Participants:
Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021524A
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00:00 (MUSIC)
00:33 >>GOOD MORNING, FRIENDS, AND WELCOME ONCE AGAIN TO 00:35 SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY HOUR. 00:37 A VERY SPECIAL AND WARM WELCOME TO OUR FRIENDS JOINING US ACROSS 00:40 THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD, WATCHING ON THE VARIOUS 00:43 TELEVISION NETWORKS AND ALSO OUR FRIENDS JOINING US LIVE VIA THE 00:46 WEBSITE - PART OF OUR EXTENDED SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY CLASS. A 00:50 VERY WARM WELCOME TO OUR MEMBERS HERE AT THE GRANITE BAY CHURCH. 00:54 GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL HERE ON THIS BEAUTIFUL SABBATH MORNING. 00:57 THANKS FOR COMING AND JOINING US AS WE STUDY GOD'S WORD TOGETHER. 01:00 WE'VE BEEN STUDYING THROUGH OUR LESSON QUARTERLY DEALING WITH 01:03 THE GOSPEL OF LUKE, AND TODAY WE FIND OURSELVES IN LESSON #11. 01:05 THE LESSON IS ENTITLED THE KINGDOM OF GOD . 01:10 WE HAVE A FREE OFFER THAT GOES ALONG WITH TODAY'S STUDY, AND 01:14 FOR ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE THIS OFFER, YOU JUST 01:17 NEED TO CALL OUR RESOURCE LINE. THE BOOK IS CALLED THREE STEPS 01:20 TO HEAVEN AND THE PHONE NUMBER IS 866-788-3966. AGAIN, THAT 01:27 NUMBER IS 866-788-3966 - THAT'S 866-STUDY-MORE. 01:33 ASK FOR THE BOOK OR OFFER #102 AND WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SEND THE 01:38 BOOK TO YOU - THREE STEPS TO HEAVEN - JUST A GREAT RESOURCE 01:40 FOR STUDY, TO DRAW YOU CLOSER TO JESUS. AT THIS TIME I'D LIKE 01:45 TO INVITE OUR CHORISTERS TO COME FORWARD AND THEY'RE GOING TO 01:49 LEAD US IN SOME HYMNS AS WE BEGIN OUR TIME TOGETHER. 01:54 >>OUR FIRST ONE IS #223 - CROWN HIM WITH MANY CROWNS - WE'RE 01:59 GOING TO DO THE SECOND - THE FIRST, SECOND, AND FOURTH 02:02 STANZAS - #223 - JOIN WITH US. (MUSIC) 02:15 >>CROWN HIM WITH MANY CROWNS, THE LAMB UPON HIS THRONE; HARK! 02:24 HOW THE HEAV'NLY ANTHEM DROWNS ALL MUSIC BUT ITS OWN! 02:32 AWAKE, MY SOUL AND SING OF HIM WHO DIED FOR THEE, AND HAIL HIM 02:42 AS THY MATCHLESS KING THROUGH ALL ETERNITY. 02:50 CROWN HIM THE LORD OF LOVE! BEHOLD HIS HANDS AND SIDE- THOSE 02:59 WOUNDS, YET VISIBLE ABOVE, IN BEAUTY GLORIFIED. 03:07 NO ANGEL IN THE SKY CAN FULLY BEAR THAT SIGHT, BUT DOWNWARD 03:17 BENDS HIS WONDERING EYE AT MYSTERIES SO GREAT. 03:26 CROWN HIM THE LORD OF YEARS, THE POTENTATE OF TIME, CREATOR OF 03:37 THE ROLLING SPHERES, INEFFABLY SUBLIME! 03:44 ALL HAIL! REDEEMER, HAIL! FOR THOU HAS DIED FOR ME; THY 03:54 PRAISE SHALL NEVER, NEVER FAIL THROUGHOUT ETERNITY. 04:06 >>AMEN. 04:08 >>WE'RE SO GLAD TO WELCOME WILLIAM BYAS AND JESSICA, HIS 04:11 WIFE, TO JOIN US HERE AT GRANITE BAY, TODAY, AND SO WE LOVE IT 04:14 WHEN WILLIAM PLAYS OUR PIANO. OUR NEXT SONG IS #4 IN THE THEME 04:21 OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, PRAISE MY SOUL THE KING OF HEAVEN. 04:25 THIS IS A GORGEOUS SONG AND WE'RE GOING TO DO THE FIRST, THE 04:29 SECOND, AND THE FOURTH STANZAS - #4. 04:34 (MUSIC) 04:44 PRAISE, MY SOUL, THE KING OF HEAVEN; TO HIS FEET THY 04:53 TRIBUTE BRING. RANSOMED, HEALED, RESTORED, 05:00 FORGIVEN, WHO LIKE THEE HIS PRAISE SHOULD SING? 05:07 PRAISE HIM, PRAISE HIM, ALLELUIA, PRAISE THE 05:14 EVERLASTING KING. PRAISE HIM FOR HIS GRACE AND 05:23 FAVOR TO OUR FATHERS IN DISTRESS. 05:30 PRAISE HIM, STILL THE SAME FOREVER, SLOW TO CHIDE AND 05:37 SWIFT TO BLESS; PRAISE HIM, PRAISE HIM, ALLELUIA, GLORIOUS 05:46 IN HIS FAITHFULNESS. ANGELS, HELP US TO ADORE HIM: YE 05:58 BEHOLD HIM FACE TO FACE; SUN AND MOON, BOW DOWN BEFORE HIM: 06:07 DWELLERS ALL IN TIME AND SPACE. PRAISE HIM, PRAISE HIM, 06:14 ALLELUIA, PRAISE WITH US THE GOD OF GRACE. 06:25 >>THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SINGING ALONG WITH US. 06:27 AND WE WELCOME PASTOR ROSS UP TO DO OUR OPENING PRAYER. 06:34 >>LET US BOW OUR HEADS. DEAR FATHER IN HEAVEN, WE THANK 06:37 YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY, ONCE AGAIN, FOR US TO GATHER TOGETHER 06:40 ON THIS SABBATH TO STUDY YOUR WORD. 06:42 LORD, WE ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO COME AND GUIDE OUR HEARTS AND 06:44 OUR MINDS. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT LESSON - 06:47 IT'S TALKING ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD - THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 06:49 THAT, OF COURSE, IS OUR FOCUS AND WE JUST ASK YOUR BLESSING, 06:53 LORD, AS WE STUDY TOGETHER. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN. 06:56 THANK YOU, SINGERS. AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO INVITE 06:59 CHUCK HOLTRY TO MAKE HIS WAY TO THE FRONT. 07:02 HE IS OUR AFCOE DIRECTOR. 07:03 AFCOE IS THE AMAZING FACTS CENTER OF EVANGELISM. 07:07 AND ONE OF THE THINGS AFCOE LIKES TO DO EVERY YEAR IS TO 07:10 TAKE A GROUP OF GRADUATES ON A MISSION TRIP TO SOME DISTANT 07:14 PLACE. NOW THIS PAST DECEMBER, WE HAD A 07:17 TEAM THAT WENT TO NEPAL AND I THINK WE DID GIVE A LITTLE 07:20 MISSION REPORT ON THE TEAM OVER THERE. 07:23 CHUCK WAS NOT WITH THE GROUP THAT WENT TO NEPAL, HE WAS 07:26 ACTUALLY OVER IN THAILAND, PREPARING THE WAY FOR AN 07:29 UPCOMING MISSION EXCURSION TO THAILAND. 07:32 SO CHUCK, WHAT WERE YOU DOING THIS PAST DECEMBER IN THAILAND? 07:35 >>I HAD A FRIEND OF MINE WHO SAID, "WE WOULD LIKE TO DO SOME 07:37 WORK IN THAILAND AMONG A REFUGEE GROUP OF PEOPLE - THE KAREN 07:41 PEOPLE - SOME OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THEM. 07:43 REFUGEES FROM BURMA, OR MYANMAR, ARE GOING OVER INTO THAILAND. 07:46 >>SO YOU WERE THERE FOR SEVERAL WEEKS AND I KNOW YOU DID SOME 07:49 PREACHING/TEACHING WHILE YOU WERE THERE? 07:51 >>YES, WE WERE SPECIFICALLY TRAINING KAREN PASTORS - 07:53 MOST OF THEM DON'T GET FORMAL TRAINING. 07:55 WE'RE TRAINING THEM HOW TO DO EVANGELISM AS WELL AS DOING 07:57 PUBLIC EVANGELISM AT NIGHT AND TEACHING THEM HOW TO DO IT. 07:59 AND THEN WE DID SOME WEEK OF PRAYER - A WEEK OF PRAYER AT THE 08:02 REFUGEE CAMP AND SOME OTHER ORPHANAGES. SO IT WAS BUSY. 08:06 >>WE'VE GOT SOME PICTURES THAT I THINK YOU KIND OF WANT TO SHARE 08:08 WITH US A LITTLE BIT. TELL US ABOUT THESE PICTURES. 08:10 >>OKAY, THIS PICTURE RIGHT HERE IS ALMOST ICONIC THAILAND; 08:14 HOWEVER, THIS IS THE REFUGEE CAMP. IT'S THE LARGEST KAREN 08:17 REFUGEE CAMP IN THAILAND. IT'S CALLED MAE LA CAMP. 08:20 THERE ARE 50,000 PEOPLE SQUEEZED INTO THREE SQUARE KILOMETERS 08:23 HERE. JUST THE - INCREDIBLE PLACE. 08:27 THE NEXT SLIDE - THIS - I PUT THIS SLIDE JUST TO GIVE YOU A 08:31 FEEL - HOW CLOSE BURMA, WHICH IS NOW MYANMAR - IS TO THAILAND. 08:35 ONE SIDE OF THE BRIDGE IS BURMA. THE OTHER SIDE IS THAILAND. 08:41 PEOPLE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE WALKING BACK FREELY, BUT THEY 08:43 DO. IT'S PRETTY OPEN LAND. THAT'S A NO-MAN'S LAND. 08:46 YOU SEE SOME OF THE PEOPLE STANDING RIGHT THERE. 08:48 BUT THERE'S A FLOOD OF REFUGEES. 08:50 THE BURMESE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT LIKE THE KAREN PEOPLE - 08:53 PERSECUTES THEM - AND THEY COME ACROSS TO THE THAILAND SIDE. 08:56 THAILAND DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEM. 08:58 THEY PUT THEM IN REFUGEE CAMPS. AND SO, WE'RE WORKING 09:00 SPECIFICALLY - WE WERE WORKING WITH - AND THIS COMING DECEMBER 09:02 WE'LL BE WORKING SPECIFICALLY WITH THE KAREN PEOPLE. 09:05 WE'VE GOT SOME MORE PICTURES, TELLING US ABOUT SOME OF THE 09:07 THINGS THAT WERE HAPPENING WHILE YOU WERE THERE. 09:09 >>THIS WAS OUR OUTDOOR EVANGELISTIC SERIES AND WE HAD 09:13 ABOUT A HUNDRED PEOPLE - TWO-THIRDS OF THEM WERE CHILDREN 09:18 - COME EVERY NIGHT. WE WERE WITHIN HEARING DISTANCE 09:20 OF THE RIVER AND SO WE KNEW - WE COULDN'T GUARANTEE IT, BUT WE'RE 09:24 ALMOST POSITIVE THAT A LOT OF THE PEOPLE COMING IN OUR 09:26 AUDIENCE EVERY NIGHT WERE COMING OVER FROM THE MYANMAR - COMING 09:29 OVER TO HEAR THE EVANGELISTIC SERIES AND GOING BACK. 09:31 OUR GOAL IS WHEN WE GO BACK THIS DECEMBER, WE'LL BE RUNNING SIX 09:33 SITES IN THE SAME AREA SIMULTANEOUSLY. 