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The Provocative Church-The Gospel And The Kingdom (4 of 6)

By Charlie Vensel | June 14, 2008

NOTE: This Sermon Series is based on Graham Tomlin’s Book, The Provocative Church, and a sermon series done by Rev. John Holland at New Covenant Anglican Church in Oviedo, FL.

We are in the fourth week of the six-week series of sermons entitled, The Provocative Church. The main idea of the series is that evangelism has two steps. First, we create desire and provoke questions among the unreached. Second, when they ask about the reasons for our faith and life, we give simple, honest accounts of our trust in Jesus as Lord. In past weeks, we’ve seen that we create desire and provoke questions by being deeply satisfied with God, by living public, holy lives and by listening obedience to our lord. When we live in these ways we are a provocative church, a society of King Jesus. As St. Peter wrote, “…in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1Peter 3:15 NIV)

Last week, we took a look at the kingdom of God. What is the kingdom? It is an important question not least because the kingdom was the central message of Jesus’ ministry. A great way to understand the kingdom is simply the words our Lord taught us to pray, “…your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 NIV) The kingdom of God is where the one true God is loved and obeyed as king. The kingdom comes when we carry out his will here on earth the way his desires are obeyed in heaven. The hope of Jesus’ prayer is that one day earth would be heaven. If that hope is true, then it is the best news imaginable. To the good news of the kingdom, we turn our attention this morning.

Let us pray…

Take a look at these two photographs. The first, in the top left hand corner of the screen, is from D-Day, the storming of the beach at Normandy. The second, in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, is the evacuation of Americans at the end of the Vietnam Conflict. Each picture captures a strikingly different scene in American military history and can create a profoundly different emotive experience in the American psyche. Aside from the obvious military overtones which do not apply, I wonder which picture you think presents a better image of the gospel? Take a moment and consider.

Did God step into human history only in the end to rescue people out of an irreparably broken world? Or did he storm into a world enslaved to evil so that justice and beauty and peace might return? Is the gospel good news that Jesus leads an evacuation? Or is the good news that Jesus leads an invasion? Is he lord of heaven only or lord of heaven and earth alike?

As we saw last week, the Bible tells the story of the kingdom of God, and the kingdom means that God’s will is increasingly being done here on earth the way it is done in heaven (perhaps that is not as obvious to us as Americans now as it once was, but in the 2/3rds world, something very different is going on; our brothers and sisters around the world have caught this vision and live it out and the fruit is amazing). But, I digress.

The kingdom comes when God reigns here as he does there. The good news is like D-Day. The gospel, the basic and central Christian message, is that the one Creator God is indeed king of heaven and earth. He is sovereign over all the affairs of mankind. He is good and wise and loving and just. And if he is, then he must, will, and has done something about the brokenness in the world and in each of us.

The gospel is a story of how God has done something in Jesus. The good news is that the kingdom of God has come in him. Ironically, many gospel presentations make little or no mention of what made the good news so good for Jesus. They give us four spiritual laws, two ways to live or a bridge to life, which are important, but do they tell the story of the kingdom?

Mostly, no. They are atomistic salvation messages only. One is not led to see the big picture, their role in redemptive history; it is as Jesus just popped down out of the sky one day, with no context of the past, and no context for the future except that you must be saved. It is sad, really. They are often very incomplete; the gospel is about so much more than your individual salvation; it is about the kingdom of God becoming manifest.

J.R.R. Tolkien said that every truly great story is a “eucatastrophe”. Tolkien made that word up, most likely from the words euphoria and catastrophe. If you feel euphoria, you are in a state of exceeding joy and excitement. You might even say jubilation. And a catastrophe is a disaster or a terrible accident, a tragedy. By combining these two words, Tolkien meant to say that the greatest stories seem to end in catastrophe, only at the last moment to turn into euphoria. As Tolkien said, the gospel is the greatest and ultimately only true “eucatastrophe”.

• In Adam, mankind is mired in exile from God’s presence, oppressed by the power of sin and death and guilty before a holy God.
• Israel’s long history only made the state of all humanity more obvious, yet God made promises to Israel so that through Israel he might save the world.
• In Jesus, the true Israel and son of David, God became man. He invaded a broken world, born of a woman and the eternal Son of God.
• During his life, he did good to all he met. He healed those marred by the brokenness of this world.
• He forgave those trapped by sin.
• He released those under the tyranny of the devil.
• And then he gave himself on a Roman cross, drawing out evil’s full fury onto himself. He paid the penalty for the sin of the world.
• By his sacrifice he broke the back of evil.
• And on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead, conquering death and the grave.
• He ascended into heaven to reign as king until all his enemies are subdued.
• One day he will return to judge the living and the dead, to put all wrongs right, to make all things well and all things new.

