Allen Jackson - Kings and Kingdoms - Part 2
There is something ahead of us that is much better than where we are now. There are crowns awaiting us. Not from this present age. There are rewards to be given to us that exceed anything you could achieve in this current age, any acknowledgment, any reward. Are you purposefully, intentionally striving to be included, or do you have that born-again mentality? I’ve been born again. I’m good. I believe in being born again.
2 Timothy 4, Paul said, «I’m already being poured out like a drink offering, the time has come for my departure». He’s been on trial. He’s going back to trial. He expects to be condemned to death. He’s not waiting on a flight, folks. The language is a euphemism. He said they plan to kill me soon. «I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I’ve kept the faith. Now there’s in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing». He said they’re gonna kill me, but I’m gonna get a crown. He said I can’t wait. He said I’ve run this race. See, the devil, he will make you so… he wants to stop you. He wants you to slow down. He wants to impede you.
No matter where you are, he’s gonna try to convince you you shouldn’t serve the Lord. You shouldn’t be enthusiastic. Your hair is gray. Why would you make an effort for the Lord? Let the young people do it. I fought my fight. I’ve teed it up. I’ve taken the abuse. I’ve lost sleep. Why would I do that? This is my time. Imagine you gotta run a marathon. Suppose that’s the assignment for tomorrow. Everybody, we all gotta run one. All right, you’re gonna sleep in, so you’re gonna start yours late. I’m gonna get up early. So when you meet me, I’m at mile 23… I bet you’re not gonna look at me and go, «Oh, I’m so sorry. You’ve already run 23 miles». I’m gonna be, «Oh, sucker. I’m about done. You got a lot of work to do, a lot of breath to take. Your heart’s gonna have to pump a whole lot. That’s my finish line. There’s a reward over there. You better believe I’m gonna run through the tape».
In fact, we all know the secrets. You wanna look better at the finish line. So you may have been dying three miles ago, but you’re gonna sprint through the tape 'cause there’s cameras there. There’s something better ahead of us. We get in this mindset, as if we’re competing with the ungodly, with the pagan. They’re stacking their stuff saying I won the game, and I’m going, no, no, no, it’s all going back in the box. They’re gonna take that puzzle off the table and re-jumble 'em and somebody else is gonna put them together. So the fact that you put your puzzle together really well isn’t gonna make a hoot of difference. Are you prepared for what’s next? Are you living for a crown? There’s a King and a kingdom to be gained. There’s joy ahead of us.
Hebrews chapter 12, «Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross». That was his assignment. His assignment was to face rejection, hatred, to show them the kingdom of God, knowing at the beginning they were gonna go, «No, not really». I mean, there would be some who would follow. I mean, it’s kind of a sad little group. Handful of fishermen, tax collectors, demonized people, some prostitutes, former prostitutes. I mean, the power brokers, they weren’t interested, the governors, they probably weren’t particularly interested. They didn’t have the courage to follow Jesus. You understand the more success you have and the more you accumulate, the more courage it takes to truly be an ambassador.
Come on. But Jesus, it says, «For the joy set before him he endured the cross, he scorned its shame, he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God». And then the author of Hebrews makes it very personal. It says, «Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart». See, what he is presupposing is that you and I are gonna face opposition. That we’re not gonna be ambassadors for the kingdom of God without push back. We’ll recognize the bullying voices and the threats and the challenges, the forfeiture of opportunities, the deals lost, the exclusion from lists and more. We describe those as if they’re sacrifices.
Folks, around the world today, our brothers and sisters in the faith are hiding for fear of their lives. We’re the most persecuted religious group on the planet and we talk of suffering in terms of, «Well, I didn’t get invited to the party». I mean that can be uncomfortable. You’ll lose some friends. I hope you do so gladly. There’s joy ahead of us. Now, to be fair, there are immediate opportunities. There are opportunities before us in the day. They’re not just temptations, they’re real. In Hebrews 11, it describes Moses that he refused the pleasure of sin for a season. And when you choose ungodliness, I’m not saying that ungodliness can’t be rewarding in the moment. It’ll give you some financial opportunities in the moment. Sometimes it’ll give you opportunities for pleasure in the moment. I’m not suggesting to you those analysis aren’t real, that those perspectives aren’t clear. I’m telling you they’re short sighted, but they are real choices.
