The Revolting Beauty series continues as we are brought face to face with the very heart of God and the center of the Kingdom: namely, Jesus' teaching on self-sacrificial love. In this sermon we learn about the four types of love, and the importance of living in such a way that God's agape-love flows to and through us. Finally, Greg helps us consider some of the areas in our culture that we will naturally “revolt” against if we are walking in the “relational way” of God's self-sacrificial love.

Our modern, Western way of thinking can easily blind us to the reality of the spiritual world. We are called to revolt against this cultural tendency by waking up both to God’s constant presence in our lives and to the spiritual war around us. We also learn that Jesus has given his church authority over demonic powers in this world, and that no matter what we experience in this life, our hope and joy is rooted in the love of God!

Like Jesus' first disciples, we will be constantly confronted by anti-Kingdom values – in our case things like individualism, independence, and self-sufficiency. But Jesus' alternative Kingdom vision is very straightforward. As we reach out to the world around us, we're simply called to depend upon God and his community, enter into authentic relationships, act like Jesus, and then explain why.

In this first sermon of the Revolting Beauty series, we learn two aspects of how we are to stand out and revolt against our culture. First, no matter how “together” our lives are, God wants us to be part of what he is doing in the world. Second, allegiance to the Kingdom of God means that we may have to give up things that are good and normal in our culture. We need to consider even our most firmly rooted values: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Greatness in the Kingdom of God is never measured like it is in our Western culture. Instead of seeking power and control the way our society does, Jesus taught that “...whoever is least among you all is the greatest.” This has tremendous ramifications for how we minister to the people around us, and tells us a great deal about how God wants us to help spread his Kingdom.

What we know to be true often doesn't change us profoundly, but our experiences always leave a lasting impact. Each of us has a place within where we can meet the Lord during worship. When we practice the habit of vividly picturing Jesus during prayer and worship, this experience allows us to take on his glory and we're transformed more and more into his likeness.

God delights in the praises of His people. The manner in which we worship is not important. God is only concerned with our hearts and desire to worship. There are many ways to express our love for God through praise and worship, and it is in this diversity that we see the full beauty of our God.

To worship God is to reflect back to God how much he is worth to us. Our lives are an act of worship, including special times where we individually and corporately worship God. As we participate in worshipping the source of all life, love and beauty, we in turn are changed and transformed.

Our God is a great God! He is good, holy and worthy of praise. As followers of God, worship is a way of ascribing worth to God. It is expressing who God is and saying and singing what is true of him.

Jesus is both fully human and fully God. He is the beginning and fulfillment of God’s covenant with humanity. In Christ, God’s love and glory was revealed as he came and dwelt among us, serving, and ultimately suffering and dying to give us forgiveness and hope. It is the most amazing revelation in history!