Andy Stanley - The Last Kingdom (Part 4)

March 28, 2026 | 28:29

Your Move with Andy Stanley — to help people make better decisions and live with fewer regrets.

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Your Move with Andy Stanley | Andy Stanley - The Last Kingdom (Part 4) | March 28, 2026
  • ...
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  • Andy stanley: hey, everybody.
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  • Welcome to "your move," where we help you make better decisions
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  • And live with fewer regrets.
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  • I'm andy stanley, and i'll be your guide.
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  • Did you know that 75 million americans identify as either
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  • Atheist, agnostic, or not religious at all?
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  • Seventy-five million.
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  • And most of these folks are under 30 years old, your kids or
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  • Maybe your grandkids' age.
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  • For many people, faith has just become, well, irrelevant,
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  • Christianity in particular, but it wasn't always that way.
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  • Once upon a time, the christian faith was irresistible, the
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  • Original version, the version depicted in the new testament.
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  • Well, it's still very much irresistible.
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  • And what did the original, the irresistible version look like,
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  • And what did it sound like?
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  • Stick around and we'll talk about it today right here on
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  • "your move."
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Andy: today, we're wrapping up our series, if you haven't been
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  • With us, "the last kingdom."
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  • And if at the end of today's message you feel like you came
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  • In at the end of a movie, you came in at the end of a movie.
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  • You're not confused.
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  • Having said that, here's my hope, and i've said this
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  • Every week.
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  • My hope is that for the rest of your life--and for the rest of
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  • Our lives, my hope is that we will never be able to unsee what
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  • The authors of the new testament want us to see every time we
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  • Open the new testament, and what they want us to see is that
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  • Jesus is o xristos, that jesus is the christ, that jesus is the
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  • Anointed one, that jesus is king, god's final king.
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  • But--and this is--what i'm about to say is true for a lot
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  • Of things.
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  • All of us have experienced this at some level.
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  • It is very difficult, sometimes impossible--it is difficult to
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  • Recognize progress by looking around.
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  • To appreciate progress, you have to look back.
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  • In fact, sometimes the only way to find the courage to keep
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  • Moving forward in an arena of life is to look back and
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  • Realize, "oh, i have made some progress."
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  • Sometimes it's the only way to keep moving forward.
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  • I'll tell you where i first learned this, was from a man
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  • Named howard bowen.
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  • Very good friend, few years older than me.
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  • And when we started the church, howard just committed to me.
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  • He said, "andy, i'm gonna help you and help the team find a
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  • Place to put this church."
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  • We didn't have any property.
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  • We didn't have any money.
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  • We didn't have any members.
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  • And howard and i met with so many people.
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  • We traipsed around on all kinds of properties.
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  • And people would find out we wanna put a church there, it's
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  • Like, "ah, you know, we don't know if we wanna do that,
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  • You know."
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  • This went on and on and on.
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  • One time we were traipsing through the woods and we got
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  • Some sticker bushes.
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  • You know those--i don't know what you call them.
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  • There's a long sticker bushes with the stickers, and you take
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  • It and you move past it and then you let it go behind you.
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  • One time he let it go behind him and it...caught me right here,
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  • And he went on.
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  • I'm like, "howard. howard."
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  • Anyway, so we'd still laugh about that, and he would
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  • Say--and i would get kinda discouraged, like, "oh, this
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  • Is--" and he would say, "andy, andy.
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  • Look, every once in a while--" 'cause he knew me.
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  • "every once in a while you gotta stop and you gotta look back and
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  • You gotta--that way you recognize the progress
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  • You've made."
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  • And in your case--our case we recognize god's faithfulness,
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  • That we're making progress.
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  • But as long as you're looking forward and there's so much to
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  • Do and so much to accomplish--and i am terrible at
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  • Celebrating wins.
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  • By the time we get to something, i'm already way ahead in my mind
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  • And it's hard for me to stop and just be in the moment sometimes.
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  • And howard does say, "andy, every once in a while you
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  • Gotta stop.
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  • You gotta turn around and look back to recognize
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  • God's faithfulness.
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  • That's how you gonna find the courage and what you need to
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  • Keep moving forward."
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  • I'm like, "thank you, howard.
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  • Please, please, please keep me--reminding me that."
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  • And here's the thing.
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  • If you're a christian, especially if you've been a
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  • Christian a long time, you look around your community, you look
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  • Around maybe your family, we look around what's happening in
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  • Our nation, what's happening in our world, and then you
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  • Think, "really?
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  • Jesus is a king?
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  • There's like a kingdom?
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  • Like, he really came to plant kingdom of god on earth?
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  • I don't see it.
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  • I don't see it making a difference.
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  • I don't think it's made a dent."
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  • But when we stop and look back, when we stop and look back and
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  • Remember where this whole thing started and when this whole
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  • Thing started and how this whole thing started and who started
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  • It--the story of the church, the story of the kingdom of god
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  • Is remarkable.
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  • In fact, it's unexplainable apart from god's intervention on
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  • Behalf of his kingdom, and the kingdom of god is unstoppable.
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  • Like things that grow strong, the kingdom of god grows slow,
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  • And here's why i say that.
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  • Jesus pointed this out over and over and over and over and over,
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  • And he pointed it out over and over and over by way of
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  • Parables, parables that make absolutely no sense and parables
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  • That seem to have no relevance if your faith template is all
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  • Around or built around the question "what happens when
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  • We die?"
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  • And as long as this is the tree that you're trying to hang all
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  • Of your religious and faith questions and answers to faith
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  • Questions and all of your traditions on, as long as it's
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  • All about heaven when you die, heaven when you die, how do i
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  • Get to heaven when you die-- listen to this.
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  • Check it out for yourself.
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  • Most of what jesus said doesn't make any sense and doesn't seem
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  • To have any relevance because that wasn't the foundation or
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  • The template for faith he left us and left his people, but the
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  • Parables of jesus make perfect sense for a faith system
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  • Organized around the arrival of a king and the establishment of
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  • The kingdom of god.
