WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.740 regardless of your situation, and I don't say that lightly. 00:00:04.860 --> 00:00:12.720 I know that many of you are facing hardship, or you're sick, or you're losing loved ones, or you've lost your job. 00:00:13.460 --> 00:00:20.059 But regardless of your situation, the single most important thing that we can do is to pray. 00:00:21.280 --> 00:00:24.039 Now, I know that seems like an overstatement, but it's not. 00:00:24.039 --> 00:00:30.559 If you ask anybody who has a deep, habitual life of prayer, they will tell you the same thing, 00:00:30.899 --> 00:00:33.640 that prayer shapes everything else. 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:36.280 Prayer shapes how we think. 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:39.560 Prayer shapes how we deal with our emotions. 00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:42.420 Prayer shapes what we care about. 00:00:42.780 --> 00:00:44.519 It shapes what we love. 00:00:45.120 --> 00:00:48.620 Prayer shapes how we see ourselves, how we see God. 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:50.600 Prayer shapes how we live. 00:00:50.600 --> 00:01:00.100 So if you want to be strong, if you want to be resilient, if you want to be kind, if you want to be gentle, 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:07.900 if you want to be the kind of person who is useful to other people, it all starts with prayer. 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:10.260 Prayer shapes everything else. 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:16.480 So the question that we've been asking is, how do we pray in a way that shapes everything else? 00:01:16.480 --> 00:01:20.120 And to answer that question, we've been looking at the Lord's Prayer, 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:25.560 which is, of course, the prayer that Jesus gave to his disciples to teach them how to pray. 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:31.640 So in a way, the Lord's Prayer is the prayer that is meant to shape our prayers 00:01:31.640 --> 00:01:35.300 that then shape everything else about our lives. 00:01:35.460 --> 00:01:37.500 So this is why it matters so much. 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:41.740 And last week, we looked at the opening of this prayer, 00:01:41.739 --> 00:01:45.739 our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name, 00:01:45.780 --> 00:01:51.019 and we talked about what it means to have God as Father, the fatherhood of God. 00:01:51.519 --> 00:01:54.759 Well, this week we're looking at the next line of the prayer, 00:01:55.199 --> 00:01:59.780 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:04.459 And if last week was about the fatherhood of God, this week is about the kingdom of God. 00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:10.599 It's about God's purposes in the world and what it means for us to be a part of those purposes. 00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:17.240 And so we're going to be looking at three things about this prayer, this specific part of the prayer. 00:02:17.519 --> 00:02:19.659 First, we're going to see the meaning of this prayer. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:24.759 And then we're going to see a problem that arises when we pray this prayer. 00:02:24.840 --> 00:02:26.280 So the problem with this prayer. 00:02:26.680 --> 00:02:29.439 And then lastly, we're going to see the answer to this prayer. 00:02:29.719 --> 00:02:34.340 So the meaning of the prayer, the problem of this prayer, and then the answer to this prayer. 00:02:35.060 --> 00:02:37.479 Speaking of which, let's pray as we open God's Word. 00:02:37.479 --> 00:02:46.859 Lord, we thank you for your Word, and we thank you for the ways that you are able to go beyond ink printed on paper. 00:02:47.319 --> 00:02:50.519 That because your Holy Spirit is with us, you can open your Word. 00:02:50.959 --> 00:02:55.199 And that through this written Word, we can come face to face with your living Word. 00:02:55.759 --> 00:03:02.299 And Lord, it's in His name and with the hopes of answering or understanding His prayer that we pray. 00:03:02.939 --> 00:03:03.299 Amen. 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:03.439 Amen. 00:03:04.439 --> 00:03:09.840 So first of all, we want to ask the question of what this prayer means. 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:17.300 Because I think many of us, including me, you can grow up and spend years praying this prayer in a kind of rote fashion, 00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:19.840 but never really dig into its meaning. 00:03:20.140 --> 00:03:21.820 So what does this actually mean? 00:03:22.860 --> 00:03:25.780 Well, I don't know anyone who doesn't long for a better world. 00:03:26.620 --> 00:03:28.520 It doesn't matter if you're religious or irreligious. 00:03:28.620 --> 00:03:30.040 It doesn't matter if you're Christian or not. 00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:36.919 But no one I know, no one I know thinks that this world is the best that things will ever be. 