SPEAKER_01 0:00

We're we're in a culture of opinions, aren't we? Oh my goodness, hundred percent. When we understand kingdom and not democracy, because in democracy everyone has equal say, it's a you know, it's a rule of the people. But the idea of kingdom is when the king speaks, it really doesn't matter what you think. Yeah, a hundred percent. And what we want to say is, well, here's what I think about the Bible. R the reality is if I can find the truth of scripture and then apply that and allow that to challenge my own thoughts, my own positions, that's a very first step into living in a kingdom. Welcome to Beyond Sunday. Let's dig a little bit deeper into the theology and scriptures from the weekend so you can become a more fully devoted follower of Jesus. Well, we had a great message this weekend on the kingdom of God from Pastor Marty, and we've got Pastor Adrian here to talk about it. Glad to be here. Thanks for having me, Pastor Sean. Yeah, it's gonna be fun. Uh, what an awesome message on just rec recognizing what it means to be a citizen of the kingdom of heaven living in a culture. And I think one of the great challenges of this message was to try to identify what it means to be a kingdom person in a culture, yeah, not a cultural person that's that's in a kingdom. And what that priority or what that uh identification, you know, what that says to us and about us, and what implications it has for the way we approach life.

SPEAKER_03 1:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

Uh what are just initial thoughts as we get into this conversation about what it is to be uh a kingdom person in a culture?

SPEAKER_02 1:39

Yeah. Well, where my mind first goes is the original intent of the authors all throughout the Bible, Old Testament and New, they're writing from the perspective of a kingdom.

SPEAKER_04 1:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:50

We think in terms of democracy, I have a vote in this, I have a say in this. I think one of the very first lessons that's important to learn in the faith journey and being a part of a kingdom is that there's a king. But what the king says goes in this idea of lordship, that approaching this conversation first and foremost realizes Christ is king, we are not. And what he says needs to be priority in our life. So that's that's where we start.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Yeah. Uh the uh late Miles Monroe. Oh great. He spoke and wrote uh quite a bit on the kingdom uh of heaven, kingdom of God. One of the things that he wrote uh or said was when the king has spoken, I have no opinion. So good. We're we're in a culture of opinions, aren't we? Oh my goodness, 100%. And uh everyone's opinion is validated as having equal weight or authority. And so we go and we listen to all this input, but when we understand kingdom and not democracy, because in democracy everyone has equal say, it's a you know, it's a rule of the people. Yeah, yeah. Um at its worst, it's mob rule. Yeah. Uh at its best, it's you know, orderly representative, you know, we come together on these things, cooperation. Um but the idea of kingdom is when the king speaks, it really doesn't matter what you think. Yeah, 100%. And what we want to say is, well, here's what I think about the Bible, or here's and the reality is what what I think really carries very little weight. What matters is what's true. Yes. And if I can exfine the truth of scripture and then apply that and allow that to challenge my own thoughts, my own positions, that's a very first step into living in a kingdom. Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

And I think that Pastor Marty brought this up in such a great way of culture has something to say, Christ has something to say, the kingdom has something to say. And something that we all know to be true is like trends change, yeah, cultures change.

SPEAKER_04 3:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

The fads, they're gonna come and go. The word of God endures forever. And in this conversation, what culture says can't supersede what Christ says. And so he goes to the Beatitudes, he brings it to the Word of God. And in towards the end of chapter five, you've heard it said, yeah, culture says, but here's what I say unto you. We're always concerned with what's the bare minimum I can do. Right. Christ talks about going the extra mile, literally, is where that idea starts. And so it's such a great conversation to have.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