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  • And when that becomes our framework, which is the
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  • Framework we are supposed to live our lives through, so much
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  • Of what jesus says comes to life and so much of what we thought
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  • Jesus means suddenly we realize what he actually means and then
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  • We realize the kingdom of god is advancing and we are invited to
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  • Participate in it.
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  • And by participating in it, we are participating with our
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  • Creator, god.
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  • But clearly--read it for yourselves.
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  • Read the gospels.
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  • Clearly, jesus did not come primarily to give a safe passage
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  • Out of this world.
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  • He came primarily to transform the world, and members of his
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  • Kingdom are invited to participate in
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  • That transformation.
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  • So with that in mind, listen to these descriptions of the
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  • Kingdom of god.
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  • These are verses preachers don't usually preach on, and i
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  • Understand why because they seem to have no relevance or there's
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  • Nothing to apply.
  • 00:06:07.685 --> 00:06:09.053
  • "what is jesus talking about?"
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  • Read the gospels.
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  • He comes back to this over and over and over and over.
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  • First one, the kingdom of heaven.
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  • "the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed--" "wait, what?
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  • The kingdom of heaven is like a seed?"
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  • Yeah, the kingdom of heaven is like--is this supposed to
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  • Be inspiring?
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  • He's like, "i'm not done."
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  • "the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took
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  • And planted in his field."
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  • Woo.
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  • We're like, "what?"
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  • "and though," jesus said, "it is--though it is the smallest of
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  • All seeds--" in this culture, it was the smallest seed.
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  • You could barely see it.
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  • "though it is the smallest of all seeds--" it's tiny.
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  • It's irrelevant.
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  • It's harmless.
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  • It's barely noticeable.
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  • He says, "even though it's the smallest of all seeds, yet when
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  • It grows, it is the largest of garden plants,"
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  • In fact, ultimately, becomes a tree.
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  • What does that have to do with you and me?
  • 00:07:06.043 --> 00:07:08.746
  • It depends. it depends.
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  • If faith is just about heaven, this has nothing to do with you
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  • Or me, but if faith is about participating in the
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  • Ever-expanding, unstoppable kingdom of god, has everything
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  • To do with you and everything to do with me.
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  • "the kingdom of heaven--" he says, "the kingdom of heaven is
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  • Like yeast--" "wait, what?"
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  • Yeah, the kingdo--when you talk about the kingdom of heaven, the
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  • Kingdom of heaven is like yeast.
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  • Like, what?
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  • "the kingdom of heaven is like yeast, which a woman took and
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  • Hid--" and when jesus said this, everyone in his audience
  • 00:07:40.144 --> 00:07:42.780
  • Laughed, okay?
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  • They got what we might miss.
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  • "the kingdom of heaven is like yeast, which a woman took and
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  • Hid in about sixty pounds of flour."
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  • And when he says 60 pounds of flour, they all laugh 'cause
  • 00:07:50.655 --> 00:07:52.890
  • They're imagining a woman trying to manage 60 pounds of flour.
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  • I mean, this is a gargantuan amount of flour.
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  • This is way more than a woman would try to manage.
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  • "the kingdom of heaven is like yeast, which a woman took--" and
  • 00:08:01.866 --> 00:08:04.468
  • He uses an interesting word.
  • 00:08:04.468 --> 00:08:05.803
  • I changed the word.
  • 00:08:05.803 --> 00:08:07.171
  • The english text says mix, but he doesn't use the normal greek
  • 00:08:07.171 --> 00:08:09.140
  • Term for mix.
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  • The text it's a different word.
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  • It's in cruplo--egkrupto, which means to hide.
  • 00:08:12.376 --> 00:08:16.414
  • He says a woman has all this flour and she hid in the
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  • Flour--listen to what she said.
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  • She took a small amount.
  • 00:08:22.987 --> 00:08:24.455
  • She took a small amount of a living substance, yeast, a
  • 00:08:24.455 --> 00:08:28.893
  • Unicellular fungus.
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  • She didn't know that at the time.
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  • And she didn't just mix it.
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  • He says it's like she hid it in the dough and it was invisible.
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  • It was gone in 60 pounds.
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  • And initially there's no perceptible difference, but it
  • 00:08:41.839 --> 00:08:46.444
  • Went to work and it did it work--did its work slowly until,
  • 00:08:46.444 --> 00:08:50.781
  • He says--until it worked all through the dough.
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  • And once it had worked all through the dough, it was too
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  • Late to stop it because it's potency.
  • 00:08:59.991 --> 00:09:03.361
  • The result of what happened far exceeded its initial volume.
  • 00:09:03.361 --> 00:09:09.734
  • The kingdom of heaven--he says, "the kingdom of heaven will be
  • 00:09:09.734 --> 00:09:12.370
  • Like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and
  • 00:09:12.370 --> 00:09:16.607
  • Entrusted his wealth to them."
  • 00:09:16.607 --> 00:09:19.677
  • It's like--all right.
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  • And this is a parable that preachers do preach.
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  • I've preached this because there seems to be some personal
  • 00:09:23.948 --> 00:09:26.417
  • Application, but the personal application we make is not the
  • 00:09:26.417 --> 00:09:29.220
  • Application that jesus was making to his
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  • 1st century audience.
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  • He says it's like a man who went on a journey and he trusted his
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  • Wealth and he gave one guy five bags of gold and another one a
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  • Little bit less gold and he gave another guy one bag of gold and
  • 00:09:37.662 --> 00:09:40.364
  • He said, "go invest this on behalf of me.
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  • It is my money i'm entrusting you with."
  • 00:09:42.733 --> 00:09:44.902
  • And he says in the parable that he gave it to them based on
  • 00:09:44.902 --> 00:09:47.138
  • Their abilities, based on what he knew they could do with it,
  • 00:09:47.138 --> 00:09:49.940
  • Based on what he knew about them.