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:43.319 Everybody I know at least hopes, if they don't think it's realistic, they hope for a better world. 00:03:43.819 --> 00:03:43.859 Right? 00:03:44.079 --> 00:03:50.939 Everybody I know hates the fact that there are viruses that can kill people, that can shut down entire economies. 00:03:50.939 --> 00:03:56.319 Everyone I know longs for this world to be better in one way or another. 00:03:56.680 --> 00:03:59.500 Some people long for more justice in the world. 00:03:59.639 --> 00:04:02.900 Some people long for better race relations in the world. 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:05.539 Some people long to see an end to poverty. 00:04:05.819 --> 00:04:11.199 Some people long for more sustainable practices that will lead to a healthier environment. 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:16.579 But everybody I know longs for some kind of betterment of the world that we live in. 00:04:17.860 --> 00:04:23.459 And even though we disagree on the politics and the issues and the solutions, 00:04:23.899 --> 00:04:26.519 no matter what your t-shirt says, 00:04:26.959 --> 00:04:27.980 whether it says, 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:29.399 Make America Great Again, 00:04:29.699 --> 00:04:31.139 whether it says Me Too, 00:04:31.659 --> 00:04:33.399 whether it says Black Lives Matter, 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:35.159 regardless of what your t-shirt says, 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:39.960 Deep down, we all share a common longing for a better world. 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:48.440 And I think this is one of the reasons why Christianity is so unique when it comes to suffering. 00:04:48.880 --> 00:04:53.480 Because Buddhism says essentially that suffering is an illusion. 00:04:54.040 --> 00:05:00.720 Hinduism and some of the Eastern religions say that suffering is a punishment for sins we have committed in a past life. 00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:07.040 Religions like Islam say that suffering is a punishment for sins that we have committed in this life. 00:05:07.400 --> 00:05:12.160 Secular humanism says that suffering is essentially random and meaningless. 00:05:12.380 --> 00:05:14.820 It is just a bad roll of the dice. 00:05:15.320 --> 00:05:17.060 But only Christianity says 00:05:17.060 --> 00:05:22.540 that suffering was not part of God's original plan for the world. 00:05:23.500 --> 00:05:29.640 That the world that God created was filled with goodness and beauty and truth. 00:05:29.639 --> 00:05:35.899 And the fact that there is suffering and evil means that something has gone terribly wrong. 00:05:36.139 --> 00:05:40.860 But what this means is that all of our feelings that we share, 00:05:41.079 --> 00:05:45.039 all of our hatred of suffering and all of our longing for a better world, 00:05:45.479 --> 00:05:50.180 the Lord's Prayer tells us, Christianity tells us, that those feelings are right. 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:53.099 That your gut instinct is right. 00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:55.680 That we are right to hate suffering. 00:05:56.019 --> 00:05:58.479 We're right to long for a world free from suffering. 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:00.319 And God hates it too. 00:06:01.500 --> 00:06:05.180 And more than that, God is doing something about it. 00:06:05.500 --> 00:06:10.020 And that's what it means to pray for God's kingdom to come 00:06:10.020 --> 00:06:14.240 and God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:06:14.540 --> 00:06:17.300 We're not just talking at this point about new policies. 00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:20.120 We're not just talking about social reform. 00:06:20.500 --> 00:06:22.379 We're not just talking about a new administration. 00:06:22.379 --> 00:06:27.199 To pray this prayer is to pray for a total revolution. 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:30.079 It's to pray for a new world. 00:06:31.339 --> 00:06:37.040 We are praying for the great promise that runs all the way through Scripture to be fulfilled. 00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:41.439 And that is that the heavens and the earth would be joined together as one. 00:06:41.439 --> 00:06:45.199 And that God himself would be the king of this world. 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:48.839 And that as king, he would put everything right again. 00:06:49.579 --> 00:06:57.120 Revelation, the last book in the Bible, talks about King Jesus one day wiping away every tear from every eye 00:06:57.120 --> 00:06:58.819 as everything is made new. 00:06:58.819 --> 00:07:02.980 That's what we're praying for when we pray for the coming of the kingdom. 