>> Jared Kean
00:00:40.960 Well, church, good morning. It's such a privilege and an honor to worship King
00:00:44.640 Jesus with you guys here this morning.
00:00:48.180 Thank you so much, Pastor Eric, for the kind words.
00:00:50.400 And yeah, him and Rachel have been there with Mary and I— and myself,
00:00:54.600 praying for me and loving and helping lead, and we're so
00:00:58.020 grateful for your leadership and your prayers.
00:01:00.420 And also very excited to meet baby Brielle, who's going to be a mighty woman of God
00:01:04.200 in the Kingdom of God. Such a privilege to be a part of a
00:01:08.140 growing church family.
00:01:10.000 And man, there's so much
00:01:12.780 I believe God's put on my heart. I'm just going to pray before we begin.
00:01:15.900 Father, I thank you so much. What a privilege and an honor, Jesus, it is to worship
00:01:19.340 you, who are our eternal King, Lord God, and we thank you.
00:01:22.980 We thank you, you created and designed each and every one of us to play a special
00:01:26.880 part in your kingdom, as we have a special part of your heart, God.
00:01:30.800 We ask — I ask, Lord — help me communicate your word.
00:01:33.840 Help me, Father, to communicate and let us
00:01:37.400 demonstrate what your kingdom truly looks like.
00:01:39.980 We pray as you taught your disciples, that your kingdom would come, your will would
00:01:43.940 be done on earth as it is in heaven. We love you, and we
00:01:47.780 honor you, and it's in your name we pray.
00:01:50.120 Amen.
00:01:51.480 Amen. Well, guys, as Pastor Eric had briefly
00:01:55.220 mentioned, I was
00:01:57.360 quite a case for many. Actually, you'll probably find my family's in the room here
00:02:00.860 this morning. Very grateful for them.
00:02:02.480 I know some people online watching, and
00:02:04.880 they could testify to what Pastor Eric had said.
00:02:06.400 Man, I lived a wild life, and
00:02:10.380 really just living for me, myself, and I, and kind of chasing the winds of the
00:02:14.180 world. And it wasn't until Jesus
00:02:17.820 transformed my life in a radical, real way, where I truly experienced his
00:02:21.500 kingdom, his leadership, his influence, that I really began to have a really
00:02:25.340 right perspective and the right lens in which to view life.
00:02:29.760 How many of you guys know that, or maybe point to your neighbor if you feel like it
00:02:33.260 may be them, but sometimes we think we're the main character in the show.
00:02:37.100 Right? Sometimes like, "I'm the main character.
00:02:38.840 Let's see what happens." And really, society and how we grow
00:02:42.760 up, the lens in which we view life set us up for that.
00:02:46.020 We live in a constitutional republic — whether it's democracy, right — where our
00:02:49.820 voice has a say-so. We have elections.
00:02:52.120 Also, at our fingertips, we can order anything on Amazon, and it comes the
00:02:55.980 next day. And so really, it's about what can I get? How much can I consume?
00:03:00.380 And that was me, right? I'm just kind of a product of society, a product
00:03:04.320 of my environment, and it wasn't until I encountered King
00:03:08.180 Jesus that I really began to see and perceive life
00:03:12.240 for what it truly is, that we're a part of a king and
00:03:16.220 his kingdom, that he created and designed us and wired us to
00:03:19.880 participate in his kingdom. Now, I don't know about you, but for us,
00:03:23.860 maybe just because of our way of life, it's kind of hard to conceptualize that.
00:03:28.160 It seems kind of intangible or maybe somewhat abstract. What does that really mean?
00:03:31.580 What does it mean that Jesus is a king of a kingdom?
00:03:34.580 What does a kingdom mean? How do we interact?
00:03:37.480 How do we live in this reality that he died on the cross and
00:03:41.280 paid for — for us to live in? And so my prayer today is that we would begin to
00:03:45.160 discover how great and awesome this King is, and what our part
00:03:49.200 is to play in the Kingdom of God. And so, without further ado,
00:03:53.220 we're going to jump right into Matthew 4:17.
00:03:56.380 These are some of the first words of Jesus's ministry as he began, as he walked
00:04:00.340 on the scene. And some of the very first words he says, it says, "From that
00:04:04.200 time Jesus began to preach, saying, 'Repent,
00:04:08.520 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"
00:04:10.860 Repent,
00:04:12.200 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. It's within reach.
00:04:15.660 It's within grasp. It's tangible. It's here. It's here for the taking.
00:04:19.601 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
00:04:23.620 And so if you're anything like me, as I'm reading the Bible, and I'm trying to get
00:04:27.330 the proper lens to read the Bible through what Jesus was truly trying to
00:04:30.640 communicate to us, I said, "Well, what does that word repent mean?" Because it
00:04:33.920 seems like a prerequisite for us to really receive the full
00:04:37.600 blessing and benefit of the kingdom of heaven that's within reach, right?
00:04:41.640 So that word repent in the Greek is just the word metanoeo, and at its
00:04:45.600 core, really what it means is to change one's mind.
00:04:49.520 To change one's mind for the better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of
00:04:53.100 one's past sins. It means to change one's mind.
00:04:56.460 Well, secondary to that, okay, so we have to change our mind. Got it. Cool.
00:05:00.240 What does it mean that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand?
00:05:02.520 Or really, what's a kingdom? And that word kingdom in the Greek that Jesus
00:05:06.220 used is the word basileia, a royal power, kingship,
00:05:10.120 dominion, or rule, a kingdom, or the territory subject
00:05:14.060 to the rule of a king. The territory subject to the
00:05:18.060 rule, the leadership, the influence of a king.
00:05:21.880 And so what he's essentially saying to them 2,000 years ago, and much
00:05:25.880 to us today, is that in order for us to truly receive the full
00:05:29.440 blessing and benefit of his leadership, his
00:05:33.280 influence, his kingdom, we're going to have to take this lens in which we view
00:05:36.760 life. We have to take our minds, our mindsets, and our perceptions, and we got to
00:05:40.800 toss it out. We got to turn another way and say, "Jesus,
00:05:44.740 what is your kingdom? What is your leadership?
00:05:46.360 What does your influence look like for my life?
00:05:48.980 What is it truly?" So I have to change my mind.
00:05:51.880 I have to allow the Holy Spirit, allow the loving kindness of Jesus as a
00:05:55.860 gentle and a kind leader, to change my mind, to throw out the old lens.
00:06:00.260 Instead of living with the lens of me, myself, and I, and that's much of my
00:06:03.140 testimony, that's much of my story
00:06:05.824 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
00:06:10.044 And so what's amazing is that we see as Jesus does his earthly ministry, he's
00:06:13.864 living life, he's really going to restore what the Father's intent
00:06:17.784 was from the very beginning. See, from the very beginning, God designed
00:06:21.804 us and wired and created us in creation for us to be a part of ruling
00:06:25.784 and reigning with the King and his kingdom.