  • 00:09:49.940 --> 00:09:52.677
  • He said this is what the kingdom of heaven's like.
  • 00:09:52.677 --> 00:09:55.413
  • "and after a long time the master," he says, "of those
  • 00:09:55.413 --> 00:10:00.685
  • Servants returned and settled accounts with them."
  • 00:10:00.685 --> 00:10:05.756
  • And the servants who went to work, the servants who
  • 00:10:05.756 --> 00:10:09.060
  • Understood their master's intent when he loaned them or gave them
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  • A portion of his wealth to invest, the servants who
  • 00:10:12.963 --> 00:10:15.533
  • Understood the master's intent got busy investing what he had
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  • Entrusted to them.
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  • And when the master returned to settle accounts, they had
  • 00:10:20.271 --> 00:10:23.140
  • Something to show for it.
  • 00:10:23.140 --> 00:10:27.344
  • And they were celebrated not for their faith, they were
  • 00:10:27.344 --> 00:10:30.881
  • Celebrated for their diligence in multiplying what the master
  • 00:10:30.881 --> 00:10:35.820
  • Had left them with.
  • 00:10:35.820 --> 00:10:39.223
  • Now, initially these parables were--the meaning of these
  • 00:10:39.223 --> 00:10:42.526
  • Parables were completely lost on the disciples as well.
  • 00:10:42.526 --> 00:10:44.929
  • You can read it for yourself in the gospels.
  • 00:10:44.929 --> 00:10:46.597
  • Jesus tells a parable, drops the mic, walks away and they're
  • 00:10:46.597 --> 00:10:49.200
  • Like, "we'll be back."
  • 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:50.568
  • "hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait.
  • 00:10:50.568 --> 00:10:51.902
  • Nobody knows what you're talking about."
  • 00:10:51.902 --> 00:10:54.038
  • I mean, didn't he--every once in a while he would interpret one,
  • 00:10:54.038 --> 00:10:56.440
  • But most of the time he just drops these things.
  • 00:10:56.440 --> 00:10:57.975
  • In fact, in the kingdom of god parables, he would just tell one
  • 00:10:57.975 --> 00:11:01.746
  • After another after another after another, just creating
  • 00:11:01.746 --> 00:11:04.849
  • This sense of anticipation, and nobody knew what he was talking
  • 00:11:04.849 --> 00:11:08.085
  • About, and his disciples didn't know what he was talking about,
  • 00:11:08.085 --> 00:11:10.387
  • And we read them now and we don't know what he's talking
  • 00:11:10.387 --> 00:11:12.623
  • About because our whole christian framework is about how
  • 00:11:12.623 --> 00:11:15.226
  • To make sure we're going to heaven when we die.
  • 00:11:15.226 --> 00:11:17.294
  • And the authors of the new testament are like, "that's not
  • 00:11:17.294 --> 00:11:19.964
  • The storyline.
  • 00:11:19.964 --> 00:11:21.599
  • That's not the plot line.
  • 00:11:21.599 --> 00:11:23.434
  • The king came into this world to launch his kingdom."
  • 00:11:23.434 --> 00:11:27.505
  • And after the resurrection, jesus's 1st century followers
  • 00:11:27.505 --> 00:11:30.775
  • They understood.
  • 00:11:30.775 --> 00:11:32.109
  • It finally clicked for them the king had come and the king had
  • 00:11:32.109 --> 00:11:36.046
  • Come to establish a kingdom.
  • 00:11:36.046 --> 00:11:37.681
  • The king had come to establish a beachhead, a foothold,
  • 00:11:37.681 --> 00:11:42.953
  • A--basically a base of operation for his kingdom.
  • 00:11:42.953 --> 00:11:47.258
  • And with their help and with their investment and with their
  • 00:11:47.258 --> 00:11:51.996
  • Mixing and with them investing the time they had and the
  • 00:11:51.996 --> 00:11:55.933
  • Opportunity they had, with their help this small--and we can't
  • 00:11:55.933 --> 00:11:59.870
  • Even imagine.
  • 00:11:59.870 --> 00:12:01.438
  • This small and fragile--it was so fragile.
  • 00:12:01.438 --> 00:12:04.642
  • The kingdom of god had a foothold in one of the most
  • 00:12:04.642 --> 00:12:07.645
  • Tumultuous times in the na--in the history of the nation
  • 00:12:07.645 --> 00:12:10.948
  • Of israel.
  • 00:12:10.948 --> 00:12:12.316
  • They were nobodies.
  • 00:12:12.316 --> 00:12:14.285
  • They were just taken advantage of.
  • 00:12:14.285 --> 00:12:17.388
  • They had basically no esteem within that region of the world.
  • 00:12:17.388 --> 00:12:21.091
  • They were just a means to the ends of more powerful kingdoms.
  • 00:12:21.091 --> 00:12:25.162
  • But with the help of his 1st century followers, this small
  • 00:12:25.162 --> 00:12:27.565
  • Fragile operation crushed between temple and empire,
  • 00:12:27.565 --> 00:12:32.203
  • Hidden in 60 pounds of flour would expand slowly.
  • 00:12:32.203 --> 00:12:39.310
  • The book of acts--matthew, mark, luke, john--acts.
  • 00:12:39.310 --> 00:12:41.111
  • The book of acts--you know what the book of acts is about?
  • 00:12:41.111 --> 00:12:43.547
  • It's about the expansion of the kingdom of god after
  • 00:12:43.547 --> 00:12:45.950
  • The resurrection.
  • 00:12:45.950 --> 00:12:47.318
  • That's what it is.
  • 00:12:47.318 --> 00:12:48.652
  • It is the story of the church, but the church and the church
  • 00:12:48.652 --> 00:12:51.088
  • People, the ecclesia of jesus, the gathering assembly of
  • 00:12:51.088 --> 00:12:54.525
  • Jesus--that's why, again, rep--the way we talk about
  • 00:12:54.525 --> 00:12:57.328
  • Ecclesia is important.