09:36 WE DID ONE THIS LAST YEAR - IN FACT, THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS YOU - 09:40 THIS IS THE SAME PLACE IN THE DAYTIME. 09:42 I WANT YOU TO SEE. I FELT SO NEAT. 09:44 I WAS DOING AN EVANGELISTIC SERIES UNDERNEATH A TREE. 09:47 AT NIGHT TIME - YOU CAN'T SEE IT AS WELL, BUT IN THE DAY TIME, 09:49 JUST ONE MASSIVE TREE. 09:51 WE WERE KIND OF IN A VACANT LOT THERE, ABOUT A HUNDRED - TWO 09:54 HUNDRED YARDS FROM THE RIVER WITH MYANMAR. 09:56 THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS THE OTHER PART. 10:00 WE DID A WEEK OF PRAYER AT A REFUGEE CAMP. 10:02 AND ADRA RUNS THE SCHOOL - THERE ARE 800 STUDENTS HERE AT THIS 10:06 HIGH SCHOOL ON THE REFUGEE CAMP. MANY OF THE STUDENTS THERE ARE 10:10 ADVENTISTS, BUT THERE'S A LOT THAT ARE NOT ADVENTIST. 10:12 THEY DO A WEEK OF PRAYER ONCE A YEAR. 10:15 THEY BRING IN OUTSIDE SPEAKERS. THE NEXT SLIDE GIVES YOU A 10:17 LITTLE PICTURE WITH THE SCHOOL. THIS IS THE MAIN SCHOOL 10:19 BUILDING. THERE ARE CURTAINS HANGING IN 10:23 BETWEEN CLASSES. IT IS HALF-INCH PLYWOOD COVERED 10:27 WITH BLACK PAINT - THAT IS THE CHALKBOARDS. 10:29 I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE - I'M A TEACHER - I'VE BEEN TO A 10:33 LOT OF SCHOOLS AND I DREAMED FOR NICER THINGS IN MY SCHOOLS AND I 10:36 WAS HUMBLED WHEN I WAS THERE BECAUSE THIS IS - WHAT THEY'RE 10:39 OPERATING WITH IS SO MUCH LESS THAN WHAT WE'RE WILLING TO 10:41 OPERATE WITH AND YET GOD IS MOVING. 10:44 THESE YOUNG PEOPLE WOULD SIT AND LISTEN TO ME SPEAK FOR AN HOUR 10:46 AND MAKE NOT A WORD. I WAS AMAZED BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, 10:51 ESPECIALLY THROUGH A TRANSLATOR, IT CAN GET BORING AT TIMES. WE 10:53 HAD TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE AND THEY LISTENED THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH. 10:56 JUST A REALLY NEAT EXPERIENCE THAT WE HAD THERE IN THAILAND. 11:00 THE NEXT SLIDE - I WANT TO CLOSE WITH THIS ONE BECAUSE - SEE THE 11:03 LADY STANDING NEXT TO ME? HER NAME IS HELEN HALL. 11:08 WHEN SHE WAS 42 YEARS OLD, SHE WAS IN AUSTRALIA AND SHE GOT A 11:12 CALL ON HER HEART TO GO AND BECOME A MISSIONARY TO THAILAND. 11:14 THAT WAS 34 YEARS AGO. SHE ONLY GOES BACK TO GET HER VISA. 11:19 34 YEARS SHE'S DEDICATED HERSELF SPECIFICALLY TO TEACHING 11:23 KAREN YOUNG PEOPLE. SHE IS THE PRINCIPAL OF THE 11:26 SCHOOL I WAS JUST SHOWING YOU ABOUT. 11:28 HELEN IS - SHE'S INDOMITABLE - THAT'S THE BEST WAY I CAN 11:32 DESCRIBE HER. THERE IS NOTHING THAT STOPS HER. 11:34 SHE WILL ARGUE WITH OFFICIALS WHEN IT'S RIGHT TO ARGUE, THEN 11:37 SHE'LL BACK OFF WHEN SHE KNOWS SHE'S GOING TO GET NOWHERE. 11:39 SHE KNOWS HOW TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE HER CHILDREN 11:42 SUCCEED. HER YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE THE 11:45 HIGHEST RATE OF GOING ON TO COLLEGE FROM THE REFUGEE CAMP 11:50 BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT SHE PUTS INTO THEM THERE AND FIFTY 11:54 TO SIXTY OF HER YOUNG PEOPLE ARE BAPTIZED EVERY YEAR AND BECOME 11:57 FAITHFUL MEMBERS OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH. 11:59 SO JUST A TREMENDOUS WORK THAT HELEN'S DOING THERE, AND WHEN I 12:02 SAW HER COURAGE AND HER WILLINGNESS TO POUR HER LIFE 12:05 INTO IT, IT JUST ENCOURAGED ME. AND I THINK I WANT TO SHARE THE 12:09 STORY WITH YOU AS WELL. GOD HAS GIVEN US A CALLING. 12:11 HE'S NOT ASKING FOR A WEEK HERE OR A WEEK THERE, ALTHOUGH THAT'S 12:17 GREAT TO DO AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT THIS COMING 12:18 DECEMBER. GOD IS ASKING FOR US TO GIVE OUR 12:21 LIVES IN SERVICE, WHERE HE CALLS US. 12:24 IT MAY NOT BE THAILAND, IT MAY BE SACRAMENTO, BUT WHEREVER GOD 12:27 CALLS US, TO GIVE OUR LIVES ONE HUNDRED PERCENT THERE. 12:30 >>AMEN. WELL, THANK YOU, CHUCK, FOR 12:32 SHARING THAT WITH US. IT'S EXCITING. 12:33 WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE TEAM GOING BACK THERE THIS 12:35 DECEMBER AND THEN SHARING WITH US A MISSION REPORT FOLLOWING 12:38 THIS EVANGELISTIC EFFORT AND OUTREACH AND SOME HEALTH WORK 12:41 THAT THEY'RE DOING. IF YOU'D LIKE MORE INFORMATION 12:44 ABOUT THE UPCOMING AFCOE/THAILAND MISSION TRIP, 12:46 PLEASE BE SURE TO CONTACT CHUCK. YOU CAN GET AHOLD OF HIM AT 12:49 AMAZING FACTS, THROUGH THE AMAZING FACTS WEBSITE. 12:51 WELL, PASTOR DOUG, AT THIS TIME WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN OUR LESSON. 12:54 AGAIN, AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER, IT'S LESSON #11 ENTITLED THE 12:56 KINGDOM OF GOD AND PASTOR DOUG WILL BE BRINGING US OUR LESSON 13:00 TODAY. THANK YOU, PASTOR. >>HI. HAPPY SABBATH. 13:04 HELLO EVERYBODY. HI FRIENDS, WHO ARE STUDYING 13:06 WITH US - PART OF OUR AMAZING FACTS SABBATH SCHOOL CLASS OTHER 13:10 PLACES. YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS SAY THE SAME 13:12 THING EVERY TIME WE START SABBATH SCHOOL. 13:14 ACROSS THE STREET AND AROUND THE WORLD JUST KEEPING THINKING OF 13:18 OTHER WAYS OF SAYING PLANETARY SABBATH SCHOOL CLASS, OR 13:22 SOMETHING LIKE THAT. WE'RE JUST GLAD THAT WE HAVE 13:24 PEOPLE WHO ARE STUDYING ALL OVER - VIA THE INTERNET AND WE ARE 13:28 GOING TO CONTINUE WITH OUR STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF LUKE. 13:32 WE'RE DEALING WITH THE LESSON #11 TODAY TALKING ABOUT A 13:35 CENTRAL THEME OF THE BIBLE: THE KINGDOM OF GOD - THE KINGDOM OF 13:40 GOD - AND WE HAVE A MEMORY VERSE AND THE MEMORY VERSE COMES FROM 13:44 LUKE CHAPTER 13, VERSE 29 AND I INVITE YOU TO SAY THAT WITH ME. 13:49 LUKE 13:29, YOU READY? "AND THEY SHALL COME FROM THE 13:53 EAST, AND FROM THE WEST, AND FROM THE NORTH, AND FROM THE 13:57 SOUTH, AND SHALL SIT DOWN IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD." 14:01 LUKE 13:29 - NOW, THIS WAS ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT DISTURBING 14:08 - THIS VERSE - TO THOSE THAT WERE LISTENING BECAUSE, FOR THE 14:12 JEWISH NATION, WHAT THEY WANTED WAS - THEY WANTED THEIR KINGDOM 14:16 TO BE RESTORED AND TO SPREAD EVERYWHERE ELSE AND, BASICALLY 14:22 DISPLACE - ALL OTHER KINGDOMS. 14:25 AND JESUS WAS SAYING, 'MANY WILL COME FROM THE EAST AND THE WEST 14:28 AND SIT DOWN IN THE KINGDOM WITH ABRAHAM AND ISAAC AND JACOB AND 14:32 THE CHILDREN OF THE KINGDOM WILL BE CAST OUT.' 14:36 IN OTHER WORDS, THERE WOULD BE MANY FROM THE OUTSIDE THAT WOULD 14:39 COME IN AND SOME WHO ARE IN THE INSIDE THAT WOULD BE LEFT OUT. 14:43 AND SO QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD WERE NOT BASED ON 14:48 GENETICS OR DNA, BUT IT WAS A WILLINGNESS TO SERVE THE KING. 14:53 AND SO THIS WAS A CENTRAL TEACHING OF JESUS ALL THROUGH 14:57 THE NEW TESTAMENT. MATTER OF FACT, WE'RE GOING TO 14:59 LOOK AT A NUMBER OF VERSES AND ALONG THE WAY - I THINK I'VE GOT 15:02 A FEW OF YOU LINED UP WHO ARE GOING TO HELP ME LOOK UP SOME 15:05 VERSES. FIRST OF ALL, WHAT IS A KINGDOM? 15:09 A KINGDOM IS A POLITICAL OR TERRITORIAL UNIT RULED BY A 15:13 SOVEREIGN. THE REALM OF THE SOVEREIGN - OR 15:18 REALM - A SPHERE IN WHICH A THING IS DOMINATED. 15:20 NOW WHEN WE STUDY THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN AMERICA, WE'RE ALL A 15:23 LITTLE HANDICAPPED IN OUR UNDERSTANDING BECAUSE WE LIVE IN 15:25 A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF A REPUBLIC. 15:28 WE DON'T HAVE A KING. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT AMERICA 15:31 WAS FOUNDED ON IS WE WANTED TO HAVE A GOVERNMENT WITHOUT A KING 15:35 AND A CHURCH WITHOUT A POPE. WE WANTED THERE TO BE FREEDOM IN 15:38 THE GOVERNMENT AND FREEDOM IN THE RELIGION. 