Kingdom Agent

KINGDOM AGENT I

1 Peter 2:9

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that

you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

2 Corinthians 5:20

20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we

implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God

Other names for Agent: Ambassador, Representative, Elect, Citizens of heaven.

Ephesians 2:19..Stewards

I. Restore the Atmosphere of the Kingdom in your sphere

1. What is the atmosphere of the Kingdom?

a. Garden of Eden

Genesis 1:28

28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill

the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds

of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth

b. Millennial Kingdom

 Tremendous peace Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:6-9

 Joy unspeakable Isaiah 9:3-4

 Longevity Isaiah 4:1-3

 No sickness Isaiah 33:24

 Freedom from all oppression Isaiah 14:3-6

 The enemy bound Rev 20:1-6

c. New Jerusalem

 No more tears, death, sorrow, crying or pain

 River of life Rev 21:2

 Fruit to heal nations Rev 22:1-2

 The enemy dealt with

II. What are you to release?

1. You can’t give what you don’t have. (Make sure you have it.)

2. What do you have?

a. The Kingdom within

Luke 17:20-21

20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would

come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with

observation;

21  nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God

is within you.

1 Corinthians 6:19

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in

you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

John 16:7

7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if

I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send

Him to you.

b. The Name of Jesus

Matthew 16:18-19

18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My

church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

19  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you

bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will

be loosed in heaven.

Luke 10:17-19

17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are

subject to us in Your name.”

18  And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

19  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and

over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

c. The Authority of Heaven backing you

3. What should you release?

a. The Kingdom

Matthew 10:7-8

7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you

have received, freely give.

Mark 16:15-18

15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every

creature.

16  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe

will be condemned.

17  And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out

demons; they will speak with new tongues;

18  they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no

means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Matthew 10:11-13

11 “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay

there till you go out.

12  And when you go into a household, greet it.

13  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not

worthy, let your peace return to you.

III. Ways to release the Kingdom

1. Your Presence

Acts 5:14-15

14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and

women,

15  so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and

couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.

 You are light

 You are salt

 Angels accompany you

 Heaven surrounds you

Acts 27:21-24

21 But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and

said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and

incurred this disaster and loss.

22  And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but

only of the ship.

23  For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and

whom I serve,

24  saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed

God has granted you all those who sail with you.’

2. Prayers

Matthew 6:9-10

9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

3. Decrees

Acts 14:8-10

8 And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple

from his mother’s womb, who had never walked.

9  This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he

had faith to be healed,

10  said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and

walked

4. Laying on hands

Acts 8:17

17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Deuteronomy 34:9

9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid

his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had

commanded Moses

5. Speaking to Atmospheres

Luke 10:5-6

5 But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’

6  And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to

you

6. Words of Encouragement

Proverbs 25:11

11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver

7. Acts of Charity

Matthew 5:43-48

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your

enemy.’

44  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those

who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

45  that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the

evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

46  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax

collectors do the same?

47  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not

even the tax collectors do so?

48  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect 

Kingdom Ambassador Language

 “and not in any way terrified by your adversaries…” Phil 1:28

 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or

distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36  As

it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted

as sheep for the slaughter.” 37  Yet in all these things we are more than

conquerors through Him who loved us.

 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil 4:13

 Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the

Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel:

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 So

the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge

Upon their enemies

   Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a

spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of

hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46  This day

the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your

head from you.

EXPERIENCING THE RESURRECTION

EXPERIENCING THE RESURRECTION

John 19:25-30

25  Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary

the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 

26  When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to

His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 

27  Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took

her to his own home.

28  After this, Jesus,  [a] knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be

fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”

29  Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine,

put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 

30  So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He

gave up His spirit.

John 20:1-18

  1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still

dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

2  Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to

them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have

laid Him.”

3  Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb.

4  So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first.

5  And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in.

6  Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths

lying there,

7  and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded

together in a place by itself.

8  Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.

9  For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

10  Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.

11  But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked

into the tomb.

12  And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the

body of Jesus had lain.

13  Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have

taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”

14  Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not

know that it was Jesus.

15  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing

Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have

laid Him, and I will take Him away.”

16  Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).

17  Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My

brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and

your God.’ ”

18  Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had

spoken these things to her.

Mary was the first person to Encounter the Resurrection of Jesus.

1. No matter where you come from you can encounter the Resurrection

Luke 8:1-2

1 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and

bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,

2  and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called

Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons

2. You must start by seeing the Cross

John 19:25-30

25  Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary

the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 

26  When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He

said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 

27  Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took

her to his own home.

28  After this, Jesus,  [a] knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might

be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”

29  Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine,

put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 

30  So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head,

He gave up His spirit.

3. Claim the Benefits of Resurrection

Romans 6:4

4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was

raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of

life.

a. Overcome Sin

Romans 6: 5-11

5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also

shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

6  knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be

done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

7  For he who has died has been freed from sin.

8  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

9  knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no

longer has dominion over Him.

10  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He

lives to God.

11  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in

Christ Jesus our Lord.

b. Sickness

Isaiah 53:3-5

3 He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains,

and acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their

faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for

Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried

our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken,

smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy].

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and

iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon

Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole. [AMP]

Mark 6:56

56 And wherever He came into villages or cities or the country, they would lay the sick

in the marketplaces and beg Him that they might touch even the fringe of His outer

garment, and as many as touched Him were made whole.

“The word saved in Romans 10:9-10 is the same word translated “made whole”

Sozo Other translations of Sozo are

Mark 5:23 (healed); Mark 16:16 (saved); Luke 8:36 (healed); Acts 2:21 (saved);

Acts 14:9 (healed); Eph 2:8 (saved); James 5:15 (save); Mark 5:34 (Made whole)

c. Restored Hope

1 Peter 1:3

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His

abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of

Jesus Christ from the dead.

The Life That God Calls Great: Loving Jesus | Christopher Searcy

The Life That God Calls Great: Loving Jesus

Previous Truths:

We know through scripture that He is a worthy leader because his leadership is perfect:

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP - 4 VALUES

A. Influence – the leader behaves in a such a way that people want to emulate them. They reflect behaviors and attitudes

that others aspire to and want to model - “That’s the kind of person I want to be.”

B. Motivation – The leader says, “I have a vision, a tremendous vison. We’re going to achieve it, you can be apart, and

this is how.” It makes others say “yes.”

