This recording is from Christ Kingdom Church in Waterford Lakes, East Orlando. Visit us online at christkingum.org for our calendar, driving directions, and more audio recordings. If you have a bulletin or got one when you came in, there is a sermon insert that's in there that might prove to be helpful and following along there. If you like to do that, also as a scripture text, they're printed again for you. As I already mentioned just a minute ago, we are in a sermon series called Visionizing, meaning, well, again, another made up word of mind, but Vision, exercising, exercising that vision is something that has a tendency to leak. If you don't continue to keep filling yourself up with vision and the purpose and where you're headed in your direction, it will kind of leak out and you'll kind of forget about it or it will fade away, and you know it's important. You know that if you're in business, you know that if you are kids or you're at school, your teachers will keep talking about the big thing or these, you know, this test coming up at the end of the year or they were trying to get ready for whether it's AP exams or whatever else for that. But you're thinking with the end in mind, you're looking forward, you're always looking at where you're going. Those of you that are part of a family know that's important, right? No family vacation usually happens the next day. It happens months planned out thinking about what you want to do, where your values are, where you're going. Well, we need to be reminded of those truths and things as a church as well ourselves. And so here are in part three. If you missed either last week or two weeks ago, I'd encourage you. They're online. You can catch up with that. And especially Christ can you church at your home? I want to really encourage you to go back and listen to those. So you get some of the continuity of what we're trying to talk about in our vision as a church. So let me read our vision statement, purpose statement as a church. Just to start off, we remind us. It's bringing the gospel to our hearts, our church and the world around us. The first week we talked about bringing the gospel to our hearts last week we did to the church. And this week we'll talk about bringing it to the world around us. But let me review real quick week one. Week one was bringing the gospel to our hearts. And we said this. We said the good news is not a door to enter so much as it is a path to walk. Quotal Colossians 2.6. So then just as you've received Christ Jesus as Lord continue to live your lives in Him. They're bringing the gospel to ourselves. It's not just the way that we become followers of Jesus Christ. The way we become Christians and start and we leave that behind is if it was a doorway we enter through. But it is very much the pathway that we are to walk in our relationship with Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul makes that very clear in Colossians. Week two or last week we talked about the second principle and it was summarized by this. To walk in His love is to love and be loved by those He loves. To walk in His love is to love and to be loved by those He loves. And our text was John 1334-35 which said this. Jesus speaking, he said in New Command, I give you love one another as I have loved you. So you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. So we're told as well that we're not just to be walking this understanding of living in faith in Jesus Christ on a daily basis as a path but we are to call to do it in community. In fact, it's a very sign that Jesus says is how people are going to know that you're a follower of mine. It's that you're part of a community that's loving one another in a way that's different and unique from the world around them. Plenty of those that don't follow Jesus Christ love one another. But Jesus says in New Commandment, I give you not because there's never been mentioned in the Old Testament but because it was being displayed now through His love on the cross. Jesus was dying for His enemies. Jesus was being put to death and becoming sin on our behalf. Jesus gives and wrecks the whole paradigm of what love looks like to being something that is self-sacrificial. Something that is truly unconditional, something that the world looks for longs for tries to imitate but can't outside of the love of Jesus Christ having experienced it for themselves so that they can share it with others. And this week now we're going to look at the third component bringing the gospel to the world around us. We're called not just to love God and to do that by following Jesus Christ into love one another but we're called to also share this good news with those around us. And our Texas morning which I'll read again right now is Isaiah 52.7. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, your God reigns. Peace, good tidings or some translations will say good news of happiness. So peace, happiness and salvation or another way of saying rescue, who in this life hasn't long for some point or another or every day some level peace, happiness. Rescue from life struggles and lives problems. It's good news that Jesus brings. It's not news that nobody wants to hear. It's news that we are all longing for and wanting to hear. So we're going to look at two important truths this morning. This is where you want to follow that outline along and your bulletin insert might be helpful if you choose to do that. And the first principle is this, the world wants and needs good news. The world wants and needs good news. