As It Is In Heaven

Nations will come and say, come, let us go up to the mountain of the world and to the house of the God of Jacob That he may teach us about his ways and that we may walk in his path and from Zion will go forth the law Even the word the word from Jerusalem and he will judge between many people's and render decisions from mighty distant nations They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks Nation will not lift up sword against nation and never again will they train for war and each of them will sit under his vine and under his Fig tree with no one to make them afraid for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken Though all the people's walk each in the name of his God as for us We will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever in that day declares the Lord I will assemble the lame and gather the outcast even though some I have afflicted I Will make the lame a remnant and the outcast the strong nation and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on and forever And as for you tower of the flock hill of the daughter of Zion to you it will come even the former dominion will come the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem Now revelations chapter 21 All the way to the back of the New Testament New Apostle John Says I saw a new heaven in the new earth for the first heaven in the first earth passed away and there is no longer any see I saw the holy city new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God made ready as a bride adorned for her husband And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying behold the tabernacle of God is among men And he shall dwell among them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be among them And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes and they're shown no longer be any death No longer be any mourning or crying or pain the first things have passed away And he who sits on the throne said Behold I am making all things new Amen and amen to God bless this reading of his holy and infallible word please be seated on earth as it is in heaven on earth as it is in heaven Yeah, right I mean come on wife just doesn't work that way That sounds like a pipe dream. I mean consider Thursday in the courtees family Thursday morning dawn with a vehicle at the auto repair shop where I was informed that we would need a new alternator not that earth shattering a Development honestly except it's our fourth alternator in the month of May

Waited that day it begins to rain now that that is a rather earth shattering Development the last time it rained at the courtees house was The Nixon administration I think and And so it rains and it blows and a pine tree snaps off about halfway up and down It comes like a spear and pierces through the roof of my daughter's room and my wife calls in a panic The sky is falling I go home and we get the insurance and the roofer and the this and the that and we try to get all our bases covered and this has been quite an eventful and frankly expensive day And as things are settling down and Quiet late at night. I'm laying on the couch reviewing the day when Pass me down the hallway goes a cat What's so surprising about that except we don't have a cat