15:43 AND - BUT A KINGDOM - ESPECIALLY MANY OF THESE ANCIENT KINGDOMS - 15:47 THE KING NOT ONLY EXPECTED TO BE OBEYED AS THE LAW, HE EXPECTED 15:54 TO BE THE ADMINISTRATOR AS THE CENTER OF GOVERNMENT AND HE 15:57 EXPECTED TO BE WORSHIPED AS A GOD. 16:01 NOW WE KNOW THERE WERE MANY EARTHLY MONARCHS THAT WANTED ALL 16:05 THOSE THINGS AND DIDN'T DESERVE THEM. BUT, YOU KNOW, 16:08 THE PHARAOHS, THEY NOT ONLY EXPECTED TO ADMINISTRATE AND BE 16:11 THE LAW GIVERS AND THE JUDGES, THEY ASKED FOR WORSHIP. 16:15 AND THE CAESARS ASKED FOR WORSHIP. 16:20 HE DIDN'T START OUT THIS WAY, BUT ALEXANDER THE GREAT, LATER 16:23 ON, HE ASKED FOR WORSHIP. WHAT ABOUT KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR? 16:27 WHAT ABOUT KING DARIUS? THEY WORSHIPED THE KING. 16:31 AND SO NOW, FOR HUMANS, THAT'S VERY INAPPROPRIATE. 16:35 BUT WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD, IS IT 16:38 APPROPRIATE TO WORSHIP OUR KING? AND SO WHEN PEOPLE SAY, 'I WANT 16:41 JESUS AS MY LORD AND MY KING' - DO WE KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? 16:46 THE THIEF THAT WAS ON THE CROSS - YOU KNOW, THE ONE PERSON JESUS 16:49 SAVED WHEN HE WAS ON THE CROSS WAS THAT THIEF. AND HE SAID, 16:54 'LORD, REMEMBER ME WHEN YOU COME INTO YOUR KINGDOM.' 17:00 SO HE CALLED HIM 'LORD' AND 'KING' AND JESUS COULD SAVE HIM. 17:04 HE COULD BECOME A CITIZEN IN JESUS' KINGDOM BECAUSE OF HIS 17:08 PLEA - HIS DECLARATION - AND HE RECOGNIZED JESUS. 17:11 HOW COULD YOU SEE JESUS AS A KING IN THAT CONDITION? 17:14 HERE CHRIST WAS HANGING ON A CROSS AND HE'S - HE'S, YOU KNOW, 17:19 HE'S BEATEN AND HE'S BLOODY AND HE'S PALE AND DYING AND NOT 17:22 CLOTHED LIKE A KING AND THIS THIEF CALLED HIM 'KING.' SO 17:27 OBVIOUSLY, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD, IT'S 17:30 DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE WOULD TYPICALLY THINK OF. IT'S A 17:34 SPIRITUAL KINGDOM, FOR ONE THING, IN THIS WORLD. NOW THIS 17:37 IS THE CENTRAL MESSAGE OF JESUS THAT YOU FIND THROUGH THE BIBLE. 17:40 FOR INSTANCE, LOOK IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 3, VERSE 1, "IN THOSE 17:44 DAYS CAME JOHN THE BAPTIST, PREACHING IN THE WILDERNESS OF 17:48 JUDAEA," - WHAT'S THE FIRST THING JOHN SAID? 17:50 - "REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS COMING IN TWO 17:55 THOUSAND YEARS." WHAT DID HE SAY? 18:00 "AT HAND" - WHAT DOES 'AT HAND' MEAN? 18:02 SIMPLE TRANSLATION IS 'WITHIN REACH.' IT MEANS IT'S HERE. 18:06 YOU CAN REACH IT. AND THEN WHAT DID JESUS - NOW 18:09 THAT'S JOHN THE BAPTIST; WHAT DID JESUS SAY? 18:11 MATTHEW 4:17, "FROM THAT TIME JESUS BEGAN TO PREACH" - FIRST 18:16 THING OUT OF HIS MOUTH -"'REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF 18:19 HEAVEN IS AT HAND.'" BY THE WAY, YOU NOTICE THAT BOTH WITH JOHN 18:23 AND BOTH WITH JESUS, THE FIRST WORD OF THE GOSPEL IS WHAT? 18:26 REPENT. MEANING, ENTRANCE INTO THIS KINGDOM, ONE OF THE 18:32 PREREQUISITES, IS HUMBLING YOURSELF IN REPENTANCE. 18:37 THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD WHERE YOU 18:40 ENTER BY FORCE, BY STRENGTH, BY HOW BIG AND STRONG AND TALL, 18:44 AND RICH, AND POWERFUL YOU ARE. 18:46 NO, YOU GET INTO THIS KINGDOM BY REPENTANCE. 18:49 BUT THIS IS THE KINGDOM THAT'S GOING TO LAST. 18:52 NOW, THE SUBJECT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS SO IMPORTANT TO 18:57 UNDERSTAND BECAUSE WHEN JESUS CAME THE FIRST TIME, DID THE 19:01 APOSTLES UNDERSTAND THE SUBJECT OF THE KINGDOM? I'M NOT TALKING 19:05 ABOUT JUST THE JEWS, THE APOSTLES - HOW LONG WAS IT THAT 19:09 THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE SUBJECT OF THE KINGDOM? 19:12 WAS IT SIX MONTHS INTO JESUS' MINISTRY? 19:15 WERE THEY CONFUSED ABOUT THE KINGDOM A YEAR INTO JESUS' 19:19 MINISTRY? AFTER TWO YEARS WALKING WITH 19:21 JESUS, DID THEY FINALLY UNDERSTAND THE KINGDOM? 19:24 HOW ABOUT THREE AND A HALF YEARS BEFORE THE CROSS? 19:27 WERE THEY STILL CONFUSED ABOUT THE KINGDOM? 19:28 HOW ABOUT AFTER THE RESURRECTION? 19:31 WERE THEY STILL MIXED UP ABOUT THE KINGDOM? 19:33 THEY WERE, RIGHT AFTER THE RESURRECTION, STILL. 19:36 YOU READ - WE'RE GOING TO GET TO IT LATER, BUT THEY ASKED HIM, 19:39 BEFORE HE ASCENDED TO HEAVEN, 'WILL YOU, AT THIS TIME, 19:42 ESTABLISH THE KINGDOM?' THEY WERE THINKING THAT HE WAS 19:44 JUST GOING TO THROW SOME KIND OF WHAMMY ON THE ROMAN EMPIRE AND 19:47 THAT JESUS WAS GOING TO SET HIMSELF UP AS THE DESCENDANT OF 19:51 DAVID AND THEY WOULD HAVE AN EARTHLY KINGDOM. 19:53 IS IT POSSIBLE THAT GOD'S PEOPLE COULD, ONCE AGAIN, BE 19:58 CONFUSED ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE KINGDOM? 'OH, NOT US. 20:02 WE HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT.' COULD THE DEVIL DO THE SAME 20:06 THING TO US NOW THAT HE DID TO THE APOSTLES WHEN JESUS CAME THE 20:09 FIRST TIME? THAT WE REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND 20:12 WHAT KIND OF KINGDOM IT IS. I THINK THERE'S A GOOD 20:15 PROBABILITY. IF IT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING 20:17 JESUS IS TEACHING, THEN IT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS 20:21 FOR SATAN TO CONFUSE. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? 20:25 NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE SUBJECT OF THE KINGDOM IS. 20:28 YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE GOSPEL STORY, IN THE - YOU KNOW, THE 20:33 GOSPEL DOESN'T BEGIN IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, THE GOSPEL BEGINS IN 20:36 THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE GOSPEL STORY IS ABOUT RAISING UP A 20:40 KINGDOM. GOD TOOK A NATION OF POORLY EDUCATED SLAVES AND HE 20:48 TURNED THEM INTO A KINGDOM. ISN'T THAT RIGHT? 20:51 WHEN MOSES LED THEM OUT, THEY HAD TO START FROM SCRATCH AND 20:54 THEY TURNED INTO A KINGDOM. AND GOD WANTS TO DO THAT ONCE 20:58 AGAIN. HE'S GOT THIS SPIRITUAL KINGDOM 21:00 THAT HE'S ESTABLISHING HERE IN THIS WORLD. 21:03 ALRIGHT, THAT TAKES US TO OUR FIRST SECTION, UNDER SUNDAY, FOR 21:06 - THE FIRST PART IT SAYS, CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KINGDOM . 21:10 NOW I'M GOING TO HAVE SOMEBODY READ LUKE 11:2 IN JUST A MOMENT. 21:13 WHO'S GOT THAT LINED UP? 21:15 OKAY, RICHARD, WE'LL HAVE YOU IN A MOMENT. 21:17 AND I'M GOING TO READ JOHN 13:34, JESUS SAID, "A NEW 21:20 COMMANDMENT I GIVE TO YOU, THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER; AS I HAVE 21:25 LOVED YOU, THAT YOU ALSO LOVE ONE ANOTHER." 21:28 WHAT IS THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLE IN GOD'S KINGDOM? 21:30 LOVE. WHAT'S THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLE 21:34 IN MANY EARTHLY KINGDOMS? FEAR. YEAH, IT'S BASED ON THE 21:40 POWER OF THE KING, BUT IT'S - IF YOU DON'T DO WHAT THE KING WANTS 21:46 - WHAT DID NEBUCHADNEZZAR SAY TO GET EVERYBODY TO BOW TO HIS 21:51 IMAGE? 'YOU'LL HURT MY FEELINGS'? 21:54 OR DID HE SAY, 'YOU'RE GOING TO GO TO THE FURNACE.' AND WHAT DID 21:57 DARIUS SAY TO GET EVERYBODY TO RECOGNIZE HIS AUTHORITY? 22:00 'YOU'RE GOING TO A LION'S DEN.' AND IF YOU'RE A ROMAN CAESAR, 22:04 'IF YOU DON'T SERVE ME YOU'RE GOING TO BE CRUCIFIED.' IF 22:06 YOU'RE A CITIZEN, YOU'RE BEHEADED. 22:08 IF YOU'RE A NON-CITIZEN, YOU'RE CRUCIFIED. 22:10 AND SO PEOPLE - THE MOTIVE FOR OBEYING THE KING WASN'T LOVE, IT 22:16 WAS FEAR. JESUS SAID IT'S A DIFFERENT KIND 22:18 OF KINGDOM - DIFFERENT KIND OF MOTIVE - MOTIVATED BY LOVE. 22:22 NOW IF YOU LOOK IN LUKE 4, VERSE 42 - WE'LL READ THROUGH 44 AND 22:27 THEN WE'LL GO TO LUKE 11:2. IT SAYS, "NOW WHEN IT WAS DAY, 22:32 HE DEPARTED AND WENT INTO A DESERTED PLACE. 22:34 AND THE CROWD SOUGHT HIM AND CAME TO HIM, AND TRIED TO KEEP 22:38 HIM FROM LEAVING THEM; BUT HE SAID TO THEM, 'I MUST PREACH THE 22:41 KINGDOM OF GOD TO THE OTHER CITIES ALSO, BECAUSE FOR THIS 22:45 PURPOSE I HAVE BEEN SENT.' AND" - IT SAYS - "HE WAS PREACHING IN 22:49 THE SYNAGOGUES OF GALILEE." AS JESUS TRAVELED AROUND, WHAT 22:52 WAS HIS MISSION? 'I MUST PREACH THE KINGDOM OF 22:55 GOD.' ALRIGHT, GO AHEAD, READ FOR US LUKE 11:2. 22:59 >>"SO HE SAID TO THEM, 'WHEN YOU PRAY, SAY: OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN, 23:04 HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME. YOUR KINGDOM COME. 23:07 YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.'" 