The Kingdom Perspective

Transcript:

Hello. This is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

Do you really know God or are you just busy doing a lot of things for Him? 

What does God want from you? Does He want your busyness or a relationship? Does He want what you can do for Him, or do you think He wants you? 

Well, the more fundamental question is, not what you think, but what God thinks? In Hosea 6:6 God corrects the Israelites for their false and perfunctory worship of Him. They were doing many things “for God”, but there was no heartfelt knowledge of God. Listen to the words of God through the prophet Hosea: “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” True religion does not boil down to a divine “honey-do list,” rather it boils down to a change of heart that desires to know God above all else. 

You find a similar misunderstanding in the famous Mary and Martha scene from Luke 10. Personally, I can relate to Martha because she is so busy and distracted. But it is Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus, just listening and learning, who is commended by our Lord. Jesus corrects Martha: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; but only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). What’s the “good part”? Being in relationship with Jesus.

How about you? Have you chosen the “good part”? Are you merely checking your list, or are you seeking to know Him and be known by Him? These are two very different things.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Come, let’s return to the Lord.

For He has torn us, but He will heal us;

He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.

He will revive us after two days;

He will raise us up on the third day,

That we may live before Him.

So let’s learn, let’s press on to know the Lord.

His appearance is as sure as the dawn;

And He will come to us like the rain,

As the spring rain waters the earth.”

What shall I do with you, Ephraim?

What shall I do with you, Judah?

For your loyalty is like a morning cloud,

And like the dew which goes away early.

Therefore I have cut them in pieces by the prophets;

I have slain them by the words of My mouth;

And the judgments on you are like the light that shines.

For I desire loyalty rather than sacrifice,

And the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

~ Hosea 1:1-6 (NASB)

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome the Kingdom Perspective.

Increasingly, many from all different persuasions are tempted to become mere critics and complainers—trying to find fault and pin blame. However, this is not the roadmap the gospel gives. Jesus’s way is not that of finger pointing or trying to score cheap political points. Rather, Jesus calls us to put our faith to work, bringing not only a positive and hopeful attitude into the public square—blessing where there is cursing—but also bringing our own time, treasure and talents to help those in need.

How do we do this?

Biblically speaking, this means upping your game to the shared ministry of your local church, so that the collective ministry of the gospel can flourish in your particular community. Your local church is God’s embassy to your town. This means we must be careful to avoid bickering, whether in person or on social media. Rather, we must take up the burden of doing social good in the real world. For example, are there ways you can provide practical care to your fellow Christian or to your unbelieving neighbor? Are there ways, you can speak words of encouragement and reconciliation—that short-circuit the vitriol of the present moment? Are there ways you can increase your generosity?

What I am suggesting is not some add-on tactic to make the gospel look good. Rather, what I am suggesting is absolutely intrinsic to the gospel itself. God so loved the world that he did not sit back in judgment and critique. Rather, He gave Himself for us. As Jesus himself put it: He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life away for others. This is true Christianity, and those “infected” by it will be true to the pattern portrayed in it.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

~ John 3:16-17 (ESV)

“And Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

~ Mark 10:42-45 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome the Kingdom Perspective.

What is the most important task of a parent?

We get some clue when we consider the Fatherhood of God. God doesn’t take the title “Our Heavenly Father” because He hopes to model His care after our example. Quite the opposite! Rather, He is trying to set an example for us. He is the model and standard of all fatherhood, to which we fathers are called to imitate, even if, ever so imperfectly.

Even more so, when we peer into the very being of God, we discover that God exists eternally as a relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And so, at the source, the heart of all reality, is a relational connection between a Father and a Son. God is eternal love relationship.

So, how does this inform our most basic duty as parents? Well, in Scripture, every time the Father speaks about His Son, His voice booms from heaven something like this: “This is my beloved Son, in whom my soul delights.” The first words out of the mouth of the model parent are not words of commandment or correction, but enjoyment. Relational delight is at the very bottom of all reality.