C. Partnership – the leader recognizes people have something to contribute, they desire partnership and collaboration.

They see success tied to the contribution and gifting of others beyond themselves. (The Body of Christ)

D. Consideration – knowing the individual – what do people bring to the table? Who are they? More than what they can

do. Personal and knowing what’s going on in people lives. Be sensitive, support and help them work through personal

issues beyond their direct functional contribution

We know through scripture some of the attributes that describe him:

HE IS A LOVER

“I am my Beloved’s, and His desire is toward me.” Song of Solomon 7:10

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you.” John. 15:9

HE IS A FIERCE AND JUST KING.

“3. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.

4. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach

thee terrible things.

5. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. Psalms 45:3-5

Jesus is heir of all

Whom He has appointed heir of all things… Heb. 1:2

Jesus is the creator of worlds

Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom He made the worlds… Heb. 1:2

Jesus is the sustainer of the universe

And upholding all things by the word of His power… Heb. 1:3

Jesus is the redeemer of the universe

He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty… Heb. 1:3

Jesus is the ruler of the universe

13 Behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days…

14To Him was given dominion…that all peoples…should serve Him. Dan. 7:13-14

He wants you with him.

24 Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory

which You have given Me… (Jn. 17:24)

The Life That God Calls Great: Loving Jesus

John 13-17 is the teaching given by the Jesus during the Last Supper. Jesus spoke this to the leadership of His

new Church to prepare them to walk in a way that God calls “great” and to thrive spiritually even in the face of

intense pressures and temptations.

This is where I believe we find ourselves today.

7“ The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Rev. 19:7

How do we live a life pleasing to God? How do we make sure we are ready?

Love the lord your God

Matthew 22:37-40

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Jesus defined loving God as the “first” and “great” commandment.

Thus identifying it as the Spirit’s first priority in the kingdom, the “first” calling for our life,

CONTEXT:

In Deuteronomy Moses teaches the Israelites who have turned away from God to idols. This is to the generation

of Israelites about to enter the Promised Land after 40 years

The narrative of Deuteronomy is set on the east side of the Jordan River, on the plains of Moab, within view of

Canaan. This is where the Israelites camped after their 40 years of wilderness wanderings.

The commands are to turn away from Idols, to Obey, and Love will grow.

Deuteronomy 30: 2,6

2 and when you and your children return to the Lord your God,

2 and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today,

6 The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him

with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

The lord your God will carve your heart over time so that your desires become his, so that your affections

become his, he will teach you how to love him.

Marriage is a carnal parallel. When two people come together they must learn each other’s love language. We

must be taught how to love. Luckily, the Holy Spirit is our teacher, and he is the best!

However, turning away from idols towards obedience is a non-negotiable.

Jesus linked loving God with obeying God five times in John 14:

In John14:15, If you love Me, keep My commandments

In John14:21, He who…keeps them, it is he who loves… Me

In John14:23, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word

In John14:24, He who does not love Me does not keep My words

In John14:31, 31I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do

Jesus defined loving God as being deeply rooted in a spirit of obedience.

THE PROMISE

Deuteronomy 30: 2-4

2 and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all

your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes[a]

and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 4 Even if you

have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you

and bring you back.

It doesn’t matter how far you have gone, how dark you think the darkness is he will bring you back.

The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors… Deut 30:9

The Pace of Jesus | Pastor Tre

The Pace of Jesus

“Time”

I. Time is of the essence

A. I don’t have enough ________?

1. Younger people: MONEY!

2. Older people: TIME!

B. “Time is Money”

1. Time can produce money, money cannot produce time

2. Time is our greatest asset because time produces the greatest return

a. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44

42  So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in

corruption, it is raised in incorruption.

  43  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness,

it is raised in power. 

44  It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a

natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

b. Romans 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in

Christ Jesus our Lord.

3. Time is the catalyst that propels us into eternity

II. But I still don’t have enough time

A. Time is a fixed asset that has been measured out to each individual in

equal increments

1. Acts 17:26

26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all

the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times

and the boundaries of their dwellings

2. Ecclesiastes 3:1

1 To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under

heaven

B. ‘I don’t have time’ is a misconception

1. God has not created enough time for me

2. I am not managing my time well

3. Ephesians 5:15-16

15  See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 

16  redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

III. The Recipe

A. Know the end game

1. John 12:27  

27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from

this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.

2. John 18:37

37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus

answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born,

and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should

bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

3. Proverbs 29:18

18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint

B. Follow the steps

1. Matthew 15:21-24

21  Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre

and Sidon.

  22  And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried

out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My

daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

23  But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged

Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”

24  But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep

of the house of Israel.”

2. Mark 1:36-38

36  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.

37  When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for

You.” 38  But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may

preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”

3. John 9:1-4

1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 

2  And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or

his parents, that he was born blind?”

3  Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the

works of God should be revealed in him. 

4  I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is

coming when no one can work.

C. Leave out the fillers

Fillers – Low quality food products with little or no nutritional value such

as MSG, artificial food coloring, HFCS, etc.

1. John 6:22-37

22  On the following day, when the people who were standing on the

other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there,

except  [d] that one  [e] which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had

not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone

away alone— 

23  however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they

ate bread after the Lord had given thanks— 

24  when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His

disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking

Jesus. 

25  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to

Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”

26  Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you

seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of

the loaves and were filled. 

27  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which

endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give

you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

28  Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the

works of God?”

29  Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you

believe in Him whom He sent.”

30  Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that

we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 

31  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave

them bread from heaven to eat.’”

32  Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did

not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true

bread from heaven. 

33  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives

life to the world.”

34  Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

35  And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me

shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 

36  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes

to me I will by no means cast out

2. Fillers of time

a. TV

b. Social media

c. Excessive sleep

d. Phone time

e. Compulsive shopping

f. Relationships (you know who they are…)

Embracing The Kingdom V

EMBRACING THE KINGDOM V

Slowing Down

Psalm 23:1-6

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are

with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house

of the LORD Forever.

There is a way God wants us to live that is radically different from the way most of us live.

I. HURRY SICKNESS

1. Hurry makes us sick

2. Hurry burns us out

3. Hurry kills relationships

4. Hurry and Love are incompatible

5. Hurry hinders spiritually

II. SYMPTOMS OF HURRY SICKNESS

1. Irritability – You get mad, frustrated or just annoyed way too easily. Little

normal things irk you. You have an ongoing low-grade negativity.

2. Hypersensitivity – All it takes is a minor comment to hurt your feelings. Minor

things quickly escalate to major emotional events. Depending on your

personality this may manifest in either (anger, nitpickiness, anxiety, depression,

or tiredness).

3. Restlessness – When you actually try to slow down and rest you cannot relax.

You cannot focus your mind. You go to bed and toss and turn with anxiety. You

watch TV but check phone, email, etc.

4. Workaholism (or just nonstop activity) – Either you do not know when to stop

or you cannot stop. Could be career or excessive house cleaning and errand

running. At the end of the day, very little to nothing left to give your family and

kids or God.