23:12 >>ALRIGHT, SO ONE OF THE FIRST PETITIONS IN THE LORD'S PRAYER 23:14 IS REGARDING WHAT? THY KINGDOM COME. 23:18 WOULD YOU PRAY FOR SOMETHING THAT ALREADY EXISTED? 23:21 WHY WOULD YOU PRAY GOD'S KINGDOM COME IF IT ISN'T ALREADY HERE? 23:28 AND WHEN WE SAY 'GOD'S KINGDOM COME' - COME WHERE? 23:31 IS THAT TALKING ABOUT THE SECOND COMING, OR IT IS TALKING ABOUT 23:35 THE KINGDOM COMING WITHIN US? OR MAYBE BOTH? 23:39 SO AS WE GET ALONG IN OUR STUDY ON THE KINGDOM, WE'RE GOING TO 23:43 FIND THAT THERE'S REALLY TWO DIMENSIONS OF THE STUDY ON WHAT 23:46 THIS KINGDOM IS. BUT THERE IT IS IN THE LORD'S PRAYER. 23:49 NOW, YOU DON'T FIND THIS IN LUKE SO YOU HAVE TO GO TO MATTHEW. 23:52 BUT IF YOU GO TO MATTHEW CHAPTER 6, VERSE 13, THERE IS ONE 23:55 ADDITIONAL POINT THAT MATTHEW MAKES REGARDING THE LORD'S 23:59 PRAYER, THAT IS NOT MENTIONED IN LUKE. 24:01 MATTHEW 6:13 - AT THE END OF THE LORD'S PRAYER IT SAYS, 'FOR 24:04 YOURS IS THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY FOREVER, AMEN.' 24:09 AND SO YOU'VE GOT THE KINGDOM MENTIONED AS ONE OF THE 24:12 PETITIONS IN THE PRAYER AND THEN YOU'VE GOT THE KINGDOM MENTIONED 24:14 AS A DECLARATION AT THE END OF THE PRAYER, BUT THE LORD'S 24:17 PRAYER IS SANDWICHED IN THE CONTEXT OF A DIFFERENT KINGDOM. 24:21 WHY IS THAT? BECAUSE IN OUR WORLD TODAY, 24:26 THERE ARE TWO KINGDOMS IN CONFLICT. 24:29 IF I COULD SUMMARIZE THE MOTIVES OF THOSE TWO KINGDOMS, IT WOULD 24:33 BE LOVE AND SELFISHNESS. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT 24:38 THOSE ARE THE TWO FORCES I FEEL FIGHTING WITHIN ME ALL THE TIME 24:41 AND IT'S REALLY EASY TO SURRENDER TO SELFISHNESS. 24:44 IT'S KIND OF NATURAL, MATTER OF FACT. 24:46 JUST ALWAYS THINK ABOUT YOURSELF AND EVERY DECISION AND THE 24:49 CONTEXT OF YOUR LIFE ALL REVOLVES AROUND 'IT'S ALL ABOUT 24:53 ME, ISN'T IT?' 'IT'S ALL ABOUT ME.' 'I DID IT 24:56 MY WAY.' I MEAN, THAT'S THIS KINGDOM OF THIS WORLD. 25:00 IT'S ALL PULLING THIS DIRECTION. 25:03 CHRIST'S KINGDOM IS THE POLAR OPPOSITE. 25:06 HE SAID, 'LOVE THE LORD, LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR' - THAT'S GOING 25:10 THAT DIRECTION - 'AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF.' SO IT STARTS BY A 25:12 LOVE THAT GOES OUT. THE KINGDOM OF THE DEVIL IS ALL 25:17 ABOUT A LOVE THAT GOES IN AND YOU'LL ULTIMATELY - IT'S A 25:20 VORTEX OF SELF-DESTRUCTION. EVENTUALLY, YOU WILL DESTROY 25:24 YOURSELF WITH SELF LOVE IF YOU MAKE YOURSELF YOUR KING. 25:28 THAT'S THE KINGDOM OF THE DEVIL - SATAN WANTED TO BE GOD. 25:33 THE WORLD FELL BECAUSE EVE - AND THEN FOLLOWING IN HER, ADAM - 25:37 DECIDED TO PUT THEMSELVES FIRST. 'YOU WILL BE AS GOD.' 'DON'T 25:40 MAKE GOD YOUR GOD, YOU BE GOD.' AND SO YOU'VE GOT THESE TWO 25:44 MOTIVES - THESE TWO KINGDOMS THAT ARE AT WAR WITH EACH OTHER. 25:47 DID JESUS RECOGNIZE THE DEVIL, AT LEAST AS KIDNAPPING THIS 25:52 WORLD, AND HE WAS THE KING, OF SORTS? 25:54 CHRIST SAID, 'THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD COMES.' WHY DID - WHY DID 25:59 THE DEVIL SAY TO JESUS, 'FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP ME AND I'LL 26:02 GIVE ALL THESE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD'? 26:04 WHAT DID THE DEVIL SHOW JESUS IN VISION? 26:05 HE MADE ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD PASS BEFORE HIM AND HE 26:08 SAID, 'FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP ME AND I'LL GIVE ALL THIS TO YOU.' 26:12 WHY IS HE CLAIMING THAT? BECAUSE HE SAID, 'THESE PEOPLE 26:17 ON THIS PLANET WORSHIP ME.' - WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS. 26:21 THAT'S WHY, WHEN THE DEVIL CAME TO REPRESENT OUR WORLD AT THIS 26:24 HEAVENLY MEETING, IN THE BOOK OF JOB, GOD SAID TO SATAN, 'WHERE'D 26:27 YOU COME FROM?' HE SAID, 'I CAME FROM MY KINGDOM. 26:30 I CAME FROM THE EARTH.' AND GOD SAID, 'IT'S NOT ALL YOUR KINGDOM 26:34 BECAUSE I'VE GOT AN AMBASSADOR THERE, HIS NAME'S JOB.' AND SO 26:38 THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL IS WE'RE TRYING TO TAKE BACK 26:42 THIS WORLD FOR CHRIST BECAUSE HE - IT'S HIS. HE MADE IT. 26:47 SO THERE'S THIS - THIS BATTLE BETWEEN THESE TWO KINGDOMS. 26:51 NOW MOST OF THE TIME IN THE BIBLE IT'S CALLED THE KINGDOM OF 26:56 HEAVEN - IN A LOT OF THE PARABLES OF JESUS. 26:58 IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, WHEN IT TALKS ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF 27:01 HEAVEN, YOU'D BE SURPRISED THAT SOMETIMES IT'S REFERRED TO AS 27:03 THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS . 27:06 IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, AT LEAST ONE TIME, IT CALLS IT THE 27:09 KINGDOM OF CHRIST AND GOD . LET'S READ THIS TO YOU. 27:13 EPHESIANS 5:5, "FOR THIS YOU KNOW, THAT NO FORNICATOR, 27:17 UNCLEAN PERSON, NOR COVETOUS MAN, WHO IS AN IDOLATER, HAS ANY 27:22 INHERITANCE IN THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST AND GOD." 27:26 - SO YOU'VE GOT CHRIST AND GOD - IT'S THE SAME KINGDOM - KINGDOM 27:29 OF HEAVEN, KINGDOM OF CHRIST, KINGDOM OF GOD. 27:31 AND THIS WAS THE CENTRAL TEACHING OF JESUS' MINISTRY. 27:35 SO I'M JUST GOING TO READ YOU TWO VERSES THAT ARE SIMILAR - 27:38 MATTHEW 9:35 - AND IT SAYS, "THEN JESUS WENT ABOUT ALL THE 27:43 CITIES AND THE VILLAGES," - YOU KNOW, THIS IS A GREAT VERSE. 27:46 IF YOU WANT TO SUMMARIZE THE MINISTRY OF CHRISTIANITY - DID 27:50 JESUS HAVE A COUNTRY MINISTRY? HE WENT TO THE VILLAGES. 'HE 27:56 WENT ABOUT ALL THE CITIES' - DID HE HAVE A CITY MINISTRY? HUH? 27:58 YEAH, WE ALL - WE ALL WISH WE COULD JUST MOVE TO THE COUNTRY - 28:02 HAVE COUNTRY LIVING. JESUS HAD A CITY MINISTRY. 28:05 HE HAD A COUNTRY MINISTRY. HE WENT TO THE CITIES AND THE 28:08 VILLAGES TEACHING. WAS JESUS A PREACHER? 28:10 OR A TEACHER? OR WAS HE BOTH? 28:13 "TEACHING IN THEIR SYNAGOGUES" - DID JESUS USE THE CHURCH AS A 28:17 BASIS FOR HIS MINISTRY? IN THE VILLAGES AND IN THE 28:21 CITIES HE DID IT THROUGH A CHURCH. 28:23 THAT'S WHY WE BELIEVE IN CHURCH-BASED MEDIA - "PREACHING" 28:26 - OH, HE'S NOT ONLY A TEACHER, HE'S A PREACHER, PREACHING WHAT? 28:29 "THE GOSPEL" - THE GOOD NEWS - "OF THE KINGDOM, AND HEALING 28:35 EVERY SICKNESS AND EVERY DISEASE AMONG THE PEOPLE." 28:38 THAT ONE VERSE SORT OF JUST ENCAPSULATES THE WHOLE PANORAMA 28:42 OF WHAT JESUS' MINISTRY WAS ABOUT. 28:43 IT MENTIONS THIS AGAIN - THAT WAS MATTHEW 9:35 - I'M ACTUALLY 28:47 GOING BACKWARDS - MATTHEW 4:23 - "AND JESUS WENT ABOUT ALL 28:52 GALILEE, TEACHING IN THEIR SYNAGOGUES, PREACHING THE GOSPEL 28:55 OF THE KINGDOM, AND HEALING ALL KINDS OF SICKNESS AND ALL KINDS 28:58 OF DISEASE AMONG THE PEOPLE." HE WENT EVERYWHERE, HEALING 29:02 EVERYTHING, PREACHING THE GOOD NEWS, BUT IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE 29:05 KINGDOM - A DIFFERENT KINGDOM. NOW DID JESUS ESTABLISH HIS 29:11 KINGDOM WHEN HE WAS HERE ON EARTH? 29:13 WHEN HE WAS BEING TRIED - WHY DID THEY CRUCIFY JESUS? 29:18 YOU KNOW WHAT THE JEWS SAID TO PILATE? 29:21 NOW HERE THEY ARE TRYING TO GET RID OF JESUS. 29:23 THEY SAID, 'HE HAS DECLARED HIMSELF KING.' THEY THOUGHT THAT 29:26 WAS THE COUP DE GRAS. WHY? 29:29 BECAUSE THERE WAS NO KING BUT CAESAR. 29:31 AND WHEN THEY TRIED THAT WITH PILATE, PILATE TALKED TO JESUS - 29:35 HE SAID, 'ARE YOU A KING?' AND JESUS SAID, 'MY KINGDOM IS 29:38 NOT OF THIS WORLD, YET.' ISN'T THAT RIGHT? 29:44 BECAUSE CHRISTIANITY HAD NOT SPREAD. 29:47 BUT PILATE WENT BACK OUT AFTER TALKING TO JESUS - HE WENT BACK 29:52 AND SAID, 'I FIND NO FAULT IN HIM. 29:53 HE'S NOT TRYING TO BE A KING.' 29:55 WHAT DID THEY PUT ABOVE JESUS' HEAD WHEN THEY CRUCIFIED HIM? 29:57 'THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS' AND THE JEWS WANTED PILATE TO 30:04 CHANGE THAT TO SAY, 'HE SAID HE WAS THE KING OF THE JEWS'. 30:07 FINALLY PILATE FINALLY DEVELOPS A LITTLE BIT OF BACKBONE. 