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace. The world wants and needs peace. Some research I looked at and discovered this week, 80% of Americans are stressed by their job situation. 77% of us experience physical symptoms due to stress on a regular basis. 73% experience psychological symptoms due to stress on a regular basis. 33% report that they are living with extreme stress. One third of Americans. 48% report lying awake at night due to stress. Half of us having trouble sleeping at night due to stress. Here's a horrific irony as I thought about a little bit this week. So many are depressed and despairing because they are physically dying of disease or old age. At the same time, so many kill themselves because they are depressed. What kind of vicious cycle is that? Where is the peace that we want? Where is the peace that we're longing for that we need? Well, the Bible uses a term at least in the Hebrew for peace called Shalom. And it's not a simple word. It's a word that can also be used as a greeting to one another and you might hear that. And you probably have heard the word, but the word is fairly complex in some of its understanding. Let me tell you some of the definitions. Shalom means things like completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord. Shalom, the Hebrew word for peace. I mean, I was a list of like ten things there. How many of you would just be happy? Give me two. I'll just take two out of ten. In some days, when you just be glad for one, could I just feel a little rest today? You know, or completeness could some box be checked today? There's something longing in each of us for peace for Shalom. The world is longing for it and God knows it that we want it. God knows that we want it and God knows that we need it both and the same. Jesus speaking in John 14, 27, right before He's going to die in a cross, by the way, He says, Peace, I leave with you, my peace, I give you. I do not give it to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. And hours later, Jesus would be hanging on a cross. Certainly not peace the way the world offers it to us, is it? It's heavenly peace. It's peace that comes and intercedes and intercepts earth. It's peace that transcends the problems and the struggles of the day because it is eternal. And it deals with eternal issues. Jesus brings good news of peace. But this text here, the prophet Isaiah shares more than just that. The world wants and needs happiness. The world wants and needs happiness. The text says, how beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace and who bring good tidings. If you're reading from a ESV translation or maybe the New American Standard translation, it will actually say good news of happiness. It brings happiness. Researchers, Lemborski, King, and Deener found in one of their studies that there are some, here are some actual statistics. Happier people, live longer, in fact, happier people have stronger immune systems. Happier people have produced superior work outcomes. Happier people benefit their family communities and society at large more. Statistically measured happiness is something we want, something we need. Americans consider happiness by the way, statistically more important than money, more important than moral goodness, and more important than even dying and going to heaven, based on polls. Happiness, it's right at the top of the list. The country, our country was founded on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Of all the countries in the world, the USA ranks by the way 23rd as having the most experience, those people, citizens, experience, and report being happy the most. I'm not sure any other country lists as they're in their declaration of independence or purpose, the pursuit of happiness. And we're 23rd, the freest country on earth, we like to think. The one with the most opportunities, time magazine in a July article reported or had an article called the happiness of pursuit, maybe some of you read it. Here are some statistics about that. Trying to keep ourselves stimulated was one of the subtitles of this is this idea of keeping ourselves happy. $118 billion is spent on travel every year, just in the US. $25 billion spent attending sporting events. $11 billion on movie tickets between us and Canada. $140 billion on buying recreational equipment. $200 billion on electronics. $10 billion on self-improvement tools. Since 1972, only one-third of Americans have described themselves as very happy. Only a third of us. Since 2004, the number of Americans who identify themselves as optimist has plummeted from 79% to 50%. Just since 2004. 20% of us will suffer from a mood disorder at some point in our lives. More than 30% will suffer from an anxiety disorder at some point. Before reaching 18 years old, 11% will have been diagnosed with depression. 25% of women in America are taking antidepressants. 