5. Emotional Numbness – You do not have the capacity to feel another’s pain or

your own pain. Empathy is a rare feeling.

6. Out-of-Order Priorities – Disconnected from your identity. Life is reactive not

proactive. You are trapped in the tyranny of the urgent.

7. Lack of care for your body – You do not have time for the basics: eight hours of

sleep, exercise, home cooked food, minimal stimulants etc. You do not sleep

well, wake up tired, live on carbs, caffeine, and sugar.

8. Escapist Behaviors - When too tired to do life giving stuff we turn to

distractions – overeating, overdrinking, binge-watching Netflix, browsing social

media, surfing the web, looking at porn, overdosing on candy crush etc.

9. Decreasing Spiritual Disciplines – Overtired and no energy for spiritual

disciplines.

10. Isolation – You feel disconnected from God, others, and your own soul. When

you try to get with God you are so distracted you cannot connect.

III. HOW DID WE GET HERE?

1. Artificial Time

2. Light Bulb in 1879 by Thomas Edison

3. Digital Age

4. Algorithms of Distraction

5. The Effect

A. We are more hurried than ever before

B. We are less healthy emotionally

C. We are stressed out far too often

D. We are more physically unhealthy than ever

E. Suicide rates have drastically increased

IV. SOLUTION

1. The Jesus Way

Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

30  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

YOKE

A yoke was a common idiom in the first century for a rabbi’s way of reading the

Torah. But it was also more: it was his set of teachings on how to be human. His

way to shoulder the weight of life—

V. LIVING THE JESUS WAY

1. Solitude

Jesus began His Ministry with 40 days alone

Matthew 4:1-3

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the

devil. 2  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was

hungry. 3  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of

God, command that these stones become bread.

Wilderness - eremos, and it has a wide array of meanings. It can be translated

desert, deserted place, desolate place, solitary place, lonely place, quiet place, or

wilderness.

2. Silence

Psalm 46:10

10 “Be still and know that I am God.”

a. External Silence

No noise.

b. Internal Noise

True silence is when both are shut down

3. Sabbath (day)

Mark 2:27

27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the

Sabbath. 28  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath

The word Sabbath comes to us from the Hebrew Shabbat. The word literally

means “to stop.” The Sabbath is simply a day to stop: stop working, stop

wanting, stop worrying, just stop.

4. Sabbath (a way of Life)

Sabbath is more than just a day; it’s a way of being in the world. It s a spirit of

restfulness that comes from abiding, from living in the Father’s loving presence

all week long.

Sabbath is the primary discipline, or practice, by which we cultivate the spirit of

restfulness in our lives as a whole.

5. Tips for Slowing Down

1. Drive the speed limit

2. Get into the slow lane

3. Come to a full stop at stop signs

4. Don’t text and drive

There is a reason most of us text and drive even when we know it is illegal

and a life-and-death issue. We are so addicted to the dopamine hit that is

our phones that we literally can’t just sit in our cars and listen to music or the

news or pray or talk with our passengers. We have to reach for our phones

and risk our necks (and those of others) to get our fix. -John Comer

5. Show up ten minutes early for an appointment, without a phone

6. Get in the longest checkout line at the grocery store

7. Turn your smartphone into a dumbphone.

 Take email off your phone.

 Take all social media off your phone, transfer it to a desktop, and

schedule set times to check it each day or less.

 Delete all notifications, including those for texts.

 Set your phone so I have to unlock it, click on the text message box to

even see if I have any text messages.

 Limit or get rid of news alerts.

 Delete every single app you don’t need or that doesn’t make your life

easier. Set your phone to grayscale mode. This does something

neurobiologically that I’m not smart enough to explain, something to do

with decreasing dopamine addiction. Google it.

8. Get a flip phone, or ditch your cell phone all together.

9. Put your phone to bed before you and make it sleep in.

Put it in Airplane mode and in a drawer somewhere away from your room.

9:30 or some determined time

10. Keep your phone off until after your morning time with God.

75 percent of people sleep next to their phones, and 90 percent of us check

our phones immediately upon waking.

Meena Hart Duerson, “We’re Addicted to Our Phones: 84% Worldwide Say

They Couldn’t Go a Single Day Without Their Mobile Device in Their Hand,”

New York Daily News, August 16, 2012, www.nydailynews.com/life-

style/addicted-phones-84-worldwide-couldn-single-day-mobile-device-hand-

article-1.1137811; and Mary Gorges, “90 Percent of Young People Wake Up

with Their Smartphones,” Ragan, December 21, 2012, www.ragan.com/90-

percent-of-young-people-wake-up-with-their-smartphones.

11. Set times for emails

Pretty much every self-help writer, time-management guru, workplace-

efficiency expert, opinion blogger, etc. all say the same thing. Do not have email

on your phone. Do not glance at it when you get a free moment in the elevator

or in a boring meeting. Do not answer random emails throughout the day.

Instead: set a time to do email and stick to it.

Most experts recommend you do not check email more than twice a day, say

nine o’clock and four o’clock—at the beginning and near the end of your

workday. Each time, take your inbox to zero if you can. If there is a task, do not

leave it hanging in your email chain; get it onto a to-do list for later.

Certain apps can limit your time…

12. Set a time and a limit for social media (or just get off)

Same as email…

13. Kill your TV

TV and movies consume the lion’s share of our so-called free time. For the

average American, that is over five hours a day, or thirty-five hours a week.

(Note: it is lower for millennials, but that is only because we spend so much

time on social media. We are more addicted to entertainment, not less.)

It is the one addiction for which binging is still socially acceptable. People now

have “Netflix days,” where they blow an entire day (or weekend) on multiple

seasons of the latest streaming phenomenon.

Set a limit on your entertainment intake. You decide on your number. Two hours

a week? Four? Ten? Just set it well below the standard thirty-five.

14. Single Task

Only God is omnipresent, we inhabit a body. A body that can do only

one…thing…at…a…time. Multitasking is just sleight of hand for switching back

and forth between a lot of different tasks so I can do them all poorly instead of

doing one well.

Multitasking is the drive to be more than we are, to control more than we do,

to extend our power and our effectiveness. Such practice yields a divided self,

with full attention given to nothing. -John Comer

Walter Brueggemann, Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now

(Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014), 67.

Learn to be present in the moment to God, other people, and your own soul.

15. Walk slower

One of the best ways to slow down your overall pace of life is to literally slow

down your body. Force yourself to move through the world at a relaxed pace.