God’s reign came to earth in Jesus. By his resurrection and ascension he is the king of heaven and earth. The gospel is as succinct as the words Peter said to Cornelius in Acts 10, “Jesus Christ… is Lord of all.” (Acts 10:36 NIV) Can you say that?

The gospel is as simple as the earliest Christian confession, “Jesus is Lord”. If you can say those three words, then you know how to share the gospel. If you know how to tell the story of Jesus’ life, then you know how to tell the gospel. The good news is that God has come to claim his kingship over the world in Jesus of Nazareth. As Psalm 96 says, “Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.” (Psalms 96:10 NIV) Yes, dear friends, you can say the good news, but will you? Will I? When the question is provoked, when the Spirit opens the door, will we tell the story, make the royal announcement of the world’s true Lord?

This gospel of the kingdom of God through Jesus’ lordship must be shared and enacted. It is announced with deeds and words. You can see that in the reading from Isaiah. The servant of the Lord announces the good news to the poor and proclaims the year of the Lord’s favor. He speaks the words, but he also binds up the broken hearted, liberates the captives, frees the prisoners, and comforts the mourners. As Peter recounts the story of the Jesus in Acts 10, he speaks about what Jesus did in Galilee, and in Mark 1 when Jesus begins his ministry, he makes the announcement the kingdom is around the corner.

The gospel must be both demonstrated and proclaimed. As Graham Tomlin writes, “Without actions, no one listens; without words, no one understands.” Some would say that his words were more important. Jesus actions were just proofs that his words were true. It almost sounded like, if you have true faith, you’ll believe the message without any demonstration.

Another writer claimed that Jesus’ actions of the kingdom – things like healing and exorcisms and miracles – were most important, and his words were explanation of the deeds.

It reminds me of the somewhat false dichotomy between Protestants and Catholics. Protestants emphasize the Word, the Scriptures, and the sermon but minimize the Sacraments and history of the Church, and the Catholics emphasize the sacraments and structures and minimize the sermon and the Scriptures. But we’re Anglicans, Reformed Catholics, and we hold word and sacrament, or message and action.

When we share the gospel, both are essential. In our culture people distrust truth claims and grand stories, so actions often must come first but that doesn’t mean the message is less essential. St. Francis is grossly misunderstood when he said, “Travel everywhere, preach the gospel, and use words when necessary.” In this day and age, it is far better for us to interpret his saying as, “Live where you are, demonstrate life under God’s reign and say, ‘Jesus is Lord.’”

While working as a journalist for the Chicago Tribune, Lee Strobel was assigned to report on the struggles of an impoverished, inner-city family during the weeks leading up to Christmas. A devout atheist at the time, Strobel was mildly surprised by the family’s attitude in spite of their circumstances. By his account:

The Delgados, 60-year-old Perfecta and her granddaughters, Lydia and Jenny, had been burned out of their roach-infested tenement and were now living in a tiny, two-room apartment on the West Side. As I walked in, I couldn’t believe how empty it was. There was no furniture, no rugs, nothing on the walls, only a small kitchen table and one handful of rice. That’s it. They were virtually devoid of possessions.

In fact, 11-year-old Lydia and 13-year-old Jenny owned only one short-sleeved dress each, plus one thin, gray sweater between them. When they walked the half-mile to school through the biting cold, Lydia would wear the sweater for part of the distance and then hand it to her shivering sister, who would wear it the rest of the way.

But despite their poverty and the painful arthritis that kept Perfecta from working, she still talked confidently about her faith in Jesus. She was convinced he had not abandoned them. I never sensed despair or self-pity in her home; instead, there was a gentle feeling of hope and peace.

Strobel completed his article, then moved on to more high-profile assignments. But when Christmas Eve arrived, he found his thoughts drifting back to the Delgados and their unflinching belief in God’s providence. In his words, “I continued to wrestle with the irony of the situation. Here was a family that had nothing but faith, and yet seemed happy, while I had everything I needed materially, but lacked faith; and inside I felt as empty and barren as their apartment.”

In the middle of a slow news day, Strobel decided to pay a visit to the Delgados. When he arrived, he was amazed at what he saw. Readers of his article had responded to the family’s need in overwhelming fashion, filling the small apartment with donations. Once inside, Strobel encountered new furniture, appliances, and rugs, a large Christmas tree with stacks of wrapped presents, bags of food, and a large selection of warm winter clothing. Readers had even donated a generous amount of cash.

But it wasn’t the gifts that shocked Lee Strobel, an atheist in the middle of Christmas generosity. It was the family’s response to those gifts. Again in his words:

As surprised as I was by this outpouring, I was even more astonished by what my visit was interrupting: Perfecta and her granddaughters were getting ready to give away much of their newfound wealth. When I asked Perfecta why, she replied in halting English: “Our neighbors are still in need. We cannot have plenty while they have nothing. This is what Jesus would want us to do.”