00:06:28.684 Right? We see in Genesis
00:06:29.964 1:26-28, we see God's
00:06:33.444 original intent and design.
00:06:36.444 It says, "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image and after our
00:06:40.024 likeness.'" Now I want you to catch this, "Let us." This is actually
00:06:44.004 at the throne — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — having a conversation.
00:06:47.444 They had just created all of the cosmos, all the universe, all of the
00:06:51.324 mountain, all the seas, all the animals, all the beauty of creation.
00:06:55.024 Everything is beautiful. I want you to think about your favorite vacation spot or
00:06:58.124 something. Just envision it. Man, God created this. This is awesome.
00:07:01.424 This is beautiful.
00:07:04.004 And what's phenomenal is that in that conversation that God's having,
00:07:08.224 he says, "You know what would be icing on the cake?
00:07:11.224 Let's make one in my image and likeness.
00:07:14.104 Let's make one to be a friend and to be a companion with me."
00:07:20.424 Think about that for a minute. You're icing on God's favorite cake.
00:07:24.544 If nothing else, may you walk away with that today.
00:07:26.124 You're icing on God's favorite cake.
00:07:28.624 Amen.
00:07:29.234 Amen. He made you in his image and his likeness.
00:07:31.384 Just like he's a king who rules and reigns, he created us to rule and reign with
00:07:35.084 him. As we see a little bit later here, it says, "Let them," being us, "have
00:07:38.224 dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the heavens,
00:07:42.244 and over the livestock, over all the earth,
00:07:45.484 and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in his
00:07:49.244 own image, in the image of God, he created him, male and female, he created
00:07:53.244 them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and
00:07:56.884 multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it.
00:07:59.844 Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the heavens, and
00:08:03.844 over every living thing that moves
00:08:06.804 on the earth." The word kingdom is a compound word.
00:08:08.584 It means the king's dominion, the king's domain.
00:08:11.524 And so he then creates us in his image and likeness for
00:08:14.924 relationship, that we would then have rule and reign over the earth that he gave to
00:08:18.744 us.
00:08:20.004 And so we see this concept of the kingdom from the very beginning.
00:08:23.744 A little bit later in Genesis 3, God is having a conversation with Adam,
00:08:28.224 and all these creatures, all of creation, all the animals and everything, they have
00:08:32.124 blessing and abundance, and he says, "Adam, look at all these animals.
00:08:34.985 I made them for you. What would you like?"
00:08:38.064 Amen to that. That's a pretty good bumper, right, guys? I really like that bumper.
00:08:41.244 That's an awesome bumper.
00:08:44.364 But think, man, you're just sitting there in the cool of the day with God in the
00:08:47.084 garden, you see all these animals walking by and God says, "Adam, what do you want
00:08:50.904 to name them?" He gave us the authority, the dominion to name all the animals.
00:08:54.564 You say we live in a kingdom, he has absolute rule and authority, but he does
00:08:58.504 give us a voice. He gives us a say-so.
00:09:00.524 In his image and in his likeness, we get to rule and reign with
00:09:04.484 him from the very beginning.
00:09:07.784 A little bit later in Genesis 3, we see an opposing kingdom
00:09:11.644 start to take place.
00:09:13.844 See, there's another kingdom, the kingdom of darkness.
00:09:15.824 Satan and his fallen angels want to oppose and destroy
00:09:20.104 everything that God originally intended to be beautiful and great.
00:09:24.544 You see, in Genesis 3, we begin to see Satan use some tactics
00:09:28.484 that he still uses today in his kingdom,
00:09:31.664 and he says to Eve, "Did God really say?
00:09:35.404 Did God really say
00:09:37.344 you can't eat of that tree?"
00:09:39.704 The tone in which he was communicating this to Eve was to sow seeds
00:09:43.564 of doubt about God's goodness, his character, and his
00:09:47.484 will. He wanted Eve to doubt, "Is God really
00:09:50.824 trustworthy? Did he really say that?
00:09:53.624 Is he really a good king? Is he worthy of being followed?"
00:09:57.404 So he's sowing seeds of doubt from the beginning. He does it today.
00:09:59.724 He wants us to doubt God's goodness.
00:10:03.384 Second thing that we see
00:10:05.224 that Satan does
00:10:06.804 is he goes to Eve and says, "Well, God knows that if you eat of that tree, you'll
00:10:10.844 be like him, knowing both good and evil."
00:10:15.244 He says, "God knows you'll be like him if you eat of it."
00:10:19.484 What's really fascinating is that we see in Genesis 1, God already
00:10:23.484 established and said that we already are made in his image
00:10:27.364 and likeness.
00:10:29.524 So what he does is he sows seeds of doubt into Eve's identity, into
00:10:33.524 our identity. So he wants us to doubt God's goodness. "Did God really say?
00:10:37.424 Is he really trustworthy?" And he wants us to forget who we are,
00:10:41.624 whose we are, who we belong to, that we belong to the King of the universe, our
00:10:45.624 loving Heavenly Father, who wants our goodwill, intention, and mind
00:10:49.644 always so we can live in the blessing and benefit of his leadership, of
00:10:53.404 relationship with him. And second to that, he wants us to completely
00:10:56.424 forget who we are, that God made us in
00:10:59.944 his image and likeness. And he's doing the same thing
00:11:03.804 today, folks.
00:11:05.824 If we're all being honest, I think we've all had moments of identity crisis.
00:11:08.504 I think we've all had those wrestling doubts of, "Man, do I have what it
00:11:12.484 takes?
00:11:14.164 Man, do I— who am I anyway?"
00:11:17.464 Right? If we're being honest, sometimes we wrestle with identity.
00:11:21.964 And sometimes we wrestle, "Is God really trustworthy? Will he really provide?
00:11:26.824 Is he really good?"
00:11:30.284 He uses the same tactics today. Nevertheless, God establishes in Psalm
00:11:33.824 115:16 that, "The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth
00:11:37.804 he has given to the children of man."
00:11:40.424 I want you to catch this, the earth he has given to the children of man.
00:11:44.164 So we see all throughout the rest of the Bible that we continue to
00:11:48.084 have dominion, we still have authority and say-so over the earth, but
00:11:51.984 now we have an opposing kingdom that's arrived on the scene to try to usurp the
00:11:55.224 authority and the dominion that God established for us,
00:12:00.344 and we see it time and time again. In John 10:10, Jesus says, "The enemy comes to
00:12:03.864 steal, kill, and destroy." It doesn't take too long, maybe watch the evening
00:12:07.904 news, to see the hand of the kingdom of darkness running amok,
00:12:11.944 as we see folks wrestling, man, like
00:12:14.796 Who are we? Why are we here? Where is God? Is there a God?