16. Take a regular day alone for silence and solitude

17. Start Journaling

If you do not want to write keep a voice journal

18. Meditate

19. If you can, take long vacations

20. Cook your own food and eat in

21. Live Love and Laugh

EMBRACING THE KINGDOM IV

EMBRACING THE KINGDOM IV

The Jesus Way

I. THE PROBLEM

1. Hurry Sickness

2. Deterioration of Attention Spans and Emotional Wellbeing

3. Increased Stress and Suicide Rates

4. Massively Decreased Spirituality and Maturity

5. Incessant Activity

LIVING THE JESUS WAY

II. THE JESUS WAY

1. His Call

Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

30  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

YOKE

A yoke was a common idiom in the first century for a rabbi’s way of reading the

Torah. But it was also more: it was his set of teachings on how to be human. His

way to shoulder the weight of life—

2. Solitude

Jesus began His Ministry with 40 days alone

Matthew 4:1-3

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the

devil.

2  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry

3  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God,

command that these stones become bread.

Wilderness - eremos, and it has a wide array of meanings. It can be translated

desert, deserted place, desolate place, solitary place, lonely place, quiet place, or

wilderness.

Mark 1:35

35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and

departed to a solitary place (eremos); and there He prayed

Mark 1:36-38

36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.

37  When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”

38  But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there

also, because for this purpose I have come forth.

Mark 6:31-32

31 And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a

while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time

to eat.

32  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves

Mark 6:33-35

33 But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on

foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him.

34  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with

compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He

began to teach them many things.

35  When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is a

deserted place, and already the hour is late

Luke 5:15-16

15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes

came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.

16  And he withdrew himself into the wilderness (eremos), and prayed

Solitude not Isolation

Solitude is engagement; isolation is escape. Solitude is safety; isolation is danger.

Solitude is how you open yourself up to God; isolation is painting a target on

your back for the tempter.

Henri Nowen

Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life…. We do not take

the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with God and

listen to him.

When we Don’t Practice Solitude, this is What Happens

 We feel distant from God and end up living off somebody else’s spirituality.

 We feel distant from ourselves. We lose sight of our identities and callings.

We get sucked into the tyranny of the urgent, not the important. We feel an

undercurrent of anxiety that rarely, if ever, goes away.

 Exhaustion. We wake up, and our first thoughts are, already? I can’t wait to

go to bed…We lag through our days, our low-grade energy on loan from our

stimulants of choice. Even when we catch up on our sleep, we feel a deeper

kind of tired.

 Escape of choice. We run out of energy to do what’s actually life giving for

our souls, say, prayer. And instead, we turn to the cheap fix—another glass

of wine, a new show streaming online, our social media feeds, porn.

 Yield more to Temptation. Just furthering our sense of distance from God and

our souls.

 Emotional Unhealth sets in. We start living from the surface of our lives, not

the core. We’re reactionary. The smallest thing is a trigger—it does not take

much. We lose our tempers.

ALTERNATIVE

 Get Away: Park bench, in front of a lake, quiet spot before everyone wakes

up…Coffee in back yard

 Take your time. Get away from all noise

 Slow down, breathe and settle into the moment

 Start to feel

 Let God’s Voice in

3. Silence

Isaiah 30:15

15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you

shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you

would not

Psalm 46:10

10 “Be still and know that I am God.”

a. External Silence

No noise.

The African theologian Saint Augustine said entering silence is “entering into

joy.”

Quiet is balm for emotional healing.

Saint John Climacus, the sixth-century Syrian monk who spent most of his life

praying on Mount Sinai, so beautifully said, “The friend of silence draws near

to God.”

b. Internal Noise

 Thoughts playing over and over

 Rehearsing of disappointments

 Lust for someone

 Fantasies (revenge etc.)

True silence is when both are shut down.

4. Sabbath (day)

Mark 2:27

27 Sabbath is the primary discipline, or practice, by which we cultivate the spirit of

restfulness in our lives as a whole.

Gen 2:2-3

2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested

on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

3  Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from

all His work which God had created and made

The word Sabbath comes to us from the Hebrew Shabbat. The word literally

means “to stop.” The Sabbath is simply a day to stop: stop working, stop

wanting, stop worrying, just stop.

The last time a society tried to abandon the seven-day week was during the

revolution in France. They switched to a ten-day workweek to up productivity.

The rise of the proletariat! And? Disaster—the economy crashed, the suicide rate

skyrocketed, and productivity? It went down. It’s been proven by study after

study: there is zero correlation between hurry and productivity. In fact, once

you work a certain number of hours in a week, your productivity plummets.

Wanna know what the number is? Fifty hours. Ironic: that’s about a six-day

workweek. One study found that there was zero difference in productivity

between workers who logged seventy hours and those who logged fifty-five.

Bob Sullivan, “Memo to Work Martyrs: Long Hours Make You Less Productive,”

CNBC, January 26, 2015, www.cnbc.com/2015/01/26/working-more-than-50-

hours-makes-you-less-productive.html .

a. Sabbath is about Joy

Sabbat can also be translated “delight.”

If you are new to the Sabbath, a question to give shape to your practice is

this: What could I do for twenty-four hours that would fill my soul with a

deep, throbbing joy? That would make me spontaneously combust with

wonder, awe, gratitude, and praise?

b. Sabbath is Life-Giving

Recently I read a survey done by a doctor who cited the happiest people on

earth. Near the top of the list was a group of Christians called Seventh-day

Adventists, who are religious, literally, about the Sabbath. This doctor noted

that they lived ten years longer than the average American.

Interesting: I/we Sabbath every seven days it adds up to ten years over a

Lifetime

c. Sabbath a Command

Exodus 20:8-10

8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9  Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

10  but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do

no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor

your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your

gates.

Rest and Worship

Sabbath is not the same as a day off.

On a day off you do not work for your employer (in theory). But you still

work. You run errands, catch up around your house or apartment, pay the

bills, make an IKEA run (there goes four hours…). And you play! You see a

movie, kick the soccer ball with friends, go shopping, cycle through the city.

And that is great stuff, all of it. But those activities do not make a Sabbath.

5. Sabbath (a way of Life)

Sabbath is more than just a day; it is a way of being in the world. It is a spirit of

restfulness that comes from abiding, from living in the Father’s loving presence

all week long.

Sabbath is the primary discipline, or practice, by which we cultivate the spirit of

restfulness in our lives as a whole.

Restfulness Restlessness

Margin Busyness

Slowness Hurry

Quiet Noise

Deep Relationship Isolation

Time Alone Crowds

Delight Distraction

Enjoyment Envy

Clarity Confusion

Gratitude Greed

Contentment Discontentment

Trust Worry

Love Anger, angst

Joy Melancholy, sadness

Peace Anxiety

Working from Love Working for Love

Work as contribution Work as accumulation and

accomplishment

Because the Sabbath is not just a twenty-four-hour time slot in your weekly

schedule; it is a spirit of restfulness that goes with you throughout your week. A

way of living with “ease, gratitude, appreciation, peace and prayer.” A way of

working from rest, not for rest, with nothing to prove.