00:07:02.980 --> 00:07:11.779 And what that means for life is it means that God's will will be enacted in every sphere of life. 00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:15.579 God's will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:07:15.579 --> 00:07:25.259 So as the laws of physics govern the cosmos and bring order to chaos and make it possible for life to flourish, 00:07:25.699 --> 00:07:31.680 so we pray in this prayer that God's will would govern our lives. 00:07:32.339 --> 00:07:42.500 That it would govern us spiritually and emotionally and politically and economically and socially and vocationally. 00:07:42.500 --> 00:07:47.379 That God's will would be enacted in every sphere of life. 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:53.800 And that it would make possible the flourishing of human life and society. 00:07:54.259 --> 00:07:56.199 So that's what this prayer is all about. 00:07:56.300 --> 00:07:57.220 That's what it means. 00:07:58.079 --> 00:07:59.620 But of course there's a problem. 00:08:00.579 --> 00:08:04.500 There's a problem that arises when we pray this prayer. 00:08:05.339 --> 00:08:10.399 This prayer asks for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:15.859 Well, there's only one place on earth where God's will is not done. 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:18.579 And that's in the human heart. 00:08:20.039 --> 00:08:21.259 It's the human heart. 00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:25.819 The problem with this prayer is us. 00:08:27.159 --> 00:08:30.359 We're the biggest obstacle to this prayer's fulfillment. 00:08:30.899 --> 00:08:32.919 And I'm not just talking about us in general. 00:08:33.019 --> 00:08:34.120 I'm talking about myself. 00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:39.159 I mean, I'm happy to pray for God's will to be done out there. 00:08:39.299 --> 00:08:45.259 I'm very happy to pray that God's will would be done in those lives or in that person's life. 00:08:45.940 --> 00:08:56.740 But when it comes to me, when it comes to the decisions that I make about how I spend my time and how I spend my money and how I treat people and what I prioritize, 00:08:56.740 --> 00:09:00.720 when it comes to those things, not so much. 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:04.820 You know, my experience has been that with my lips I can pray, 00:09:05.180 --> 00:09:08.340 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done. 00:09:08.740 --> 00:09:13.620 But in the same instant, in my life, what I'm really saying is, 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:15.100 My kingdom come. 00:09:15.860 --> 00:09:18.060 My will be done on earth. 00:09:18.059 --> 00:09:21.039 And that's a huge problem. 00:09:21.959 --> 00:09:36.339 And to make matters more complicated, it's very easy to justify this kind of posture when the kingdom of God, frankly, doesn't seem very relevant or realistic, given our present circumstances. 00:09:37.099 --> 00:09:40.019 Life on the ground is incredibly hard. 00:09:40.019 --> 00:09:48.100 And you asked specifically in this situation, how can we pray about something like the kingdom of God in the midst of a global pandemic? 00:09:49.120 --> 00:09:51.100 You know, and how can we do that with a straight face? 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:57.159 How can we think about something like the kingdom of God when people are sick and dying, 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:00.679 when the economy is shut down and so many people are unemployed? 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:05.500 It seems like a kind of escapism, a kind of pie-in-the-sky optimism. 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:07.399 You know, frankly, it feels like wishful thinking. 00:10:07.399 --> 00:10:14.860 And so I think a lot of people in times like this can say, well, that's just escapism. 00:10:15.439 --> 00:10:16.679 That's just fantasy. 00:10:17.079 --> 00:10:18.539 We need to be realistic. 00:10:18.740 --> 00:10:20.039 We need realistic solutions. 00:10:20.620 --> 00:10:22.439 And there's a lot of disillusionment out there. 00:10:23.220 --> 00:10:29.500 And, you know, I think this must have been how John the Baptist felt while he was sitting in prison awaiting his execution. 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:37.139 The passage that we read a little while ago from Matthew chapter 11 is kind of like a case study of everything that we're talking about. 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:47.679 The local ruler at the time, Herod Antipas, it was kind of widely known that he had gone and seduced the wife of his brother. 00:10:47.679 --> 00:10:52.579 And then he ended up leaving his wife and convincing her to leave his brother. 00:10:52.819 --> 00:10:54.100 And then he married her. 00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:55.699 And this was a scandal. 00:10:56.279 --> 00:10:58.799 And John the Baptist was a bold prophet. 00:10:58.799 --> 00:11:00.879 And he was courageous. 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:05.979 And so he publicly rebuked Herod for this and called him to repent. 