00:12:18.936 And we can wrestle with this. And then we see Satan running amok and causing
00:12:22.936 havoc because his mission statement is to steal, kill, and destroy.
00:12:26.636 So we're in this battle.
00:12:28.476 What's actually phenomenal though is that in the Old Testament, a little bit later
00:12:31.656 in Exodus chapter 19,
00:12:34.156 in Exodus 19, we see God's intent rediscovered.
00:12:38.416 His intention is rediscovered with Moses and God's people, the Israelites, and what
00:12:42.476 happened was just as a preface, they're in
00:12:46.056 Egypt, bound in slavery, living a horrific
00:12:49.636 life for a long time. They were bound by a
00:12:53.596 kingdom, the kingdom of Egypt, who they were very much under the
00:12:57.336 influence of the kingdom of darkness's reign. Right?
00:13:00.956 Child sacrifice, worshiping other gods.
00:13:03.336 It was just very chaotic, and they just abused the Israelites.
00:13:05.686 They abused God's people. And God rescues them.
00:13:08.456 He delivers them from the restrictions and
00:13:12.296 being bound in Egypt, and so in Exodus 19, starting in verse four,
00:13:16.956 God's having this conversation with Moses, and he says, "You've seen what I did to
00:13:20.556 the Egyptians.
00:13:22.336 You know how I carried you on eagles' wings,
00:13:25.416 and I brought you to myself."
00:13:28.136 What's his intent? To carry you and to bring you to himself.
00:13:32.476 "Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure
00:13:36.036 from among all the peoples of the earth.
00:13:38.196 You will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation."
00:13:43.036 You'll be my kingdom of priests, the leadership, the influence of a king
00:13:46.946 he establishes again with us, and that we would be priests.
00:13:49.336 Well, what does that really look like?
00:13:50.756 Priests in the Old Testament were responsible for carrying the presence of God
00:13:54.916 and for interacting with the presence of God.
00:13:56.956 To really simplify it and boil it down, that's what the priests were
00:14:00.736 responsible for. So Jesus and God are saying here, "Hey, I want to reestablish my
00:14:04.536 kingship, my leadership over you. I want you to interact with my presence.
00:14:07.516 I want to go back to the garden. I want to restore that relationship that we had.
00:14:11.436 You'll be my own special treasure." And God today wants you to know that you can be
00:14:14.436 his own special treasure in the earth, a
00:14:17.336 representative to a lost and dying world around us
00:14:21.316 that's being infiltrated with the kingdom of darkness, but he wants us to be his
00:14:24.756 special treasure, to be near and dear to him in his heart.
00:14:33.016 What's really sad,
00:14:35.196 as we continue to read throughout the Old Testament, and this theme of the kingdom
00:14:37.756 is
00:14:38.876 the Israelites eventually say, "God, we don't want you as our king.
00:14:41.696 We want to be like the others. We want a human king like the other kingdoms of the
00:14:44.876 earth."
00:14:46.036 Essentially saying, "God, I don't know. You're a little scary. I don't know.
00:14:49.496 I think we'd rather have somebody else."
00:14:51.916 And so they reject direct relationship with God as King.
00:14:56.026 They say, "Maybe we'll have Moses go on our behalf."
00:14:59.096 And so God was — as we continue to read in the Old Testament — he's actually grieved
00:15:02.236 by it, but he permits it to happen. He said, "Okay.
00:15:04.916 If you want a king, you can have a king." And we see all throughout the rest of how
00:15:08.196 that really worked out. Right? Not God's
00:15:10.536 ultimate intent, but we see what happens, and so my question for us here this
00:15:14.436 morning is,
00:15:16.296 just like the Israelites, just like God's people were kind of pushing him away,
00:15:19.776 again, are there any areas where we can open
00:15:23.176 up for him to lead in our lives?
00:15:26.816 Is there anywhere at all, God? And maybe search our hearts.
00:15:30.396 Father, is there anywhere at all where I'm not allowing you to lead?
00:15:33.836 I may not even realize it, so Lord, help me. Help me see it.
00:15:38.296 At work,
00:15:40.016 in my family,
00:15:42.196 in my marriage, in my relationships, my friendships.
00:15:45.236 Is there anywhere I'm not allowing you to lead?
00:15:49.996 Because he wants to.
00:15:52.436 And we see the design ultimately restored.
00:15:55.476 God's design, his intention for us, ultimately restored in Revelation.
00:15:59.196 So we see in the beginning, we see throughout the Old Testament, we actually see at
00:16:01.816 the end, in Revelation 21, God's ultimate intent.
00:16:04.506 It says, "I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, 'Look!
00:16:07.956 God's home is now among his people.
00:16:11.116 He will live with them, and they will be his people.
00:16:14.296 God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their
00:16:18.116 eyes. There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.
00:16:22.316 All these things are gone forever.'"
00:16:25.836 Amen. That's something that's good news to look forward to, right?
00:16:28.596 That's where we're heading to, folks.
00:16:30.116 We're heading to this day where the King will forever establish, Jesus Christ in
00:16:33.856 the flesh will again come to earth and rule and reign.
00:16:36.476 There'll be no more pain, no more sickness, no more chaos, no more sin and
00:16:40.196 selfishness running rampant and kind of destroying the earth, and the kingdom of
00:16:43.736 darkness completely eradicated and destroyed forever.
00:16:46.836 That's what we're heading to. This is the King's ultimate
00:16:50.416 intent.
00:16:54.076 And again, just like in the garden, at times, I find myself often
00:16:58.256 wrestling with
00:17:00.936 when I want to obey God, but I'm wrestling with, "God, are you really good?
00:17:05.757 Do you really have my best in mind?" And these seeds of doubt I can
00:17:09.656 wrestle with from time to time.
00:17:12.176 But what's so amazing is Jesus shows us so clearly right
00:17:16.176 before he goes to the cross, right before he's about to suffer and die the most
00:17:19.916 unimaginably painful death physically, mentally, emotionally,
00:17:23.936 spiritually, he's bearing all the sin and all the chaos and the yuck of the world
00:17:28.237 on the cross, and what's so phenomenal is do you know what's on his mind?
00:17:31.576 You know what's on his heart right before he's about to go to the cross, which
00:17:35.436 ultimately is actually our victory march.
00:17:37.036 It's a stamp of "It is finished," and the kingdom of darkness is extinguished.
00:17:41.696 But nevertheless, the suffering is still there to conquer, and so Jesus,
00:17:46.076 have you ever wondered what he was thinking about right before?
00:17:49.636 Have you ever wondered what conversation with his Heavenly Father might have looked
00:17:52.596 like?
00:17:55.176 Or have you ever wondered,
00:17:57.096 "What does he say about me? What's his intentions for me?"
00:18:01.976 Jesus says in John 17, starting in verse 19, "I give myself as a holy sacrifice."
00:18:06.356 He's talking to the Heavenly Father. His followers are around.
