Kingdom Agents part 1

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on Feb 4th, 2024  by Navaz D. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. 

INTRODUCTION

Good News of the Kingdom

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach, ^[a]crying out, Repent (^[b]change your mind for the better, heartily amend your ways, with abhorrence of your past sins), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matt 4:17 AMPC

·       Jesus announced his ministry with “Repent for the KOG is at hand.”

·       The Jews longed for the Messiah – the conquering King who would overthrow their oppressors.

·       Jesus came to overthrow oppression that had not just taken Israel captive, but His image-bearers as well. That is why Jesus reads from Is 61 from the scrolls.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.

·       This was His mandate and vocation. To bring the Kingdom of God here on earth as it is heaven.

·       Just dealing with the Romans would be putting a band-aid on a deeper issue and that is the sinful state of man’s heart.

·       Jesus came to preach the Kingdom — “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43) and to restore us to the Father.

·       He did this by announcing His Kingdom and what it would look like. The Sermon on the Mount is the constitution of the Kingdom. 

·     

At the end of last year, I shared what I felt was the focus for 2024 – Don’t ask what God can do for you but through you! This is every Christ follower's Kingdom vocation. 

We have been taken out of the kingdom of darkness and brought into the Kingdom of His son Jesus or light.

This as you know was not always so. Because of the fall, we were once objects of God’s punishment and wrath. In the garden God gave Adam and Eve a Kingdom vocation to steward the earth, to multiply and flourish. But they gave into deception and disobeyed God. It cost them their relationship with God, it cost them their innocence and an uncorrupted mind, and it cost them their vocation and authority. They handed that over to Satan. He now ruled over the earth and the image-bearer.  Praise God, He always had a redemption plan. He chose a people for Himself to live in relationship with Him, but they rejected God for rules.  Then God sent His son Jesus the show Image bearer of how this life ought to be lived and so God became flesh, incarnate and dwelt amongst us. He is the second and perfect Adam.

Jesus starts His ministry with “Repent for the Kingdom of God is here”.

Repentance is the doorway to the Kingdom. And there is a constant cycle of renewal and repentance every Christ follower participates in. 

The Gospel is Good News. The Gospel is the good news of peace. Peace/ Shalom is not a feeling but a state of completeness and well-being. After salvation, we are objects of renewal and agents of renewal.

 OBJECTS OF RENEWAL

We are being changed from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18). We are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12). We are told to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2).

 As we are being renewed in all areas of our lives, we become agents of renewal and transformation as Christ’s ambassadors.

We need to learn Kingdom ways, what pleases the King and understand our vocation here on earth in its totality.  

 The Kingdom is larger than the church. And the church is the vehicle through which the manifest wisdom of God will be made known to everyone. (Eph 3:10) J

AGENTS OF RENEWAL

Therefore, transformation first begins in the individual, then the church and then the community. 

Therefore, transformation comes through personal surrender to God before the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel. Having been saved we are now agents of renewal. 

WHAT IS AN AGENT OF CHANGE?

An agent of change operates as a catalyst for transformation.

Two agents of change that Jesus likened us to are SALT AND LIGHT.

Jesus also calls himself the Light of the World and then he says, “You are the light of the world”. Why? We are image bearers, right? Made in the image of God. As we abide in Him and become more and more like him, we will reflect His image in us. 

LIGHT

transforms darkness into light. Light reveals and uncovers – sin gets exposed when we live as Image bearers. Light illuminates – The Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. When we live with the Word dwelling richly in us, we will have wisdom that comes from above for our daily life (feet) and to make wise decisions for our future (the path). This is not just for us but for society. 

 SALT

Salt transforms whatever it is put on in many ways – it preserves, heals, flavours and can destroy. We preserve society by how we live. “Meat rots because there is not enough salt” John Stott. If there is moral decay in society, don’t blame society. The church needs to repent and begin to behave like salt. Without us society is insipid and empty. We bring flavour.

Salt can destroy. 

How can we kill the evils in our society? Not by isolating in our church silos but by going out there and being sprinkled in society – challenging and disrupting injustice, inequality, sin etc.

Remember don’t ask what God can do for you but through you.

Salt loses its saltiness because of adulteration. For too long the church has slowly gotten sucked into a comfortable lifestyle and we like frogs in a cooking pot are slowly getting cooked and it will be too late to jump out.

  Application: YOU AND YOUR CITY

We are apostolic agents – as salt and light we are a part of society bringing change from within- affecting and influencing the culture.

 Our Good Deeds will gain good will make way for the GOOD NEWS.

That is why before we can tell we must show. Before we can show we must take the trouble to know.

Know your city to love your city. Do you know the pain points in your city?

 I am going to throw in an important thought here.

Over the past few weeks, Colin has challenged us with this question: Who are you living for? The answer to that question will determine how you live and how you engage with society around you.

Most people move to cities to take from it and not to give to it. Now if you remember your Kingdom vocation – to take care of, steward, multiply and flourish – how does that translate to where you live?

 You are not here by accident – He determines the times and places where you live. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. Acts 17:26

Build, and marry plant vineyards.