The uh theology here is rich. Uh, as we dig a little bit deeper and take it beyond Sunday, just a little bit on the kingdom of heaven. And we're gonna be in this series for a little bit. We're gonna talk uh over the next few weeks about some of these concepts. But what Jesus is doing here, when he says, You have heard it was said, but I tell you, he is establishing himself as being authority that can challenge the law. Now, this is this is to a people who uh who live under the law of God, the Torah, the law of Moses, and literally their submission to God's law is whether or not they're in his kingdom or under his rule. But this idea of of the kingdom of heaven, kingdom of God synonymous, uh really isn't so much about, you know, we think geographically or geopolitically. Uh, you know, and so we're like, oh, the kingdom of, you know, whatever, kingdom of Saudi Arabia, kingdom, you know, and so we think of these as geopolitical realities, but this isn't about a boundary. This is about a wherever God is king. Uh the kingdom of God is wherever his rule and reign is present and and evident. And so you can see the you can see the effect of whether or not God is king in an area by how people live, by what's going on in in even in the ecology, even in the creation. Like, is God ruling this or is sin ruling this aspect of our world and of our lives? Jesus sets himself up here to say, you've heard it was said, and he immediately goes to some of the Ten Commandments. And he says, But I say, and then he goes on to some other things that weren't, you know, in the Ten Commandments, but that were significant. And he talks about divorce when he talks about other things, and then he comes back to say, you know, you've heard it said that you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. And and that's a real, real challenge for us because uh, you know, it's one thing to love your you know, neighbor. I mean, the reality is most of us, if we're honest, just love ourselves more than anybody else. And so then Jesus gives, you know, the command, and God gives the command love your neighbor as yourself. But now Jesus supersedes it. So what he does with murder to anger, from divorce, uh or and adultery to even lust, uh, he now does with loving not just God and neighbor, but even enemy. So in every one, he never he never removes the command, he elevates it to a standard that we can't accomplish absent his there. It is a hundred percent. What does it mean to live in a kingdom that we can't dwell in absent the spirit of God dwelling in us? Well, I think it's the gospel.

SPEAKER_02 7:34

It's the gospel that Christ's power can be made perfect in our weakness, that he didn't call us up to heaven, he came and became one of us and provided a pathway through his spirit. And when I think about this conversation, what I'm what I'm in what I'm seeing us talk about and what Pastor Marty shared, these calls go straight to the intent of the heart. It goes past just the action or what the outcome is, it goes straight towards the intent and it shifts something in us to where that type of lifestyle catches the attention of those around us.

SPEAKER_04 8:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

That when you think about the early church and the rapid spread of the church, it's because they were doing some radical things, some things that were very countercultural. And when Jesus says be saw and light, in many ways he's saying preserve, he's saying also shine. And I I heard an illustration the other day. If a room is pitch black, but there's a flashlight in that room, that flashlight doesn't have to beg for your attention. You're gonna see it. Yeah, and when we live a life the way Christ called us to live, that kingdom lifestyle where we're going the extra mile, we're loving our enemies, yeah, that's gonna catch the attention of a culture.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

Yeah. And I I love that illustration. I thought about something when you uh mentioned it to me as we were preparing for this conversation. Not only when you know there's a light in a dark room do we see it, but also by it we see everything else. Oh, that's so good. And is that not the role of of the church? Oh, that's so good. It's not we're not just here just to be noticed. Well, that notice will happen, but the goal is that we illuminate everything else so people don't stumble, don't trip all over themselves in the darkness. And so that God gets the glory. And let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and glorify their father in heaven.

SPEAKER_02 9:28

That's just right there. There's the kingdom, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:30

Yes, sir. Uh, and that's our and that's living on kingdom purpose. Pastor Marty focused this week on the kingdom all beginning as a posture. And this is where the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God is an inside-out kingdom, not an outside in. Every other kingdom you could submit to on the outside, but not be submitted inside. But the rule and reign of God in your life, you are either in or out of that kingdom. 100%. And at every moment in every decision, I am either submitted to the rule of God, and his reign over my life, authority and right to direct and guide my actions, my thoughts, my response to life.