Investigation reveals that one of the children has left the garage door a jar and a neighborhood visitor decided to tour the courtees house And now there's a cat in our house and I take off down the hallway to apprehend this home invader and I can't find it I go from room to room stealing off each room So I don't have to research under beds in closet looking everywhere. No cat Oh, I do realize in a close of searching the house for about a half hour that our bedroom door was closed the whole time So where I'm going to sleep is safe and sound So my daughter's not being home yet. I write them a note and say beware. There's a cat in our house Leave it where they can see it and I go to bed and I'm sleeping soundly when I hear a blood and purdling stream My daughters come home and they get ready for bed and they're doing this and they're doing that and they decide they're hungry And they go to the kitchen to get something eat they discover my note where upon my youngest daughter begins to stand on the screen and stand on the kitchen table with a broom and Dad has to come out and escort her to her room and work in the closet look under the bed look everywhere else As she is literally crying because there's a cat in her house Now By the way some people informed me last night when I told this story in left church that there was a dead black cat on 44 and they said how dare you There's no connection between Anything you may view when you leave this building and what happened at our house on on Friday night so You know when we have a rotten death there's a night when we have a rotten day You know, they tend to be almost comical But that's not the way it is for most people the world on most days is it Most people have a rotten no good very bad day. It is seringly painful on earth as it is in heaven How does Chandra Levy's family feel on earth as it is in heaven? How did there? People whose last moment on this earth was sliding down a bridge into a raging river We watched our week as they fished out bodies even bodies of young children on earth as it is in heaven On earth as it is in heaven. I think of the school leader who told me that some ninth grade kid decided to go on the internet and Threaten to pull off a column bind at his Christian school That went to the FBI getting involved to arrest to all sorts of activity in the day in which we live as soon as the school was sort of recovering from that Their Dean of students of 22 years was struck and killed in a car accident on earth as it is in heaven I think of that pastor who was arrested last week friend told me for soliciting sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl on the internet on earth as it is in heaven every day brings us news of people whose misery is almost impossible to fathom Isn't it an unrealistic hope to dream that it would be on earth as it is in heaven? Is the question Jack Nicholson asked in his Academy Award winning role at cynical question? Really a good question Honestly, he asked have you considered that perhaps this is as good as it gets? Things are not going to be better you just better buck up and deal with it What's the only hope for Christians then I mean we have heaven We're gonna get out of this God forsaken world Jesus take us out of here And so we gather together in our churches and we sing all fly away all fly away already You know in the buying buy get me out of this world. That's our hope and yet When the disciples said Jesus you know God there's lots of religion in our culture, but But the religious people don't know him like you know him. We want to know him like you know him How do you talk to him the way you do and Jesus said when you want to know the real God you call him dad? The real God draws near like a father through his children and The passion of the people who know God really is for his honor the honor and glory And holiness of the name of their father and And and those who really know God trust him for provision give us this day are Daily bread they know that he's the provider they know that they can put their trust and those who really know him Don't pray God get me out of here take me away to heaven. They pray God bring heaven here They don't pray God. I want to go to you. They say God would you please come to us. I will be done on Earth Thy kingdom come I will be done on Earth as it is in heaven could that really ever be true and if so when and If so What's your role? In bringing it to pass Let's study together Got a sermon outline. Here's the first point The Bible gives us a template for the future A lot of things are uncertain about the future. I love the world cup I don't think there's anything like the world cup. I love watching World Cup 32 nations vying for soccer's greatest of the greatest the championship in the world over Nobody knows how long the very first game of the world cup the nation favored to win France loses to Senegal The grip may be the greatest upset in world cup history so exciting nobody knows what the outcome will be But when it comes to all world history we know exactly what the outcome is there is no surprise at all And the prophets like the paint beautiful picture. There's a template in the Bible. There's a description of What it will be like it will be a restoration template? Understand that Jesus says I am making all things new. I came to make everything new The longing of those who know God is not be me up It's thy kingdom come God. You come down Revelation 21 describes how us going to heaven know it describes heaven what? Heaven coming down to the earth If you say you know the earth is man's domain heaven is God's domain Why can't they meet the Bible says they will heaven will invade the earth in such a way that all of the grandeur of God's creation will be restored Heaven and earth one place Integrated with God at the center of all his people