00:11:06.179 --> 00:11:08.639 And, you know, imagine that kind of thing happening. 00:11:09.179 --> 00:11:14.719 And yet he publicly confronts Herod and confronts the wrongness of what he's done. 00:11:14.819 --> 00:11:18.099 And, of course, Herod responds in kind by throwing John in prison. 00:11:18.100 --> 00:11:21.240 And, of course, John is in prison. 00:11:22.019 --> 00:11:27.639 And yet John's hope and the entire message of his ministry was that God's Messiah was coming. 00:11:28.820 --> 00:11:30.399 That's what John preached. 00:11:30.460 --> 00:11:31.700 And that was the source of his hope. 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:36.519 And John believed that when this Messiah came that he would finally bring justice. 00:11:36.879 --> 00:11:39.879 That he would finally defeat all of God's enemies. 00:11:40.120 --> 00:11:42.160 That he would overthrow the Romans. 00:11:42.420 --> 00:11:45.759 That he would restore Israel as a nation state. 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:50.279 And John believed that if this Messiah came and brought justice, 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:52.879 that surely he would be on the right side of that justice. 00:11:53.439 --> 00:11:58.980 And so surely the Messiah would bring corrupt leaders like Herod down. 00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:03.279 And surely this Messiah would vindicate and set free people like John. 00:12:03.340 --> 00:12:05.200 Because John had taken a stand for justice. 00:12:05.899 --> 00:12:09.240 And John believed that Jesus was the Messiah. 00:12:10.580 --> 00:12:12.819 But the longer John sits in prison, 00:12:12.820 --> 00:12:17.000 the more disillusionment begins to creep in. 00:12:17.100 --> 00:12:20.100 The more questions begin to arise in his heart. 00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:27.140 And Jesus is out there healing people and helping people and proclaiming good news. 00:12:27.860 --> 00:12:29.260 But where's the justice? 00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:31.620 Where's the revolution? 00:12:32.820 --> 00:12:36.280 When is Jesus going to lay the axe at the root of the tree? 00:12:36.379 --> 00:12:38.820 That was one of John's favorite sermons to preach. 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:40.840 But when is all of that going to happen? 00:12:40.840 --> 00:12:44.320 And of course the most vexing question of all. 00:12:45.620 --> 00:12:48.080 Jesus is out there doing all of these good things. 00:12:48.980 --> 00:12:52.100 But why is he not storming the gate and setting John free? 00:12:53.040 --> 00:12:54.980 Why is he leaving John in prison? 00:12:56.720 --> 00:13:00.580 So you can imagine all of these questions swirling around in John's head. 00:13:00.580 --> 00:13:05.480 So John sends some of his disciples to find Jesus and to ask him, 00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:08.040 Are you the one who is to come? 00:13:09.500 --> 00:13:11.600 Or should we be looking for somebody else? 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:19.420 What do you do when you have all of these hopes about who God is 00:13:19.420 --> 00:13:22.000 and what God is able to do in your life? 00:13:22.560 --> 00:13:24.600 What do you do when those things don't happen? 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:29.700 What do you do when God doesn't do what you hope he will do? 00:13:29.700 --> 00:13:34.900 What do you do when your life doesn't look like you thought it would look? 00:13:35.840 --> 00:13:39.480 What do you do when a global pandemic destroys your plans? 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:43.200 Or means that you lose your job? 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:45.180 You lose your financial security? 00:13:46.420 --> 00:13:48.240 Maybe you lose a loved one. 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:50.940 What do you do in times like this? 00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:55.820 You know, it's very easy when you're experiencing this kind of disillusionment 00:13:55.820 --> 00:13:57.560 to look at God and say, 00:13:57.940 --> 00:14:00.220 You know, God didn't give me what I wanted. 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:02.879 Why should I care about what he wants? 00:14:03.740 --> 00:14:06.440 And so I think in times like this, it's very easy to walk away. 00:14:06.899 --> 00:14:09.799 It's very easy to say, I don't care about God's will being done. 00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:13.440 I want to take matters into my own hands from here on out. 00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:16.580 So what's the answer to this? 00:14:16.580 --> 00:14:18.500 How do we resolve this? 00:14:18.700 --> 00:14:20.680 How do we pray this prayer and mean it? 00:14:20.900 --> 00:14:24.480 And moreover, what does the answer to this prayer actually look like? 00:14:25.160 --> 00:14:27.800 Well, look at how Jesus responds to John. 00:14:28.680 --> 00:14:30.600 He tells John's disciples, he says, 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:32.720 Go and tell John what you hear and see. 00:14:33.560 --> 00:14:35.320 The blind receive their sight. 