  • 00:12:57.328 --> 00:12:58.662
  • It doesn't--church isn't the right word.
  • 00:12:58.662 --> 00:13:00.331
  • We've talked about that.
  • 00:13:00.331 --> 00:13:01.665
  • It's the gathering.
  • 00:13:01.665 --> 00:13:03.033
  • It's the people of the movement of jesus.
  • 00:13:03.033 --> 00:13:04.368
  • The book of acts is how the kingdom of god began to spread
  • 00:13:04.368 --> 00:13:07.872
  • In the gentile world all the way around the mediterranean realm.
  • 00:13:07.872 --> 00:13:11.976
  • It was a picture of what was ultimately gonna happen in the
  • 00:13:11.976 --> 00:13:14.912
  • Entire world because jesus wasn't kidding when he said,
  • 00:13:14.912 --> 00:13:18.616
  • "look, i am going--" now, this wasn't--this isn't an attempt,
  • 00:13:18.616 --> 00:13:21.719
  • This is a promise.
  • 00:13:21.719 --> 00:13:23.053
  • "i will build my ekklessia.
  • 00:13:23.053 --> 00:13:25.089
  • I will build my gathering, my assembly.
  • 00:13:25.089 --> 00:13:27.424
  • I will build my people, and the gates of hades," death itself,
  • 00:13:27.424 --> 00:13:31.695
  • "will not overcome it."
  • 00:13:31.695 --> 00:13:34.665
  • In other words, what jesus said in place 2,000 years ago
  • 00:13:34.665 --> 00:13:37.902
  • Is unstoppable.
  • 00:13:37.902 --> 00:13:40.271
  • Andy: hey, i wanted to take just a minute to address a growing
  • 00:13:42.273 --> 00:13:45.142
  • Crisis in america.
  • 00:13:45.142 --> 00:13:46.510
  • Did you know that nearly 75 million americans have no
  • 00:13:46.510 --> 00:13:49.747
  • Religious affiliation, none whatsoever?
  • 00:13:49.747 --> 00:13:52.149
  • Most of us know some of these people.
  • 00:13:52.149 --> 00:13:53.584
  • Many of us are related to some of these people.
  • 00:13:53.584 --> 00:13:55.586
  • So for us they aren't statistics, they're people we
  • 00:13:55.586 --> 00:13:58.389
  • Love and would love to see return to faith in jesus.
  • 00:13:58.389 --> 00:14:01.592
  • So at "your move," we are committed to reaching people
  • 00:14:01.592 --> 00:14:04.495
  • With the teaching of jesus right where they are and when they
  • 00:14:04.495 --> 00:14:07.831
  • Least expect it.
  • 00:14:07.831 --> 00:14:09.233
  • We use a research-backed digital strategy that's already making
  • 00:14:09.233 --> 00:14:12.870
  • A difference.
  • 00:14:12.870 --> 00:14:14.238
  • So if you'll stick around after today's message, we would love
  • 00:14:14.238 --> 00:14:16.173
  • To tell you more about it, or visit the website or call the
  • 00:14:16.173 --> 00:14:19.476
  • Number on your screen to learn how you can be a part of this
  • 00:14:19.476 --> 00:14:21.679
  • Revolutionary approach to introducing and reintroducing
  • 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:25.849
  • People to jesus.
  • 00:14:25.849 --> 00:14:28.085
  • Andy: the kingdom, as it turns out--the kingdom of heaven, as
  • 00:14:28.085 --> 00:14:30.621
  • It turns out, is in fact exactly like a mustard seed that starts
  • 00:14:30.621 --> 00:14:37.261
  • Out so small you can barely see it, a gathering of 12
  • 00:14:37.261 --> 00:14:41.565
  • Disenfranchised galileans with some other people scattered
  • 00:14:41.565 --> 00:14:45.636
  • In, nobodies.
  • 00:14:45.636 --> 00:14:47.604
  • The kingdom of heaven is exactly like yeast, a tiny little thing
  • 00:14:47.604 --> 00:14:52.042
  • Of life, a portion of life that was hidden in something so large
  • 00:14:52.042 --> 00:14:56.780
  • You couldn't even see it.
  • 00:14:56.780 --> 00:14:59.416
  • It's in fact like a man going on a journey because jesus left and
  • 00:14:59.416 --> 00:15:03.020
  • He said to his disciples, "okay, i'm gonna invest in you what you
  • 00:15:03.020 --> 00:15:06.523
  • Need to take this message to the rest of the world."
  • 00:15:06.523 --> 00:15:10.060
  • And it grew and it spread and it overwhelmed an empire, and
  • 00:15:10.060 --> 00:15:13.664
  • Here's the thing.
  • 00:15:13.664 --> 00:15:15.032
  • This is why we have to look back.
  • 00:15:15.032 --> 00:15:16.367
  • And now look around.
  • 00:15:16.367 --> 00:15:17.735
  • See, 1st century christians, they couldn't imagine this.
  • 00:15:17.735 --> 00:15:21.772
  • They couldn't even imagine the united states.
  • 00:15:21.772 --> 00:15:23.607
  • They couldn't imagine--they didn't even know how big--when
  • 00:15:23.607 --> 00:15:25.642
  • Jesus said, "you need to go into all the world," they were like,
  • 00:15:25.642 --> 00:15:28.345
  • "we've been about 50 miles from--how big is the world?
  • 00:15:28.345 --> 00:15:31.982
  • Is that hyperbole?"
  • 00:15:31.982 --> 00:15:34.084
  • They could not begin to imagine us.
  • 00:15:34.084 --> 00:15:36.053
  • They could not begin to imagine this because it is difficult.
  • 00:15:36.053 --> 00:15:40.424
  • It is almost impossible to recognize progress by
  • 00:15:40.424 --> 00:15:43.761
  • Looking around.
  • 00:15:43.761 --> 00:15:45.095
  • But we--come on.