00:18:09.396 That's why John wrote this down. It says, "I give myself as a
00:18:13.296 holy sacrifice for them,
00:18:15.316 so they can be made holy by your truth."
00:18:18.104 And I am praying not only for these disciples, but also for
00:18:22.384 all who will ever believe me through their message — a.k.a. you and I.
00:18:27.264 Jesus is beginning to talk to his Heavenly Father about right here, right now.
00:18:30.344 You ever wonder what Jesus has to say about you?
00:18:32.584 What does the conversation at the throne look like about you?
00:18:36.064 You ever wonder about that? Thinking about heavenly things, like, "Where's God?"
00:18:38.764 When he's talking to Jesus, him and Jesus are in heaven, what are they talking
00:18:41.264 about there? When they talk about me, what is their intent and desire?
00:18:46.604 "I'm praying for all who ever believe in me and through their message I pray they
00:18:49.664 will all be one, just as you, Father, and I are one.
00:18:53.804 As you are in me, Father, and I am in you,
00:18:57.004 that they would be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.
00:19:01.044 The glory that you have given me I've given to them, that they may
00:19:05.024 be one, even as we are one. I in them and you, Father, in me,
00:19:09.344 that they may be perfectly one,
00:19:11.484 so that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them
00:19:15.524 even as you love me." I want you to catch this.
00:19:17.584 He says, "I've given them the glory that you have given me."
00:19:21.284 The glory of paradise, the glory at the throne, of perfect peace, perfect joy,
00:19:25.744 full of love. He says, "I pray, Father, they would know that you
00:19:29.684 love them even as you love me." That actually translates to say, "Father, you
00:19:33.124 love them with the same intensity, and degree, and measure that you love me." The
00:19:36.984 only perfect human being, the Son of God, the King of the
00:19:40.944 universe. He wants us to know that the Heavenly Father loves us to the
00:19:44.944 same intensity and degree that he loves Jesus.
00:19:49.564 This is what he's thinking about here.
00:19:50.844 This is what he's
00:19:52.224 asking the Heavenly Father for us, that we would be one.
00:19:55.264 We would be one as a family, united in him.
00:19:58.244 And that we would know how much we're loved by our Father.
00:20:00.944 This is what the King is thinking about
00:20:03.324 before his dying moments.
00:20:07.824 "I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am,
00:20:12.264 to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me
00:20:16.104 before the foundation of the world." What?
00:20:19.564 What? That is insane.
00:20:23.064 "I want them to be with me
00:20:25.204 where I am and to see my glory."
00:20:28.644 God's ultimate intent, Jesus' prayer for you, his intent is that we would be with
00:20:31.704 him where he is, that we would be united in heart and spirit
00:20:35.544 by his Holy Spirit, and that we would know and be so rooted in the love
00:20:39.544 of the Father.
00:20:41.524 So
00:20:42.824 grounded in the love of the Father.
00:20:46.524 Because sometimes, and I've been guilty of this so many times, sometimes
00:20:51.264 whenever I'm praying
00:20:53.044 to God, or I would need God to move on my behalf, or I need a situation to change,
00:20:57.384 every now and again, I'm kind of approaching him as a showman.
00:21:00.244 Just like, "Hey, will you show up today, God?" I'm kind of having this exchange
00:21:03.404 with God where it's like, "Maybe you can show off for me.
00:21:06.044 Maybe give me some extra money this paycheck," or something like that, whatever the
00:21:09.124 case may be. Maybe be a showman, will you show up?
00:21:11.684 Instead of being sure and secure and rooted in his love.
00:21:16.104 Because if my faith rests in his love, if my trust in him rests in his love, in his
00:21:19.464 loving kindness, and goodness, and intentions that we see at the beginning, at the
00:21:23.004 end, if I'm resting there in his love, my faith won't waver.
00:21:26.884 Just any storm in life, any attack of Satan, and the kingdom of darkness will
00:21:30.704 not stand a chance.
00:21:32.504 Same with you.
00:21:39.204 See, this is what Jesus contended and died for.
00:21:42.264 That we would be one, and that we would be one with his Heavenly Father, that
00:21:46.264 we would be so resting and secure in his love.
00:21:51.524 That's what Jesus contended for. That's how good our King is.
00:21:54.104 Do you know how unbelievably loved you are?
00:21:58.664 That we would be one with him,
00:22:01.904 just like at the beginning and just like at the end.
00:22:08.204 You know what I love, though, about Jesus?
00:22:10.824 You know the aspect of this King that
00:22:13.884 anybody who knows me for a period of time will be like, "Yeah, you're pretty
00:22:15.724 intense. This makes sense." But you know the aspect of
00:22:19.644 the King that I love is that he's not playing games.
00:22:24.024 There's no nonsense. He will do anything and everything to
00:22:27.584 completely destroy
00:22:30.224 anything or any being in the universe that would try to get in the way of
00:22:34.224 his love reaching us.
00:22:36.104 Amen.
00:22:36.964 He will destroy anything in the path to make
00:22:40.244 sure that we have all the evidence we need to see just how much
00:22:44.204 he loves us in our lives. He will destroy
00:22:49.004 any
00:22:50.224 opposing force.
00:22:51.964 In fact, in 1 John 3:8, it says this profound statement, where
00:22:55.644 Jesus shows up on the scene, and his disciples, John, the same
00:22:59.644 one who wrote this awesome love message of Jesus talking with his Heavenly
00:23:03.424 Father, he also writes this. He had this revelation of Jesus.
00:23:06.324 "The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the
00:23:10.344 devil."
00:23:13.364 See, that rescue mission was absolutely to demonstrate God's love, and love
00:23:17.204 conquers all. 1 Corinthians 13 says, "Love conquers all." He came
00:23:21.204 to conquer and destroy the works of the devil.
00:23:24.264 Not appeasement, not playing games, not a pacifist.
00:23:27.744 He came to destroy the works of the devil.
00:23:31.384 In Acts 10:38, it says it like this, "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God
00:23:34.984 anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went about
00:23:39.004 doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,
00:23:43.324 for God was with him."
00:23:45.024 He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed
00:23:48.904 by the devil,
00:23:50.864 for God was with him.
00:23:56.064 See, Jesus made it clear. John 10:10.
00:23:58.294 "The enemy, he comes to steal, kill, and destroy."
00:24:01.504 That's his agenda.
00:24:03.324 It's very simple. Unfortunately, it's been pretty effective for thousands of years.
00:24:08.124 But Jesus said, "Hey, I paved the way for us to destroy that, for you to fully walk
00:24:11.784 in and realize
00:24:13.404 my leadership and my influence for your life, that you would know that."
00:24:17.784 In Matthew 12:22, we actually see a specific instance.
00:24:20.884 What does it look like to destroy the works of the devil?
