I. Review from Session I.
A. Discerning the signs of the times.
1. Jesus said to discern the times. (Matt 16:1-3)
2. We’re in a 25 year time of transition. This has been prophesied and seen before in history.
a. Terry Bennett: 3 periods of 7 years.
b. The Fourth Turning, Strauss & Howe
3. Transitional times such as this have already happened 3 times before in American history. (Tends to be every fourth generation.)
B. What is happening during this transition?
1. These are times of intense upheaval and change.
a. Social and political, tribalism.
b. Old structures fall apart and those who are invested win them will cling to them.
c. Rapid advances in technology.
2. This transition is different from the others because of the increase of technology.
a. AI, bioengineering, crypto, etc.
3. Daniel 12:4
C. Takeaways from this information.
1. You do not have to collapse with the systems of this world because your citizenship is in a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
2. You do not, and should not, pick a side in this division because you are above the fray, seated with Christ in heavenly places. Instead, you can love everyone.
3. And when the world shakes, the kingdom stands and you stand with it.
II. Intro to this week.
A. Does it matter what lies on the other side of this transition period?
1. On the other side of this transition, a new social and economic order will emerge. But we don’t have to predict the future if we are living by the principles of an eternal kingdom.
2. As Christians we have already been brought into an order that Jesus ushered us into called the Kingdom of God. It never changes or passes away.
a. 1 Peter 2:9
b. Colossians 1:13
3. We may have to adapt to changes in the economy, but we don’t have to adopt the mindset of Babylon.
B. Living from the Kingdom of God.
1. Today, I want to talk about fully living in the Lord’s Kingdom by living according to the laws and principles of God’s kingdom.
a. Every governmental system has laws that govern the people under its domain.
b. If the people want to be successful, they will live by its laws.
c. The Kingdom of God has laws that we are to live by, and if we want to be successful, we will live by its laws.
2. Joshua 1:7&8
C. Does the Law still apply?
1. Does this scripture apply to us today? Are the laws no longer relevant?
2. Jesus said…
a. Matt 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the law, I did not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
b. Matt 5:18 “…until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota, not one dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.”
3. There were three categories of the Law of Moses.
a. National Law: applied to the nation of OT nation of Israel. No longer applies.
b. Ceremonial Law: applied to the Tabernacle & Temple. No longer applies.
c. Moral Law: applies to godly living and still applies.
4. We live in the time that was prophesied that the Law would be written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The moral law is written on our hearts.
5. Just like the Hebrews in the OT, we are God’s own special people, a holy nation.
a. Exodus 19:6 “…and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
b. 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…”
6. Laws for a nation will come and go with that nation.
a. The Ceremonial Law for the Old Covenant were fulfilled in Christ.
b. The National Laws for OT Israel ceased when the OT nation ceased.
c. The Moral law of God still applies to His holy people, and he has written that law on our hearts.
III. The first & second laws.
A. The first law: Walk in Love.
1. Jesus summarized the OT law into two parts: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt 22:37&38)
2. Gal 5:14 “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
3. Gal 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
4. This might seem obvious but what we often overlook is that ambition gets in the way of love. Fear and control get in the way of love.
5. We have to determine that we will walk in love even as the world system is falling apart and that self-preservation will not override love.
6. Develop a mindset of sacrificial love instead vs a mindset of a self-preserving hoarder.
7. In a world ruled by fear and ambition, love is the ultimate act of rebellion.
8. Do you know the difference between a thermostat and a thermometer?
a. A thermostat sets the temperature, a thermometer simply reads the temp.
b. Love is like a thermostat, it sets the atmosphere.
B. The second law: Prioritize God’s Kingdom.
1. Matthew 6:25-34
2. What laws do birds follow? What kingdom do birds owe allegiance to?
3. The mama falcon.
a. This falcon flew from South Africa to Finland, fitted with a GPS tracker.
b. Flew in a straight line until she reached the African desert, then followed the Nile.
c. Avoided the Med, and flew over Israel, Lebanon and Syria.
d. Avoided the Black Sea, flew over Turkey instead, then flew straight to Finland.
e. Took her 42 days, covering 143 miles/day.