48% of women and 44% of men admit to eating as a way to improve their mood. 60% of us feel worse about ourselves after being on social media. If you thought Facebook was making you happy, I'm sorry, it's not. I'm not sure what it's doing, but it's not making you happier. We're not improving in the area of happiness. We're struggling all the more. We're looking for more things to stimulate us in ways that will bring happiness. God knows we want and need happiness. John 10, 10. Jesus said, the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. But I have come that they may have life. They may have it to its fullest or in abundance. Galatians 5, 22. The apostle Paul tells us what is the fruit of the spirit. Not fruits and a bunch of different things. You might have the fruit. If the spirit's living inside of you, what will you experience? Love, joy, peace, et cetera. Peace, joy, or happiness, or all things that come from God. There are fruit of the Holy Spirit's presence working in our lives. No wonder they're not going to be found out here by other things stimulating us. Why are the feet beautiful on the mountain? You might wonder. Think about it. Messengers would come bringing good news. This is before telephones and newspapers and things like that. If you wanted to get good news and it was transferred, somebody was going to come and tell you it personally. When you saw a messenger coming at a distance and you saw him, especially even Jerusalem, other places you had mountains and things around, you would see them on the hill. People would know because you could kind of tell by the pace of the person coming. The demeanor on their face, even at a distance, was it good news or bad news? When you see the messenger at a quick pace, maybe looking bright, good news is on its way. Isaiah is saying, look, good news is coming. Jesus is saying, I am the good news, the gospel. It's here, and we're not a proclaim it. The news is so good that even though it hasn't arrived yet, Isaiah says the celebration should start to begin. Well, the world not only wants a needs piece and wants a needs happiness, but the world wants a needs rescue from life's problems. The text says, how beautiful in the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings of happiness, who proclaim salvation, being saved, being rescued. The word we would normally use today. None of us, if we're honest right, like to need rescue. But when we need rescue, we want it. Agreed? None of us go out there. You know this would be a good day to get rescued. Let's see, can I jump out of a boat? Can I, you know, purpose you want out of gas in my car? What can I do? None of us want it. But when we need it, we want it. Remember the first time one of my kids, so this would have been Michael. I'm sorry, Michael, if you're listening. One of the first times, Michael had a diaper blowout. Okay, and I'm talking about the blowout kind. You know, like cup run-off over kind of thing here. You know, and it was like Laura, you know, a little bit louder than that, a little more intense. Or it's, you know, Roe reversal here, it's a little bit more like when Laura comes across a, let's say an insect somewhere inside the house. And it's got come here. It's crying out for rescue. You don't want it, but when you need it, you want it. Or like in 2004, many of us had a hurricane charlie that came through. This was the time, the moment when the church rescued me. Our fence was wiped out. And when you have a dog and the neighbors have dogs and so on, and also like that. You know, not having a fence is a big deal. And I had a bunch of people from the church come over and rescued me by putting back up a fence. You don't want to be rescued unless you need it. And we all need it. It's constantly full of problems, isn't it, of challenges, of dilemmas, of obstructions, of distractions, things that we feel like we need rescue from on a regular basis. If you're watching in the news this week, Martin Manley, who usually wrote news stories, or released sports news stories, has been all over the news this past week. Sports journalist, he was who at the age of 60, back on August 15th, just a week or so ago, driven by fear of dying and longing for significance actually planned in detail his own suicide. And released the very same morning a blog that he'd been working on for over a year, of all the reasons why recounting his life story and so on. Pretty weird and pretty disturbing thing. Here's a quote from his blog that he wrote. He says this, quote, I decided that there simply was no way on this planet that I was going to be vulnerable in my old age. I wasn't going to hope someone would relieve my pain or come to see me when I was alone. I wasn't going to take a chance of ever running out of money or living in stress. I wasn't going to be exposed to people laughing at me or taking advantage of me. I did what I did because I was still on top at age 60, but lacked any confidence that would be from much longer. Martin Manley, although he was a professing Christian by the way, felt like the only thing that could rescue him from some of these things he feared, was himself taking control or what he thought was control of how he would end life. But it wasn't just the fear of the future from Martin Manley, it was the fear of obscurity. Also in his blog he says this, another quote from him he says, let me ask you a question. After you die you can be remembered by a few line