In 2 Timothy 4, the Bible, I like its honesty and its integrity. Paul said to Timothy, «Come quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and he’s gone to Thessalonica». Demas was a trusted companion of Paul. He’s mentioned in multiple places in the New Testament as a faithful associate of Paul, one ministering in the gospel. And by the time he finds himself in a Roman prison nearing the end of his life awaiting his execution, he says to Timothy, «I need you to hurry 'cause Demas decided he loved the world more».
Folks, please don’t act like we’re above that. All of us, we have to guard our hearts. We need the encouragement that comes from one another. It’s why community is so important. If you spend your time with people who are pursuing things other than the Lord, it gives you an incredible license to join them. You need to put people around you who are choosing to honor God with their lives, that are willing to talk about it. Talk about the culture in which we live and why a godly perspective makes such a difference.
And then Matthew gives us this whole series, and I’m gonna run out of time if I don’t do something different. But Matthew gives us… and it’s not limited to Matthew, I just left the references from Matthew so you wouldn’t, when you take a single author, he uses words in the same way, they have the same meaning to him. When you change authors of books, the definitions can fluctuate a little bit. This was the simplest way to get to the point. But it’s a theme in the New Testament, the glory of our Lord and glory is an indistinct word for us. But the way it’s used in scripture, that the glory of the Lord is when the magnificence of God, the power of God, the authority of our God, the ability of our God. When it breaks into our awareness, when it moves from another realm, when it moves from another dimension into the dimension of our five senses, that’s the glory of the Lord.
See, the idea of a king and a kingdom beyond time, it asks of us to believe that there is a realm of authority beyond this present age, a dimension of existence beyond the one that we presently occupy. Now, that’s not as bizarre as it sounds. If you think the whole world is limited to your five senses, that the total realm of existence is limited to your five senses, you’ve drawn a very small circle for yourself. The the simplest example of that is a drop of pond water on a slide of a mic and you can look under a microscope. There’s a whole world of crawling, moving, swimming, fuzzy things in there. But without the help of something other than your five senses unaided, you’re totally oblivious of that.
Well, I assure you there’s a spiritual kingdom that was in existence before this world and anything in it was in existence because God’s the Creator of heaven and earth and everything that’s in it. And he’s made it possible for you and I to participate with him. The glory of the Lord is when that eternal kingdom breaks into this dimension and you can perceive it, understand it. Matthew 16, «The Son of man is going to come back to the earth». He was here once. I’ve been all over the land of Israel. I’ve seen places he visited. «He’s going to come in his Father’s glory with angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he’s done».
We’re gonna get a reward from that eternal kingdom. That’s better than a social security check. That’s better than a gold watch for 25 years of faithfulness. It’s better than a congressional medal of honor. It’s better than whatever it is you think you’re chasing. You wanna be prepared, invested. You want to have lived intentionally. Matthew 24, «At that time,» Matthew 24 is this lengthy prophetic passage of Jesus talking about the end of the age. He said, «At that time the Son of Man will appear in the sky and all the nations on the earth will mourn».
The presentation of scripture is that the nations of the earth stand against the purposes of God. That the rulers of the earth prefer their power to the power of God. So it says when the ultimate King appears that the nations will mourn, «They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory». The glory of the Lord. You need to spend more time thinking about it. You know, the glory of whatever you’re striving for. You’ve looked at the pictures and you’ve watched the videos and you’ve explored the online tours, and that’s all okay. I’m not opposed to this world and what’s in it, but I’m not confused about my objectives.
Matthew 25, «When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all the angels, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he’ll separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He’ll put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left». Jesus is coming back to the earth with a full display of the glory of God. I remember as a young man, one of the men who was very gracious to me as I was trying to determine what I would do with my life and what it would look like to serve the Lord 'cause as child, the ministers I knew wore black robes and vestments.