Seek the peace and prosperity of your city. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jer 29:6-7. We all quote v11. Understand it is in the context of being in exile or a hard place.

How did Daniel, Esther, Nehemiah, and Joseph interact with the city where they were exiles?

 So, wherever God has placed you – for now, it is Pune, what will we as the church, what will you, as Christ’s ambassador give back to the city? How can we the whole church, bring the whole gospel to the whole city? How will Pune be different because you came here? What mark will you leave on it that will last into eternity?

 To wrap up. There is so much more to say but this message is a prophetic word I felt for Word of Grace that I am spelling out. We will flesh this out some more in the coming weeks and I pray this year we will begin to make a great impact not just on those who walk into the Word of Grace but as the Word of Grace we will make an impact upon our city.

 PROCESS QUESTIONS

1. What one point stuck with you today?

2. What do you feel the Holy Spirit is putting His finger on? Have you been salt /light?

3. What will you change because of hearing today’s message?

4. What does it mean for the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole city?

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.   

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on January 28th 2024  by Karan Thomas. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. 

IN THE PRESENCE OF POWER - Understanding Submission

 

If you were the President what three things would you do in your first year of rule?

We are all torn between two desires. We want a leader who will protect and serve us etc., and on the other hand, we want independence where we don’t want anyone to tell us what to do!

We sing a lot of songs about Christ being King because it’s a fulfilment of Messianic prophecies.

Is 9 He shall be callee…Micah 5 The regal nature of the king.

Jeremiah 23 King who will reign.

Zechariah Riding on a donkey

In the Old Testament, people struggled to come to terms with God as King starting from the garden of Eden. Gen 3 Adam and Eve rebelled. Then people did not God as King, but they wanted a man as King. Then they substituted this King for other Kings and idolatry.

In the New Testament, people struggle with Jesus coming as King. The authorities did not like it: the Pharisees and Sadducees did not like it.

WHAT KIND OF A KING WAS JESUS?

Mark 5:1-20

Jesus’ kingdom is not about compliance with rules etc. He came as a healer and liberator. Until then there is no record of a king coming as a healer, or liberator casting our demons and evil spirits!

Jesus permitted the demons to go somewhere.

We see His authority or higher power to which He appeals.

The demons begged Jesus.

The townspeople begged Jesus.

The demoniac begged Jesus.

Cultural Beliefs about Demons

 In those days people did believe in people being possessed by demons and having an influence on them (v2-5).

2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. - Mark 5:2-5

The demon-possessed man lived in isolation amongst the Tombs. Tombs are considered unclean places even today. People avoided him because of fear of his spiritual uncleanness. He was often chained, and he would break those chains. He would self-harm – he would cut himself with stones. People in those days would cut themselves to appease the spirits.

So historically and culturally it was a deep issue that could not be resolved.

THREE CONVERSATIONS

1. Demons and Jesus v7-13

What do you want with me, Jesus, son of God? These demons have good theology. They recognized Jesus for who He was but still chose not to submit to Him. We need to have a faith that moves beyond just knowing about Jesus! Even the demons know and shudder!! These demons preferred to be with the pigs than with Jesus and begged Him to send them there.

2. Townsmen v 14-17

They realize Jesus’ power and beg Him to leave! They don’t challenge His power. They acknowledge it but they do not want him in their lives! They realize that they would have to lose control over their lives.

To love with Jesus and the presence of His power is to accept that it means to give up or lose control.

Faith in Jesus is to give up control.

3. The demon-possessed man v18-20

The demon-possessed man is cured, and he is begging Jesus to allow him to follow Him. But Jesus does not allow him and tells him to go to his town instead and tell them what God has done for him. And the man obeys!!

This was his calling, and he did it gladly.

This is a glimpse of what it means to be in the presence of power. In the face of unanswer3ed prayer, he obeys!!

The shape of this person’s response is obedience.

Jesus did not do what the demoniac asked and yet he obeyed,

Jesus is a King who is involved in our lives.

 

The “formal principle” of faith is thinking and committing to the evidence, but the “material principle” of faith is resting in the love and work of Christ. Tim Keller

Submission requires faith and material evidence.

Do we believe that though the storms rage He is a King who cares for us?

How can we imitate the cured demoniac’s response to Jesus? By accepting His agenda even if it differs from our expectations

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.   

Focus 2024 - Part 3 - Who are you living for?

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on January 21st 2024  by Colin. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. ( Sorry there is no sermon recording for this message)

WHO ARE YOU LIVING FOR – Part 3

Matt 16:13 - When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was. This is the greatest question you can be asked, and your answer will determine your future. This answer can only come by revelation.

1.  The Greatest Question and the Greatest Confession

Matt16:17 - 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

At the end of time ( Rev20:7-10) we see the destiny of Satan and all who follow him.

Rev20:7-10 - 7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

V11. When Jesus came on the Earth there was no place for Him to be born. But at the end of time, we are told that Earth and sky will flee from His presence and both the great and small will stand before Him.

Revelation 20:11 - Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.