Now what's God's plan of obliterate the earth and create Something else the Bible says that he's a restore. He's not an obliterator. He's not gonna scrape it off And start brand new He's gonna take that which exists and he's going to restore it when when the earth was flooded worldwide destruction God didn't destroy the earth He was making it new Look at look at our own lives the Bible says if any man's in Christ. He's there He's new, but You look like the same person Have a lot of the same personality the same characteristics God doesn't obliterate that person It doesn't kill you and your personality now He makes it what it's supposed to be he comes and he brings restoration and if you've seen cod is on Ringling's home on Sarasota Bay it's just been opened after years of restoration one of the most fabulous Mansions in the United States certainly in Florida one of the most unique and intriguing Colorful places you could ever see and for years it was neglected for years It was termite eaten and and a rain damage and and barely you know anything of grandeur or wonder was lost and You'd have to wonder why didn't just come and scrape it into the bay and rebuild it the best they could but no Painstaking careful are just difficult. They rebuilt it. They they restored it. They repainted it They designed it they captured the essence of the old design and they produced this some Grand restored Wonder so it is when it comes to Christ and his earth what would it look like What will this restored earth look like Micah chapter 4 gives us the picture, doesn't it? Couple things one it says that God will be honored in worship in the restored earth Like a verses one and two of Micah chapter four God will be exalted the mountain of the house of the Lord Will be established as the chief in the mountains. It will be raised above the hill and in this great the peoples are streamed through it The nations will come that means people have every tribe and tongue and nation and ethnic group multi cultural multi ethnic think of the color Think of that again. I was watching as the world cup as Ireland was playing Cameroon yesterday. I just picture this Something you could never happen in all world history people from Ireland competing against Cameroon And here they are in Japan Nobody in the world they've ever seen anything like this that the people from the world Rather than get in all the colors and the flags and the stadium the railing and swaying and and singing songs and and in the Bibles this picture picture instead of a soccer match Jesus standing there And the color and the peoples of the nations and the banners and the songs as the nation's stream to give Jesus their Honor and their worship doesn't resonate with our hearts at all I remember in our own little microcosm being a rock crusher canyon and just the cars streaming in the parking lot people see people Streaming down into that grass field and saying they're coming here Because of the resurrected Christ a picture of the restored heavens in the earth in which God is exalted of a wall What does it say in verse two and that people were loved to walk in his way? They wouldn't hate the law of God. They'll rejoice still they'll desire till they and please him What does it say in verse three violence will be no more? The implements of Rua will be re-crafted into Tours for agriculture and farming One of the most courted passages in all the Bible isn't it? the Swords will be turned into plowshares. There won't be any more Teenage girls who walk into crowded delis and press a button and blow themselves to smithereens killing other innocent civilians with them No more suicide bombs Don't be anymore terrorist threats there won't be anymore Rwanda's and Kosovo's and Northern Ireland and an Armenian and Turk division There won't be any more slaughter any more killing any more Paul pot any more Stalin a Lenin Or Castro violence will be no more. It says the wolves the lambs the children They'll romp and play together Violence is over God is exalted. Look at verse four. What does it say the fear will be replaced with contentment? It says each of them will sit under his vine under his fig tree and no one will make them afraid Nobody will be afraid Do you know how much fear there is in this room right now? There's enough fear in this room right now to replace the the nuclear plant for energy output Because we are fueled so much by fear Fear for our children fear for our health fear for our our image fear for how people think of us So much of life is fueled by by fear The Bible says the day is coming in which And will sit under the fig tree. They will have enough. They will be content They won't be crouched. They'll be seated. They'll be under the fig tree. They'll be on every man will have his own tree Every man will have his own vine every man will have enough Someone hoards so that others have too little everyone will have what they need They'll be peaceful and they will be content That's the picture you're getting the idea Jesus said. I will make all things new All things new And so if you have some spiritual idea that means it well, okay So that means the earth is gonna get wiped out while they're within heaven forever. You're not listening The new earth The restored earth This is the plan of God to make this place a garden again understand that God loves this earth He loves the waterfalls. He loves the rocks. He loves the mountains. He loves the trees. He loves the factories. He loves the cars He loves this earth and he's coming to make it new Romans chapter 8 says the whole earth groans being subjected to sin Being subjected to slavery and bondage it groans to be set free and the prophets tell us there's a day coming In which God and man and all creation will be again in harmony and peace and the whole earth will flourish. It's called the Shalom of God