I never remember laughing in a church service. My feeling when I got there was they weren’t happy to see me and I felt the same about them. I’m sure that was more about me than them, but it was my perception, and I was having a hard time imagining serving the Lord. And I remember a conversation about miracles, and I said, «I just don’t understand. I’m into science and equations have to balance,» and he was patient with me. He’d earned a PhD. He was very well educated man. He looked at me and he said, «Allen, the miracles that Jesus did, he didn’t suspend the laws of nature». He said, «He understood creation in a way that we don’t and he simply took advantage of his understanding of his creation».
I didn’t ask a lot more questions. I just sat in the corner with my dunce hat on and wrote, «I believe God» over and over. Now, he didn’t ask me to do that, but the glory of the Lord, Matthew 26, Jesus is being interrogated by the high priest. I mean, you would think, you know, when Jesus is 12, he sits with the leaders in the temple and they’re having a friendly conversation learning from one another. But now Jesus is a 33-year-old man is being interrogated. The high priest intends to have him executed. And the high priest said to him, «I charge you under oath by the living God. Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God». He should have been telling Jesus.
«I’ve searched the prophets. I have dozens and dozens of references that you’ve fulfilled. I’ve listened to your message. They’re in accordance with the authority of scripture. I’ve seen the demonstration of your power and authority over unclean spirits, over death, over the wind and the waves». But he doesn’t choose that. «Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God». And in verse 64 Jesus responds, «Yes, it is as you say». Now, Jesus could have left it right there. With Pilate, he scales back a bit, but with the high priest, Jesus said, «I say to all of you,» he’s gonna look at everybody gathered in this house 'cause he’s in the high priest’s home for this mock trial. «I say to all of you in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven».
Drop the mic. People say Jesus was a pacifist. He was all about love. And there’s much of Jesus’s message that was love. I believe it was the motivation that put him on the cross. But there are times when he’s addressing the people of his generation that there’s a very hard edge to what Jesus has to say. «I am the Messiah». «And in the future you’ll see me sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One coming on the clouds of heaven». He pushed it right up in his face. Folks, we are going to see the return of the King and the glory and the splendor of a King. Now, I don’t know where we’ll find ourselves in that chronology, if we’ll do it in our present earth suit or we’ll get the 2.0 version, but we will see it. But you only get one journey through time to be prepared for it.
So going to church isn’t a burden. It’s not loathsome responsibility, not an intrusion into my calendar. «Can we get the service over with so I can get on with something important? Do I have to read my Bible? How much do I have to read? How often do I have to read? A small group? You want me to serve? Give, all you say is give». We treat the Lord like we’re trying to find the minimal daily requirement so we can get the best outcome with the minimal input. Do you understand that’s offensive? That’s an offensive approach. What if we began to say to the Lord? «Lord, I’m not even sure what it looks like, but I’d like to please you. I wanna be more aware of your glory than anything this present world has to offer».
And if you recognize the great joy of your life, the great aspirations of your life, the great efforts of your life are all focused on something on this side of eternity, I would encourage you to begin to say to the Lord, «Lord, help me develop a new perspective. Lord, help me to see, help me to imagine. I wanna have more treasure in your eternal kingdom than any achievement in this present order». And I’m not opposed to achievement in this present order. I’m a little focused. Might as well be honest, but I’m a lot more focused on what’s ahead of me. And tragically, I think we’ve lived apart from that. We don’t think about it. So we have very little determination to endure, to overcome, to persevere.
The Bible tells us there’s gonna be some difficulties, Romans 8. It says, «If we are children, then we’re heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ». We get a lot of people to shout about that. If I take that idea and develop it through the New Testament, you’ll be on your feet and be like John Amanchukwu is back. I’m a little offended by your passive responses to me, but I forgive you. «Co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings». Oh, can we just wipe that out? Maybe in Greek, it means parties. No, it doesn’t. «If we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory, I consider that our present sufferings aren’t worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us».