00:24:23.064 In
00:24:24.304 Matthew 12,
00:24:25.924 it talks about this. It says, "A
00:24:27.744 demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was
00:24:31.624 brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw."
00:24:36.276 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of
00:24:40.136 demons, that this man casts out demons."
00:24:43.336 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself
00:24:46.996 is laid waste, and no city or house divided against
00:24:50.916 itself will stand. And if Satan is casting out Satan, he
00:24:54.876 is divided
00:24:57.196 against himself.
00:24:59.396 How then will his kingdom stand? But if it is by the Spirit of
00:25:02.576 God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of
00:25:06.076 God has come upon you."
00:25:08.535 Whoever is not with me is against me.
00:25:10.816 Whoever does not gather with me scatters." Sometimes I read this and I think that,
00:25:15.076 I can't prove this — maybe Jesus had some sarcasm — like, "Oh, so you think Satan's
00:25:18.636 driving out Satan? You think this man was healed,
00:25:21.836 free from a demonic power because of a demon?"
00:25:25.516 And he says, "Guys, a kingdom divided against itself will not stand." You see, the
00:25:29.556 Pharisees, the religious leaders at that time,
00:25:33.136 they had a different lens. They were viewing their world, their life.
00:25:36.536 They had not repented. They had not allowed Jesus, his loving kindness and
00:25:39.316 goodness, to begin to renew their mind, renew their lens, and they
00:25:43.136 failed to see what he was representing his Heavenly Father here, destroying the
00:25:46.976 works of the devil and healing this guy. He wants to heal you today.
00:25:50.516 He wants to do the same today.
00:25:55.056 I'll say this. He heals because he loves, not because he's a showman.
00:25:58.226 Amen.
00:26:00.056 His intent to restore your life, to heal different aspects of your life,
00:26:05.076 is because he's good and he loves you, not because, "I'm going to show off now.
00:26:08.296 Let me see. Do a backflip." That's not what this is about.
00:26:12.996 But the Pharisees, the very people who studied the scriptures, who should have seen
00:26:16.216 and known this King and should have understood who he was, they didn't
00:26:20.136 throw out their old lens. We also see a fun principle here that applies to us
00:26:23.896 today, that the Spirit of God
00:26:27.096 is the kingdom of God. It's the domain, the influence of the King through his
00:26:30.596 Spirit. So whenever Jesus is casting out evil spirits all throughout the Gospels,
00:26:34.616 the Spirit of God, the presence of God, the power of God, is
00:26:38.336 driving out an opposing kingdom.
00:26:42.336 So,
00:26:44.056 another quick check. Is there any area of my life where I feel like there might be
00:26:46.635 an opposing kingdom, some evil, some unexplainable
00:26:50.396 opposition
00:26:52.396 that's trying to jar at me? Why? Because we can lean on the Spirit of God
00:26:56.876 to drive out that force,
00:26:58.856 and we'll see exactly what that kind of looks like in a few moments.
00:27:04.416 The Spirit of God is the kingdom of God, and it drives out an opposing kingdom.
00:27:07.776 It came to destroy the works of the devil.
00:27:12.076 Matthew 12, a little bit earlier in that chapter,
00:27:14.896 Jesus is around some religious leaders and some folks, and
00:27:19.196 there's another instance where the Pharisees miss it.
00:27:21.856 That's kind of like the story a lot of the Gospel. The Pharisees miss it again.
00:27:25.316 It'll be on the Babylon Bee or whatever, some news source.
00:27:28.136 Pharisees duped again, missing it again.
00:27:32.076 Matthew 12:10-13, "And a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him,
00:27:37.136 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?'" So they might accuse him.
00:27:40.516 They were trying to trip him up because God created the Sabbath day for us to
00:27:44.236 rest from our works and for us to be
00:27:47.496 rejuvenated in his presence and to really be able to lean in and
00:27:51.316 receive his blessing by resting.
00:27:55.296 But the Pharisees took it to a whole other level and added their own terms and
00:27:58.896 ideas, their own lenses to it, and so they try to trip him up.
00:28:02.276 They say,
00:28:03.626 "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" So they could accuse him, and Jesus says to
00:28:06.676 them, "Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath,
00:28:11.036 will not take hold of it and lift it out?
00:28:13.116 How much more value is a man than a sheep?"
00:28:16.536 Right?
00:28:19.596 Funny that. So it's lawful to do good on the Sabbath.
00:28:22.826 "And he said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand,' and the man stretched out his
00:28:26.056 hand and it was restored, healthy,
00:28:29.096 like the other." You see, they missed it.
00:28:31.156 The lens in which
00:28:32.996 they were living their life skewed them, and they missed God's ultimate purpose,
00:28:36.876 intention, and will in his leadership.
00:28:41.556 And so I check. I'm like, "Lord, help me daily not put on the wrong lens today.
00:28:46.256 Let me not put on the wrong lens at work.
00:28:48.096 Let me not put on the wrong lens in my marriage, in my family, in
00:28:52.056 the community.
00:28:54.396 Jesus, let me see your kingdom, your influence, your leadership rightly.
00:28:58.376 Let me not be skewed."
00:29:03.156 What's awesome is his disciples, his followers, actually had some sense to ask him
00:29:06.576 as they see Jesus going about, destroying the works of the devil, healing a bunch
00:29:10.016 of people, setting people free from demonic oppression,
00:29:13.356 raising the dead, multiplying bread, you name it.
00:29:16.616 They had some sense to ask him. They caught on to the fact that, wait a minute, I
00:29:19.956 think his relationship with his Heavenly Father has something to do with this.
00:29:24.016 So they say, "Jesus, teach us how to pray.
00:29:26.756 I think we're missing something here.
00:29:28.936 How should we pray?" Jesus said, "Pray then like this.
00:29:31.196 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." In other words, my Father in heaven,
00:29:35.216 you are holy, you are perfect, you are set apart. There's no one like you.
00:29:39.816 You are lovely.
00:29:41.316 And then he says this, "Your kingdom come,
00:29:44.016 your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
00:29:48.836 See, the kingdom is about family. He told his followers, "Hey, you should
00:29:52.156 address your King, your God as Father."
00:29:56.156 And that's what he wanted to give to us, a relationship restored
00:29:59.816 back with the Father, with the King.
00:30:03.816 So the kingdom,
00:30:05.556 we've seen a lot in history. We've seen a lot of bad kingdoms, a lot of bad
00:30:08.996 leaders, political leaders.
00:30:12.056 This is the only King where his intent was to restore us into love and family.
00:30:19.756 But catch this.
00:30:21.636 He told them to pray and to contend for, "Your kingdom come,"
00:30:25.776 your influence, your leadership, your domain come, "Your will be done on earth as
00:30:29.236 it is in heaven."
00:30:30.776 Whoa.
00:30:31.916 See what this says to me?