And so what is the prayer of the people of God Every day there to get up and say what word by God kingdom come Ancient of days come and reign over us reign Lord reign over all

On earth as it is in heaven. This is our plea Lord usher in This grand and beautiful and glorious day Lord dying kingdom come Jesus said those who know their God They see that they long for that they taste that they hunger for that and so as they encounter pain in this world That's their prayer as I sat last week With a couple in our churches 18-year-old nephew overdosed from drugs and was dead And they wrapped The web last weekend that this wife thrown away Then what are the people of God say on earth as it is in heaven Lord reign over us sovereign boy

As I talked to my friend this week who described his wife pursuing a divorce and

The fact that he's got to get a new job to pay for him and also to pay for her accommodations and And if he has to he's had to turn down jobs Because he'd have to move and if he moves he won't have any time with his children And all the pain of a wife unraveling and all the pain of a wife not going the way That he anticipated all the heartbreak and what are God's people say in the face of heartbreak? I kingdom come Lord I will be done on earth on earth as it is in heaven Do you know that on September 11th over three thousand children lost a parent on that day Three thousand over three thousand lost a parent on that day What are God's people say Rain over us Lord your kingdom Bring your kingdom to bear in power and might and majesty on this earth God's people do not say Get me out of here God Get me out of here and take me to heaven give me out of this God forsaken world Because of all things we know this much this world is not God Forsaken He has not abandoned ship It's not going down He's making it new And if you say I'm sorry pastor, but you don't know the pain of my life I don't think I can believe that Then look at Micah chapter 4 verse 4 And consider that the prophet says What's the chance of this grand and glorious vision taking place the word of the Lord have spoken I don't think I like your theology courtes I don't know if I like what seven rivers church Forget me forget the church the word of the Lord have spoken God intends to do this thing Behold I will make all things new Now when when then and that's point two. What's what's the restoration timetable When's it going to be Lord What does it say in verse one of Micah chapter 4 in the In the last day That's when this will take place in the last day When are the last days Well, wouldn't I like to know you know, it makes the money in Las Vegas if I knew that Well, we can know You read Acts chapter 227 you'll realize that The writers of holy scripture understood that the last days began with the first coming of Christ So we've been in the last days for two thousand years The last days are now the last days have been the last two thousand years That is ridiculous pastor Acts chapter 2 verse 17 Something amazing happens in Acts chapter 2. It's called Pentecost The Holy Spirit is poured out on people and they begin to speak tongues for which they'd had no formal training or no exposure to So that the gospel was heard by everyone there in their native tongue It is a a phenomenal occurrence only explained by the unleashing of the power the Holy Spirit On people and when they experience that everyone says this is the fulfillment of Jor the prophecy of Jor that in the Last day Young men with dream dreams and old men would have visions and we state the people then we're saying two thousand years ago This prophecy of the prophet Jor is fulfilled in our midst at Pentecost It is the last day the last day started two thousand years ago Heber is chapter one says God has spoken to his people through the prophets of or but in these last Days he has spoken to us through his Son his own son not anymore through intermediaries not anymore through prophets God's own son has come and revealed himself It is the last days we live in the last days now you need further indication what is Michael for verse 8 say That this grand and glorious day of restoration will know that it has come when the king comes to Israel when the king comes again Understand that Micah's prophesying in a time where God has abandoned he's quiet He's a ban he's about to abandon his people and he's silent Because of their rebellion against God, but Micah says the king is coming back. He's gonna re-enter and look at it In verse 8 of chapter 4 as for you or watch tower the flock of stronghold of the daughter of Zion the farmer dominion We'll be restored you kingship will come to the daughter of Jerusalem When is the king come humble riding on a donkey? He enters the holy city Jesus is the king at the first advent of Christ the kingship of restoration has begun Now I'm gonna tell you something If you're at all in touch with reality That means that you're not living a polyannish life or isn't it good to be a Christian You know have beings here again That if you're at all in touch with with struggle with pain with hardship with difficulty with with with with Alzheimer's with dementia with with with job loss with With financial struggle with cancer and AIDS and and abortion and child abuse and spouse abuse if you're all in touch with it And in your heart of hearts something ought to jump That the one who can make a difference about that is come The the light which is so pervasive The one who has the power to fix it heal it make it well. He's come

Something hard something ought to just Something ought to change What home last night in my wife was very kind she said, you know, that was that was good preaching she was very kind and And I said honey. I don't think I don't think people understand the radical nature of what I'm saying I don't think like I don't think people understand how radical this is how different this is perhaps than what they've been taught

I want you to hear what I'm saying the king has come Everything's different Because of it When Jesus came on to the scene the Bible says that he went from village to village everywhere he went he preached the gospel of the Was it the gospel of justification by faith? Is that what he preached? Did he go around and preach the gospel of this or the gospel of that or the gospel of the He preached the gospel of the Kingdom I'm some of you didn't say it the gospel of the kingdom you get it everywhere he went He preached that the kingdom had come God had broken through the re invasion had taken place De-day had happened The gospel of the kingdom when John the Baptist was preaching he was telling people repent because what The kingdom of God is at hand right now. It's coming right behind me the king is coming repent and prepare your hearts because something new Something the world has not known the restore is coming Now when Jesus went about Healing and and and casting out demons and raising the dead in these incredible acts of power People said to him When is the kingdom how do we know that the kingdom is coming? What did Jesus say when you see demons being cast out Then you know what the kingdom of God is nine the kingdom of God is at hand