EMBRACING THE KINGDOM III

 EMBRACING THE KINGDOM III

The Pace of Jesus

Psalm 23:1-6

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are

with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house

of the LORD Forever.

There’s a way God wants us to live that’s radically different from the way most of us live…

I. HURRY SICKNESS

1. Houston, We Have a Problem

 39 percent of Americans reported being more anxious than they were a year

ago.

 Our attention span is dropping with each passing year. In 2000, before the

digital revolution, it was twelve seconds, now it’s eight seconds—Ex a

goldfish has an attention span of nine seconds.

York, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb0vxXZuqek.

2. Hurry makes us sick

Psychologists and mental health professionals have literally labeled “hurry

sickness.” a disease.

Def. A behavior pattern characterized by continual rushing and anxiousness.

Def. A malaise in which a person feels chronically short of time, and so tends to

perform every task faster and to get flustered when encountering any kind of

delay.

3. Hurry burns us out

In her BuzzFeed article “How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation,” Anne

Petersen commented that “burnout isn’t a place to visit and come back from; it’s

our permanent residence.” What used to be the isolated experience of a New

York day trader or emergency room physician is now the reality for most people.

4. Hurry kills relationships.

Love takes time; hurry doesn’t have it. It kills joy, gratitude, appreciation; people

in a rush don’t have time to enter the goodness of the moment. It kills wisdom;

wisdom is born in the quiet, the slow. Hurry kills all that we hold dear:

spirituality, health, marriage, family, thoughtful work, creativity, generosity…

name your value. Hurry is a sociopathic predator loose in our society.

5. Hurry and Love are Incompatible

Good Samaritan

Luke 10:30-37

30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to

Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him,

and departed, leaving him half dead.

31  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him,

he passed by on the other side.

32  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came, and looked, and passed

by on the other side.

33  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he

saw him, he had compassion.

34  So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he

set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the

innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend,

when I come again, I will repay you.’

36  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the

thieves?”

37  And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and

do likewise.

6. Hurry hinders spiritually

We always say “walking” with God, not “running” with God.

The famous psychologist Carl Jung said Hurry is not of the devil; hurry is the

devil.

Corrie ten “if the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy”

There’s truth in that. Both sin and busyness have the exact same effect—they

cut off your connection to God, to other people, and even to your own soul.

Finnish Proverb - “God did not create hurry.”

II. SYMPTOMS OF HURRY SICKNESS

1. Irritability – You get mad, frustrated or just annoyed way too easily. Little

normal things irk you. An ongoing low-grade negativity.

2. Hypersensitivity – All it takes is a minor comment to hurt your feelings. Minor

things quickly escalate to major emotional events. Depending on your

personality this may manifest in either (anger, nitpickiness, anxiety, depression,

or tiredness)

3. Restlessness – When you actually try to slow down and rest you can’t relax.

Can’t focus your mind. Go to bed and toss and turn with anxiety. You watch TV

but check phone, email, etc. Etc.

4. Workaholism (or just nonstop activity) – Either you don’t know when to stop or

you can’t stop. Could be career or excessive house cleaning and errand

running. End of day very little to nothing left to give your family and kids.

5. Emotional Numbness – You don’t have the capacity to feel another’s pain or

your own pain. Empathy is a rare feeling.

6. Out-of-Order Priorities – Disconnected from your identity. Life is reactive not

proactive. Trapped in the tyranny of the urgent.

7. Lack of Care for your Body – You don’t have time for the basics: eight hours of

sleep, exercise, home cooked food, minimal stimulants etc. Don’t sleep well.

Wake up tired. Live on carbs, Caffeine, and sugar.

8. Escapist Behaviors - When too tired to do life giving stuff we turn to

distractions – overeating, overdrinking, binge-watching Netflix, browsing social

media, surfing the web, looking at porn.

9. Decreasing Spiritual Disciplines – Overtired and no energy for spiritual

disciplines

10. Isolation – You feel disconnected from God, others, and your own soul. When

you try to get with God you are so distracted you cannot connect.

III. HOW DID WE GET HERE?

1. Artificial Time

First clock tower erected in Cologne, Germany in 1370.

Before that, time was natural. It was linked to the rotation of the earth on its axis

and the four seasons. You went to bed with the moon and got up with the sun.

Days were long and busy in summer, short and slow in winter. There was a

rhythm to the day and even the year.

2. Light Bulb in 1879 by Thomas Edison

3. Digital Age

2007 The year Steve Jobs released the iPhone; Facebook opened up to anybody

with an email address, Twitter became its own platform, first year of the cloud,

along with the App Store. Intel also switched from silicon to metal chips

A recent study found that the average iPhone user touches his or her phone

2,617 times a day. Each user is on his or her phone for two and a half hours over

seventy-six sessions. 1

Another study on millennials put the number at twice that 2

Philip Zimbardo’s recent research on the “Demise of Guys” (i.e., the crisis of

masculinity in Western culture) has concluded the average guy spends ten

thousand hours playing video games by age twenty-one.

4. Algorithms of Distraction

Everything is being intentionally designed for distraction and addiction. Because

that’s where the money is. – Tristian Harris

Sean Parker, the first president of Facebook now calls himself a “conscientious

objector” to social media. In an interview with Axios, he begrudgingly admitted:

God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains. The thought process

that went into building these applications, Facebook being the first of them, was

all about: “How do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention

as possible?” And that means that we need to sort of give you a little dopamine

hit every once in a while, because someone liked or commented on a photo or a

post or whatever. And that’s going to get you to contribute more content, and

that’s going to get you…more likes and comments. It’s a social-validation

feedback loop…exactly the kind of thing that a hacker like myself would come up

with because you’re exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology.

5. The Effect

A. We are more hurried than ever before

B. We are less healthy emotionally

C. We are stressed out far too often

D. We are more physically unhealthy than ever

E. Suicide rates have drastically increased

10-year study shows elevated suicide risk from excess social media

time for teen girls

Through annual surveys from 2009 to 2019, researchers tracked the media use patterns and

mental health of 500 teens as part of the Flourishing Families Project. They found that while

social media use had little effect on boys' suicidality risk, for girls there was a tipping point.

Girls who used social media for at least two to three hours per day at the beginning of the

study--when they were about 13 years old--and then greatly increased their use over time

were at a higher clinical risk for suicide as emerging adults.