obituary for one day in a newspaper when you're too old to matter to anyone or in any way. Or you can be remembered for years by a site such as this that was my choice and I chose the obvious. And right with that he quotes Antonio Portia, one lives in the hope of becoming a memory. Martin Manley desired to be remembered more than what a two, three, four line obituary would do at a point when very few people cared. He was longing for some kind of transcendent moment, sadly that he wouldn't be around to see or observe but he would believe would help him leave a mark. Martin Manley longed for significance by choosing to die on his terms with the diary for those to read about in a way in a hope that he could live on somehow. The world is longing for rescue. God knows it. He knows we want it. He knows we need it. Jesus said in Luke 1910, for the son of man came to seek and save the lost. Possible Paul writing in Romans 5, 8 says this, but God demonstrates his own love for us in this that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. He came to rescue. Jesus brings good news of peace, good news of happiness and yes good news of rescue. The text says, how beautiful in the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say design your God reigns. But beautiful feet? Seriously? Have you looked at your feet lately? I don't even like looking at my own feet if I'm honest. Do you realize that 2,000 years ago, or even longer when Isaiah is writing about this, the feet were one of the most nastiest parts of the body you could even mention or talk about and nobody talked about feet. And certainly nobody called feet beautiful. Why was it such a part of a common courtesy of even a sign of respect to wash people's feet when they came into your house? Because they needed it, because you're walking through stuff all the time. What is Isaiah saying, prophesying by the Spirit of God? This news is so good. Not just when you had a distance on the mountain, but the feet that are bringing it are beautiful. It's good news. It's that good. God's bringing it. He brought it in Jesus Christ. He brings it to us and invites us to share it with the world around us. Some of us might be thinking here right now, so since the world wants it and needs news, let's just give it to them. Let's just tell them, let's just make sure they hear it. Make sure everybody gets a chance to hear it, because if they hear it, certainly they'll believe it and if they believe it, certainly they'll experience it. And then Jesus can come back and this can all be over with and we can move on to the new heavens and the new earth and things will be fine. But there's a problem. It's number two this morning. Jesus brings good news that the world doesn't want but needs. Jesus brings good news that the world doesn't want but desperately needs. And here's where it becomes a battle for us as those who have come to trust and followed Jesus Christ to share it with those around us. Listen to, again, a text, how beautiful in the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings of good news or happiness, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, your God reigns. Jesus brings good news offering peace. Yes, offering happiness. Yes, offering rescue from life's problems. Yes, by raining as king over hearts surrendered to him. That is a very important part of the good news, who say to Zion, your God reigns. The gospel aim is for his reign. I want you to remember that this morning, the gospel aim, gospel good news, the good news aim is for his reign. It's not just the end result you're going for, but it is how God brings peace. It's how God brings happiness. It's how God rescues us. It's not an optional thing for those that are more mature in Christ to come and understand him as Lord and King of their lives. Now, nobody comes to follow Jesus Christ truly without fully understanding to some extent that he is a king to be followed. Now, none of us follow him rightly as a king perfectly at all, and you were close to it, right? But to receive and to follow the Lord Jesus Christ is to follow the one who Scripture says is King of kings and Lord of lords. And who under heaven there's no other name by which men and women are saved other than the name of Jesus. The good news or gospel isn't complete until it includes the proclaimed Zion, your God reigns. The world doesn't want to say your God reigns or my God reigns. We are born with a sin nature that doesn't want to be told that there is a creator king and you're not him. That's what the Bible says, a sinful nature is another sign of it is that we're born that way and we don't want that. We don't want a king much less admit that we need a king, which is what the Scriptures are teaching. It's like a child that doesn't think that he or she needs a parent. You know, children want to set their own bed times. If you let them or ask them, do you want to set your own bed time? Let me tell you, the answer will be yes, okay? It won't be something they struggle with. But the next morning or the next day when they're struggling and they're tired and they're grumpy and they can't process things and they're wondering what's going wrong with that. They will acknowledge or at least notice some of you right that they needed a bed time. Children want to