My friends, as we feast on the overflow of the Father’s delight in the Son, we become those that learn to enjoy (to delight in) the sons and daughters He’s given to us—even as, we command and correct them.

And that’s something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed….

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

~ John 17:1-5, 20-26 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

We must always be careful not to be gullible—accepting everything that comes to us in the name of “spiritual truth.” Rather, the Bible calls us to investigate whether something is truly from God.

And how do we do that? Let me give you a test of three questions:

First, are you merely being told what you want to hear? The Bible warns of teachers “tickling” people’s ears. However, the truth is often hard. Therefore, we should be skeptical of those suggesting otherwise. Remember that line from “The Princess Bride”: “Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling you something.”

Second, is it true to the whole of Scripture? It does not matter that someone is touting a Bible verse as proof. The devil came at Jesus with Bible verses. The question is: How does this verse fit with the whole of the what the Bible teaches? The Bible is a big book and so any part must be understood in terms of the whole. A text without context is pretext.

Finally, does it make much of the person and work of Jesus, the Creator God who came to save us? Is Jesus the center and orienting principle of all else? As the Apostle Paul put it in his letter to the Colossians:

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority… (Colossians 2:8-10)

Jesus and his work for us is always the bottom line.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”

~ Colossians 2:6-10 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

In times of trouble, there is no greater comfort than the tenderness of Jesus towards us.

The Bible presents us a Jesus that is overwhelmingly powerful and awesome. He is the creator of all things, visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16). He is the absolute ruler over all things, not only in this age but also in the one to come (Colossians 1:19). And He is the absolute judge of all creation (Acts 17). At His return, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2).

Yet, this same Jesus is spoken of as being “humble and gentle” (Matthew 11:29)—so gentle in His dealings with us that He will not “crush the weakest reed” or “put out of the most fickle of flames” (Matthew 12:20 and Isaiah 42:3).

Right now, you may feel like the weakest reed. You may feel that your flame of faith is about to go out.

What should you do?

Look to Jesus! Look to the all-powerful, yet tender-hearted Judge of heaven and earth, who says to you:

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29 NLT)

[And]…“whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37b ESV)

Jesus is not only strong enough to sustain us, He is also tender enough to want to do so.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

‘Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
and in his name the Gentiles will hope.’”

~ Matthew 12:16-21 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective!

I’m going to let you in on a secret, though it is no secret at all. But I suppose it is a secret in the sense that our hearts do not readily see it, let alone grasp it. If you want to be a happy person, you need first to be a humble person.

The Book of James says that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). The Psalms tell us: “For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation” (Psalm 149:4).

Do you want to know, experientially, the grace of God in your life and the happiness that comes from it? Then, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.

Now, what does this mean, practically speaking. To humble yourself before God requires you to humble yourself before His people. This means being one who:

- Admits their faults.

- Apologizes for their offenses.

- Speaks positively about others.

- Serves others.

- Thinks of others more than themselves, and…

- Takes the posture of a learner/disciple in God’s family.

Humility is the inner demeanor of the true saint, and, practically speaking, it is one of the chief reasons why the saints are blessed or happy people. Are you?

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”

~James 4:6-12 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective!

There is no trait more necessary to being happy than humility. Humility means not taking yourself so stinking seriously. And we do that by taking God and His Word with the utmost seriousness. It is the fear of the Lord that protects us from pride burdening our souls with the unnecessary weight of self-importance. As G.K. Chesterton put it: “Angels can fly because they take themselves so lightly.”

Being humble makes us happy. Think about it. Why are you so often bent out of shape? I can tell you because it’s the same for me. We are often upset because we feel slighted; we feel we’re not getting what we deserve; we didn’t get our way. In other words, our pride is offended; it’s injured. 

Well, the cure to this is simple: humility! Humbling yourself and putting away your pride puts you back on the path to happiness.

Remember Jesus said “Blessed/Happy are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” You see, in our pride we throw this big pity-party because our little kingdom of self has been snubbed; all the while Jesus is promising the expansive riches of the very kingdom of heaven.