Why would we endure for Jesus. Now, why would we raise our hands and say, «No, no, no, let me, I believe this is true and I’m gonna stand up for this truth,» when you know, people are gonna say, «I don’t like your opinion. I don’t agree with you». That there be some forfeiture attached to it. Maybe even threat. Why would we do that? Paul tells us because he said, «I consider the glory ahead of us far greater than any pushback that’s available in this present age». We gotta recalibrate. People say to me, «Pastor,» they usually whisper this, «Pastor, thank you for being bold». I go, «Well…» «Thank you». But how about you joining me? «Well, I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing». I know the feeling. «It’ll be taken out of context». Uh-huh. «Your adversaries will use it». Uh-huh.
They got Jesus in the blocks, Jesus, water-walking, wine-making, dead-raising, wind-stopping, demon-chasing Jesus. And what do they say to him? «If you were the Christ»! Wouldn’t it have been fun if his mouth had grown closed right after he said that? Just, it would have been fun, but it wouldn’t really played out this story. I know. But the message is that we are co-heirs with Christ. He will share his glory with us. But he’s asked us to make a journey through time that could include opposition. Are we willing? I don’t know what the future holds. What I do know that we can establish is our response.
We will serve the Lord. We will honor the Lord. We will gladly be ambassadors for a King and a kingdom. We will share that message in our families, in our family systems. We’ll stop winking at evil and embracing ungodliness and acting like we don’t notice. We don’t wanna have the uncomfortable, awkward conversations with the people in our sphere of influence. Do you think it’ll be an easier conversation with the Lord? 1 Peter 4, «Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed».
If you’ll identify with him when it’s difficult, you’ll have a greater joy when you see him in his glory. So when we walk through difficult things, folks, just the pattern of life is difficult. I’m not talking always about persecution because you’re a zealot for Jesus. Life is difficult. It’s often unfair. Sin in the hearts of men and women makes us treat one another in despicable ways. You know, when the people who don’t yield to the lordship of Jesus tell you they’re gonna orchestrate equality and justice, you should understand that’s an impossibility because those things come from God, not from the hearts of men. You’ll stand with me.
I’d like to pray with you. We’re gonna make a commitment, we’re gonna raise our hand and say, Lord, I’ll give you my best. Not lukewarm. I’m not giving you my leftovers. I’m not giving you my leftover time and my leftover attention and the money that I didn’t know what to do with. I’m not giving you my worn out appliances and the clothes that are so out of fashion, I wouldn’t be seen in them. God, I’m gonna give you my best, my best attention. My best effort, my best focus. I don’t expect my ungodly friends to understand.
In fact, I expect them to think I’m curious, and I hope to make some of my Christian friends a bit curious, but set the tone. Let’s decide to be the generation that preached the gospel in the whole world so the Lord could come back. What if we looked above the horizon? What if we took this more seriously than just the opportunity to be born again and lead life on our own terms? Let’s serve the Lord, church. Our hope is not in the kingdoms of this world. And if we’re looking for solutions from them, we are idolaters, but we know God works in this world through people. Then we’ve got to bring our voices to bear. Let’s pray:
Father, thank you for your Word, for its truth and authority and power. Holy Spirit, we need your help. Give us a vision beyond time. Give us a glimpse of your eternal kingdom. You gave Isaiah an experience that shaped all of his days and we come in humility to ask that you would give us insight and understanding to the glory of our Lord. Forgive us when we’ve been embarrassed or ashamed or quiet or distracted. Forgive us when we’ve allowed the ungodly to establish our patterns and goals. We look to them to celebrate our victories. Lord, we look to you today. We wanna be pleasing in your sight. We wanna be upright before you. We want you to be pleased. We want you to find joy in how we choose to make our journey through time. Holy Spirit, help us. Those things within us that are hindrances or limits or distractions, help us to recognize them. Give us the courage to remove them, to lay them at the foot of the cross. May we truly give you our best to fulfill what you created us for. So then we step out of time and we stand with those who have preceded us. We can celebrate the faithfulness of our God with joy and great enthusiasm. We ask all of this in Jesus’s name, for he is our Lord and our King, amen.