  • 00:15:45.095 --> 00:15:47.197
  • We have 2,000 years of history to look back on.
  • 00:15:47.197 --> 00:15:49.600
  • We have 2,000 years of progress to look back on.
  • 00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:52.302
  • From inconsequential galilee to every nation on earth, the
  • 00:15:52.302 --> 00:16:01.545
  • Gospel was taken and spread.
  • 00:16:01.545 --> 00:16:04.348
  • The mustard seed grew.
  • 00:16:04.348 --> 00:16:06.417
  • The yeast expanded.
  • 00:16:06.417 --> 00:16:08.452
  • The servants of the king invested.
  • 00:16:08.452 --> 00:16:13.824
  • We have 2,000 years of history to look back on.
  • 00:16:13.824 --> 00:16:16.093
  • The 1st century followers of jesus had nothing to look
  • 00:16:16.093 --> 00:16:18.929
  • Back on.
  • 00:16:18.929 --> 00:16:20.264
  • Here's what they had.
  • 00:16:20.264 --> 00:16:21.632
  • They had someone to look to, their resurrected king, their
  • 00:16:21.632 --> 00:16:25.335
  • Resurrected king who suffered the worst that rome could throw
  • 00:16:25.335 --> 00:16:28.138
  • At him and shook it off and then in the end he shook off
  • 00:16:28.138 --> 00:16:32.843
  • Death itself.
  • 00:16:32.843 --> 00:16:34.545
  • We're gonna come back to that in a few weeks.
  • 00:16:34.545 --> 00:16:36.947
  • And then after the resurrection, he gathers his closest followers
  • 00:16:36.947 --> 00:16:40.818
  • To say--to, you know, prepare for the public launch of the
  • 00:16:40.818 --> 00:16:44.254
  • Kingdom of god on earth, and he instructed his crew.
  • 00:16:44.254 --> 00:16:47.858
  • He said, "hey, meet me in galilee.
  • 00:16:47.858 --> 00:16:49.460
  • It's safer in galilee.
  • 00:16:49.460 --> 00:16:50.828
  • You know, it's north of judea and jerusalem.
  • 00:16:50.828 --> 00:16:52.563
  • Jerusalem's a mess right now because of what's
  • 00:16:52.563 --> 00:16:54.698
  • Just happened."
  • 00:16:54.698 --> 00:16:56.066
  • And he gathers with them in galilee and he lays out this
  • 00:16:56.066 --> 00:16:59.002
  • Crazy strategy.
  • 00:16:59.002 --> 00:17:00.938
  • There's no way this is gonna work.
  • 00:17:00.938 --> 00:17:04.274
  • There's no way this is gonna spread.
  • 00:17:04.274 --> 00:17:05.976
  • There's no way it's gonna make it out of galilee much less the
  • 00:17:05.976 --> 00:17:09.480
  • Kingdom of god that came for the whole world.
  • 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:12.015
  • Here's what the text says.
  • 00:17:12.015 --> 00:17:13.383
  • Matthew tells us--matthew was there.
  • 00:17:13.383 --> 00:17:15.185
  • Matthew said, "then jesus came to them and he said--" and,
  • 00:17:15.185 --> 00:17:19.690
  • Again, you've heard these words so many times.
  • 00:17:19.690 --> 00:17:21.125
  • I want you--if you grew up in church, i want you to hear these
  • 00:17:21.125 --> 00:17:23.260
  • Words for the first time coming from the lips of your king.
  • 00:17:23.260 --> 00:17:28.632
  • And if you've never heard this before, maybe that's good
  • 00:17:28.632 --> 00:17:32.402
  • Because you're not predisposed to hear it the way maybe you've
  • 00:17:32.402 --> 00:17:35.405
  • Heard it taught and heard it applied.
  • 00:17:35.405 --> 00:17:38.609
  • The words of a king.
  • 00:17:38.609 --> 00:17:40.544
  • Listen to this.
  • 00:17:40.544 --> 00:17:42.779
  • Jesus came to them and said what only a king can say.
  • 00:17:42.779 --> 00:17:47.751
  • How did we miss this?
  • 00:17:47.751 --> 00:17:49.920
  • "all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."
  • 00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:57.961
  • This is king speak.
  • 00:17:57.961 --> 00:17:59.830
  • Here's why i say that.
  • 00:17:59.830 --> 00:18:01.298
  • Authority wrapped up in an individual.
  • 00:18:01.298 --> 00:18:05.702
  • No committees.
  • 00:18:05.702 --> 00:18:07.304
  • No voting.
  • 00:18:07.304 --> 00:18:08.872
  • No congress.
  • 00:18:08.872 --> 00:18:10.407
  • No debating.
  • 00:18:10.407 --> 00:18:12.075
  • No "let's find out what everybody thinks."
  • 00:18:12.075 --> 00:18:15.245
  • See, in a kingdom the word of the king is law, and jesus
  • 00:18:15.245 --> 00:18:19.850
  • Positions himself as a king and he says, "all authority--not
  • 00:18:19.850 --> 00:18:24.521
  • Just here, all authority in heaven and on earth, that's all
  • 00:18:24.521 --> 00:18:27.758
  • The authority, period, has been given by my father to me."
  • 00:18:27.758 --> 00:18:33.864
  • To which some of the guys in the group thought, "okay.
  • 00:18:33.864 --> 00:18:36.433
  • So now we're gonna retake jerusalem."
  • 00:18:36.433 --> 00:18:38.468
  • And jesus is like, "no, it's way bigger than that.
  • 00:18:38.468 --> 00:18:42.372
  • Gentlemen, we're gonna retake the whole world.
  • 00:18:42.372 --> 00:18:46.009
  • And not by force, not by the failed methods of the kingdoms
  • 00:18:46.009 --> 00:18:51.281
  • Of men that just will go round and round, rinse and repeat,
  • 00:18:51.281 --> 00:18:55.452
  • Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat.