"Something about that specific social media use pattern is particularly harmful for young

girls," said BYU professor Sarah Coyne, the lead author of the study. She noted that girls'

social tendencies likely make them more susceptible to the negative effects of social media.

"Research shows that girls and women in general are very relationally attuned and sensitive

to interpersonal stressors, and social media is all about relationships," Coyne explained. "At

13, girls are just starting to be ready to handle the darker underbelly of social media, such

as FOMO (fear of missing out), constant comparisons and cyberbullying. A 13-year-old is

probably not developmentally ready for three hours of social media a day."

Coyne suggests that parents limit young teens' social media time to about 20 minutes a day,

maintain access to their accounts and talk with teens frequently about what they're seeing

on social media. Over time, teens can gradually scale up their social media use and

autonomy.

Jamie Zelazny, PhD, RN, assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of

Medicine, noted that suicide is the second-leading cause of death among individuals aged

10 to 24 years. Further, suicide rates have tripled among youth aged 10 to 14 years, as well

as among girls, and suicide rates are significantly higher among African American children

younger than 13 years.

“A study published in 2015 found that the threshold for where kids start to have more

mental health problems is the 2-hour mark,” Zelazny said during the presentation. “Teens

who reported using social media sites more than 2 hours a day were much more likely to

report poor mental health outcomes like distress and suicidal ideation. A study done the

following year found that problematic internet use resulted in poor mental health outcomes

longitudinally, and these were mediated by poor sleep.”

Other study results suggested that social media use among teens is linked to low self-

esteem, poor body image and risk-taking behaviors. Moreover, social comparison

and cyberbullying have been associated with depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation

among adolescents.

…Results showed 67% of participants reported feeling worse about their own lives because

of social media. Further, 73% felt pressured to post content that boosted their appearance

to others, 60% felt pressured to tailor content for popularity and likes and 80% reported

being affected by social media drama. However, 73% reported feeling supported on social

media through challenges or tough times, 53% felt more connected to their friends’ feelings

and 93% felt more connected to their friends’ lives.

IV. SOLUTION

1. The Jesus Way

Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

30  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

hoikopiōntes, “those tired from hard toil

pephortismenoi, “those loaded down

YOKE

A yoke was a common idiom in the first century for a rabbi’s way of reading the

Torah. But it was also more: it was his set of teachings on how to be human. His

way to shoulder the weight of life—

SLOW

Jesus walked slowly

1 Julia Naftulin, “Here’s How Many Times We Touch Our Phones Every Day,” Business Insider,

July 13, 2016, www.businessinsider.com/dscout-research-people-touch-cell-phones-2617-

times-a-day-2016-7.

2 . Kari Paul, “Millennials Waste Five Hours a Day Doing This One Thing,” New York Post, May 18,

2017, https://nypost.com/2017/05/18/millennials-

THE WORTHINESS OF JESUS : Chris Searcy

THE WORTHINESS OF JESUS

The Bridegroom King

There is no aspect of God’s grace that more powerfully transforms our emotions or satisfies our

heart than when the Spirit reveals Jesus to us.

8 I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus… Philippians. 3:8

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP - 4 VALUES

A. Influence – the leader behaves in a such a way that people want to emulate them. They

reflect behaviors and attitudes that others aspire to and want to model - “That’s the kind of

person I want to be.”

B. Motivation – The leader says, “I have a vision, a tremendous vison. We’re going to achieve

it, you can be apart, and this is how.” It makes others say “yes.”

C. Partnership – the leader recognizes people have something to contribute, they desire

partnership and collaboration. They see success tied to the contribution and gifting of others

beyond themselves. (the Body of Christ)

D. Consideration – knowing the individual – what do people bring to the table? Who are they?

More than what they can do. Personal and knowing what’s going on in people lives. Be

sensitive, support and help them work through personal issues beyond their direct functional

contribution

I. HE IS A LOVER

One of the most significant truths in the Scripture is that the Lord has deep desire for His

people. This is truth is expressed poetically in the Song of Solomon as the King declared how

“His Bride ravished His heart

9 “You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one

glance of your eyes.”

Song of Solomon 4:9 ESV

10 “I am my Beloved’s, and His desire is toward me.” Song of Solomon 7:10

Ravished heart: Webster defines “ravished” as being filled with emotions of joy or delight

because of one who is unusually attractive

His desire is toward me: Our identity is in belonging to the King. We are the girl he gets in the

end, and His desire is for us. Our actions do not “motivate” the Lord to desire us.

Gods love for us is unconditional.

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 ESV

He loves us perfectly.

9“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you.” John. 15:9

II. HE IS A FIERCE AND JUST KING.

Jesus will be openly seen as the most beautiful, fierce and just ruler that the heavens and earth

has ever seen when He destroys the Antichrist’s armies in the Armageddon campaign.

Psalms 45:3-6 King James Version

3. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.

4. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and

thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

5. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

6. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

Jesus’ second coming will be in context to a military conflict around Jerusalem.

19 The kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered to make war against Him [Jesus]…

20 The Beast [Antichrist] was captured… 21 The rest were killed with the sword… (Rev. 19:19-21)

Because of truth, humility, and righteousness: When Jesus wages war against the Antichrist,

His actions will be motivated by and will produce truth, meekness, and righteousness.

III. HE IS!

Hebrews 1:1-3

1God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the

prophets, 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of

all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the

express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by

himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4Being made so

much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than

they.

Jesus is heir of all

2 Whom He has appointed heir of all things… (Heb. 1:2)

The Romans proclaimed Caesar as the heir, rightful owner, of the nations. The leaders of Israel

saw themselves as the “heirs” over the land of Israel. Both groups persecuted Jewish believers.

It was a radical idea that a Jewish man who died as a criminal was the true heir of the world!

The Father decreed that Jesus be given all the nations as His inheritance. This includes their

governments, property, money, resources, and possessions on earth.

8 I [the Father] will give You the nations for Your inheritance… (Ps. 2:8)

John had a vision of the Father giving the title deed of the earth to Jesus (Rev. 5:1-8). This will

result in Jesus receiving total authority over all society in the Millennium. He will own all the

cities, property, money, banks, natural resources, oil and water rights, intellectual property, etc.

of the earth. All on the earth will joyfully agree with Jesus taking over the nations (Rev. 5:13).

Jesus is the creator of worlds

Jesus created all things under the Father’s authority.

2 Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom He made the worlds… (Heb. 1:2)

The common Greek word for “the physical world” is kosmos, but the word used here is ionus,

which means “the ages.” Jesus created the physical and spiritual worlds and the time frames in

which God’s storyline and eternal purposes unfold through the various ages. In other words,

Jesus is the architect, with His Father, of the storyline that unfolds through the ages on earth.

