828 Church

We’re so glad you are here! Thanks for Watching our series titled "Thy Kingdom Come"!
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SERMON NOTES
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Matthew 6:9 ESV

Jesus first called His disciples to a right recognition of the person and position of the King.

Kingdom living starts with the right recognition of the King.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 ESV

If recognition is the right approach to God’s presence, submission is the appropriate posture!

Submission to the King’s authority places you under the King’s protection and releases the King’s provision in your life.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 ESV

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:9-13 KJV

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Matthew 6:13b KJV

Trusting in the Righteous Rule of the King is key to being who you’re made to be and the place you’ll find all you need.
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We come to church to meet with God and to hear what His word says to us about us and how we’re meant to live.

Obedience positions us to live in the power of God’s promises.

Understanding God’s sovereignty is key to trusting in His ability and authority.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Gen. 1:1 ESV

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Genesis 1:26-28 NLT - - Imago Dei - - Image of God - - Made to relate to and like God!

Our covenant relationship with God is a powerful blueprint for every other relationship we have!

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24 ESV

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:34-35 NLT

Blueprint - Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT

Look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 12:2

Don’t let fear of failure rob you of the power found in Godly covenant relationships.

Yet, Jesus quoting Genesis 2:24 said “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:2-6 ESV

It’s not just the lack of commitment in marriage, but the lack of commitment to marriage that’s robbing our relationships of God’s power.

Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3 ESV

Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. Proverbs 37:5 NLT

Following God’s blueprint for covenant will release the power of His grace, and promises in your life and relationships.

I’m not promising you the faithfulness of man if you follow God’s covenant blueprint, I’m promising you the faithfulness of God.

Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 1 Samuel 18:3

Covenants differ from contracts in that they are motivated by love for another over self.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt. 1 Samuel 18:4

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. 2 Peter 1:3

The value of what God gives to each of us in Covenant is priceless, powerful and generational.

May you treat me with the faithful love of the LORD as long as I live. But if I die, treat my family with this faithful love, even when the LORD destroys all your enemies from the face of the earth.
1 Samuel 20:14-15

One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Samuel 9:1

David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”
2 Samuel 9:7

The Kingly kindness we are shown in Covenant with Jesus settles it now and forever!

Praise the LORD who has given peace to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us or abandon us. May he give us the desire to do his will in everything and to obey all the commands, decrees, and regulations that he gave our ancestors. And may these words that I have prayed in the presence of the LORD be before him constantly, day and night, so that the LORD our God may give justice to me and to his people Israel, according to each day’s needs. Then people all over the earth will know that the LORD alone is God and there is no other. And may you be completely faithful to the LORD our God. May you always obey his decrees and commands, just as you are doing today. 1 Kings 8:56-61 NLT

The power to live in Covenant with God comes from God.

All in on the deep end.

I don’t believe we are an accident or that the earths perfect orbit in relationship to the sun is random. It was planned. - I don’t believe in an evolutionary primordial pool or chance mutation over intentional creation. - He used His hands - I do believe in a God who’s bigger than we can imagine and yet close enough for us to feel, He left evidence in His creation so the searching soul could know that He is real. Exactly how He did it, I’m certainly not certain, although I have theories too, but if there was a big bang, I believe there was an infinite creator who caused it to go boom. - “In the beginning God…”

I believe Jesus is the creator of everything, that He loves me, and my life belongs to Him.

What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22 NLT

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. Jeremiah 17:7 ESV

As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother—the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!” Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” Luke 11:27:28 NLT - -

We only have the option to choose the door that leads to life because Jesus.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10 ESV

The covenant and its conditions are carried on the shoulders of our great and gracious God.

Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Psalms 37:5-7 NLT

Our covenant with God doesn’t preclude problems, but it does promise comfort. It doesn’t guarantee temporal safety or certainty but does offer Joy for the journey, hope in our hurting, purpose in our pain, and contentment in all circumstances. (Romans 8:28)

The concept of Covenant is one the Bible's most important and consistent themes.