  • 00:18:55.452 --> 00:18:57.588
  • Is not the history of this very piece of property--"
  • 00:18:57.588 --> 00:19:00.190
  • He could have said, "is not the history of judea and galilee
  • 00:19:00.190 --> 00:19:03.293
  • Proof to know--proof enough to know that it's back and forth
  • 00:19:03.293 --> 00:19:06.230
  • And it's back and forth?
  • 00:19:06.230 --> 00:19:07.598
  • No.
  • 00:19:07.598 --> 00:19:08.932
  • We're not gonna take the world like that, we're gonna take it
  • 00:19:08.932 --> 00:19:11.702
  • One heart and one mind at a time."
  • 00:19:11.702 --> 00:19:16.907
  • "oh, jeez, that's gonna take forever."
  • 00:19:16.907 --> 00:19:21.845
  • The kingdom of heaven is like a man who went on a long journey.
  • 00:19:21.845 --> 00:19:26.750
  • The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.
  • 00:19:26.750 --> 00:19:30.387
  • The kingdom of heaven is like a woman who's 60--they're like,
  • 00:19:30.387 --> 00:19:33.423
  • "oh, yeah, that's what you've been trying to tell us."
  • 00:19:33.423 --> 00:19:35.993
  • "we're gonna take it one heart and one mind at a time.
  • 00:19:35.993 --> 00:19:38.362
  • Here's what i want you to do.
  • 00:19:38.362 --> 00:19:39.696
  • Here's the strategy," he said.
  • 00:19:39.696 --> 00:19:41.064
  • "i want you to go and i want you to make followers and learners
  • 00:19:41.064 --> 00:19:45.636
  • Of me.
  • 00:19:45.636 --> 00:19:47.004
  • I want you to create more kingdom citizens.
  • 00:19:47.004 --> 00:19:49.306
  • Multiply followers of the king.
  • 00:19:49.306 --> 00:19:50.974
  • And not just around here, of all people groups."
  • 00:19:50.974 --> 00:19:54.711
  • Some of our english translations say of all nations.
  • 00:19:54.711 --> 00:19:57.481
  • The idea is of all people groups.
  • 00:19:57.481 --> 00:20:00.617
  • "this is gonna be a kingdom without a common culture, a
  • 00:20:00.617 --> 00:20:03.654
  • Kingdom without borders, a kingdom without a common
  • 00:20:03.654 --> 00:20:06.089
  • Language, a kingdom that's gonna have so much diversity at times
  • 00:20:06.089 --> 00:20:09.593
  • You're gonna wonder if you're all part of the same kingdom.
  • 00:20:09.593 --> 00:20:11.928
  • But you're all gonna be part of the same kingdom because you're
  • 00:20:11.928 --> 00:20:14.231
  • Following the same king, and you're gonna baptize them.
  • 00:20:14.231 --> 00:20:17.868
  • And why are you gonna baptize them?
  • 00:20:17.868 --> 00:20:19.603
  • Because this is how they're gonna know they're a part of
  • 00:20:19.603 --> 00:20:21.605
  • The covenant.
  • 00:20:21.605 --> 00:20:22.939
  • They're gonna be baptized in my name."
  • 00:20:22.939 --> 00:20:25.509
  • And then this.
  • 00:20:25.509 --> 00:20:28.979
  • "when you go, here's what i want you to do.
  • 00:20:28.979 --> 00:20:31.782
  • Here's how you're gonna make these followers of the king.
  • 00:20:31.782 --> 00:20:34.785
  • You're gonna teach them to obey, not simply believe so they can
  • 00:20:34.785 --> 00:20:40.891
  • Go to heaven when they die.
  • 00:20:40.891 --> 00:20:42.559
  • In fact, that's not even in this."
  • 00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:44.494
  • He says, "i want you to teach them to obey."
  • 00:20:44.494 --> 00:20:47.497
  • Now, we gotta pause here and talk about this.
  • 00:20:47.497 --> 00:20:50.600
  • Traditionally, the church--not just traditionally,
  • 00:20:50.600 --> 00:20:54.838
  • Generationally the church has ignored what jesus says next
  • 00:20:54.838 --> 00:21:01.178
  • Because here's the thing.
  • 00:21:01.178 --> 00:21:02.546
  • When the church lost the kingdom plot line, when the framework
  • 00:21:02.546 --> 00:21:06.750
  • Was no longer the kingdom of god because the king has come and
  • 00:21:06.750 --> 00:21:09.586
  • The framework became something else and it's been several other
  • 00:21:09.586 --> 00:21:12.255
  • Things, but for many of us it's how to go to heaven when
  • 00:21:12.255 --> 00:21:14.458
  • You--make sure to go--you're going to heaven when you die.
  • 00:21:14.458 --> 00:21:16.660
  • When the church lost the kingdom plot line, it was easy to ignore
  • 00:21:16.660 --> 00:21:20.330
  • This next line.
  • 00:21:20.330 --> 00:21:22.132
  • And when the church reduced the plot line to what happens when
  • 00:21:22.132 --> 00:21:25.435
  • We die, what jesus said next, it had virtually no relevance and
  • 00:21:25.435 --> 00:21:30.674
  • It kinda felt off-message.
  • 00:21:30.674 --> 00:21:32.776
  • So my hunch is most christians don't know what he said next in
  • 00:21:32.776 --> 00:21:36.446
  • One of the passages of scripture that is quoted the most because
  • 00:21:36.446 --> 00:21:39.249
  • We call this the great commission, right?
  • 00:21:39.249 --> 00:21:41.651
  • So don't say it out loud, okay?
  • 00:21:41.651 --> 00:21:43.253
  • But just think for a minute.
  • 00:21:43.253 --> 00:21:44.621
  • Do you know what comes next?
  • 00:21:44.621 --> 00:21:45.956
  • Most christians don't.
  • 00:21:45.956 --> 00:21:47.324
  • It's okay.