Jesus created the visible, natural, material world and the invisible, supernatural, spiritual world.

16 By Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible,

whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. (Col. 1:16)

Jesus is the sustainer of the universe

Jesus sustains the worlds in the same way that He created them, by words that release His

power (Gen. 1:3; Heb. 11:3).

To uphold all things means to “sustain” or “support” them continuously.

3 And upholding all things by the word of His power… (Heb. 1:3)

Creation cannot sustain itself; it needs a continual impartation of power and energy to keep it

in order. The universe operates according to laws of nature that are sustained by Jesus’ word.

When scientists discover the laws of nature, they are knowingly or unknowingly studying the

sustaining power of Jesus’ word.

Jesus is the redeemer of the universe

Jesus cleansed the created order from sin. He had to become human and then to offer Himself

as the offering for sin.

3 …He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty… (Heb. 1:3)

Sin created a great crisis in creation by releasing death and demons that harm creation. The

Father had to find a man untainted by sin to solve the crisis created by sin.

Jesus, the innocent One, became guilty so that guilty ones could become innocent.

Jesus is the ruler of the universe

3 When He…purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Heb. 1:3)

13 Behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of

Days… 14 To Him was given dominion…that all peoples…should serve Him. (Dan. 7:13-14)

He wants you with him.

24 Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they

may behold My glory which You have given Me… (Jn. 17:24)

RUSSIA AND UKRAINE

 RUSSIA AND UKRAINE

1. Jesus claims every nation as His Inheritance

Psalm 2:1-10

1 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the

LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision.

5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure:

6 “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.”

7 “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have

begotten You.

8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the

earth for Your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s

vessel.’”

10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

2. We are to focus on God’s Kingdom Coming to Earth

Matthew 6:9-10

9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done

3. Brothers and sisters are also affected in nations we declare war against

4. Europe cannot survive without Russia (winter’s)

5. America cannot survive without the cheap labor in China

I. WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

1. Wars and Rumors of Wars

Matthew 24:3-8

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately,

saying, “tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your

coming, and of the end of the age?”

4  And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.

5  For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

6  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for

all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will

be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.

2. Russia is an End Time Player

a. He will align with other nations to attack Israel

Ezekiel 38:14-16

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:

“On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it?

15  Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many

peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty

army.

16  You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It

will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the

nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.”

b. He will be defeated

Ezekiel 38:18-23

18 “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the

land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that My fury will show in My face.

19  For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that

day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel,

20  so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field,

all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face

of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown

down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’

21  I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the

Lord GOD. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother.

22  And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain

down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him,

flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

23  Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the

eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”’

3. Armageddon

a. The final war between human governments and God

Psalm 2:1-10

1 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together,

Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision. 5

Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep

displeasure:

6 “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.”

7 “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I

have begotten You.

8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends

of the earth for Your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a

potter’s vessel.’ ”

10 Now, therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

b. It will bring human rulership to an end

Daniel 2:44

44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom

which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other

people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall

stand forever.

c. All the Kings of the earth will be gathered

Revelation 16:14

14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of

the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great

day of God Almighty

d. Jesus will lead an Army

Revelation 19:11-16, 21

11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on

him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes

war.

12  His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He

had a name written that no one knew except Himself.

13  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The

Word of God.

14  And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed

Him on white horses.

15  Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the

nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads

the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16  And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written…

21  And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of

Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

II. MY OBSERVATIONS

1. Russia is determined to regain all nations in former Soviet Union

2. West’s response is weak

a. Europe cannot survive without oil from Russia

b. United States and other nations dependent on Chinese Manufacturing

3. Other nations emboldened, due to response of the West

a. China Taiwan

b. North Korea

c. Iran Israel

4. China backing Russia weakens sanctions

5. You will be surprised at the nations that are ok with what Russia is doing

6. Major realignment of nations is taking place

7. Our world is shaping up to look very different in next 3 to 5 years

III. WHAT WE NEED TO DO

1. Pray

1 Timothy 2:1-2

1 Therefore, I exhort first of all those supplications, prayers, intercessions, and

giving of thanks be made for all men,

2  for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable

life in all godliness and reverence.

 Pray for America’s response

 Pray and Decree Peace

 Pray for Believers in both Countries

 Pray for Jesus to reign down on both Battlefields

2. Do not be troubled

Matthew 24:6

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled

3. Cast off passivity

2 Samuel 11:1

1 It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle,

that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed

the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem

4. Deepen intimacy with Christ

Matthew 24 & Matthew 25

Matthew 25:1-13

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps

and went out to meet the bridegroom.

2  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,

4  but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6  “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to

meet him!’

7  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

8  And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are

going out.’

9  But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and

you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’

10  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready

went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11  “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’

12  But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13  “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of

Man is coming.

EMBRACING THE KINGDOM Characteristics of the Kingdom | Pastor Kemi

EMBRACING THE KINGDOM

Characteristics of the Kingdom

Matthew 6:9-10

9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Luke 17:20-21

20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered

them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 

21 nor will they say,  [f] ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

There seem to be two contradictory thoughts.

 Pray for His Kingdom to come daily

 The Kingdom does not come with observation, it is not here or there – it is within

you.

I. THERE ARE TWO REALITIES OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

1. The Domain of the King

The spiritual realm where God rules and reigns as Sovereign Monarch of the

Universe

Revelation 4:2-3, 6

2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat

on the throne. 

3  And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in

appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an

emerald

6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the

throne, and around the throne

2. The Fulfillment of God’s will on the Earth

Matthew 6:10

10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven

Luke12:29

29 And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an

anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your

Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all

these things shall be added to you.

II. EMBRACING THE KINGDOM

Understand your Identity

YOU ARE OF A DIFFERENT NATIONALITY – CITIZEN OF HEAVEN

John 17:15-17

15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should

keep them from the evil one. 

16  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 

17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 

1. Renew Your Mind

Romans 12:2

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing

of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and

perfect will of God.

2. Live by Kingdom Rules

Born Again

Colossians 1:13

13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and  [c] conveyed us into the

kingdom of the Son of His love,

III. ENFORCE KINGDOM AUTHORITY

Matthew 10:7-8

7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you

have received, freely give.

Luke 10:1, 9

1 After these things the Lord appointed  [a] seventy others also, and sent them two by

two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go

9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to

you.’ 

RESULTS

Luke 10:17

17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject

to us in Your name.”

IV. PRODUCE THE EVIDENCE OF THE KINGDOM

Luke 9

 Heal the sick there and say the Kingdom of God is near you

 Miracles Signs and Wonders are a Physical Manifestation of the Kingdom

Luke 10:19

19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over

all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

EMBRACING THE KINGDOM Part I

EMBRACING THE KINGDOM Part I

The Millennial Reign of Christ

I. THE JEWISH EXPECTATION OF THE COMING MESSIAH

Luke 24:13-21

13  Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus,

which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 

14  And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 

15  So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and

went with them. 