John the Baptist was about to perish for his fidelity to Jesus He sent the message he sent messengers to Jesus and said Okay, I'm doubting are you the one are you the king? And Jesus said go tell John what The blind see the lame walk the death here The dead are raised the poor have the gospel preached to them you see the captives are set free the power of evil is being rolled back the gates of hell We're not prevailed because the king has come in our midst now Some of you might be saying okay, okay, okay, okay, follow me. Let me tell you something If the captives Are released if the broken hearted are bound up and we know that the kingdom of God is on the move token Let the word of the rings trilogy The third book is called the return of the King The return of the king And that book the rightful king arrogant Comes back to take his throne and there's a great battle in the the evil Lord Is is conquered And yet arrogant is not yet recognized as being the rightful king and so he has to enter the city In disguise and he goes to the house of healing where all his soldiers who fought valiantly for him and were injured are laying wounded And stealthily and silently he enters that place and he begins to go from palette to palette and lay his hands on them where they are healed And somewhere in the background just picture the scene somewhere in the background There's an attendant and the attendant is calling out this verse of ancient wisdom in the culture The hands of the king are the hands of a healer by this shall the rightful king be known The hands of the king are the hands of a healer We'll know who the rightful king is when someone comes And lays his hands on and healing is done the king has come

And someone say Yeah, but look at the world I mean if the king has come this you just started the whole service by this recitation of everything that's screwed up everything that's botched up everything that's messed up if the king has come How come everything's not new? Well, here's the problem We're tweeners You know our tweener is You know my daughter is going to play volleyball in college, but she's a tweener She's not tall enough to play in the front line. She's too tall to play on the back line She's a tweener. She's in between. Guess where we live. We live in between When dda happened most military historian said world war two was for all accounts over Once we established ourselves got a beach head put our army in Europe then this war was over Those of you who live through it know that they that the Germans didn't however on the day of dda say we quit And though the war was for all accounts over and the rest was out mop up operation That mop up operation cost tens of thousands of lives bloody suffering hardship the battle of the boards Countless others battles of bravery and blood and sweat and tears and difficulty and hardship That's where we live. Jesus has come. That's dda he has defeated the powers of darkness The victory is sure. It's absolutely certain, but guess what we're not in Berlin yet

It isn't over yet The fight continues Theologians say that the kingdom is now and it's not yet. It's both. It's been inaugurated But it's not consummated It is as if somebody's created a vaccine that will cure the world's ill and it's starting to be spread around But it's got it's got tribes and tongues and nations in places to go Yet the vaccine will cure the else, but it's got to be given That's where we exist. That's where we live So now there ought to be a sense As we move towards this last point what's our role then If the outcome is secure, but it's not fully realized But I want you to understand this the king has come Two thousand years ago the sign went up on this world that said under new management

The evil word of this world has been conquered The king is on the move Do you understand why it's fun to start new churches Do you understand why it's fun to send people out on missionary journey To send people to the far ends of the earth because the king is on the move He has people in every tribe and tongue in nation. We are utterly confident. We know how this story ends We know the end of it That means we go and we lift up the banner of Jesus We will be beaten. We will suffer. It will be hard. We will want to quit It will be difficult, but in the end Christ's church will prevail So we go Isn't that cool Friend of mine African-American pastor in Miami described a party They were having a birthday party for him and and his staff is Has Hispanics and whites and blacks and And so he said his father came down for his birthday and was sitting at this party And he said at the party there came a moment where where his daughter and the little Another staff members little white Daughter were sharing a bowl of ice cream together with the same spoon There's a little black face and this little white face sort of crammed together over this ball of ice cream Both of them eating with the same spoon And he looked over and he saw the face of his father watching that scene And tears rolling down his father's eye When his father grabbed up a camera and took a picture of that scene His father had grown up in the south his father had grown up in the blight of of racism and racial prejudice and hatred Said I want a picture of this Because I'm gonna go home and show them a picture of the kingdom of God This is what it looks like and I want to tell you something every day you ought to be able to say that I see the kingdom. I see the king doing things that nobody else I see captives set free What do you have to do tomorrow morning to see a captive set free to see someone who's a captive set free look in the mirror In the morning, I don't recommend it with many of you but but you ought to look at your own life and you ought to say the lame are healed The blind have sight the death here You see the transforming work of God in your own heart and in your own life You want to know beyond any shadow of the doubt that the king has come and the king is on the move now Here's the last point what role do we have That the king has come to bring restoration to this world understand that what you believe about the future has everything to do with how we're gonna Behave in the here and now if you believe there is no God and that upon death there's no heaven There's no how you'll just evaporate like that and how will you live today? What you believe about the future affects how you live today if you believe there is no God and no future Then you will eat drink and be merry today Because tomorrow you die That's it no consequences What if you believe that God is making all things new and the king has come and he's commissioned people Look at the look at the passage in your sermon outline Matthew chapter 10 He says to the disciples he sends them out and he says go and preach saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand He over sick raised the dead cleanse the wreppers cast out demons freely you receive freely give What part do you have what's the kingdom what what's the restoration team that's the third point of your outline It's God's children who have been adopted into his family who are sent out into the world as kingdom restoration agents Who reach into the future and pull the future into the present They reach into the future of the show arm of God and they pull it right into the present in our world So there's an article on a paper in the same speed times today the citrus section that asks essentially our church is good for the community After all they take lots of property off the tax roll