eat on demand until they have a stomach ache because they ate on demand. What they want is not what they need. Children don't want to share until they want a sibling to share with them. And then they see the importance of sharing. What they want is not what they need. Jesus brings good news that the world doesn't want but needs. The gospel aim is for his reign. See, we are actually spiritually born in a condition that's worse than just being a child in a spiritual sense. We're born believing we're orphans. We're born believing that we don't have a father in heaven. We're born believing that there's not a creator God who cares for us and who cares for us so much that he would send his son to die in the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. So that we might be forgiven so that Jesus might be take our place a punishment. We might take his place of honor and welcome into the family of God rescued back in. We don't want to believe that. We live like orphans believing that we don't have a father in heaven who has made a way to be reconciled to him. I remember the story I've shared before in the past about the Romanian orphanage. Hopefully this orphanage doesn't still exist but one was reporting back on it in a news article about how they went there to visit the orphans. And in one room there were about 30 cribs in this Romanian orphanage. They went in and they were shocked as they entered the room because it was so quiet. Now all of us here have had just, you know, many of us here at least have had at least one child in a crib and they're not silent very much at the time. You know, at least not in a crib by themselves unless they're asleep, all 30, quiet. Why? Because crying never had gotten these kids any results because they had learned and associated isolation and aloneness. And the body will do amazing things to conserve energy. Quiet. It was a sign of neglect and isolation. Children not crying in cribs at all. We do that spiritually. We have learned to not expect response in the spiritual realm or to think there's not going to be response in the spiritual realm. So we pretend we don't have a father in heaven and we pretend that spiritually there's nothing there rather than something that's dead there that longs to be alive. You know orphans have a unique characteristic. They don't distinguish between what and need anymore. Children from healthy homes with parents that are engaged, they understand or at least they will kind of get it and as they get older they do. The difference between what and need orphans don't. There's no need for distinction. Jesus brings good news that the world doesn't want but needs. The gospel aim is for his reign. God knows that we need his reign, his ruling over our lives because that is how he made us. But it's not what the world teaches us. The world teaches us, especially in this country of things like, hey, lottery's. Take a chance. Make it big. You can make it happen. Just the right look. American Idol. You can go from obscurity to fame overnight. Reality TV shows. Many other things like that. They want us that tell us that opportunity is only a decision or a moment away that could lead to happiness, could lead to peace and rescue. Contrast that with what got so much attention the last couple of weeks. Ashton Kutcher's speech at the Teen Choice Awards. You probably have at least seen a clip of it or heard about it. Here's what he said that kind of rocked at least the teens and many here. I believe he says that opportunity looks a lot like hard work. I've never had a job in my life that was better than. I was always just lucky to have a job. And every job I had was a stepping stone to my next job. And I never quit my job until I had my next job. And so opportunities look a lot like hard work. People who don't like Ashton Kutcher all of a sudden think that's a speech worth listening to that we need to hear. And we all can think of somebody that needs to hear that speech. Can't we? But somebody thinking that we need to hear that speech as well. We look at that and we go yeah, we want success but we need to understand the importance of hard work. There's things that we want and there's things that we need. And what we want can be a scared from the things that we really need. And that's why we like a speech like that. One thing that also we can understand is too that we often set up for what we want instead of going deep for what we really need. At some point we give up along the way we decide you know let's just kind of just get a little bit here. Instead of what we really want is what we need down the road. See us Lewis in a sermon in 1941 preaching he describes it this way. He says if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the gospels. It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us. Like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. And John Piper, a current pastor, author, preacher, writing about Lewis's quote says this. He says the enemy is not that our desire for pleasure is too strong but it's too weak. We have settled for a home, a family, a few friends, a job, a television, a microwave oven, an occasional night out, a yearly vacation, or perhaps even a new personal computer. We have accustomed ourselves to much meager short-lived pleasures that our capacity for joy has shriveled and so our worship has shriveled. Many can scarcely imagine what is meant by a holiday at the sea compared to worshiping a living God.