30:11 HE SAYS, 'WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN, I HAVE WRITTEN. I'M NOT CHANGING 30:13 IT.' BECAUSE HE WAS THE KING OF THE JEWS. BUT, YOU KNOW, 30:17 THAT WAS A CAPITAL OFFENSE IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 30:19 IF ANYONE CLAIMED TO BE A KING OTHER THAN CAESAR, THAT WAS IT. 30:24 THERE WAS NO OTHER KING BUT CAESAR. 30:27 NOW YOU COULD BE A VASSAL KING, LIKE HEROD. 30:31 IN OTHER WORDS, YOU EVER HEARD THE EXPRESSION 'KING OF KINGS'? 30:34 FOR INSTANCE, THE KING OF PERSIA HAD 127 OTHER KINGS UNDER HIM. 30:40 AND WHEN YOU READ ABOUT KING JEHOIACHIN, HE SAT AT THE KING'S 30:45 TABLE WITH THE OTHER KINGS UNDERNEATH EVIL MERODOCH. 30:48 AND SO IT TALKS ABOUT KINGS THAT WERE VASSAL KINGS - 30:52 OR SUBSERVIENT KINGS TO THE KING. 30:56 BUT SO KING HEROD WAS A VASSAL KING, BUT THE SUPREME KING IN 31:01 THE TIME OF THE CAESARS IT WAS THE CAESAR - IT WAS AUGUSTUS OR 31:06 IT WAS TITUS OR TIBERIUS OR WHOEVER IT MIGHT BE AT THE TIME. 31:08 ALRIGHT, STILL GOING HERE, LUKE 1:32. 31:13 NOW WE'RE GOING TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE ROOTS FOR THIS 31:16 KINGDOM, LUKE 1:32 AND 33, "HE WILL BE GREAT, AND WILL BE 31:20 CALLED THE SON OF THE HIGHEST;" - SPEAKING OF JESUS - "AND THE 31:24 LORD GOD WILL GIVE HIM THE THRONE OF HIS FATHER DAVID. 31:29 AND HE WILL REIGN OVER THE HOUSE OF JACOB FOREVER, AND OF HIS 31:33 KINGDOM THERE WILL BE NO END." SO IT MAKES IT SOUND LIKE A 31:37 KINGDOM BEGAN WITH WHAT BIBLE CHARACTER? OF THE HOUSE OF WHO? 31:44 AND JESUS, THEY OFTEN SAID, 'SON OF - DAVID.' AND WHO DOES DAVID 31:51 REPRESENT? HE WAS THE ANOINTED SHEPHERD, KING. 31:56 IS JESUS A SHEPHERD? KING? 31:59 WHO LOVED HIS SHEEP AND WAS WILLING TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR 32:02 HIS SHEEP? DAVID, JESUS. 32:05 WHO WEPT OVER JERUSALEM? DAVID, JESUS. 32:08 WHO EXPERIENCED THE LOSS OF A SON HANGING IN A TREE? 32:12 GOD THE FATHER, DAVID. 32:15 I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK AT THE ANALOGIES BETWEEN DAVID AND 32:18 JESUS - BUT WHEN THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WERE CARRIED OFF TO 32:21 BABYLON, TEN OF THE TRIBES THAT HAD CHOSEN ANOTHER KING, THEY 32:24 PRETTY MUCH DISPERSED AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S TRACES OF THEM YOU 32:28 CAN FIND IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD - 32:30 THE TEN TRIBES. YOU EVER HEARD OF THE WORLD WIDE CHURCH OF GOD? 32:33 A LOT OF DEAR PEOPLE BUT THEY WERE A LITTLE MIXED UP ON 32:37 THEIR THEOLOGY ABOUT THE TEN TRIBES. 32:39 THEY WERE SURE THE EUROPEANS WERE THE LOST TRIBES OF ISRAEL. 32:41 AND, YOU KNOW, OUR MORMON FRIENDS, A LOT OF JUST WONDERFUL 32:46 MORMON PEOPLE OUT THERE, BUT THEY'RE A LITTLE CONFUSED ON THE 32:48 TEN TRIBES. THEY BELIEVE THE AMERICAN 32:49 INDIANS ARE THOSE MISSING TEN TRIBES. 32:51 ARE YOU AWARE OF THAT? THAT'S GOOD. 32:55 THAT MEANS YOU'RE NOT READING THE BOOK OF MORMON. 32:57 IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT. BUT - AND IT'S BECOME QUITE A 33:02 PICKLE FOR THE MORMONS NOW, BECAUSE DNA TESTING SHOWS THAT 33:04 THE NATIVE AMERICANS AREN'T EVEN SLIGHTLY RELATED TO THE JEWS, 33:09 THEY'RE RELATED TO THE PEOPLE OF MONGOLIA, CHINA. 33:13 THAT'S PRETTY EASY TO SUBSTANTIATE. 33:15 BUT THE TEN TRIBES, THEY WERE CAPTURED BY THE ASSYRIANS AND IT 33:20 TELLS THAT THEY INTERMARRIED AND BECAME - THEY DISPERSED AND LOST 33:25 A LOT OF THEIR IDENTITY. 33:26 LATER, SOME OF THEM CAME BACK AND LIVED IN SAMARIA. 33:29 THEY WERE CALLED SAMARITANS, BUT THEY WERE, SORT OF, AMALGAMATED 33:31 JEWS AND ASSYRIANS AND EVERYTHING ELSE IN BETWEEN. 33:34 BUT THE TRIBE OF JUDAH - WHAT TRIBE DID DAVID COME FROM? 33:39 THE TRIBE OF JUDAH REMAINED FAIRLY PURE. 33:43 CARRIED TO BABYLON, THEY CAME BACK. THAT'S WHERE YOU GET THE 33:46 WORD 'JEW' - JEWS ARE NOT ALL FROM THE DIFFERENT TRIBES. 33:48 JEWS ARE TALKING ABOUT THE GROUP THAT CAME FROM THE TRIBE OF 33:51 JUDAH - IT'S JUST A SHORTENED FORM OF THAT. THE OTHERS ARE 33:54 HEBREWS, TECHNICALLY, OR ISRAELITES. THE LINE OF DAVID. 34:00 EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE CARRIED OFF CAPTIVE, YOU NOTICE WHAT IT 34:03 DOES? THE FIRST THING IT SAYS IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 1? 34:06 WHAT'S IT TRACING IN CHAPTER 1 OF MATTHEW? WHY DOES IT TRACE 34:10 THE GENEALOGY OF DAVID - OF JESUS, SORRY - TO DAVID? 34:14 IT'S SHOWING THAT JESUS WAS LITERALLY TAKING THE THRONE. 34:21 HE WAS THE ONE WHO WOULD ESTABLISH WHAT DAVID STARTED. 34:25 AND GOD MADE A PROPHECY TO DAVID. 34:28 HE SAID, 'YOUR SON THAT WILL COME FROM YOU, HE WILL BUILD ME 34:30 A HOUSE THAT WILL LAST FOREVER.' WAS THAT JUST TALKING ABOUT 34:33 SOLOMON OR WAS IT TALKING ABOUT JESUS, THE SON OF DAVID? 34:36 CHRIST SAID, 'DESTROY THIS TEMPLE MADE WITH HANDS AND IN 34:39 THREE DAYS I'LL MAKE ONE WITHOUT HANDS.' AND WHAT WAS HE SPEAKING 34:41 OF? HIS BODY. WHAT IS THE CHURCH CALLED? 34:44 THE BODY OF CHRIST. AND SO IT WAS ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD 34:47 THIS SON OF DAVID WOULD RAISE UP THE BODY OF CHRIST. 34:51 AND, YEAH, THIS IS JUST, TO ME, A VERY EXCITING TRUTH. 34:54 ALRIGHT, SO - BY THE WAY, IN THE BOOK OF LUKE, THE PHRASE 34:58 'KINGDOM' IS MENTIONED FORTY TIMES. 35:00 REVELATION 11:15, "THEN THE SEVENTH ANGEL SOUNDED: AND THERE 35:07 WERE LOUD VOICES IN HEAVEN, SAYING, 'THE KINGDOMS OF THIS 35:11 WORLD HAVE BECOME THE KINGDOMS OF OUR LORD" - 35:14 NOW, IS THAT PAST TENSE OR FUTURE TENSE? 35:17 REVELATION 11 WHEN THE SEVENTH ANGEL SOUNDS, IS THAT PAST OR 35:21 FUTURE? IT'S IN THE FUTURE. 35:24 AND THAT SEVENTH ANGEL SOUNDS AND IT SAYS, "THE KINGDOMS OF 35:27 THIS WORLD HAVE BECOME THE KINGDOMS OF OUR LORD" - THAT 35:30 MEANS THEY'RE NOT YET, BUT THEY WILL BE. ARE YOU ALL WITH ME? 35:35 "AND HE WILL REIGN FOREVER AND EVER!" 35:37 WILL JESUS ULTIMATELY REIGN ON EARTH? 35:43 YEAH, HE WILL. DOES THE NEW JERUSALEM COME DOWN 35:47 OUT OF HEAVEN? >>YES. 35:49 >>AND IT'S THE CAPITAL FOR THAT NEW KINGDOM. 35:51 ALRIGHT, THAT WAS ALL PART 1. 35:52 MONDAY, PART 2 - CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KINGDOM - PART 2 - IT'S 35:55 VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD. 35:58 LOOK, FOR INSTANCE, IN LUKE AND SOMEONE LOOK UP FOR ME MATTHEW 36:01 18:4 - WHO'S GOT THAT? OKAY, KIM. 36:04 IF YOU LOOK IN LUKE 18:15, "THEN THEY ALSO BROUGHT INFANTS TO HIM 36:08 THAT HE MIGHT TOUCH THEM; BUT WHEN THE DISCIPLES SAW IT, THEY 36:11 REBUKED THEM. BUT JESUS CALLED TO THEM AND 36:14 SAID, 'LET THE LITTLE CHILDREN COME TO ME, AND DO NOT FORBID 36:17 THEM; FOR OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 36:21 ASSUREDLY, I SAY TO YOU, WHOEVER DOES NOT RECEIVE THE KINGDOM OF 36:25 GOD AS A LITTLE CHILD WILL BY NO MEANS ENTER IT.'" WHAT TYPICALLY 36:29 QUALIFIES A PERSON TO HAVE A CABINET POSITION IN THE REALM OF 36:32 SOME POWERFUL MONARCH? HOW BRIGHT A COUNSELOR WILL THEY BE? 36:38 HOW STRONG? ARE THEY A GREAT WARRIOR? 36:42 ARE THEY A GREAT ADMINISTRATOR? AND WHAT DOES JESUS SAY IS A 36:46 CRITERIA FOR BEING IN HIS KINGDOM? 36:48 DO YOU HAVE THE HEART OF A CHILD? DO YOU TRUST? 36:52 SIMPLE CHILD-LIKE TRUST. ARE YOU HUMBLE? 36:55 OF COURSE, NOT ALL LITTLE CHILDREN ARE HUMBLE, BUT THEY 36:59 USED TO BE. SOMETHING HAPPENED. 37:01 2 KINGS 5:14 - I ALWAYS THOUGHT THIS WAS INTERESTING WHEN NAAMAN 37:06 WAS WASHED OF HIS LEPROSY - "SO HE WENT DOWN AND HE DIPPED 37:10 HIMSELF SEVEN TIMES IN THE JORDAN, ACCORDING TO THE SAYING 37:13 OF THE MAN OF GOD; AND HIS FLESH WAS RESTORED LIKE THE FLESH OF 37:16 A LITTLE CHILD, AND HE WAS CLEAN." 