00:14:35.820 --> 00:14:36.860 The lame walk. 00:14:37.540 --> 00:14:38.740 Lepers are cleansed. 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:39.820 And the deaf hear. 00:14:40.060 --> 00:14:41.520 And the dead are raised up. 00:14:41.700 --> 00:14:44.320 And the poor have good news preached to them. 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:46.080 In other words, Jesus is saying, 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:52.920 Look, all of the prophecies about the Messiah, places like Isaiah chapter 35 or Isaiah chapter 61, 00:14:53.259 --> 00:14:57.060 all of those prophecies are being fulfilled right in your midst. 00:14:57.940 --> 00:14:59.060 The kingdom is here. 00:14:59.680 --> 00:15:01.200 It's happening right now. 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:05.180 But then Jesus says something very interesting in verse 6. 00:15:05.580 --> 00:15:05.980 He says, 00:15:06.300 --> 00:15:09.420 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me. 00:15:10.040 --> 00:15:13.520 And you know that word offended, the Greek word is actually the word scandalizo, 00:15:13.780 --> 00:15:16.180 from which we get scandalized. 00:15:16.540 --> 00:15:19.140 Blessed is the one who is not scandalized by me. 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:21.319 In other words, Jesus says, 00:15:22.439 --> 00:15:24.939 Blessed are those who do not fall away, 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:27.419 who don't abandon the faith, 00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:30.399 when the kingdom doesn't look like they expected. 00:15:31.559 --> 00:15:34.620 When the king doesn't look like they expected. 00:15:35.019 --> 00:15:37.759 When I don't match their expectations. 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:38.879 That's what Jesus is saying. 00:15:38.980 --> 00:15:40.439 Blessed is the one who hangs in there. 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:43.560 Even when the kingdom defies all of their expectations. 00:15:43.760 --> 00:15:45.680 Even when I defy all of their expectations. 00:15:47.760 --> 00:15:52.760 Helmut Thielicke was a German pastor in Stuttgart during World War II. 00:15:53.080 --> 00:15:56.360 And the air raids were happening in 1944, 00:15:56.740 --> 00:15:59.220 right when he was there pastoring his people. 00:15:59.980 --> 00:16:01.460 And on one particular morning, 00:16:01.680 --> 00:16:03.080 they met in a church, 00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:04.720 but they had to meet in the choir, 00:16:05.180 --> 00:16:08.340 because the church itself had been destroyed because of the bombing. 00:16:08.440 --> 00:16:09.519 It was in ruins. 00:16:10.279 --> 00:16:12.200 And up until this point, 00:16:12.340 --> 00:16:14.980 many people thought of the coming of the kingdom of God 00:16:14.980 --> 00:16:19.100 kind of like a gradual evolutionary process. 00:16:19.100 --> 00:16:23.160 It would be the gradual Christianization of the world. 00:16:23.300 --> 00:16:24.720 More and more people coming to faith. 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:26.820 Things getting better and better and better. 00:16:26.820 --> 00:16:27.840 Until at some point, 00:16:28.100 --> 00:16:29.200 we would reach perfection. 00:16:29.660 --> 00:16:31.220 And the kingdom would have come. 00:16:32.040 --> 00:16:37.260 And the world wars crushed that naivety out of people. 00:16:37.680 --> 00:16:40.200 And left many people filled with disillusionment. 00:16:40.600 --> 00:16:42.740 And led to even nihilism. 00:16:43.500 --> 00:16:46.460 And Thielicke is in the midst of this. 00:16:46.460 --> 00:16:48.200 And he's trying to pastor his people. 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:51.740 And he feels called to preach on the Lord's Prayer. 00:16:52.260 --> 00:16:54.960 And there's a collection of his sermons during that time 00:16:54.960 --> 00:16:56.300 that I have in this book. 00:16:56.839 --> 00:16:58.939 And on this particular morning, 00:16:59.019 --> 00:17:02.459 in this particular choir of this destroyed church, 00:17:02.659 --> 00:17:06.680 he decides to preach on the line that we're looking at this morning. 00:17:07.180 --> 00:17:09.480 Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, 00:17:09.559 --> 00:17:11.619 on earth as it is in heaven. 00:17:11.619 --> 00:17:14.599 And he's looking out on his people's faces. 00:17:14.940 --> 00:17:19.879 And all he sees is exhaustion and despair and hopelessness. 00:17:19.880 --> 00:17:25.620 And he knows that people feel enormous disillusionment about the kingdom of God. 00:17:26.100 --> 00:17:27.240 And so here's what he says. 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:32.780 We know very well that we must not think of this mysterious growth of God's kingdom. 00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:37.040 It really is a mystery as a kind of evolutionary development. 