Good news, or the gospel, is not complete without the good news that Jesus will reign and rule over us as rightful, true, king. And we are settling for far too little, for far much less. If we think that that is not the solution and the answer, the one who created us, the one who has loved us and given himself for us, the one who has poured out his spirit, the one who said I will never leave you or forsake you. Let me say a couple of very important things right now. It is not good news to believe or to tell others that God will give them peace apart from the reigning of Jesus Christ in their lives. That is not good news. It's a different gospel. It's a lie. The gospel aim is for his reign. Peace comes only under the reign of Christ in your life. So my question to you this morning, Christ's kingdom churches, does your life live and does your life share this good news? That when Jesus says he is prince of peace, when he says he will give you the comforter who is the one that will be the counselor, the one who brings peace, that you have found your peace in him. Being reconciled to God, giving you a ministry reconciliation the Apostle Paul says to one another, that's your ministry, bringing peace, experiencing with the father through Jesus Christ yourself and then sharing it with those around you, comes through Christ. It's not good news to believe or tell others that God will bless them with joy or happiness apart from the reigning of Christ in their lives. Would that be a popular thing to tell people? You bet. What somebody want to buy your book if you wrote that? You bet. What somebody come to your church? Have you preached that? Oh yeah, they would. It's a different gospel. It's a lie. The gospel aim is for his reign. Happiness comes only under the reign of Christ in your life. The sermon on the mountain where Jesus goes and he talks about the be attitudes as we like to call it. He says, blessed is this, blessed is that. The word blessed there is also accurately translated, happy. When Jesus comes and says happy are the poor in spirit and happier are those who mourn because they will be comforted and happier are those who are persecuted and so on because they will see God. Jesus is coming and saying look, there is a level of happiness that you haven't even delved in and touched experience yet until you have come to understand that I'm king and Lord of your life if you follow me. To line yourselves with me and to rely on my Holy Spirit, the gospel aim is for his reign. So let me ask you, Christ's kingdom, sure says your life that you live and the life that you share with others does it proclaim the good news about joy and happiness in where it's found. And it's not good news to believe or tell others that God will rescue them if they do not see and understand the reign of Jesus Christ and their lives is not optional or a sign of a more serious or mature Christian. Jesus only rescues those who come and trust him as king and Lord of their lives. It's a different gospel to say something else. It's a lie because the gospel aim is for his reign. How blessed are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, your God reigns. Beautiful feet, celebrate at a distance. For Jesus to reign, if you're thinking here, especially for those who may be who say, hey, I'm honest, I'm not sure I'm following Jesus Christ right now. I know I'm not following Jesus Christ. I'm kind of here observing. It could sound very self-serving. Couldn't it? Or doesn't it? That's saying, yeah, well, this Jesus guy is kind of like, hey, I'm king. You got to do what I say. Come on, step up. Let's get going here. It could sound very self-serving. But our faith in Christ gives us union with Christ and inheritance with them. John Milton in his classic Paradise Lost writes about the thinking of those remaining in rebellion against God. In my resonate with some of you here, you might have seen a bumper sticker or a t-shirt of it. I know I have. It is better to reign in hell than serve in heaven. But the crazy irony about that is that it's just the opposite. Second Timothy 2, 11-13, Apostle Paul writes, he says, here's a trustworthy statement. If we died with him, we will also live with him. If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us. It's a trustworthy statement. Jesus invites you to be set free from the bondage of sin and death. That comes from living a self-centered life apart and broken fellowship with God because of sin. He invites you to come, be seated with Christ in the heavenly places, to the inheritance that is what Christ has earned for you that you share in with him. Jesus asks his disciples at one point, who do you say that I am? Very profound question. Let me close with this. Kevin DeYoung, who's another pastor, wrote a blog about this, called, who do you say that I am? Here's what he says, think about this. There's the Republican Jesus, who is against tax increases and activist judges for family values and owning firearms. There's Democrat Jesus, who is against Wall Street and Walmart for reducing our carbon footprint and printing money. There's therapist Jesus, who helps