37:19 NAAMAN WAS CLEANSED OF HIS LEPROSY AND HE GETS FLESH LIKE A 37:23 LITTLE CHILD AND THEN WHAT HE DOES, HE GOES BACK TO ELISHA AND 37:26 HE SAYS, 'CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE ME - GIVE ME SOME EARTH FROM ISRAEL 37:30 TO TAKE BACK TO SYRIA? FOR NOW ON I WILL ONLY WORSHIP GOD. 37:36 IN SYRIA, MY KING WORSHIPS ANOTHER GOD AND I'LL BE 37:42 SURROUNDED BY THAT, BUT I'M ONLY GOING TO PRAY TO THE TRUE GOD IN 37:46 A FOREIGN LAND.' ISN'T THAT A PICTURE OF WHAT THE CHRISTIAN 37:50 IS? WE WORSHIP THE TRUE KING IN A FOREIGN LAND. 37:56 YOU KNOW WHAT AN EMBASSY IS? AN EMBASSY IS THE OUTPOST OF 38:00 ONE KINGDOM WITHIN ANOTHER KINGDOM. AND IF YOU GO TO AN 38:06 EMBASSY, IF YOU GO TO SOME OF THE MANY EMBASSIES IN 38:08 WASHINGTON, D.C., IF YOU CAN GET WITHIN THE BORDERS, YOU'LL FIND 38:11 OUT THEY SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF THEIR HOME KINGDOM. 38:13 MANY TIMES THEY WEAR THE ATTIRE OF THEIR HOME KINGDOM. 38:17 EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE IN IT - THEY'RE SURROUNDED BY A 38:20 DIFFERENT KINGDOM - AND THEY EAT THE FOOD OF THEIR HOME KINGDOM. 38:24 I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS IN CAMEROON, AFRICA, I GOT IN THE 38:28 ELEVATOR WITH A MARINE AND HE WAS ALL DRESSED UP IN HIS MARINE 38:32 BLUES WITH THE SHINY BRASS BUTTONS - IT'S A VERY STRIKING 38:36 UNIFORM - AND SO, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY AND 38:40 TWO AMERICANS - I STARTED TALKING TO HIM. 38:41 HE SAID, 'I'M PART OF THE EMBASSY HERE AND WE'RE GETTING 38:45 READY TO CELEBRATE THE FOURTH OF JULY. 38:48 AND I THOUGHT, WELL, HERE WE ARE IN CAMEROON, AFRICA, BUT THEY 38:51 SAID, 'AS FAR AS WE'RE CONCERNED, WITHIN THE EMBASSY, 38:53 IT'S THE UNITED STATES AND WE'RE GOING TO CELEBRATE THE FOURTH OF 38:57 THE JULY EVEN THOUGH WE'RE IN CAMEROON, AFRICA.' 39:00 AND SO, WHEN WE GATHER AS A CHURCH, THIS IS LIKE AN EMBASSY 39:04 AND WE CELEBRATE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN HEAVEN. 39:09 WE GO ALONG WITH WHAT THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST ARE HERE. 39:12 IT'S A DIFFERENT - IT'S AN ENCLAVE OF ANOTHER WORLD. 39:16 ALRIGHT, READ FOR US MATTHEW 18:4. 39:18 >>"THEREFORE WHOEVER HUMBLES HIMSELF AS THIS LITTLE CHILD IS 39:22 THE GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 39:25 >>HOW DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE VALUE AS GREAT IN THIS WORLD - 39:32 IN THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD. 39:34 YOU KNOW, I HOPE I'VE MADE SOME PROGRESS BUT, THROUGH TRIAL AND 39:40 ERROR ALONG THE WAY, I THINK THE LORD HAS TOLD ME ONE OF THE 39:43 THINGS HE VALUES THE MOST IS HUMILITY. 39:46 THAT - AND THE THING - YOU'RE NEVER MORE LIKE THE DEVIL THAN 39:50 WHEN YOU'RE PROUD. THAT'S TRUE. 39:53 AND YOU'RE NEVER MORE LIKE CHRIST THAN WHEN YOU'RE HUMBLE. 39:56 AND, I'M NOT SAYING I'VE ARRIVED, I JUST SAID I THINK 39:59 I'VE LEARNED SOMETHING ALONG THE WAY. 40:01 AND A HAUGHTY SPIRIT GOES - WHAT? BEFORE A FALL. 40:05 IT SAYS WHEN YOU HUMBLE YOURSELF LIKE A LITTLE CHILD THAT'S - GOD 40:09 CAN WORK THROUGH THAT - WHEN WE'RE PROUD AND WE THINK THAT 40:12 WE'VE GOT GOD WITHIN - THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW - I'M NOT 40:15 TALKING ABOUT HAVING GOD - THAT WE ARE GODS IS WHAT I MEANT TO 40:18 SAY, THEN GOD CAN'T WORK WITH US. 40:20 OKAY, LUKE 18:24 - THAT'S ONE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE 40:23 KINGDOM THAT'S DIFFERENT FROM OUR WORLD. 40:25 LUKE 18:24, "AND WHEN JESUS SAW THAT HE BECAME VERY SORROWFUL, 40:30 HE SAID," - HE SAW THE RICH MAN WALK AWAY - "'HOW HARD IT IS FOR 40:34 THOSE WHO HAVE RICHES TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD! 40:37 FOR IT IS EASIER FOR A CAMEL TO GO THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE 40:41 THAN FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD.' AND THOSE WHO 40:44 HEARD IT SAID, 'WHO THEN CAN BE SAVED?' BUT HE SAID, 40:47 'THE THINGS WHICH ARE IMPOSSIBLE WITH MEN ARE POSSIBLE WITH 40:49 GOD.'" HOW DIFFERENT THAT IS FROM THE WORLD TODAY. 40:52 WHEN YOU TALK TO PEOPLE TODAY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEIR 40:57 GOALS ARE, IT OFTEN HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH 'I WANT TO 41:00 BE POPULAR, I WANT TO BE POWERFUL, I WANT TO BE WEALTHY" 41:04 - AND THE WEALTH OFTEN GOES WITH - IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH WEALTH YOU 41:07 CAN HAVE SOME POWER AND POPULARITY - YOU CAN BUY IT. 41:09 BUT THE LORD SAYS, 'NO, THAT'S NOT WHERE THE POWER COMES FROM. 41:14 THAT'S NOT WHERE THE PRESTIGE COMES FROM IN MY KINGDOM.' 41:18 IT'S THROUGH HUMILITY. IF WE'RE PREOCCUPIED WITH 41:21 ACCUMULATING EARTHLY RICHES TO HOARD AND TO STORE DOWN HERE, 41:26 THEN THAT'S THE WRONG SPIRIT. WHERE DOES JESUS SAY WE SHOULD 41:31 BE STORING IT? IN HEAVEN. 41:34 IS THAT JUST IMAGINARY OR IS THAT REAL? 41:36 THERE'S A REAL KINGDOM OF HEAVEN AND THERE'S REAL GIFTS THAT ARE 41:40 BEING STORED THERE. WHEN WE INVEST IN GOD'S KINGDOM, 41:43 IT'S REALLY SO WE CAN REACH PEOPLE BECAUSE THE MONEY DOESN'T 41:47 GO TO HEAVEN. THE MONEY AFFECTS PEOPLE WHO GO 41:49 TO HEAVEN AND HOW LONG DO THEY LAST THERE? FOREVER. 41:53 YOU'LL SEE THE RESULTS OF THAT INVESTMENT. 41:55 OKAY, AND SO IT'S NOT RICHES. 41:59 JEREMIAH SAYS, IN CHAPTER 9, VERSE 23, "THUS SAYS THE LORD: 42:03 'LET NOT THE WISE MAN GLORY IN HIS WISDOM, LET NOT THE MIGHTY 42:07 MAN GLORY IN HIS MIGHT," - NOW I'D LIKE TO BE WISER. 42:10 I WOULDN'T MIND BEING MIGHTIER - "NOR LET THE RICH MAN GLORY IN 42:13 HIS RICHES;" - I THINK MOST OF US WOULDN'T MIND MORE RICHES, 42:16 BUT LISTEN TO WHAT THE LORD SAYS - AND THIS IS OLD TESTAMENT - 42:19 "BUT LET HIM WHO GLORIES GLORY IN THIS, THAT HE UNDERSTANDS AND 42:24 KNOWS ME." - WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY IS THE 42:27 MOST VALUABLE THING FOR US TO TREASURE? 42:29 'DO YOU KNOW ME?' KNOWING ME IS MORE IMPORTANT 42:33 THAN BEING PHYSICALLY MIGHTY OR FINANCIALLY RICH OR BEING 42:37 INTELLECTUALLY SHARP. DO YOU KNOW ME? 42:42 - "THAT I AM THE LORD, EXERCISING LOVINGKINDNESS, 42:45 JUDGMENT, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE EARTH. 42:47 FOR IN THESE I DELIGHT,'" - THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS VERY DIFFERENT 42:50 WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT. YOU KNOW, IN THE WORLD, IT'S AN 42:53 EYE FOR AN EYE - YOU GET EVEN. GOD SAYS 'TURN THE OTHER CHEEK. 42:57 NOW, KEEP IN MIND, EYE FOR AN EYE IS A BIBLICAL PHRASE, BUT 43:02 IT'S TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THE GOVERNMENT DOES, NOT 43:03 INDIVIDUALS. THAT'S HOW A GOVERNMENT FOLLOWS CIVIL LAW. 43:06 BUT INDIVIDUALLY, THE LORD TALKS ABOUT FORGIVING. 43:10 IN THE WORLD, YOU GET EVEN WITH YOUR ENEMIES, BUT IN THE BIBLE 43:14 KINGDOM, YOU LOVE YOUR ENEMIES. THAT'S NOT NATURAL, IS IT? 43:19 YOU START LOOKING AT THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OF GOD'S 43:21 KINGDOM AND IT IS REALLY STRANGE. 43:23 IF YOU WANTED TO ESTABLISH A NEW RELIGION HERE IN THE WORLD - AND 43:27 SOME ARE DOING THIS - YOU'D SAY, 'FOLLOW MY TEACHINGS AND YOU'LL 43:32 BE HEALTHY' - YOU'LL NEVER GET SICK - 'AND YOU'LL BE WEALTHY, 43:35 AND YOU'LL HAVE POWER, AND YOU'LL BE WORSHIPED BY OTHERS.' 43:40 YOU KNOW, THERE ARE ACTUALLY CHRISTIAN PASTORS THAT ARE 43:41 PUTTING THAT FORWARD TO PEOPLE AND THEY SEEM TO BE THRIVING. 43:46 YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE IT'S A MESSAGE PEOPLE KIND OF LIKE. 43:49 IT APPEALS TO OUR CARNAL NATURES. 43:50 BUT WHAT DID JESUS SAY? FOLLOW ME AND YOU'LL BE HATED 43:57 AND PERSECUTED. IF THEY HATED ME THEY'RE GOING 43:59 TO HATE YOU. TAKE UP YOUR CROSS. 44:00 BE CRUCIFIED WITH ME AND YOU'LL HAVE PEACE AND JOY AND BLESSING. 44:06 HE THAT SEEKS TO SAVE HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT. 44:10 HE THAT LOSES HIS LIFE OR LETS GO FOR MY SAKE, HE WILL FIND IT. 44:14 IT'S OPPOSITE FROM THE WORLD. AND YET, PEOPLE STILL FOLLOW 44:21 JESUS EVEN THOUGH THEY KNEW THAT, BECAUSE WHEN THEY TRIED 44:24 IT, THEY FOUND THAT IT WORKED. THEY HAD THAT PEACE. 44:26 I JUST WANT TO QUOTE SOMETHING FROM JOHN STOTT. 