00:30:34.396 If it's supposed to happen on earth as it is in heaven, my assumption is that, wow,
00:30:38.156 in heaven, there's perfect peace.
00:30:40.356 There's perfect joy.
00:30:42.564 Satisfaction, fulfillment, purpose
00:30:45.764 with the Father.
00:30:48.124 You know what else it tells me?
00:30:50.484 So, wait a minute. In heaven, there's no sin, there's no selfishness,
00:30:54.424 there's no sickness or pain. We see that in Revelation 21 restored.
00:30:58.864 Whoa. So what it says is, "Hey, you could pray big prayers.
00:31:02.944 Believe God
00:31:06.304 on earth as it is in heaven." That's crazy.
00:31:09.344 He gave us license to pray and believe God big.
00:31:13.124 So again, the question we can ask is, what does it look like for his leadership to
00:31:16.384 infiltrate my life? What would it look like if my family looked like
00:31:20.304 how it would in heaven?
00:31:22.424 What would it look like if my workplace looked like how it would in heaven?
00:31:25.053 And I can't force people to change, but I could lead the
00:31:27.644 way. I can demonstrate.
00:31:31.364 I can act as if I'm a citizen of heaven because I am, because you are.
00:31:35.264 Because we're a part of his family, because he's our Heavenly Father.
00:31:38.284 Also asking what's his will. Do we incorporate your kingdom come, your will be
00:31:42.164 done? Do I incorporate his will on just big decisions or really just every day?
00:31:45.384 Because I think he really does care. He wants to help. He's a good dad.
00:31:49.704 He wants to help with everything, big and small.
00:31:54.744 Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
00:31:59.404 Praying big prayers, representing the kingdom.
00:32:02.944 That was his intent. Luke chapter 10, he sends out 72
00:32:06.884 of his followers to a new town, where they are to proclaim the kingdom,
00:32:11.464 and it says that two by two he sent them into every town where he himself is about
00:32:15.024 to go. He said, "The harvest is plentiful, the laborers are few.
00:32:18.164 Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers.
00:32:21.424 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what's set before you.
00:32:24.704 Heal the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God
00:32:28.384 has come near to you.'" He sent them out with His
00:32:32.064 Spirit, with His power to accurately
00:32:35.504 demonstrate his leadership and his influence, his will, his intentions, his
00:32:39.124 kindness, his goodness, and he sent them out two by two.
00:32:43.924 2 Corinthians 5 says it like this, "Therefore, we are ambassadors of Christ."
00:32:47.904 That ambassador word is a big governmental word.
00:32:50.784 It's the highest level of a representative of another kingdom.
00:32:54.864 We are ambassadors for Christ.
00:32:58.244 God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be
00:33:02.104 reconciled to God. Come back to the family.
00:33:05.884 Receive the blessing and the benefit of his leadership.
00:33:09.524 For our sake, he made him, being Jesus, to be sin who knew
00:33:13.344 no sin, so that in him, we might become the
00:33:16.124 righteousness of God. We are sent out to
00:33:19.804 implore people, come back to God, that in relationship with the
00:33:23.684 Heavenly Father,
00:33:25.404 that we can represent Jesus saying, "Come back to God." What does this look like
00:33:29.904 practically? It looks like the day before I go to work,
00:33:33.704 Lord, somebody here today needs to see you,
00:33:38.324 and help me, Holy Spirit,
00:33:40.464 know that moment.
00:33:42.584 Give me the words to say.
00:33:44.844 It looks like
00:33:47.464 you're going to Applebee's after church. This is not an advertisement for Applebee's.
00:33:51.644 Hey, maybe I shouldn't say names.
00:33:54.804 Go somewhere after church and the waitress comes up to you,
00:33:58.724 and she looks like she's having kind of a tough day,
00:34:01.004 right? Pretty busy, exhausted.
00:34:04.204 Looks like a simple word, "Jesus loves you."
00:34:06.604 "Hey, we're going to pray for our meal. Can we pray for you?
00:34:09.364 What's going on?" You never know the open doors and opportunities that God will put
00:34:13.004 in your path if we simply are willing and ready to represent him.
00:34:21.624 And what's our role? What does this all come to?
00:34:23.644 Matthew 24:14, "This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole
00:34:27.504 world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." The good
00:34:31.304 news of the king's domain, his leadership, his influence, will be
00:34:35.344 proclaimed throughout the whole world. Then the end will come. What's the end?
00:34:38.924 He comes back.
00:34:41.504 What's the end? Revelation 21. What's the end?
00:34:44.324 No more evil, no more chaos,
00:34:47.904 no more pain, no more sickness.
00:34:50.784 Enough. It's all eradicated.
00:34:54.104 We get to play a part. That's amazing, guys. That should excite us.
00:34:59.984 If anybody ever told you following Jesus, the Bible, or Christianity is boring,
00:35:03.164 they lied.
00:35:04.664 There's nothing boring about it whatsoever.
00:35:10.664 He leaves us another key, another principle.
00:35:13.304 It's actually very profound and super powerful, and I'd be
00:35:17.144 remiss if I didn't mention it. In Matthew 18:18-20,
00:35:20.864 Jesus is talking to his followers
00:35:24.944 and what he's essentially establishing is, "Hey, guys, I've given you the keys to
00:35:27.744 the kingdom. You have open access to my leadership, my influence, my
00:35:31.764 reign through my word and through my Holy Spirit." He says, "I tell you the truth.
00:35:35.404 Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven.
00:35:38.324 Whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.
00:35:40.944 Also, I tell you this." This is amazing.
00:35:43.924 "If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything, my Father
00:35:47.884 in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three are gathered together
00:35:51.884 as my followers, I am there among thee—" I am there among you.
00:36:01.324 You may ask yourself like I did, what does it mean to forbid on earth and it will
00:36:04.604 be forbidden in heaven? What does it mean to permit and it will be permitted?
00:36:09.004 Really, what Jesus is boiling it down to is, "Hey, guys,
00:36:11.804 the kingdom of darkness is running amok.
00:36:13.464 There's a lot that Satan is doing right now to try to separate people from me and
00:36:17.084 my love and from family.
00:36:19.284 He's coming to steal, kill, and destroy." But he says this, "You guys have a
00:36:23.124 voice. You have a say-so with my Spirit to do something about it,
00:36:28.144 to destroy the works of the devil, to see my kingdom come.
00:36:32.584 And when we're together in unity as family,"
00:36:36.424 he says, "My Father will do amazing things on your behalf because I am there with
00:36:40.464 you."
00:36:43.604 So, you guys, please stand to your feet.
00:36:51.884 See, this passage is profound because
00:36:54.424 we know the Holy Spirit's in us and with us from when we've surrendered and trusted
00:36:58.244 Jesus as our Savior.
00:37:00.684 But this looks like you getting around the dinner table and praying for one
00:37:03.364 another.