us cope with vice problems. Heels our past, tells us how valuable we are and not to be so hard on ourselves. There's Starbucks Jesus, who drinks fair trade coffee, loves spiritual conversations, drives a hybrid and goes to film festivals. There's open-minded Jesus, who loves everyone all the time, no matter what, except for people who are not as open-minded as you. There's Touchdown Jesus, who helps athletes run faster and jump higher than non-Christians and determines the outcomes of Super Bowls. There's Martyr Jesus, a good man who died of cruel death so that we can feel sorry for him. There's Gentle Jesus, who was meek and mild with high cheekbones flowing here and walks around barefoot wearing a sash while looking very German. There's hippie Jesus, who teaches everyone to give peace a chance. Imagine a world without religion and helps us remember that all you need is love. Then there's Yuppie Jesus, who encourages us to reach our full potential, reach for the stars and buy a boat. There's Spirituality Jesus, who hates religion, churches, pastors, priests and doctrine and would rather have people out in nature finding the God within while listening to ambiguously spiritual music. There's Platitude Jesus, good for Christmas specials, greeting cards and bad sermons, inspiring people to believe in themselves. There's Revolutionary Jesus, who teaches us to rebel against a status quo, stick it to the man and blame things on the system. There's Guru Jesus, a wise, inspirational teacher who believes in you and helps you find your center. There's Boyfriend Jesus, who wraps his arms around you as we sing about his intoxicating love in our secret place. There's good example Jesus, who shows you how to help people change the planet and become a better you. And then he writes, and then there's Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, not just another prophet, not just another rabbi, not just another wonder worker. He was the one they had been waiting for, the son of David and Abraham's chosen seed, the one to deliver us from captivity, the goal of the Mosaic Law, Yahweh in the flesh, the one to establish God's reign and rule, the one to heal the sick. Give sight to the blind, free them to the prisoners and proclaim good news to the poor. The Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. This Jesus was the creator, come to earth in the beginning of a new creation. He embodied the covenant, fulfilled the commandments, and reversed the curse. This Jesus is the Christ that God spoke of to the serpent, the Christ prefigured to Noah in the flood, the Christ promised to Abraham, the Christ prophesied through Balaam before the Moabites, the Christ guaranteed to Moses before he died. The Christ promised to David when he was king, the Christ revealed to Isaiah as a suffering servant, the Christ predicted through the prophets, it prepared for through John the Baptist. This Christ was not a reflection of the current mood or the projection of our own desires. He is Lord and God. He is the Father's Son, Savior of the world, and substitute for our sins, more loving, more holy, and more wonderfully terrifying than we ever thought possible. He is king of kings, and he is Lord of lords, and the gospel aim is for his reign, and let me tell you, Christ kingdom church. Those aren't part of our church, you're in the locker room with us, but you're welcome to listen here. When we start embracing and living, understanding that God's blessings come through his lordship and reign in our lives, we will be different. We will be transformed, and people will smell it around us, and go, there's something different there. You, there's something about you, I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's, I've never quite experienced it before, and when they ask you, or when they ask us, we'll say, let me introduce you to somebody. His name is Jesus. Let me tell you what he's done in history, let me tell you what he's done in my life. Let me tell you what he's done with some of my friends here at this church. Let me tell you what he is ready to do in your life. Would it be one day that this community would go, how beautiful are the feet of those people at that church? Because they bring good news. Good news that they discovered and are living and are found. Let's pray. God, I ask that you would come, and you would ignite your heart and your vision for us as a church in this community. And for us specifically here, God, to embrace the gospel, that we are on a journey ourselves, we have not, and we will never have arrived, to preach this gospel to ourselves and believe it. God, that we are on a journey as a church, a community here, and one that I hope will grow with others that are coming to find it as well, that we are loving and learning to be loved and love one another as you've loved us, and to do it well by your power in us. God, that we would be a community here that would preach the good news that we've experienced ourselves and share it with those around us, that are God reigns. And those would say, yes, he does, I can see it in your life, and I want him to reign in mine. God, will we go forth in that kind of power? Would you do your work in us, for your glory, and for your honor? We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.