And the answer is who else in the community is reaching into the future and taking the show arm of God who else is reaching up into heaven and pulling heaven down to right now So that people experience heaven now they experience restoration and healing now who else is doing that But the appointed agents of God who live in this world One of the problems with Christians today though as we're we think that we're saved The God came and he justified us and he made us right with that with him and that's the end of the story. It's all about being happy Life's about being happy. You know, I tried to be happy through making a lot of money. That didn't work So I tried to be happy through drugs and wild living and that didn't work. So now I'm going to be happy through Jesus Jesus makes me happy That's now what the Bible says is the God anointed wife if you are chosen as to be adopted as a child of God then the father has worked for you to do Then the father wants to apprentice you in the family business And his business is restoring the heavens and the earth people said well, I just want to have a sacred romance with God Good strap on your tools and go to work This sacred romance leads not to Me and Jesus dancing through the tulips of life together. This sacred romance leads to missional living Anyone wants to follow me? He must do what deny himself take up his cross and follow me You want to find life then you lay your life down you lose your life It is only coming to be reconciled to God that we can do that But being reconciled to God the end of that isn't feeling good about ourselves The end of that is to move ourselves out in service to the king of kings to a needy and broken world as agents of restoration And how should we go First thing we ought to say is we better go humbly to our world look at Michael chapter 4. You still have your bibles open I am not done yet Michael chapter 4 Who is God going to choose to be agents of kingdom restoration what does it say in verse 6 in that day declares the word I will assemble the what I will assemble the lame I will gather the outcast Even those whom I have afflicted I will make the lame or remnant in the outcast the strong nation How dare the church of Jesus Christ face our world with a triumplistic spirit that we are the ones who have the truth We are the ones who have it right We are the beloved of God and everyone else had better turned to God or they will be toast

