers, not the sign watchers. 49:12 We ought to be spreading the everlasting gospel 49:15 through our nation, to the world 49:17 and then the end will come, Matthew 25. 49:21 And let me tell you that despite all the instability 49:24 in our world the chaos in our lives, 49:28 we must continue to keep our eyes 49:30 firmly focused on Jesus and His soon return. 49:33 Don't give up, 49:35 because despite of what you are going through, 49:37 God is still on His throne. 49:38 He is still in control and your destiny ensure. 49:42 Because the slain lamb is also the triumphant king 49:45 who will soon come and bring an end to sin in death 49:48 and assure His glorious kingdom your victory is guaranteed. 49:54 Jesus will reign supreme, 49:56 He will wipe away every tears 49:57 from our eyes there will be no more death, 49:59 sorrow, crying, there will be no more pain, 50:02 for the former things have passed away. 50:05 And let me ask you. 50:06 Who is worthy to open that scroll? 50:09 Only one, Jesus. Jesus is worthy. 50:13 He is our King of kings and Lord of lords. 50:17 The ending of our passage and our time is up. 50:20 In Revelation 5 in the section between 18 verse 8 and 14, 50:26 Revelation 5:8-14 and we'll finish here, 50:32 When Christ subjected are under his glorious dominion 50:38 and his very presence 50:40 we read what they say 50:44 in that very Chapter of Chapter Revelation 5:8. 50:50 Actually we'll start in verse 9 50:52 "And then they sang a new song, 50:56 these are the four living creatures 50:57 and the 24 elders 50:59 'You are worthy to take the scroll 51:02 and to open its seals, because you were slain, 51:05 with your blood you purchased man for God 51:07 from every tribe and language and people and nation. 51:11 You have made them to be a kingdom 51:13 and priests to serve our God, 51:16 and they will reign on the earth. 51:17 Then I looked says John 51:18 and I heard the voice of many angels, 51:20 numbering thousands upon thousands, 51:22 and ten thousand upon ten thousand. 51:24 They encircled the throne 51:25 and the living creatures and the elders. 51:27 And in a loud voice they sang. 51:28 'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive 51:31 power and wealth and wisdom and strength 51:34 to receive and honor and glory and praise!' 51:38 And then I heard every creature in heaven 51:42 and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, 51:44 and all that is in them, singing, we are going to sing, 51:50 'To him who sits on the throne 51:52 and to the Lamb be praise and honor 51:55 and glory and power, 51:57 for ever and ever. Amen. 52:01 Question, do you want to be a part of that kingdom? 52:05 Do you want to make a stand for Christ 52:08 and live as a citizen of his kingdom 52:10 in your sphere of influence wherever you might be? 52:14 Do you want to live a life 52:15 that looks unlike this world, but looks like Jesus? 52:20 If you do and I invite you to pray with me 52:24 as we ask Jesus to come 52:26 and establish the kingdom in our midst. 52:31 The Carter report is a self supporting ministry 52:34 with a global mission. 52:36 We believe that the most important thing 52:38 that we can do in this tremendous hour 52:40 is to tell people about the Lord Jesus Christ 52:44 because Jesus said, 52:45 "I am the way, the truth and the life." 52:48 We do not believe that this is business as usual. 52:52 We believe that we are living in the closing hours 52:55 in the history of this world. 52:57 Bless your heart, friend. 52:59 Look at the signs that are being fulfilled almost every day. 53:02 The signs of the times are shouting at us 53:06 and they are saying Jesus is coming soon. 53:09 I want you to be my partner in global mission. 53:13 I want you to be my partner 53:14 in helping to tell the world about the coming of Jesus. 53:18 I want you to be my partner in the preaching 53:21 of the distinctive truths of the Three Angels' Messages. 53:26 Please check us out 53:28 at the new Carter Report website, catereport.org. 53:33 We have a special section whereby you can ask questions 53:38 and I will give you the answers 53:40 from the Living Word of the Living God, 53:43 that is the cartereport.org. 53:48 My friend, we want you to join us 53:51 in the mission to preach the gospel in China, 53:55 in India, in Australia, in Africa, 53:59 in United States of America wherever people are lost 54:03 and wherever people need to hear 54:06 the good news that Jesus saves. 54:10 Please check us out, 54:11 the new carter report website, cartereport.org. 54:16 I want to hear from you today. 54:31 People need the Lord 54:37 People need the Lord 54:44 At the end of broken dreams 54:50 He's the open door 54:56 People need the Lord 55:02 People need the Lord 55:09 When will we realize 55:16 People need the Lord 55:33 We are called to take His light 55:40 To a world where wrong seems right 55:47 What could be too great a cost 55:52 For sharing life with one who's lost 56:00 Through His love our hearts can feel 56:06 All the grief they bear 56:13 They must hear the words of life 56:19 Only we can share 56:25 People need the Lord 56:31 People need the Lord 56:37 At the end of broken dreams 56:43 He's the open door 56:49 People need the Lord 56:55 People need the Lord 57:02 When will we realize 57:08 That we must give our lives 57:13 For people 57:16 Well, they need the Lord 57:29 People 57:33 need the Lord |
Revised 2014-12-17