00:37:05.344 "Where two or three are gathered, I'm there among them.
00:37:08.124 Whatever you permit will be permitted." It's offensive.
00:37:10.564 The kingdom of God is offensive. It looks like
00:37:14.084 hanging out with family this afternoon. Two or three are gathered, he's there.
00:37:19.364 Looks like at work, maybe you find a coworker who's a believer, two or three are
00:37:22.764 gathered, he's there. And what do we have the opportunity to do?
00:37:25.784 To share of how great and how good his leadership, his influence,
00:37:30.204 and his ways are in our life. That we can represent him in this
00:37:33.244 exciting journey
00:37:36.764 to bring his will, his kingdom to earth until he himself comes back.
00:37:43.144 And just to top it off, in case you wonder, "Man, could God really use me?"
00:37:47.804 The good news is it's not about you.
00:37:50.404 It's about him. In Mark 16 it says this.
00:37:52.824 See, Jesus had died. He rose again, defeated sin,
00:37:56.824 death, hell, and the grave. Defeated and conquered the works of the
00:38:00.444 devil. He's about to go home to His Heavenly Father, sitting on the throne,
00:38:04.434 and he talks to his followers. He said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim
00:38:07.824 the good news to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be
00:38:11.764 saved. Whoever does not believe will be condemned.
00:38:13.884 And these signs will accompany those who believe.
00:38:15.924 In my name" — according to my character, nature, and likeness — His
00:38:19.704 name we have because we have His Spirit.
00:38:23.134 "They will cast out demons. They will speak in new tongues.
00:38:25.864 They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly
00:38:29.664 poison, it will not hurt them. They'll lay their hands on the sick and they will
00:38:32.984 recover." So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken
00:38:36.904 up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
00:38:39.854 And they, his followers, went out and preached everywhere while the Lord worked
00:38:43.644 with them and confirmed the message by accompanying
00:38:47.404 signs.
00:38:49.404 Would you guys please close your eyes? We're going to pray.
00:38:52.104 There's nothing magical about closing your eyes.
00:38:54.204 It just helps eliminate distraction and focus on God.
00:38:59.264 And so Father, we thank you so much right now, Lord God, that you promise
00:39:03.044 that where two or three are gathered, you are here with us.
00:39:06.984 If you're with somebody and you even want to hold hands as a sign of unity and
00:39:10.444 family, and of oneness, just as Jesus prayed for, feel
00:39:14.464 free to.
00:39:16.444 And Lord, we thank you that where two or three are gathered, you're here among us.
00:39:18.864 Father, we thank you, Jesus, that you sent us out as
00:39:22.484 representatives to rule and reign with you.
00:39:25.304 Lord God, that everywhere we go, everywhere we set foot, your very spirit in
00:39:29.344 us and with us represents you and has an opportunity to reconcile
00:39:33.344 people back into the family of God, back into original design.
00:39:37.124 And Lord God, I thank you for each and every person here.
00:39:39.604 Lord, we ask any area of our life here this morning that's not in alignment with
00:39:43.524 your leadership and your influence, Holy Spirit, help us, forgive us,
00:39:47.544 lead us into the better way, which is your way.
00:39:52.604 Maybe you're here this morning and you've never actually —
00:39:55.904 or maybe you're just not sure if you've surrendered your
00:39:59.284 life to King Jesus, that He is your King,
00:40:03.033 that He is your leader. The good news is, is that has nothing to do with what you
00:40:06.924 could've ever done. It's only because of what He accomplished on the cross.
00:40:11.264 And so if you're here, say, "Jared, I don't know if I'm in the kingdom.
00:40:14.004 I don't really know if I know what that means, but I want to,"
00:40:17.104 I simply ask you to slip up your hand because God sees the King is in the room
00:40:21.224 and He wants to make Himself known to you.
00:40:23.304 I ask you to just slip up your hand saying, "That's me, Jared.
00:40:26.144 I want Jesus to be my King."
00:40:30.844 Amen.
00:40:35.104 Amen.
00:40:36.764 Jesus, we thank you for those who are making the decision that they want you to be
00:40:41.504 their King.
00:40:43.084 And Lord, right now we come and we pray with the authority,
00:40:47.104 with the power of your Holy Spirit as your body.
00:40:49.664 We say right now, your kingdom come, your will be done in our lives, in our
00:40:52.824 families, in our workplaces, in our finances, and on earth as it is in
00:40:56.624 heaven. Jesus, we align ourselves with your kingdom, and right now in Jesus'
00:41:00.504 name,
00:41:01.684 any opposing dark
00:41:04.704 force of the kingdom of darkness, be gone. In Jesus' name.
00:41:08.064 Chaos,
00:41:11.804 go. In Jesus' name. Division,
00:41:14.904 go in Jesus' name.
00:41:18.584 Anxiety and racing thoughts, go.
00:41:21.804 Spirit of fear,
00:41:23.324 go in Jesus' name.
00:41:25.184 If you want to pray as well, feel free to pray and exercise your
00:41:28.784 authority as well. And Lord, we thank you so much that you've given us that
00:41:32.324 authority, and we say in Jesus' name, cancer be healed.
00:41:36.804 In Jesus' name.
00:41:40.304 Depression, leave, be loosed.
00:41:45.404 In Jesus' name.
00:41:47.444 We thank you, God,
00:41:49.284 that you've entrusted us with your very self and that your
00:41:52.884 desire is that we would be with you where you are, that we would know how
00:41:56.704 loved we are by our Heavenly Father.
00:42:00.904 That our families would look like it, our individual lives would look like it.
00:42:04.684 Every area of our life, Lord, help us surrender to your leadership.
00:42:08.604 It's in your precious name we pray, Amen.
00:42:11.864 Amen. You may be seated. Thank you, guys, so much.
00:42:13.624 It's awesome to worship King Jesus with you guys.
>> Pastor Eric
00:42:14.934 Hey, big hand.
00:42:16.044 Thanks, brother. Appreciate you. Love you, man.
>> Jared Kean
00:42:18.204 Thank you.
00:42:20.044 Thank you.
>> Pastor Eric
00:42:20.084 It's also Jared's birthday, by the way—
>> Congregation
00:42:22.344 Woo!
>> Pastor Eric
00:42:22.354 ... so we can say happy birthday.
00:42:25.484 Young man, he wanted to give something more than receive because he understands
00:42:29.244 it's more blessed to give than to receive, as Jesus said.
00:42:32.364 And we really believe here at Freedom Church that we want something for
00:42:35.924 you before we ever want something from you.
00:42:38.444 That my heart and our heart here is we want you to be blessed.
00:42:41.344 We want you to know and receive God's best for your life, to know your
00:42:45.424 purpose, to discover freedom, to really find freedom for yourself and
00:42:49.544 know what it means to live a life of freedom in Christ.