Again, listen to G.K. Chesterton: “How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it…”

Happiness doesn’t come by getting what you think you deserve but by surrendering what you think you deserve to God’s safe keeping.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

~1 Peter 5:5-11 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello. This is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

What is the most important thing in your life? What is the one thing that you possess that would bring you the most sorrow if lost? If you were forced to give up everything in your life except one thing, what would it be? Think hard. What would you say?

For the Apostle Paul there was no question. It was “knowing Christ.” Being in relationship with Jesus mattered more to him than anything else. Listen to what he says of himself in Philippians 3:7-8: 

But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ…

Paul considered knowing Jesus Christ not merely a necessity, though it is, but also the most desirable of all pursuits. Why wouldn’t this be the case? Jesus is the fullness of God come to us for our good—for our salvation (Colossians 2:9-10). In Jesus are hidden all the riches of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). Jesus is all the goodness of heaven poured out for us and on us.

Can you say with the Apostle Paul that knowing Christ is the most valuable, the most desirable thing in life? If not, perhaps, you need to take another look at Jesus?

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“although I myself could boast as having confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he is confident in the flesh, I have more reason: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

~Philippians 3:4-11 (NASB)

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

Your faith in Christ is ultimately more determinative than your fears.

Just because you are terrified when you ride in an airplane, doesn’t mean that you’ll fail to get to your destination. Your fear has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on your objective safety or the certainty of your arrival. Your safety and the certainty of your arrival are totally dependent upon the competence of the pilot and the sturdiness of the aircraft. It is not your courage or faith that will land you safely at Boston Logan or LAX, but the pilot.

So it is with our faith in Christ. You may be overwhelmed with all kinds of fear and terror, and you may think “How can I ever be saved? I am such a fearful and pathetic Christian. How will I ever become the stalwart faithful Christian I’m called to be?” Well, the question is not how fearful you are. Even the best Christian is regularly plagued with all kinds of fears. Nor is the question how strong is my faith? Even the strongest in faith can be plagued by doubt. The question is, what is your faith in? Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ? Have you placed your life in Him?

You see, it doesn’t matter how absolutely terrified you may be on an airplane. Your faith and confidence in the plane may be ever so small compared to your overwhelming sense of fear. Yet, your fear will not in any way prohibit you from arriving safely at your final destination. Why? Because you are on the plane. You’ve submitted yourself to the safe keeping of the pilot.

My friend, if you’ve entered the vessel of Jesus Christ, then you can be confident, in spite of fear or failing that you will land safely in heaven, completely conformed to the image of Christ.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit….

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
~ Romans 8:1-4, 28-30 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

In our globalized Western world, we are increasingly becoming a dog-eat-dog world, sexually speaking. Our push towards a future where sexual desire has no limits gradually trains our minds to see one another as sexual commodities to be used for selfish ends.

As always in such societies, it is the vulnerable that are most susceptible to being commodified. Those with lesser power, privilege, and money are most likely to be the products that are bought and sold in the market of desire. If you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re probably on the menu.

We see this in our present moment. Many are shocked to learn that there are more persons enslaved today than ever before in the history of the world. And many if not most are women and children, being sexually trafficked.

Children and young people are always the most at risk. Studies show that many youths are being sexualized at younger and younger ages, by abundant and easily-accessible pornography.

Ironically, this push towards a hyper-sexualized future is often framed as “freedom”, sexual “liberation”. The idea is that my freedom is significantly defined by my most base sensual desires, and so, those desires need to be released, they need to be nurtured, for me to find self-actualization and fulfillment.

But in this “self-actualized” dog-eat-dog world, only the big dogs survive. The rest are consumed for their pleasure.

And that’s something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

‘Awake, O sleeper,

 and arise from the dead,

 and Christ will shine on you.’”

~ Ephesians 5:1-14 (ESV)

For further study:

https://www.walkfree.org/global-slavery-index/2018/findings/country-studies/overview/

https://archive.nytimes.com/bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/06/global-slavery-by-the-numbers/