  • 00:21:47.324 --> 00:21:48.658
  • What we would expect is teaching them to obey the bible, but
  • 00:21:48.658 --> 00:21:51.428
  • There was not a bible.
  • 00:21:51.428 --> 00:21:52.829
  • That came centuries later.
  • 00:21:52.829 --> 00:21:54.931
  • We're teaching them to obey the law, but the old testament law
  • 00:21:54.931 --> 00:21:58.201
  • Wasn't gonna get any traction outside of judea and galilee and
  • 00:21:58.201 --> 00:22:01.104
  • Maybe samaria.
  • 00:22:01.104 --> 00:22:02.472
  • In fact, it took the church 20 years to realize, "oh, yeah,
  • 00:22:02.472 --> 00:22:05.509
  • That's not what he said."
  • 00:22:05.509 --> 00:22:08.779
  • King speak. "i'm the king.
  • 00:22:08.779 --> 00:22:13.150
  • I want you to go and teach people in every nation, in every
  • 00:22:13.150 --> 00:22:16.119
  • Generation, in every culture to obey everything i have commanded
  • 00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:22.859
  • You because i am the king."
  • 00:22:22.859 --> 00:22:28.565
  • The king's commands, "teach them to love like your king.
  • 00:22:28.565 --> 00:22:35.038
  • Teach them," as we talked about last week, "to fight like
  • 00:22:35.038 --> 00:22:38.141
  • Your king.
  • 00:22:38.141 --> 00:22:39.509
  • Teach them to one another like your king.
  • 00:22:39.509 --> 00:22:42.546
  • Teach them to others first like your king.
  • 00:22:42.546 --> 00:22:45.515
  • Remind them that your king did not come to be served but to
  • 00:22:45.515 --> 00:22:48.485
  • Serve and to give his life.
  • 00:22:48.485 --> 00:22:49.953
  • Teach them to live that out.
  • 00:22:49.953 --> 00:22:51.655
  • Teach them to be like me.
  • 00:22:51.655 --> 00:22:53.657
  • Teach them to be christ-like, which means, now that you know,
  • 00:22:53.657 --> 00:22:59.496
  • Teach them to be like their king.
  • 00:22:59.496 --> 00:23:04.201
  • That's what i want you to teach them."
  • 00:23:04.201 --> 00:23:07.304
  • That's not been the point of the spear message for the church in
  • 00:23:07.304 --> 00:23:12.008
  • My lifetime.
  • 00:23:12.008 --> 00:23:13.710
  • That's not been the point of the spear message of the church for
  • 00:23:13.710 --> 00:23:18.148
  • Generations because somehow we decided that jesus came to teach
  • 00:23:18.148 --> 00:23:22.452
  • Us all how to escape to heaven, when in fact he came to
  • 00:23:22.452 --> 00:23:26.623
  • Establish a kingdom on earth to transform the world, and you
  • 00:23:26.623 --> 00:23:32.128
  • Have been invited to participate in that transformation.
  • 00:23:32.128 --> 00:23:37.934
  • And then he made a promise.
  • 00:23:37.934 --> 00:23:39.803
  • He said, "and i'm about to leave, but i'm actually gonna be
  • 00:23:39.803 --> 00:23:44.107
  • With you always, to the very end of this age."
  • 00:23:44.107 --> 00:23:49.446
  • And the question--and i've asked you this before, and hopefully
  • 00:23:49.446 --> 00:23:51.314
  • You know the answer.
  • 00:23:51.314 --> 00:23:52.682
  • The question is, who is you?
  • 00:23:52.682 --> 00:23:54.017
  • When he says, "i'm gonna be with you always," who is you?
  • 00:23:54.017 --> 00:23:55.619
  • You are the kingdom people.
  • 00:23:55.619 --> 00:23:57.587
  • You are the kingdom expanders.
  • 00:23:57.587 --> 00:23:59.422
  • You are those of us who live in this day and age that god has
  • 00:23:59.422 --> 00:24:02.626
  • Given us a bit of his wealth, invested in us with some gifts
  • 00:24:02.626 --> 00:24:05.695
  • And some talents and some time.
  • 00:24:05.695 --> 00:24:07.230
  • He says, "now, i've given you a portion of what belongs to me.
  • 00:24:07.230 --> 00:24:09.833
  • I've given you life.
  • 00:24:09.833 --> 00:24:11.201
  • Now, i want you to invest that in my kingdom, and a long time
  • 00:24:11.201 --> 00:24:13.670
  • From now i'm gonna come back and i'm gonna see what you did
  • 00:24:13.670 --> 00:24:15.872
  • With it.
  • 00:24:15.872 --> 00:24:17.240
  • And by the way, i'm gonna be with you the whole time because
  • 00:24:17.240 --> 00:24:19.876
  • You're doing my work, you're expanding my kingdom, you
  • 00:24:19.876 --> 00:24:23.246
  • Understand my agenda.
  • 00:24:23.246 --> 00:24:24.581
  • You have put me first."
  • 00:24:24.581 --> 00:24:26.016
  • And for 30 years--we're in year 30 as a group of churches.
  • 00:24:26.016 --> 00:24:30.153
  • For 30 years, we have been stubbornly--that's the best word
  • 00:24:30.153 --> 00:24:34.724
  • I know how to say or come up--can come up with.
  • 00:24:34.724 --> 00:24:36.893
  • We have been stubbornly committed to being part of the
  • 00:24:36.893 --> 00:24:39.596
  • Assembly, the assembly of you, jesus's followers who have not
  • 00:24:39.596 --> 00:24:45.735
  • Lost the plot line.
  • 00:24:45.735 --> 00:24:48.238
  • It's why we're committed to being an outward-facing group of
  • 00:24:48.238 --> 00:24:52.275
  • Churches that don't talk bad about people and don't name
  • 00:24:52.275 --> 00:24:57.480
  • Names and don't tee off and leverage off the failure and the
  • 00:24:57.480 --> 00:25:00.717
  • Sin of people because our king never did that.