00:42:52.624 And when you do that, it becomes all about helping other people.
00:42:55.784 It becomes all about living for something bigger than yourselves.
00:42:59.444 And if you're new with us here at Freedom Church, there are- Several ways you
00:43:02.860 can give us your information, not so we have your information, but so we
00:43:06.720 can give you information on how to stay in touch and up to
00:43:10.400 date on what's happening right here at Freedom Church.
00:43:13.180 You can actually take your phone, hold it to the tap card on the seat back in front
00:43:16.880 of you, fill out the information below, or you can get a connection card
00:43:20.840 at the connection point on your way out the door to the left and on your way
00:43:24.720 out, or if you fill that out, we want to put a gift in your hands.
00:43:27.860 We have gift bags available. There are wristbands, key chains.
00:43:31.400 We just love giving some things away. So make sure to grab one of those.
00:43:34.760 Even if you've been with us before and you didn't get one, make sure to grab one of
00:43:38.100 those on your way out. And I also want to say, if you're new with us, you're
00:43:41.580 invited to come back.
00:43:44.000 It may sound silly to say that, but I find talking to people over and over again,
00:43:47.620 they ask, "Am I allowed to come? Am I welcome to come to your
00:43:51.340 church? Am I allowed?" And I say, "Yes, absolutely," because we want all
00:43:55.220 people to know the name of Jesus. We want all people to know and
00:43:58.860 experience the kingdom of God for their lives as well.
00:44:02.470 And how else do we do that? But not unless we invite more people to
00:44:06.500 come and experience his love and for them to know their identity in
00:44:10.340 Christ as well. So not only do I say I invite you to come back, but I want to
00:44:14.200 encourage you, bring some people with you, invite some friends, tell some family.
00:44:18.220 People are waiting for an invitation to come to church, to
00:44:22.240 start a new path, to start a new way of living their lives in the
00:44:26.080 kingdom of God. So with that — I grew up —
00:44:30.080 one of the ways I grew up was very poverty-minded.
00:44:32.420 There was one of seven kids, divorced parents, a lot of
00:44:36.280 chaos, a lot of lack, and a lot of need.
00:44:39.200 And I grew up going to thrift stores and buying clothes at yard
00:44:42.840 sales, often getting leftover food from wherever we could get.
00:44:46.600 And I grew up with a poverty mindset, with a mindset where I was fearful
00:44:50.880 of, am I going to have enough? Am I going to have enough money to pay the bills?
00:44:54.460 Am I going to have enough money to make ends meet?
00:44:56.640 And it led into my adult life, where I began becoming a workaholic,
00:45:00.880 where I'd work all the time. Even when I had enough money, I still worked and
00:45:04.740 worked and worked because I was afraid of not having enough.
00:45:08.500 But when I encountered Jesus in a real way, in a personal way, I gave my life
00:45:12.449 to him. That fear was removed. That poverty mindset was
00:45:16.400 removed. Not saying God's going to always bless you big time financially, you're
00:45:19.980 going to be wealthy and rich. I don't believe that.
00:45:22.489 I don't believe that's always the case, but I believe God always provides
00:45:26.280 enough. In fact, in Matthew chapter 6, he says, "Seek the
00:45:29.980 kingdom above all else, live righteously, and all
00:45:34.020 these things will be added to you." And he's actually talking about money.
00:45:37.160 He's talking about possessions. He's teaching us to not worry,
00:45:41.480 not be fearful, not live in a mindset of lack,
00:45:45.420 but to trust him as our perfect Heavenly Father.
00:45:49.120 So we really believe before we ever want anything from you, we want something
00:45:53.000 for you. One of the ways that we actually can be a blessing to you is by
00:45:56.920 us giving, us receiving, and giving of ourselves to
00:46:00.780 join in what God is doing through our church.
00:46:02.940 So there are several ways to give, and we actually invite you to take a step of
00:46:06.880 faith, to say, "I've never given before." What if you took a step to
00:46:10.740 give something? To begin giving financially, to
00:46:14.340 trust God with your finances, that he truly is the God
00:46:18.340 who provides. There are several ways to do that on our website.
00:46:21.200 You can scan that QR code. There's also a place for check or cash in the
00:46:25.180 back of the room because we really believe what Jesus said, "It's more blessed
00:46:29.060 to give than to receive," and we want to exercise that
00:46:32.640 faith today. Also, if you're new with us and you've never gone to what
00:46:36.660 we call Next Steps, we invite you to come next Sunday.
00:46:39.840 We'll actually have it for the next two weeks after the 11:00 a.m.
00:46:43.560 service. You can RSVP. What this is, is a time to learn
00:46:47.640 more about Freedom Church, and we help you discover how God has
00:46:51.180 uniquely gifted you and help you identify some next steps that you can
00:46:55.160 take in your walk with God, especially if you're
00:46:58.560 new to the faith. We really want to help you grow.
00:47:00.820 If you've been serving God many, many years, we want to help you find and identify
00:47:04.660 your next step because we all have one.
00:47:06.700 You simply have to scan that QR code or go on our website.
00:47:10.080 We want you to RSVP because we provide food and childcare.
00:47:13.520 So we want to make sure we're prepared for you.
00:47:15.400 Make sure you plan to come and invite somebody with you.
00:47:18.339 Anybody and everybody's welcome to attend Next Steps, next Sunday.
00:47:22.070 If you could please stand to your feet, I'm going to pray, and then we'll be
00:47:24.740 dismissed.
00:47:27.240 Heavenly Father God, we thank you that you are King.
00:47:31.100 God, we thank you that we don't have to make you King, but you are
00:47:34.760 King. We thank you that you're not just one of the kings, but you're the King of
00:47:38.320 all kings. God, we thank you for your word.
00:47:40.820 God, thank you for the gift that Jared is to the church and to each and every one
00:47:44.320 of us, and God, that he would choose to give of himself on his birthday.
00:47:48.160 God, I just pray refreshing for him, a fresh filling of your Spirit upon him.
00:47:52.160 And God, I pray for every single one of us, God, to leave here today, not just
00:47:56.500 leave and go back to the way things were this morning or yesterday, but God, that
00:48:00.040 you'd use the word that you spoke for today, that you'd plant that
00:48:04.080 seed in each and every one of us, or you continue to water and grow the
00:48:07.940 seed of your word, of your truth in each and every one of us.
00:48:11.120 And God, help us see how we can put you first
00:48:14.960 in every aspect of our lives. God, that we would truly live like we
00:48:18.720 believe you are King of our lives in every area, God,
00:48:22.720 in our marriages, in our family, in our finances, in our workplace, God, that
00:48:26.640 you are King, and we thank you for that.
00:48:28.940 I pray you receive all the praise, all the honor, and all the glory.
00:48:32.140 In Jesus' name, Amen. You are dismissed.
00:48:35.440 Have a great week.