44:29 HE SAY, "GREATNESS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS MEASURED IN 44:32 TERMS OF OBEDIENCE. YOU KNOW THE LORD SAID THERE'S A 44:36 LOT OF FOLKS OUT THERE THAT SAY, 'LORD, LORD,' BUT THEY DON'T DO. 44:39 HOW DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE IS REALLY YOUR KING? 44:42 WHEN YOU OBEY HIM. WHEN YOU FOLLOW HIM. 44:47 AND JESUS - AND, BY THE WAY, THAT WAS MATTHEW CHAPTER 7, 44:50 VERSE 21. IT SAYS IN EPHESIANS 1:4, "JUST 44:56 AS HE CHOSE US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, THAT WE 44:58 SHOULD BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLAME BEFORE HIM IN LOVE." 45:02 ALRIGHT, I WANT TO GO DOWN TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD ALREADY NOT 45:07 YET - AND SO THIS IS TALKING ABOUT THE TWO FORMS OF GOD'S 45:12 KINGDOM: THE INTERNAL KINGDOM AND THE EXTERNAL KINGDOM. 45:15 AND IF YOU LOOK - SOMEONE'S GOING TO READ FOR ME LUKE 17:20 45:18 - WHO'S GOT THAT? OKAY. 45:20 LOOK IN MARK 4:11, "AND HE SAID TO THEM, 'TO YOU IT HAS BEEN 45:24 GIVEN TO KNOW THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD; BUT TO THOSE WHO 45:28 ARE OUTSIDE, ALL THINGS COME IN PARABLES," - 45:31 SO WHAT DO WE KNOW RIGHT AWAY ABOUT THE KINGDOM? 45:33 THERE'S SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS ABOUT THE SPIRITUAL KINGDOM. 45:37 AM I MAKING THAT UP OR DID JESUS SAY IT? 45:40 HE CALLS IT THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM. 45:42 IT'S NOT THE FIRST KINGDOM - WHEN HE SAYS 'THE KINGDOM OF GOD 45:46 IS AT HAND,' THAT SPIRITUAL INTERNAL KINGDOM - 45:49 THERE'S SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS ABOUT IT. 45:51 AND IT COULD BE SPREADING - YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY, WHEN YOU SEE A 45:55 KINGDOM SPREADING YOU CAN SEE THEIR OUTPOSTS AND THEIR FLAGS 45:57 AND THEIR ARMIES AND - BUT JESUS' KINGDOM, IT'S SPREADING 46:01 ON THE INSIDE. IT'S IN PEOPLE'S HEARTS. 46:03 IT'S WHAT THEY BELIEVE. HARD TO MEASURE. 46:06 ALRIGHT, READ FOR US, PLEASE, LUKE 17:20. 46:08 >>"NOW WHEN HE WAS ASKED BY THE PHARISEES WHEN THE KINGDOM OF 46:11 GOD WOULD COME, HE ANSWERED THEM AND SAID, 'THE KINGDOM OF GOD 46:13 DOES NOT COME WITH OBSERVATION; NOR WILL THEY SAY, 'SEE HERE!' 46:18 OR 'SEE THERE!' FOR INDEED, THE KINGDOM OF GOD 46:21 IS WITHIN YOU." >>ALRIGHT, IS THAT CLEAR? 46:25 WHEN CHRIST FIRST BEGAN TO TALK ABOUT HIS KINGDOM, WHEN HE SAID, 46:30 'THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND' WAS IT THE SPIRITUAL KINGDOM OR 46:33 THE LITERAL, PHYSICAL KINGDOM? IT WAS THE SPIRITUAL KINGDOM 46:37 THAT WAS THERE. AND SO, IT'S THE INTERNAL ONE. 46:42 IT SAYS, 'THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU.' SO WHO REIGNS IN 46:48 YOUR HEART? THAT'S HOW YOU DETERMINE IF YOU 46:51 ARE A CHILD OF GOD IS 'IS GOD REIGNING IN MY HEART? 46:53 AM I SURRENDERING TO HIS WORD AND TO HIS WILL?' 46:56 PHILIPPIANS 3:20, "FOR OUR CITIZENSHIP IS IN HEAVEN, FROM 47:02 WHICH WE ALSO EAGERLY WAIT FOR THE SAVIOR, THE LORD JESUS 47:06 CHRIST," - SO THERE'S A TEMPORARY TIME WHERE YOU'VE GOT 47:09 A SPIRITUAL KINGDOM ON THE INSIDE AND YOU'RE GETTING READY 47:12 FOR THE LITERAL KINGDOM THAT'S ALSO ON THE OUTSIDE. 47:16 AND SO IT STARTS OUT WITH THE INTERNAL KINGDOM. 47:18 AND THEN WE'VE GOT ANOTHER VERSE HERE THAT MAKES THAT CLEAR AND 47:23 THAT'S - WELL, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, GO WITH ME TO ACTS CHAPTER 47:27 1. I'M JUST GOING TO READ A PASSAGE HERE - ACTS 1, VERSE 1 - 47:31 NOW WE'RE STUDYING THE BOOK OF LUKE; WHO WROTE ACTS? 47:34 >>LUKE. >>LUKE DID. 47:36 MATTER OF FACT, THEY'RE BOTH WRITTEN TO THE SAME CHARACTER, 47:38 A GUY BY THE NAME OF THEOPHILUS. 47:39 AND HE SAYS, "THE FORMER ACCOUNT I MADE, O THEOPHILUS, OF ALL 47:44 THAT JESUS BEGAN BOTH TO DO AND TEACH, UNTIL THE DAY IN WHICH HE 47:47 WAS TAKEN UP, AFTER THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT HAD GIVEN 47:50 COMMANDMENTS TO THE APOSTLES WHOM HE HAD CHOSEN, TO WHOM HE 47:54 HAD PRESENTED HIMSELF ALIVE AFTER HIS SUFFERING BY MANY 47:57 INFALLIBLE PROOFS, BEING SEEN BY THEM DURING FORTY DAYS AND 48:01 SPEAKING OF THE THINGS PERTAINING TO THE KINGDOM" - 48:04 WHAT DID HE TALK ABOUT? 48:06 - "THINGS PERTAINING TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 48:08 AND BEING ASSEMBLED TOGETHER WITH THEM, HE COMMANDED THEM NOT 48:11 TO DEPART FROM JERUSALEM, BUT TO WAIT FOR THE PROMISE OF THE 48:14 FATHER, 'WHICH,' HE SAID, 'YOU HAVE HEARD FROM ME; FOR JOHN 48:18 TRULY BAPTIZED WITH WATER, BUT YOU SHALL BE BAPTIZED WITH THE 48:21 HOLY SPIRIT NOT MANY DAYS FROM NOW.' THEREFORE, WHEN THEY HAD 48:25 COME TOGETHER THEY ASKED HIM," - NOTICE, IS THIS BEFORE OR AFTER 48:28 THE RESURRECTION? THIS IS HAPPENING AFTER THE 48:30 RESURRECTION BUT BEFORE THE ASCENSION OF JESUS. 48:34 THERE WAS A FORTY-DAY PERIOD OF TIME FROM THE TIME WHEN JESUS 48:38 ROSE FROM THE DEAD UNTIL HE ASCENDED. 48:41 HE ASCENDED FORTY DAYS AFTER HIS RESURRECTION, THEN THERE WERE 48:44 TEN MORE DAYS UNTIL PENTECOST - THAT'S WHY PENTECOST IS CALLED 48:47 PENTECOST, BECAUSE PENTECOST CAME FIFTY DAYS AFTER THE 48:49 PASSOVER. SO DURING THOSE FORTY DAYS, DID 48:53 THEY STILL UNDERSTAND THE KINGDOM? 48:55 - "THEY ASKED HIM, SAYING, 'LORD, WILL YOU AT THIS TIME 48:57 RESTORE THE KINGDOM TO ISRAEL?' AND HE SAID TO THEM, 'IT IS NOT 49:02 FOR YOU TO KNOW TIMES OR SEASONS WHICH THE FATHER HAS PUT IN HIS 49:05 OWN AUTHORITY.'" NOW YOU KNOW WHAT HE'S REPEATING HERE? 49:07 WHEN HE SPEAKS ABOUT THE SECOND COMING, THE LITERAL KINGDOM, 49:10 WHO KNOWS THE DAY AND THE HOUR? 49:13 >>NO ONE. >>NOBODY. 49:14 THE BIBLE SAYS IT'S NOT FOR YOU TO KNOW THE TIMES AND SEASONS. 49:18 WE DON'T KNOW. IS IT GOING TO HAPPEN? 49:20 >>YES. >>ABSOLUTELY. I BELIEVE SOON. 49:23 "BUT YOU SHALL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS COME 49:26 UPON YOU; AND YOU AND YOU SHALL BE WITNESSES TO ME IN JERUSALEM, 49:30 AND IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA, AND TO THE END OF THE EARTH.'" 49:33 NOW, THIS IS UNDER THE SECTION FOR THURSDAY UNDER WITNESSING - 49:37 AND I'M JUST KIND OF JUMPING AHEAD THERE, QUICKLY. 49:39 WHEN A KING WAS COMING, DID HE JUST PLOP OUT ON THE GROUND AND 49:46 SAY, 'SURPRISE!'? OR DID A KING OFTEN SEND 49:49 REPRESENTATIVES BEFORE HIM TO PREPARE THE WAY? 49:52 WHEN JOHN THE BAPTIST BEGAN TO PREACH, HE SAID, 'I'M THE VOICE 49:55 OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS. PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD. 49:59 SO SOME HAD A JOB OF GOING BEFORE THE KING TO PREPARE THE 50:02 WAY. IS OUR KING COMING? DO WE HAVE A JOB OF PREPARING 50:06 THE WAY SO OTHERS ARE READY TO RECEIVE HIM WHEN HE COMES? 50:13 AND THAT'S UNDER THE SECTION OF WITNESSING . 50:16 SO THERE IS A PHYSICAL KINGDOM THAT HAPPENS WHEN JESUS COMES. 50:19 WHEN DOES THE SPIRITUAL KINGDOM BEGIN? IT BEGAN BACK IN THE 50:26 GARDEN OF EDEN WITH THE SACRIFICE OF THE FIRST LAMB. 50:29 YOU CAN'T SAY THE SPIRITUAL KINGDOM BEGAN JUST WHEN JESUS 50:32 SAID, 'THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND.' COULD SOMEONE BE PART 50:36 OF GOD'S SPIRITUAL KINGDOM IN THE DAYS OF ABEL OR ENOCH? 50:39 WHENEVER ANYONE INVITED GOD TO BE THE KING OF THEIR LIFE, 50:43 THEY WERE PART OF THAT KINGDOM. 50:45 BUT IN A MORE DEFINITE SENSE, WHEN JESUS BEGAN PREACHING 'THE 50:49 KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND' AND JOHN THE BAPTIST BEGAN 50:52 PREACHING, HE WAS GETTING READY TO PAY THE PRICE FOR THE KINGDOM 50:55 WITH HIS LIFE, IT WAS IN A MUCH FULLER SENSE. 50:57 BUT THEN THERE IS A LITERAL KINGDOM THAT IS COMING AND 51:01 THAT'S THE SECOND COMING. NOW, THIS IS - YOU KNOW, DANIEL, 51:05 YOU JUST CAN'T BEAT IT. YOU KNOW WHAT THE CENTRAL 51:07 MESSAGE IS IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL? 51:08 THE KINGDOM. IT'S ALL ABOUT THE KINGDOM. 51:10 HERE'S THE PROPHECY - YOU KNOW, THE GREAT IMAGE, DANIEL CHAPTER 51:14 2 - AND YOU GO TO VERSE 44, IT TALKS ABOUT ALL THESE DIFFERENT 51:17 KINGS AND, YOU REMEMBER, THE GOLD IS WHAT KINGDOM? 