SPEAKER_03 10:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:08

Or I am leading, I'm living under the kingdom of King Me. And so I'm either under the King of Kings or I'm under King Me every moment of the day. And aren't some of these things things where he says, yeah, you know, these some of these things you could you could observe externally without your heart being in it. But the two greatest commands of the kingdom of God aren't actions, they're postures. Postures. They're love. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Now there's no separating that from our action because I can't love God with my all and it not show up in what I do. Sure. You know, that that is obvious. There's we say it this way. There's no faith and uh unfaithfulness. So faith and faithfulness go together. But to have the obedience on the outside without the submission on the inside, you know, that's just subservance. That's not submission. Man. And what I want to be is fully surrendered. We sing a song, I surrender all. A hundred percent. And I'm thinking of that song when I think about love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and then love your neighbor as yourself. But then by the Holy Spirit, I can even take that to my enemy. I could look down uh as though Christ from the cross to those killing, executing, torturing, and say, Father, forgive them, they don't know what they're doing. I could see them as sheep without a shepherd. I could be moved with compassion by the very people whose brokenness is now breaking me. Man, what are what are some thoughts on, especially as as you deal with young people today, how can we get this posture to where we truly love God with our all in a way that we now love others differently?

SPEAKER_02 12:11

Man, there's there's so many things to be said. What comes to my mind right away, especially when thinking about our young people, is that a lot of people love the idea of Jesus as a savior, the blessings that come with that, the salvation that comes with that, the new life that comes with that, less people like the idea of Jesus as my Lord. Yeah, but that those two things come together. He's our savior and he's our Lord. And that true belief informs our behavior. And so while you're not measuring just your behavior, you could trace that back to your roots and where is your heart at? And so when I'm talking to students, I'll often point towards that conversation of like a lifestyle of Christ doesn't come just because you're trying to, it comes by what John tells us abiding in the vine, connecting to the vine, and that you can't have any substitute for a true relationship with Jesus. You can fake fruit for a little while, yeah, but then people are gonna start to smell that it's rotten. They're gonna see that it's rotten because over time, time exposes fake fruit. Yeah. And so where's where's your fruit? And and can you trace that back towards a genuine love for Jesus as savior and Lord?

SPEAKER_01 13:22

Yeah, we can we can put on uh you know the mask. Uh we can, you know, how you doing, brother, sister, you know, blessed. Blessed and highly favored. 100%. We we can throw it all on, right? Uh we we we know the language, but but what's really going on in our hearts where it says uh only the spirit of man knows him. You know, people, even our spouse, like they know us better than anybody. Yep, but still there's there's an aspect of our own thoughts and and our own inner uh turmoil.

SPEAKER_03 13:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

Pastor Marty talked about, you know, struggling with God, struggling with man. Oh, yeah. And that struggle with God also is a str and struggle with man all comes together right here as I struggle with the man named me.

SPEAKER_03 14:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:06

And will I submit that man to the Lord? There it is. You know, and so in all of that conversation, yeah, we can fake it on the outside, but absent transformation on the inside, there is no way to live in that rule and that reign. So here's what I'm thinking Jesus might be doing when he's contrasting the law of Moses with what he is now giving. Yeah, the law of life in Christ, as Paul would say it. Um he he contrasts this law that we can observe externally without being changed on the inside with one that we can only fulfill through a transformed life.

SPEAKER_03 14:45

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 14:46

And I think one of the things he might be doing in this is identifying that absent him because he is the kingdom of heaven. He said it's now breaking forth. He says, if if the works I do are from God, then the kingdom of heaven is upon you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. In other words, I am the kingdom of heaven. Amen. And I think what we're realizing is that that salvation that we talk about isn't just saved, you know, from something, you know, judgment, future, yeah, come on, but saved to something and for something.

SPEAKER_02 15:20

100%.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

Saved to literally be the body of Christ. Amen. To dwell in him and to have him dwell in me. Thanks so much for joining us, Pastor Adrian. Man, it's been an honor. I've loved this conversation. And uh, pray that uh it's a blessing to the students that listen. I know they'll be they'll be chiming in because uh of your presence here, and for everyone else listening, thanks so much for being with us.

SPEAKER_00 15:51

Hey, thanks so much for joining us today. We do this to help you grow in your faith journey. And if you ever have any questions, see the link below, fill out the QR code, and we'll get back to you soon. And if you like this content and want to see more, feel free to follow, like, and share. But most of all, we want to encourage you to take the word of God and apply it to your week beyond Sunday. We can't wait to see you back soon.