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:38.680 He says, 00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:42.500 No, the coming of the kingdom of God takes place in a totally different way. 00:17:42.500 --> 00:17:47.059 In, with, and under the world's anguish and distress, 00:17:47.720 --> 00:17:51.380 in, with, and under the hail of bombs and mass murders, 00:17:51.880 --> 00:17:53.859 God is building his kingdom. 00:17:53.859 --> 00:17:59.359 And you can imagine him saying that and the kind of incredulity on people's faces. 00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:02.539 How can you possibly say that in a time like this? 00:18:02.719 --> 00:18:05.599 And he acknowledges the kingdom is a mystery. 00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:06.899 This is why Jesus, 00:18:06.899 --> 00:18:10.339 one of the reasons why Jesus taught about the kingdom using so many parables, 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:13.159 because it's a, it's a mysterious reality. 00:18:13.160 --> 00:18:15.820 And yet here's what, here's what he goes on to say. 00:18:16.940 --> 00:18:20.100 The kingdom of God is where Jesus Christ is. 00:18:21.540 --> 00:18:26.540 But Jesus Christ always lingers in the darkest places in the world. 00:18:28.019 --> 00:18:31.759 How can you have the audacity to look around and look at the bombs falling, 00:18:31.900 --> 00:18:35.200 look at this desolation, or look at something like this pandemic? 00:18:35.380 --> 00:18:36.779 How can you have the audacity to say, 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:39.800 even in the midst of all of this suffering, the kingdom of God is here? 00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:41.060 Well, that's the answer. 00:18:41.059 --> 00:18:44.619 Because the kingdom is wherever Jesus Christ is. 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:49.899 And where you're going to find Jesus is in the darkest places of the world. 00:18:50.919 --> 00:18:55.579 That Jesus is there with the people who are looking at their destroyed city. 00:18:56.099 --> 00:18:59.379 Jesus is closest to people who are most hopeless. 00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:05.960 Jesus is closest to the person who is on a ventilator fighting for their life. 00:19:06.259 --> 00:19:10.859 Jesus is closest to the people who are struggling to figure out how they're going to pay their bills. 00:19:11.059 --> 00:19:14.200 Who are trying to figure out what they're going to do now that they've lost their job. 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:15.859 That's where Jesus draws near. 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:18.539 Jesus is to be found in the darkest places of the world. 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:20.980 And where he is, the kingdom is. 00:19:21.720 --> 00:19:22.659 That's his answer. 00:19:24.460 --> 00:19:29.179 And so the kingdom of God always defies our expectations. 00:19:29.579 --> 00:19:32.679 If you look at John the Baptist, he was expecting a political revolution. 00:19:32.680 --> 00:19:36.019 He was expecting for Jesus to storm the gates and set him free. 00:19:36.519 --> 00:19:40.080 If you look at the people in the 19th century coming into the early 20th century, 00:19:40.279 --> 00:19:43.320 they were expecting the Christianization of the world. 00:19:43.420 --> 00:19:46.500 That things would just get better and better and better until we reach perfection. 00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:48.860 And the kingdom defied their expectations. 00:19:49.539 --> 00:19:56.140 And I say this because I know that you and I, we both have expectations of how we think the kingdom should look. 00:19:56.140 --> 00:19:58.620 Or what we think Jesus should do. 00:19:58.780 --> 00:20:02.380 We all carry those expectations into our relationship with God. 00:20:02.460 --> 00:20:05.140 And the kingdom consistently defies those expectations. 00:20:06.680 --> 00:20:09.600 And yet the one thing that we know for certain is this. 00:20:10.120 --> 00:20:13.140 That the kingdom of God is where Jesus Christ is. 00:20:14.140 --> 00:20:15.960 And as Jesus said to John, 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:19.820 Blessed is the one who is not scandalized by him. 00:20:19.819 --> 00:20:25.359 So now, how do we draw all this together? 00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:27.980 And what does it mean for us right now? 00:20:28.399 --> 00:20:29.659 Well, I'll tell you this. 00:20:30.159 --> 00:20:31.839 And I'm speaking from personal experience here. 00:20:32.460 --> 00:20:36.059 If you're a Christian long enough, you will face disillusionment. 00:20:36.659 --> 00:20:38.179 It's just a part of the deal. 00:20:39.379 --> 00:20:40.759 Disillusionment is unavoidable. 00:20:41.220 --> 00:20:43.960 And I know that some of you may be listening and maybe you're not Christians. 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:46.819 And maybe some of you used to be Christians. 00:20:46.819 --> 00:20:50.240 And then maybe you experienced disillusionment. 