God's Kingdom (Matthew 13:44-46)
Gary McManus, 05/19/2013Part of the DCC Basics series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
Matthew 13:44-46 p. 969
Jesus often taught through stories—
parables.
Notice: one man was not looking for treasure
and found it; the other was looking for value
and found it.
God often finds people. That doesn’t mean we
shouldn’t seek God. . .seek God and live says the prophet.
(Amos 5:4).
But what these two stories have in common is
the value of the treasures—so valuable to these men
that everything is given over for these treasures.
Jesus is telling us how valuable the Kingdom is.
Like when the disciples heard Jesus call them
(Mark 1:14-20, Matthew 9:9, Luke 5:1-11)
Let’s get at this idea a different way.
We have recently heard of people living false lives.
Recently, there were three women in Cleveland.
Jaycee Dugard was held captive for 18 years!
She reminds us that what happens to us
does not make us who we are.
A real world example of what Jesus is talking about.
The Kingdom is already here. (Luke 17:20-21)
The kingdom IS hidden.
( 1 Corinthians 2:9)
Those who were kidnapped, never forgot,
they belonged somewhere else, not with their captors.
Making the Kingdom real:
--Remember who you are
--Remember WHOSE you are
-- Do you remember where your permanent home will be?
Or do you forget?
--friends or family on “the other side”
Jesus is telling us; the Kingdom is really real.
The earth is where you live. This isn’t your home.
This life is NOT an illusion. Jesus came to redeem this life.
There is going to be a NEW heaven AND a new earth. (Revelation )
However, this world is still a battleground.
This world is NOT YET fully redeemed.
Live like we belong to our Heavenly Father.
Jaycee Dugard’s wisdom.
Those women need to heal and connect back
--back into the world they belong to.
We, too, need to heal and connect back into the world where we truly belong to—the Kingdom of God. Our true citizenship. Phillipians 3:20, Ephesiana 2:19, 2 Corinthians 5:20
How and where does that connection happen?
It is supposed to happen in the church.
Worship is where we hear of our identity again—
children of the Heavenly King. . . sons and daughters of God
. . .as citizens. . .as ambassadors.
Is being a U.S. citizen the best?
There is one better, the Kingdom of God
That is what the Kingdom of God is like. Amen
Earlier: | Same day: | Later: |
---|---|---|
« Are you ready for the end? | None | A Higher Calling » |