16  But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

17  And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one

another as you walk and are sad?”

18  Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the

only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened

there in these days?”

19  And He said to them, “What things?”so they said to Him, “The things concerning

Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all

the people, 

20  and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death,

and crucified Him. 

21  But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides

all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

II. THE KINGDOM NOW BUT NOT YET

Matthew 4:17

17  From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of

heaven is at hand.”

III. DIFFERING VIEWS OF THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM

1. Three Differing Views

a. Post-Millennialism

Post Millennialism: interprets the 1000 years figuratively. This view states

that the majority of the world will be converted to Christ through the

Preaching of the Gospel. This will result in a period of universal peace and

righteousness. Thus the millennium stands for an indefinite long period of

time in which there will be a “Golden Age” of spiritual and moral prosperity.

At the close of this “Golden Age” Christ will come, the dead, both righteous

and wicked, will be raised, and the judgment will follow.

b. Amillennialism: Interprets Revelation 20:1-10 symbolically and spiritually, but

it rejects the notion of an earthly millennium altogether—whether spiritual

or material. This view believes that the Bible teaches that good and evil will

continue side by side until the end of time. Christ may come at any time.

When He does the dead will be raised and there will be a final judgment at

which the saved and lost will be separated. Then eternity begins.

c. Pre-Millennialism (This is the view I Hold)

Revelation 20:1-10 refers to a literal reign of Christ on earth. This reign will

be established when Christ comes again.

Perspicuity of Scripture- clearness or lucidity, as of a statement.

IV. THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF CHRIST

The Millennial Reign of Christ is the literal reign of Jesus Christ on this earth for

1,000 years. The word millennium is a compound derivative from Latin, which

simply translates into one thousand years. It immediately follows the Great

Tribulation, which is a period of intense suffering.

1. It Begins with The Second Coming of Christ

a. Jesus Returns

Revelation 19:11-16

11  Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on

him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes

war. 

12  His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a

name written that no one knew except Himself. 

13  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of

God. 

14  And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him

on white horses. 

15  Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the

nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the

winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 

16  And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

b. The Beast (Antichrist) and his kings will try to make war with the Lamb and

His Saints.

Revelation 17:12-14

12  “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom

as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 

13  These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the

beast. 

14  These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for

He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called,

chosen, and faithful.”

c. Spirits will drive men and nations to the battle.

Revelation 16:12-14

12  Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and

its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be

prepared. 

13  And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the

dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false

prophet. 

14  For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the

kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of

that great day of God Almighty.

d. There will be a great defeat.

Revelation 19:19-21

19  And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered

together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His

army. 

20  Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked

signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of

the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into

the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 

21  And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of

Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

2. Satan Will Be Bound For 1,000 Years

Revelation 20:1-3

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless

pit and a great chain in his hand.

2  He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and

bound him for a thousand years;

3  and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him,

so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were

finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

V. THE CHARASTERISTICS OF THE KINGDOM

1. There will be tremendous peace.

Isaiah 2:2-4

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s

house Shall be established on the top of the mountains and shall be exalted

above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it.

3 Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of

the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we

shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of

the LORD from Jerusalem.

4 He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; They shall beat

their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall

not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.

Isaiah 11:6-9

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the

young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little

child shall lead them.

7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And

the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, And the weaned child shall put

his hand in the viper’s den.

9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be

full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.

2. Christ alone will govern.

Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be

upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty

God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

3. There will be joy unspeakable.

Isaiah 9:3-4

You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy; They rejoice before You

According to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, The

rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.

4. There will be childbearing and longevity.

Isaiah 65:20-23

“No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who has

not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But the sinner

being one hundred years old shall be accursed.

21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and eat

their fruit.

22 They shall not build and another inhabit; They shall not plant and another eat;

For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, And My elect shall

long enjoy the work of their hands.

23 They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble; For they shall

be the descendants of the blessed of the LORD, And their offspring with them.

5. There will be marriage.

Isaiah 4:1-3

And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat

our own food and wear our own apparel; Only let us be called by your name, To

take away our reproach.”

2 In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit

of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have

escaped. 3  And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in

Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in

Jerusalem.

6. There will be labor.

Isaiah 62:8-9

The LORD has sworn by His right hand and by the arm of His strength: “Surely I

will no longer give your grain As food for your enemies; And the sons of the

foreigner shall not drink your new wine, For which you have labored.

9 But those who have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; Those who

have brought it together shall drink it in My holy courts.

7. The offspring of some mortal believers may be disobedient at times.

Zechariah 14:16-21

And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came

against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of

hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

17  And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to

Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain.

18  If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain;

they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not

come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

19  This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations

that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

20  In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the

horses. The pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar.

21  Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts.

Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day

there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

8. There will be Holiness.

Isaiah 1:26-27

I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning.

Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”

27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents with righteousness.

9. There will be Glory.

Isaiah 24:23

Then the moon will be disgraced and the sun ashamed; For the LORD of hosts will

reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before His elders, gloriously.

10. There will be comfort.

Isaiah 12:1-2

And in that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You; Though You were angry

with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.

2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For YAH, the LORD, is

my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ “

11. There will be justice.

Isaiah 9:7

Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the

throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment

and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts

will perform this.

12. There will be full knowledge.

Isaiah 11:1-2,9

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out

of his roots.

2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and

understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of

the fear of the LORD.

9  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,

For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

As the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2:14

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the

waters cover the sea

13. There will be abundant productivity through removing of the curse.

Isaiah 11:6-9

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the

young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little

child shall lead them.

7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together;

And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, And the weaned child shall put

his hand in the viper’s den.

9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be

full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.

14. There will be no sickness.

Isaiah 33:24

And the inhabitant will not say, “I am sick”; The people who dwell in it will be

forgiven their iniquity

15. There will be freedom from all forms of oppression that presently ravage

mankind.

Isaiah 14:3-6

It shall come to pass in the day the LORD gives you rest from your sorrow, and

from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve,

4  that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: “How

the oppressor has ceased, the golden city ceased!

5 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers;

6 He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke, He who ruled the

nations in anger.

Zechariah 9:11-12

“As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners

free from the waterless pit.

12 Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope.

Even today I declare That I will restore double to you

VI. THE LOOSING OF SATAN AND THE DECEIVING OF THE NATIONS

Revelation 20:7-9

Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison

8  and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog

and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the

sea.

9  They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints

and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured

them.