00:20:50.359 --> 00:20:51.200 God let you down. 00:20:51.639 --> 00:20:53.439 And maybe you decided that it wasn't worth it anymore. 00:20:53.700 --> 00:20:54.679 And you walked away. 00:20:55.299 --> 00:20:56.799 But the point I want to make is this. 00:20:57.480 --> 00:21:00.339 Disillusionment, as painful as it can be, 00:21:01.500 --> 00:21:02.960 is ultimately a good thing. 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:08.700 Because disillusionment literally means to be freed from an illusion. 00:21:08.839 --> 00:21:10.939 To be set free from an illusion. 00:21:10.940 --> 00:21:14.240 And often when we feel disillusioned with God, 00:21:14.440 --> 00:21:20.500 it's because our vision of God, our idea of God, is simply too small. 00:21:20.940 --> 00:21:27.880 And then we encounter a situation that requires that we let go of that small-minded vision of God 00:21:27.880 --> 00:21:30.880 and embrace a much larger vision of God. 00:21:31.019 --> 00:21:36.759 And so disillusionment is an opportunity for us to be freed from that illusion of a small God. 00:21:36.759 --> 00:21:41.759 And it opens us up to encounter the living God face-to-face. 00:21:41.879 --> 00:21:48.519 And He is far bigger and far more complex than anything that we can possibly understand or even imagine. 00:21:49.480 --> 00:21:55.299 And the only sure way we know that we are looking at the real God 00:21:55.299 --> 00:22:01.940 and seeing the kingdom clearly is when we keep our attention focused on Jesus Christ. 00:22:01.940 --> 00:22:04.920 When we keep our eyes trained on Him. 00:22:05.720 --> 00:22:09.440 You know, we refer to this prayer as the Lord's Prayer, 00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:13.240 not only because Jesus prayed it, not only because He taught us to pray it, 00:22:13.559 --> 00:22:16.180 but it's also because Jesus fulfills it. 00:22:17.140 --> 00:22:19.539 Jesus is the fulfillment of the Lord's Prayer. 00:22:20.340 --> 00:22:24.000 You know, this prayer calls us to surrender our wills to God, 00:22:24.440 --> 00:22:26.720 to say to God, Your will be done. 00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:30.820 But as we alluded to before, this is always going to be a battle for us. 00:22:31.819 --> 00:22:34.259 I mean, and I'm again, speaking from personal experience, 00:22:34.379 --> 00:22:37.659 I can sit in this chair right here and I can pray, 00:22:38.099 --> 00:22:41.240 Your kingdom come, Your will be done. 00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:44.119 And I can mean it in my heart, but by the time I'm standing up, 00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:45.740 I'm already ready to take it all back. 00:22:46.700 --> 00:22:50.000 And that's simply what it means to be a human being with hearts like ours. 00:22:50.639 --> 00:22:52.679 We lose that battle all the time. 00:22:52.679 --> 00:22:57.319 That's what got us into this whole mess to begin with in the kind of world that we live in. 00:22:57.319 --> 00:23:00.339 But the point is, and the good news of the gospel is, 00:23:00.659 --> 00:23:04.099 that Jesus Christ also fought this battle, but He won. 00:23:04.539 --> 00:23:07.019 Where we failed, He succeeded. 00:23:07.740 --> 00:23:11.619 In the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing that He was about to be arrested, 00:23:12.339 --> 00:23:14.139 knowing that He was going to be put on trial, 00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:16.839 knowing that He was going to be humiliated and tortured 00:23:16.839 --> 00:23:20.879 and ultimately executed like a criminal, like a rebel, 00:23:20.880 --> 00:23:26.040 Jesus fell to His knees, sweating droplets of blood 00:23:26.040 --> 00:23:28.100 because He was so filled with despair. 00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:30.280 And He prayed to His Father, 00:23:30.380 --> 00:23:34.040 My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me. 00:23:35.280 --> 00:23:40.420 Nevertheless, not My will, but Thy will be done. 00:23:41.520 --> 00:23:43.600 He succeeded where we fail. 00:23:43.599 --> 00:23:50.219 And what we see happening there is Jesus' willingness to surrender Himself 00:23:50.219 --> 00:23:53.619 to do what we never could have done. 00:23:54.319 --> 00:23:56.959 And because He did this, and because of His death, 00:23:57.179 --> 00:23:58.299 and because of His resurrection, 00:23:58.759 --> 00:24:01.019 this prayer has already been answered. 00:24:01.459 --> 00:24:02.899 God's kingdom has come. 00:24:03.740 --> 00:24:06.599 God's will is being done in the world right now. 00:24:07.139 --> 00:24:12.439 And the only thing that will ever carry you through your disillusionment and despair, 00:24:12.440 --> 00:24:15.539 the only thing that will ever soften your heart enough 00:24:15.539 --> 00:24:17.080 so that you can say to God, 00:24:17.600 --> 00:24:20.279 Your will be done in my life and mean it, 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:23.019 the only thing that will ever bring you to that place 00:24:23.019 --> 00:24:27.620 is if you see and realize that Jesus Christ, 00:24:28.039 --> 00:24:29.380 when we didn't know Him, 00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:31.400 when we were living apart from Him, 00:24:31.620 --> 00:24:33.460 when we denied His very existence, 00:24:33.700 --> 00:24:36.779 that Jesus Christ looked at us and loved us so much 00:24:36.779 --> 00:24:40.660 that He was willing to surrender Himself fully to God's plan 00:24:40.660 --> 00:24:43.200 to adopt us and make us His children. 