Today in our courts evil people can get away with murder but NOT on that Day. We are all guilty. Only those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will be thrown in the lake of fire. But those who have put their trust in Jesus will have their names written in the Lambs Book of Life! We cannot guarantee the number of days we live therefore today is the day of salvation!

2.  The Greatest Example

Jesus was the greatest example that ever lived! Heaven is an amazing place and that is what He left to come to Earth to identify with us. He came poor, homeless and then served and suffered a cruel death. At the CROSS he defeated Satan.

Heb 2:14-15 tells us how he defeated Satan

14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Col2:14 tells us that He cancelled our debts and our sins were paid for.

 14 having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

2 Cor 5:21 His good deeds have been credited to us. His righteousness has been given to us.

God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

3.  The Greatest Commitment

Jesus asks each of us to make a choice. 

Matt 16:24 - Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 

Luke 14:25-26 - 25 Large crowds were travelling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.

Jesus is not impressed with the crowds. He turns to them and challenges them to become His disciples. This is outworked in practical ways. The following must be worked out in practical ways.

Deny: refuse to associate with. Deny is to disassociate with our needs, wants desires and selfishness.

Jim Elliot: He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

What are we willing to give up for the sake of the gospel? To see the great salvation of many will require a great commitment on our part.

4.  The Greatest Community – The church

Jesus came for His church, His bride. He died for His church.

Matt16:18 - And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 

One day everything will fade but the Church of Jesus will go on forever. It is a privilege to be a part of the church.

Every community has a code of conduct. Heb 10:25 – Let us not give up the habit of meeting together. We are here to be the Light of the World.

5.  The Greatest Return

Matt 16:27 Jesus will come back to reward each one according to what they have done. We live with this hope!

 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

Matt 24:30-31 He will come with power and glory to gather His elect.

30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[c] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.[d] 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

1Thes 4:16-18 The dead in Christ will rise first. We will be with the Lord forever.

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Rom 8:18 -  I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Rev 22:12 God is coming with His reward.

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.

What is my answer to the greatest question?

What is our response in the face of suffering? Can we look to Jesus and say His grace is sufficient? Am I putting Christ first and do I value the church?

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.   

Focus 2024 - Part 2 - Who are you living for?

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on January 14th 2024  by Colin. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. ( Sorry there is no sermon recording for this message)

What are you living for? People live for different things, comfort, riches, fame, etc. our purpose in life can go off like a magnetised compass. But we need to look at the word of God to know what we are living for. 

”Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Who is Jesus? Some people think he’s a prophet, or one of many Gods, or Lucifer's brother or a created angel like Michael. 

The answer to the question of who is Jesus is the most important question you’ll ever be asked. The right answer is a gateway to eternal life. The wrong answer is a road to eternal judgment. 

”He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Peter gets the right answer. But Jesus is not. I’m ending Peter, but responds like this: 

”And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Unless God's spirit comes and opens our eyes, whatever the word says might not make much sense. 

”And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This is the first time the church is mentioned in the Bible. And he is going to build it. Jesus himself is the cornerstone. But it’s also the truth that Jesus is the son of the living God. 

The Great Commitment:

”Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬-‭28‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Language changes over time and means different things at different times. The meanings of words like sick, wicked, friend, like, follow, etc.

What does it mean to follow Jesus? 

These verses are mentioned in every one of the gospels. 

Come after me - it is a choice, no one is forced into it. There is no such thing as forceable Conversion into Christianity. The decision has to be yours. God opens our hearts and eyes to enable us to make that decision. 

Deny himself - Jesus did not say you have to end yourself things.

”Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you mean."“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭69‬-‭70‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Denying means to disassociate with someone or something. It’s not about giving up things. It is to reject self-importance and find fulfilment in Jesus. What Jesus wants is preeminent. When you buy a car you have an RC book with all your details. When you sell the car, your details are changed and the RC book is handed over with the details of the new owner. That is what it is to give up your life to Jesus. The new owner is Jesus. 

”Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.“

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.“

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Deny himself therefore means that we are not our own, but belong to Jesus. Following Jesus is not just insurance against hell, it is a complete change of ownership. Jesus is not your underwriter, he is your owner. 

Another version says to deny yourself daily. 

Take up his cross- in Jesus’ day, the cross was the most cruel form of punishing someone. Jesus suffered horribly for our sins. On the cross, Jesus took all our sins and paid the price for them. Why was it necessary for Jesus to live 33 years if the cross was the only point of his life? Because he lived a sinless life. On the cross, there was a great exchange where his right to living was credited to us as he bore the punishment for our sins. 

If you saw a man carrying a cross in the time of Jesus, it means he is going to his death. That is the commitment that Jesus is calling us into. 

We may have to endure suffering on this earth for our faith. Many have gone to their death because of their faith where they shared in the shame and reproach of Jesus. But one day he will return. The evil we see in the world is not final. It will come to an end when Jesus returns. 

When you die, it doesn’t matter how much wealth you’ve accumulated, it matters where you will spend eternity. Jesus called himself God. Is he a liar, a lunatic or is he Lord? That is a decision we must make for ourselves. 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.