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:28 ESV

We live in a time and culture where commitment is more often than not rejected and submission to the authority of God and His Word is considered unnecessary in practice if not in principle.

From the beginning, God was establishing and defining immutable principles and promises that would characterize His covenant relationship with man.

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT

When we choose a casual relationship, instead of a covenant relationship, with our creator we miss much of the power in His promises.

The power of God’s promises are experienced in a covenant relationship with Him!

Disobedient choices will keep you from living in God’s promised land.

And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt? And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him? Hebrews 3:16-18 NLT

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 16:25 ESV

“We think we can have God, Jesus Christ, and eternal life and all the blessings that go with it on our terms. That we can interpret for ourselves what it means to be in covenant with God. Our logic is dangerously skewed!” Kay Arthur - The Covenant God

God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said, “In my anger I took an oath” They will never enter my place of rest,’” even though this rest has been ready since he made the world. We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.” But in the other passage God said, “They will never enter my place of rest.” So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.” Hebrews 4:1-7 NLT

It’s not just the concept of covenant, but the committed, submitted relationship that packs the punch.

All people will die for their own sins—those who eat the sour grapes will be the ones whose mouths will pucker. Jeremiah 31:30 NLT

But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the LORD. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Jeremiah 31:33 NLT

A covenant relationship with Jesus unlocks and releases the power of His Grace, Purposes and Promises in our lives.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 NLT

Settle this in your heart: Whether I am up or down, the Lord Jesus is the same. Whether I sing or sigh, the promise is true and the Promiser is faithful. Whether I stand on the summit or am hidden in the vale the covenant stands fast and everlasting love abides. Charles Spurgeon

Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war! Psalm 120:5-5 ESV

I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11 ESV

Looking up starts with knowing when you’re looking down.

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? Psalm 121:1 ESV

My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2 ESV

It’s not just the up and down direction of your sight that matters, but who you're looking to that makes the difference.

I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven. Psalm 123:1 NLT

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know the hope to which he has called you. Ephesians 1:16-18 ESV

As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God,. Psalm 123:2 ESV

Look at me first so you can see where I’m pointing.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 ESV


Donʼt you say, ʻThere are four more months and then comes the harvest?ʼ I tell you, look up and see that the fields are already white for harvest! John 4:35 NET - - Look Up Indeed…

On Christmas we celebrate the arrival of the messiah in the manger and the love caused Him to come.


That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior, yes, the Messiah, the Lord has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. Luke 2:8-20 NLT


The simple rhythm of an attentive and surrendered heart will result in a life filled with peace and purpose.

No-one lived a more obedient on point rhythm than Jesus.

Our day after would live so differently had He not lived every moment for us.

Poem:

Twas the day after Christmas
The miraculous birth
The King of creation
Had come down to earth

Angels and Shepherds
Had witnessed the sight
The Messiah in a manger
An incredible night

And now the next morning
The journey began
To live and to learn
To die for all men

Twas the day after Christmas
Jesus had come
To save and deliver
Pa rum pa pum pum

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly,
To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 NKJV - Also Galatians 5

Heartbeat of Obedience

It’s not talent but tenacity that is the key to Kingdom impact.

At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God saying. Luke 2:25-28 NLT

You can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I've seen your salvation; it's now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel. Luke 2:29-32 MSG

Faithfulness unlocks a rare and priceless view to the often overlooked works of God.

Anna, a prophetess, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple area but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38 NLT

The consistent beat of an obedient heart has the power to endure the most challenging circumstance and overcome the most significant of obstacles.

See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 ESV

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels a plentiful harvest of new lives. John 12:24 NLT

The faithfully surrendered heartbeat of obedience has a power beyond words and worlds.

The consistent beat of an obedient heart has the power to endure the most challenging circumstance and overcome the most significant of obstacles.