00:24:44.180 --> 00:24:46.440 And when that love pierces your heart, 00:24:46.519 --> 00:24:47.580 it softens it. 00:24:48.019 --> 00:24:50.080 And then you can come before the Lord and say, 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:52.980 truly, with honesty, 00:24:53.400 --> 00:24:55.580 I want Your will to be done in my life. 00:24:56.180 --> 00:24:58.320 Because someone who loves me that much, 00:24:58.400 --> 00:25:01.860 I would rather You be in control of my life than me. 00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:05.640 It's in better hands when it's in Your hands. 00:25:05.640 --> 00:25:09.380 And then Jesus goes on to say this 00:25:09.380 --> 00:25:11.900 about those who come to Him in faith. 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:13.400 Those people who come to Him 00:25:13.400 --> 00:25:15.220 and surrender themselves to Him, 00:25:15.320 --> 00:25:16.740 they become people of the kingdom. 00:25:17.080 --> 00:25:19.280 And here's what Jesus says about kingdom people 00:25:19.280 --> 00:25:21.620 later on in chapter 11 in Matthew. 00:25:22.060 --> 00:25:22.380 He says, 00:25:22.800 --> 00:25:23.880 Among those born of women, 00:25:23.980 --> 00:25:26.820 there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist, 00:25:27.160 --> 00:25:29.580 and yet one who is least in the kingdom of heaven 00:25:29.580 --> 00:25:30.880 is greater than he. 00:25:31.580 --> 00:25:34.100 And what He means by that is that people of the kingdom, 00:25:34.099 --> 00:25:36.159 people like us who know Jesus Christ, 00:25:36.279 --> 00:25:38.899 who have been saved through His death and resurrection, 00:25:39.399 --> 00:25:42.379 that we are experiencing realities in the kingdom 00:25:42.379 --> 00:25:44.339 that John never even could have imagined. 00:25:44.859 --> 00:25:46.799 That we actually have the presence 00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:48.919 and the power of God inside us, 00:25:48.959 --> 00:25:51.019 which means that wherever we are, 00:25:51.279 --> 00:25:52.279 the kingdom is. 00:25:52.439 --> 00:25:55.399 That we can be and bring the kingdom wherever we go. 00:25:56.539 --> 00:25:57.919 And friends, that's why we've been, 00:25:58.480 --> 00:26:00.559 that's why it matters so much 00:26:00.559 --> 00:26:03.159 that we are not only making sure 00:26:03.159 --> 00:26:04.019 that our needs are met, 00:26:04.079 --> 00:26:05.599 but that we are loving the neighbors 00:26:05.599 --> 00:26:06.839 and the people around us. 00:26:06.879 --> 00:26:08.460 That's why we're doing things 00:26:08.460 --> 00:26:10.619 like making sure we can establish 00:26:10.619 --> 00:26:12.079 a COVID-19 relief fund 00:26:12.079 --> 00:26:14.559 to try to help as many people as possible. 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:17.000 This is why we are doing things 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:19.299 like seeing people in our community 00:26:19.299 --> 00:26:21.720 who are making masks 00:26:21.720 --> 00:26:24.220 and donating them to people who need them. 00:26:24.259 --> 00:26:25.299 It's why these things matter. 00:26:25.399 --> 00:26:26.779 It's because these are signs 00:26:26.779 --> 00:26:27.879 that point to the fact 00:26:27.879 --> 00:26:29.220 that the kingdom of God is here. 00:26:29.220 --> 00:26:31.039 They're evidence of the kingdom 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:33.000 and they point to the true king, 00:26:33.380 --> 00:26:34.079 Jesus Christ. 00:26:35.339 --> 00:26:37.480 And so this week I encourage you, 00:26:37.900 --> 00:26:39.160 I strongly encourage you 00:26:39.160 --> 00:26:40.660 to bring all of your anxiety, 00:26:41.360 --> 00:26:42.620 all of your despair, 00:26:43.360 --> 00:26:44.900 all of your disillusionment, 00:26:45.100 --> 00:26:46.660 to bring all of that to the Lord 00:26:46.660 --> 00:26:48.240 and to pray these words, 00:26:48.759 --> 00:26:49.620 to pray to God, 00:26:49.860 --> 00:26:50.880 your kingdom come, 00:26:51.319 --> 00:26:52.480 your will be done 00:26:52.480 --> 00:26:54.420 on earth as it is in heaven. 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:56.240 And even if that's a struggle 00:26:56.240 --> 00:26:56.940 for you to say, 00:26:56.940 --> 00:26:58.039 know that you don't need 00:26:58.039 --> 00:26:59.299 to solve this yourself, 00:26:59.660 --> 00:27:01.180 that it's because Jesus Christ did 00:27:01.180 --> 00:27:02.580 that we have hope. 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:06.759 Before I close in prayer, 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:07.180 I'd also...