4. Birds are in God’s kingdom. How do we know? Jesus said our Father in heaven feeds them. (Vs 26) Birds follow the laws God has established in nature and they follow their instinct.
a. Instinct: innate, unlearned behaviors, a natural impulse or feeling.
b. In other words, instinct is a law written on the heart.
c. They know where to find food wand water in every season because God has written on their heart.
d. You could say that instinct is written on their hearts.
5. Birds follow instinct, but we follow the inner witness of the Spirit.
6. And then Jesus uses the analogy of wildflowers, lilies of the field. (Vs 28) Jesus says the greatest glory of the human race can’t compare to the glory of God’s creation. And He lavishes His glory on grasses that live for such a short time and are then thrown into the fire.
7. If God cares for the birds and lavishes such glory on flowers that only last a short while, how much more will He not only care for us but lavish His glory on us, His own children?
a. If a bird with a brain the size of a walnut can find its way across deserts and continents, how much more will God lead you, filled with His Spirit.
8. Then Jesus brings the comparison closer to us. From birds and flowers to other humans, the Gentiles, people who are outside of the kingdom.
9. Jesus says that people in the kingdom of darkness prioritize food, clothing, shelter and glory, they seek these things first. But God’s people, seek His kingdom first, even before those things.
10. We must actively pursue the Lordship of Jesus in every area of our lives. We must know what God defines as right, true and just and do those things first. Everything else will be added to us.
a. Seeking the Kingdom first is a survival strategy.
IV. The Third Law: Be a Generous Giver.
A. 2 Corinthians 9.
1. 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
2. The on ramp into the kingdom economy is giving. God’s people are meant to live by faith and giving is one of the ways that we walk in faith.
3. Vs 6 shows us a one of the laws of the kingdom, we reap what we sow. If we only plant a little, we will only reap a little. Think of how much you want to reap, and sow accordingly.
4. Vs 7 shows us that this giving is an act of faith that requires gearing from God and being led by the Spirit.
a. as he purposes in his heart: what is the Spirit telling you to give at this stage?
b. grudgingly or of necessity: not with a bad attitude on your part or under compulsion of another.
c. Balance: what you can do joyfully from your own heart
5. BUT.. faith will always stretch us, otherwise it is not faith. What we do in faith is always just beyond what we can do without faith.
6. Analogy: If you have $1,000 now and I ask you for $10 next month, that doesn’t require faith from you. But if you have $10 now and I ask you for $100 next month, that requires faith.
7. Vs 8 When we live this way, when we have sown in faith, God is pours out His grace on us so that we will always have enough for ourselves and enough to give for kingdom works.
8. Jesus said in Luke 6:38: “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
9. God’s economy doesn’t run on scarcity, it runs on sowing and trust.
B. Vs 10&11
1. God will multiply our efforts, but we have to give Him something to work with.
2. Vs 10 God supplies the seed, multiplies it and increases it, but we have to sow it.
3. Seed for sowing and bread for eating: some to live on and some to give away.
4. Vs 11 Our generosity will result in God getting the glory from those we help.
V. Closing.
A. Start where you are.
1. It’s not how much we give, it’s our obedience to the Spirit in giving.
2. Don’t make the mistake of despising the little that you have, thinking it’s too little for God to do anything with.
a. This was the error of the servant who was given one talent.
b. He buried it in the ground because he thought it was insignificant.
c. What God has given you is not insignificant.
3. Just start with what you have and give it to God in faith.
4. God is looking at the faith, not the amount.
a. Widow with two mites
b. Macedonian church
5. If a widow’s mites were enough to catch the Lord’s attention, then your obedience, no matter how small, is more then enough to catch His blessing.
B. Fixed income, not currently working, etc.
1. We go through times in life where giving is tough.
2. These are the times when we lean into the Spirit and learn to follow more closely.
3. Remember that God is your source, not the gov’t or your employer.
4. Stand on God’s promises in the Word.
a. Phil 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
5. You may be on fixed income, but God’s income is unlimited. He doesn’t bless based on your source, He blesses based on your obedience.