51:20 >>BABYLON. >>BABYLON. 51:21 SILVER IS MEDO-PERSIA. THE BRONZE IS - >>GREECE. 51:24 THE IRON IS - >>ROME. >>ROME. 51:28 AND THE IRON AND CLAY IS - >>PAPACY. 51:31 >>IT'S THE - YEAH, IT'S THE CO-MINGLING OF RELIGION IN THE - 51:33 EUROPE - AND THE BREAKDOWN OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 51:36 AND THEN WHAT? A STONE COMES. 51:39 AND YOU READ HERE IN DANIEL CHAPTER 2:44, "AND IN THE DAYS 51:43 OF THESE KINGS" - WHICH IS WHERE WE'RE LIVING NOW - "THE GOD OF 51:46 HEAVEN WILL SET UP A KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NEVER BE DESTROYED; 51:49 AND THE KINGDOM SHALL NOT BE LEFT TO OTHER PEOPLE;" - NOW 51:53 SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT WAS WHEN JESUS CAME THE FIRST TIME, BUT 51:56 ARE THERE STILL OTHER KINGDOMS FIGHTING FOR DOMINANCE IN THE 51:58 WORLD FROM THE TIME OF CHRIST'S FIRST COMING TILL NOW? 52:01 ABSOLUTELY. KINGDOM WILL RISE AGAINST 52:04 KINGDOM AND NATION AGAINST NATION. 52:05 WE'RE STILL LIVING DURING THAT TIME. 52:07 ARE THERE WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS? 52:09 SO THERE'S BATTLES BETWEEN KINGDOMS HERE AND THERE'S STILL 52:12 A BATTLE BETWEEN CHRIST'S KINGDOM AND THE DEVIL'S KINGDOM 52:14 IN THIS WORLD, BUT THE TIME IS COMING WHEN IT'S ALL GOING TO BE 52:18 OVER AND THERE'LL ONLY BE ONE KINGDOM AND THAT'S WHAT DANIEL'S 52:22 TALKING ABOUT. - "IT SHALL BREAK IN PIECES AND 52:24 CONSUME ALL THESE KINGDOMS AND IT SHALL STAND FOREVER." 52:28 'NOW I SAW A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH, FOR THE FIRST HEAVEN 52:32 AND THE FIRST EARTH HAD PASSED AWAY. 52:34 AND ALSO THERE WAS NO MORE SEA. 52:36 AND I, JOHN, SAW THE HOLY CITY, THE NEW JERUSALEM, COMING DOWN 52:41 FROM HEAVEN FROM GOD PREPARED AS A BRIDE, ADORNED FOR HER 52:44 HUSBAND, AND I HEARD A LOUD VOICE FROM HEAVEN SAYING, 52:47 'BEHOLD THE TABERNACLE OF GOD IS WITH MEN AND HE WILL DWELL WITH 52:51 THEM AND THEY WILL BE HIS PEOPLE AND GOD HIMSELF WILL BE THEIR 52:54 GOD AND THE EARTH WILL BE FULL OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD AS 52:57 THE WATERS COVER THE SEA.' IS THERE GOING TO BE ANY OTHER 53:00 CONTESTING KINGDOM AFTER THE MILLENNIUM? YOU KNOW WHAT THE 53:06 BATTLE - THE FINAL BATTLE - OF ARMAGEDDON IS? AFTER THE NEW 53:09 JERUSALEM COMES DOWN WHAND GOG AND MAGOG - ALL THE WICKED 53:11 WHO HAVE EVER LIVED TRY TO ASSAULT THE CITY OF GOD - IS 53:14 THE FINAL BATTLE BETWEEN TWO CONTESTING KINGDOMS. 53:17 AND THEN JESUS COMES UP ON HIS WHITE THRONE. 53:19 WHAT DOES A THRONE REPRESENT? HE REIGNS. 53:22 AND THERE'S THIS GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT AND ALL THE 53:25 OTHER KINGDOMS ARE SUBDUED. THEY ARE ALL JUDGED. 53:28 THEY ARE ALL PUNISHED. HOW MANY PARABLES DID JESUS TELL 53:30 ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD THAT TALKED ABOUT A KING COMING AND 53:33 HE WILL JUDGE THOSE WHO HAD REJECTED HIM? 53:36 AND SO, THIS IS ALL THE CULMINATION OF THE BATTLE 53:39 BETWEEN THE TWO KINGDOMS THAT WE SEE IN THE WORLD HERE TODAY. 53:42 SO IS THERE GOING TO BE A TIME WHEN THE KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD 53:46 BECOME THE KINGDOMS OF THE LORD AND HIS CHRIST? 53:50 IT'S TALKING ABOUT GOD THE FATHER AND GOD THE SON. 53:52 YEAH, THERE IS GOING TO BE NO MORE BATTLE BETWEEN KINGDOMS. 53:57 NOW, IF YOU WANT TO BE A CITIZEN IN GOD'S KINGDOM, WHEN DOES THAT 54:01 BEGIN? WHEN JESUS COMES? YOU KNOW, THERE WILL BE NO MORE 54:05 VISAS ISSUED AT THE SECOND COMING. 54:11 IF YOU WANT TO BE A CITIZEN OF GOD'S KINGDOM WHEN HE COMES, YOU 54:18 MUST NOW APPLY FOR YOUR VISA AND BECOME NATURALIZED BEFORE HE 54:24 COMES. ISN'T THAT RIGHT? 54:26 IT'LL BE TOO LATE THEN BECAUSE HE KNOWS WHO ARE HIS NOW. 54:32 YOU CAN'T - I MEAN, HOW'S HE GOING TO KNOW IF YOU'RE LOYAL? 54:34 SURE, EVERYBODY'S GOING TO SAY, 'OH, YEAH, YEAH, I'VE DECIDED TO 54:36 CHANGE AND I'M GOING TO WORSHIP YOU.' AND IT'S ONLY REALLY GOING 54:41 TO BE NOW THAT WE HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE LORD THE 54:44 CHIEF OF OUR LIFE AND TO BECOME CITIZENS IN HIS KINGDOM. 54:48 WHAT IS THE CONSTITUTION FOR GOD'S KINGDOM? 54:51 WHAT'S OUR CONSTITUTION - NORTH AMERICA? YOU KNOW, 'WE THE 54:56 PEOPLE ARE ENDOWED WITH CERTAIN RIGHTS BY OUR CREATOR'? 54:59 THE BIBLE IS THE CONSTITUTION AND THE PROMISES OF THE BIBLE. 55:06 YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT THE - THE MOTIVES ARE AND 55:09 THE FOUNDATIONAL TEACHINGS FOR THE CONSTITUTION OF JESUS' 55:12 KINGDOM, YOU CAN READ BASICALLY THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT THERE IN 55:16 MATTHEW CHAPTER 5 THROUGH 7. IT JUST TALKS ABOUT THE SPIRIT 55:19 OF CHRIST AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE PART OF THAT KINGDOM. 55:22 WHO IS INVITED TO BE PART OF GOD'S KINGDOM? WHOSOEVER WILL. 55:27 LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT DAVID. 55:28 YOU MIGHT THINK 'I'M NOT QUALIFIED. 55:30 I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH. I'M NOT SMART ENOUGH. 55:32 I'M NOT RICH ENOUGH.' YOU KNOW WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT 55:34 HOW DAVID STARTED HIS KINGDOM? 55:36 1 SAMUEL - THIS IS MY LAST VERSE - 1 SAMUEL 22:2, "AND EVERYONE 55:41 WHO WAS IN DISTRESS, EVERYONE WHO WAS IN DEBT, AND EVERYONE 55:46 WHO WAS DISCONTENTED" - THE POOR IN SPIRIT - "GATHERED TO HIM. 55:51 SO HE BECAME A CAPTAIN OVER THEM. 55:53 AND THERE WERE ABOUT FOUR HUNDRED MEN WITH HIM." 55:56 THEY GREW INTO DAVID'S MIGHTY MEN THAT LATER GREW INTO THE 55:58 CABINET OF HIS KINGDOM. HOW DID THEY START OUT? 56:00 POOR AND WRETCHED - 'BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT.' - 56:04 WHO DID JESUS USE TO START HIS KINGDOM? 56:07 DID HE GO TO THE UNIVERSITIES OF JERUSALEM? 56:09 DID HE GO TO THE MILITARY ACADEMIES? OR DID JESUS GO AND 56:14 GET FISHERMEN, TAX COLLECTORS, SHEPHERDS - ALL THAT WERE IN 56:18 DISTRESS, ALL THAT WERE IN DEBT, AND ALL THAT WERE POOR AND HE 56:23 MADE A KINGDOM OUT OF THEM THAT TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN AND 56:25 THAT MEANS THAT EVERYBODY HERE, EVERYONE WATCHING, YOU CAN 56:29 QUALIFY TO BE PART OF GOD'S KINGDOM. 56:30 WE HAVE RUN OUT OF TIME, BUT I WANT TO TELL YOU HOW TO DO THAT. 56:33 WE HAVE A FREE BOOK I HOPE YOU'LL SEND FOR AND IT'S CALLED 56:36 THREE STEPS TO HEAVEN . WE'LL SEND IT TO YOU FREE AND 56:38 YOU CAN ALSO GET IT ONLINE - JUST GO TO AMAZINGFACTS.ORG . 56:42 IF YOU WANT TO GET ONE IN THE MAIL, CALL 866-788-3966 - ASK 56:48 FOR OFFER #102 AND WE'LL SEND YOU THREE STEPS TO HEAVEN - A 56:52 CLASSIC BY JOE CREWS ON HOW TO BE A CITIZEN IN GOD'S KINGDOM. 56:55 WE ARE OUT OF TIME FOR TODAY'S STUDY, FRIENDS. 56:57 THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AND, GOD WILLING, WE'LL STUDY 57:00 MORE ABOUT THE KINGDOM NEXT WEEK. 57:04 >>DID YOU KNOW THAT NOAH WAS PRESENT AT THE BIRTH OF ABRAHAM? 57:06 OKAY, MAYBE HE WASN'T IN THE ROOM, BUT HE WAS ALIVE AND 57:11 PROBABLY TELLING STORIES ABOUT HIS FLOATING ZOO. 57:14 FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD TO THE LAST-DAY EVENTS OF 57:17 REVELATION, BIBLEHISTORY.COM IS A FREE RESOURCE WHERE YOU CAN 57:21 EXPLORE MAJOR BIBLE EVENTS AND CHARACTERS. 57:24 ENHANCE YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE AND DRAW CLOSER TO GOD'S 57:27 WORD. GO DEEPER. VISIT BIBLEHISTORY.COM. 57:36 >>CAN'T GET ENOUGH AMAZING FACTS BIBLE STUDY? YOU DON'T HAVE TO 57:39 WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK TO ENJOY MORE TRUTH-FILLED PROGRAMMING. 57:43 WATCH AMAZING FACTS TELEVISION BY VISITING 'AFTV.ORG'. 57:48 AT 'AFTV.ORG' YOU CAN VIEW AMAZING FACTS PROGRAMMING 24 57:54 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK, RIGHT FROM YOUR COMPUTER OR 57:58 MOBILE DEVICE. WHY WAIT A WEEK? 58:01 VISIT 'AFTV.ORG' - IT'S THAT EASY. 58:08 >>FOR LIFE-CHANGING CHRISTIAN RESOURCES, VISIT AFBOOKSTORE.COM 58:14 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2015-06-12