  • 00:25:00.717 --> 00:25:04.321
  • They tried to--the best of our ability to create churches that
  • 00:25:04.321 --> 00:25:08.425
  • Reflect the tone and the posture and the approach of our king.
  • 00:25:08.425 --> 00:25:13.063
  • We don't wanna lose the plot line.
  • 00:25:13.063 --> 00:25:15.532
  • We wanna be jesus's followers who seek first what the king
  • 00:25:15.532 --> 00:25:19.803
  • Says matters most.
  • 00:25:19.803 --> 00:25:21.137
  • And we don't get it perfect every time, but this is what we
  • 00:25:21.137 --> 00:25:23.707
  • Have been committed to and this is what we will continue to be
  • 00:25:23.707 --> 00:25:27.177
  • Committed to.
  • 00:25:27.177 --> 00:25:28.545
  • We will continue to be participants in the
  • 00:25:28.545 --> 00:25:29.913
  • Ever-expanding kingdom of god locally, nationally, and
  • 00:25:29.913 --> 00:25:35.385
  • Ultimately globally.
  • 00:25:35.385 --> 00:25:37.854
  • And as it relates to this series, i hope that you spend
  • 00:25:37.854 --> 00:25:39.823
  • The rest of your life reading the new testament, reading the
  • 00:25:39.823 --> 00:25:42.692
  • Scripture, reading the old testament and the new testament.
  • 00:25:42.692 --> 00:25:44.628
  • But i hope that for the rest of your life when you open the new
  • 00:25:44.628 --> 00:25:46.663
  • Testament, you look for not a ticket out of here, you look for
  • 00:25:46.663 --> 00:25:52.669
  • A king who has invited you and privileged you with the
  • 00:25:52.669 --> 00:25:57.574
  • Opportunity of advancing his kingdom on earth as it is
  • 00:25:57.574 --> 00:26:02.879
  • In heaven.
  • 00:26:02.879 --> 00:26:04.214
  • I hope for the rest of your life you see jesus for who the
  • 00:26:04.214 --> 00:26:06.616
  • Authors of the new testament risked their lives to introduce
  • 00:26:06.616 --> 00:26:11.221
  • Us to.
  • 00:26:11.221 --> 00:26:14.324
  • This is who they were convinced jesus is, god's final king who
  • 00:26:14.324 --> 00:26:18.561
  • Established a kingdom that would last forever, who came to
  • 00:26:18.561 --> 00:26:23.033
  • Establish the last kingdom.
  • 00:26:23.033 --> 00:26:26.836
  • And regardless of what you've done, how many times you've done
  • 00:26:26.836 --> 00:26:31.141
  • It, where you've been and where you haven't been, and how many
  • 00:26:31.141 --> 00:26:34.444
  • Promises to god you have broken, based on the life and the
  • 00:26:34.444 --> 00:26:38.982
  • Teaching of jesus you are invited to participate in it.
  • 00:26:38.982 --> 00:26:47.257
  • And regardless of what you've done and what you haven't done
  • 00:26:47.257 --> 00:26:49.793
  • And what you promised god you would do and did--regardless of
  • 00:26:49.793 --> 00:26:52.495
  • All of that, you are invited to advance his kingdom in
  • 00:26:52.495 --> 00:26:58.401
  • The world.
  • 00:26:58.401 --> 00:27:00.203
  • Andy: hey, thanks so much for watching.
  • 00:27:00.203 --> 00:27:01.905
  • You may find it hard to believe that 75 million americans claim
  • 00:27:01.905 --> 00:27:05.341
  • No religious affiliation.
  • 00:27:05.341 --> 00:27:07.477
  • On a personal note, perhaps you found it nearly impossible to
  • 00:27:07.477 --> 00:27:10.547
  • Believe that your son or your daughter or perhaps a grandchild
  • 00:27:10.547 --> 00:27:13.483
  • Drifted away from faith as part of that number.
  • 00:27:13.483 --> 00:27:16.286
  • This is a crisis culturally, and perhaps for you it's a
  • 00:27:16.286 --> 00:27:19.255
  • Crisis personally.
  • 00:27:19.255 --> 00:27:20.623
  • At "your move," we are committed to addressing that crisis.
  • 00:27:20.623 --> 00:27:24.527
  • We actually have a plan to solve it, but we need your help.
  • 00:27:24.527 --> 00:27:27.430
  • We've developed a digital online tool that invites people to take
  • 00:27:27.430 --> 00:27:30.834
  • A personal assessment that launches them on a journey that
  • 00:27:30.834 --> 00:27:34.204
  • Eventually intersects their questions with the teaching of
  • 00:27:34.204 --> 00:27:37.574
  • Jesus and ultimately with a bible-teaching church in
  • 00:27:37.574 --> 00:27:41.311
  • Their community.
  • 00:27:41.311 --> 00:27:42.679
  • Tens of thousands of people are currently engaged in this
  • 00:27:42.679 --> 00:27:45.281
  • Process, but we need your help to continue creating the bread
  • 00:27:45.281 --> 00:27:48.685
  • Crumbs, the content, that keeps them moving forward on their
  • 00:27:48.685 --> 00:27:52.222
  • Faith journey.
  • 00:27:52.222 --> 00:27:53.656
  • We're attempting something that no one has ever attempted
  • 00:27:53.656 --> 00:27:56.526
  • Before, and it is already working.
  • 00:27:56.526 --> 00:27:58.595
  • To find out more, go to the website or call the number at
  • 00:27:58.595 --> 00:28:01.397
  • The bottom of the screen.
  • 00:28:01.397 --> 00:28:02.766
  • And as always thank you so much for watching, and now it's
  • 00:28:02.766 --> 00:28:06.136
  • Your move.
  • 00:28:06.136 --> 00:28:07.470
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:28:07.470 --> 00:28:22.051
  • ...
  • 00:28:25.288 --> 00:28:25.288