How dare we write angry letters to the editor

How dare we Rebuke our neighbors How dare we look down on scorn at the Ted Kennedy's and this person or that entertainer or that person Who do we think we are if we really believe that we Are the big sinners in citrus and marion and wavy and hernando county Then we will approach our community with what Humanity let me tell you something I know what I'm talking about Because I am that arrogant Rear-end I'm the one who read those nasty some day I'm going to have to get in my car and go down the citrus county chronicle editorial board And say will you forgive me for the arrogant way I began my ministry in this community And I'm going to have to get in my car and ride to Karen Thurman's office As much as I would disagree with almost everything she stands for politically Words that came out of my mouth on paper Not the way that God wants his children to minister in this community We are the least we are the lame we are the crippled we are the afflicted Where do we get off thinking we are anything but the recipients of the grace of God For which we ought to be the most humble Second, you have to understand that if we're going to be Diking them calm livers in our world It's comprehensive I don't do that just by going to church we got to build strong churches churches are the hope of the world But it's all of life It's how I raise my family. It's how I work in church, but it's how I raise my family I think of my friend who who said he's walking down the street with his four-year-old kid and the four-year-old He's a homeless person who works up to his dad and his dad when the kingdom comes in all its fullness There won't be homeless people will there I thought I don't think I'm my kids whatever say anything like that. I don't think my kids are aware Like that But it's not only my contribution to the church. It's not only my contributions to the family It's everything I do every day that matters to God this journalism need to be restoration This politics need restoration. This banking need restoration. This does Nursing and medicine need restoration does education need restoration to the arts need restoration through Disports to the little kids sports need restoration Everything does every plant that has not been planted by the Lord Jesus Christ is to be pulled up by its roots As gods people go out into culture and declare that every square inch of Creation belongs to King Jesus And don't live this dichotomized life where you say oh, I hate that saying I hate it and people say Nobody says on their deathbed. I wish I'd spent more time at the office I want to suggest something people better start saying that on their deathbed Well, because it's really more important to love your family But love God then love your family then do your work. What do you like mr. Potato head? We report parts that we put in you know to our lives. Jesus says I'm Lord of everything And what you do in your vocation matters to me as much as what you do with your family What you do with your family matters as much as what you do with your vocation and matters of what you are with your church because all of it is mine And I want all of it and I want every part of you every part matter Wow all my life Lay down at the altar for King Jesus to use to bring restoration to this world So that whatever I do Monday through Friday with my hands I'm engaged in restoring the heavens and the earth as an agent of King Jesus the last thing I'm going to say is this restoration into the world it has to be humble. It has to be comprehensive, but it also It's it's it's just it involves service. It would be it would be beautiful It would be beautiful acts of kindness and love and generosity and truth which are impactful in our culture You know what St. Francis said he said preach the gospel and if you must Use words And so the world considers words particularly in our postmodern culture to be a lot of empty bladder, but the world's watching how you live Nicholas Christophe New York Times writer eminently liberal Journalist wrote last week In an editorial page column. He says I Have taken notice of those evangelical Christians And he struggled his whole column to say anything nice about evangelicals That was the point of the column to say something nice about evangelicals They could hardly bring himself to do it. Hey, they're obscurantist. They're narrow. They're quirky. They're weird They're moralistic He just couldn't help you know, but but pour out what what anybody will ever have to say when they talk about the church from his Liberal point of view But when he got all the way to the end he said I cannot discount these people anymore because wherever I go in the world They're there when I go to the sedan they're fighting slavery when I go to Africa They're the ones raising money for AIDS funding when I go to the Philippines and all that Other united nations of feed the hungry programs all the other groups have left because of Muslim a gorilla activity, but the church is still there Everywhere I go in the world the Church of Jesus Christ these Evangelicals are there And even unbelievers will sit up and take notice of that

When does the kingdom come? When is it on earth as it is in heaven? I saw my wife this week Grab up a young girl and take her shopping with her Just grab your and took her with her It's a young girl that's not very popular Nobody ever notices her My wife did In that moment it was on earth As it is in heaven God I'll go serve you make me a missionary to Botswana done in the know Pay attention to the little girl who lives next door. That's all I want you to do

When when our missions team to Mexico holds a little orphan And in that moment that little white face is pressed up against that little brown face And that child feels loved like God wants them to feel loved for that moment at least what It will be on earth as it is in heaven When our middle school kids help a homeless man in Miami Towards the dignity of providing for his own family and working and doing an honest days labor and taking care of himself For that moment you will be on earth as it is in heaven when our teams go to Chattanooga And they sit and sing about Jesus in government housing projects Where there's I think I remember they said of 400 households there were three male head of household And so when those men sit out and doing Bible Club with those little Children and those men are singing of Jesus and holding those children and wrestling them and playing football with them It'll be the only time those children ever experience that kind of mail-out mail contact and for that moment It will be on earth As it is in heaven when families adopt children That somebody else didn't want from this place when a family drives away from harvest Saturday with a trunk for a food So that they know they can make it another two weeks at that moment. It is on earth As it is in heaven. I hope something resonates in your heart to say I want my life to count for kingdom Restoration. How is the whole thing going to end? I know Do you I know how the whole story ends Jesus Is going to make everything new including you amen