That blew me away! If I had been in their position at that time in my life, I would have been hoarding everything. I asked Perfecta what she thought about the generosity of the people who had sent all of these goodies, and again her response amazed me. “This is wonderful; this is very good,” she said, gesturing toward the largess. “We did nothing to deserve this—it’s a gift from God. But,” she added, “It is not his greatest gift. No, we celebrate that tomorrow. That is Jesus.”

To her, this child in the manger was the undeserved gift that meant everything; more than material possessions, more than comfort, more than security. And at that moment, something inside of me wanted desperately to know this Jesus, because, in a sense, I saw him in Perfecta and her granddaughters.

They had peace despite poverty, while I had anxiety despite plenty. They knew the joy of generosity, while I only knew the loneliness of ambition. They looked heavenward for hope, while I only looked out for myself. They experienced the wonder of the spiritual, while I was shackled to the shallowness of the material, and something made me long for what they had. Or, more accurately, for the One they knew.

What can we learn from Lee, Perfecta, and her daughters? Well, like Lee, we need to be in relationship with those that have less. Like Perfecta and her daughters, we need to be in relationship with those who have greater needs than we do. Who do you know that is struggling financially? Who do you know that has need of some of life’s basic necessities? If you do not, why not? More to the point, who do you know that needs to be loved as God loves us? Who do you know that needs to see the gospel in action, as well as hear it?

As Lee Strobel discovered, the Gospel, by its very announcement and enactment, demands a response. When it is shared and seen, some people find faith welling up inside. They want to believe. They want to turn away from worshiping other things and running life by other directors. In the language of the Bible, repentance and faith. As Jesus said when he launched his public career with the news of God’s kingdom, “Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15 NIV)

And, the Gospel not only demands repentance and faith but also calls for discipleship. In Mark 1 immediately after recording the heart of Jesus’ message, the writer gives us the story of Jesus calling the first apostles. They were evidently successful small business men in the fishing industry. Jesus said come fish for people. Now the kind of fishing Peter, Andrew, James and John practiced was not line fishing but net fishing. You went out in a boat and tossed weighted nets into the lake. Then you pulled them back into the boat for the catch. You cast and hauled for hours and hours. Fishing was strenuous and exhausting. It demanded patience and strength.

So often, when we remember Jesus’ invitation to become fishers of men, we focus on catching people out of the snare of impending judgment, which is of course an important point in the passage, but we forget that Jesus invited them to fish for people. Following Jesus would be learning a new strenuous and exhausting trade. They would apprentice and need patience and strength.

Much of the time, evangelism is hard, slow work. Sure some people are incredibly gifted, but even in our day, it takes a great deal of honest Jesus-like living to make the difference, the difference to hear the message. And that means if we take seriously our call to reach Littleton with the Gospel it will be like fishing. Slowly, patiently, tiringly we will build friendships with the unreached, care for them with the love of Jesus, show them life under God’s rule and when the time is right, tell the story.

Fishing means you’ll have to re-orient some of your priorities. It means you’ll have to work hard to find and befriend the lost, the place where the fish are swimming. It means you’ll have to reprioritize your life to find the time to fish. It means we’ll have to stick with casting the nets when it doesn’t seem that we’ll ever catch anything. It means you’ll have to be the king’s apprentice, you’ll have to be like the king.

And the king went out in the power of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah wrote of the Messiah, “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me…” (Isaiah 61:1 NIV) In Acts 10, Peter said Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit to do his work. Peter refers to Jesus’ baptism when the Holy Spirit rested on him, which preceded his temptation and then his preaching. We simply will not do this work in our own strength. It will only be done in the power of the Holy Spirit.

How do we live in the Spirit in order to play our part in being a provocative church? A reading of Acts would suggest that we must be people of prayer and worship, a people who sincerely want to God to empower us for the work. A people who when the Spirit speaks, we obey. We listen and obey. We live and speak.

So are you walking in the power of the Holy Spirit? Are you worshiping the God who loved you enough to place people in your story who told you the message? Are you praying with sincere love for those you know who don’t know him as Lord? Are you crying out for God to give you the power to live and tell the story? And when the Spirit speaks a word of what to do or even to say, do you obey?

Do you believe that as a Christian, a mini Messiah, that you are anointed by the Spirit for public, holy living, and story telling? As we begin to answer those questions, then those around us who need Jesus will not feel as though we’re simply waiting to evacuate, but that we’re coming for them. We’ve come with the presence and power of our king to turn back the darkness, the hopelessness, and the oppression and bring freedom, bring healing, and bring jubilee.

Closing prayer…

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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