Embodying the Kingdom: Repent, Lament, Represent

Devotional

Day 1: Living in the Tension of the Kingdom

The Kingdom of God is a profound mystery, existing both in the present and the future. Jesus proclaimed its arrival, yet its full realization is still awaited. This "already, but not yet" tension invites believers to live in hope and anticipation, actively participating in God's work while acknowledging the world's brokenness. The Kingdom's presence is seen in the transformative power of the Gospel and the lives changed by it, yet the ongoing struggles and injustices in the world remind us that its complete fulfillment is still to come. This dual reality calls us to be vigilant and hopeful, trusting in God's ultimate plan. [04:10]

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you actively participate in God's Kingdom today, even amidst the brokenness you see around you?

Day 2: Repentance as a Transformative Journey

Repentance is more than a mere change of heart; it is a call to action that involves a complete turnaround in our lives. It prepares us to receive God's presence and aligns our lives with His Kingdom values, prompting us to make tangible changes. True repentance is a transformative journey that requires humility and a willingness to let go of old ways, embracing a new path that reflects God's love and justice. This process is ongoing, inviting us to continually seek God's guidance and strength to live according to His will. [16:25]

"Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: What specific actions can you take today to demonstrate true repentance in your life?

Day 3: Lament as a Pathway to Hope

Lament is an essential part of the Christian journey, acknowledging the gap between God's promises and our current reality. In the tension of the Kingdom's "already, but not yet," lament allows us to express the pain of unfulfilled promises. It is a truthful acknowledgment of the world's brokenness and a call to bring our sorrows to God. Through lament, we find a pathway to hope, trusting that God hears our cries and is working to bring about His Kingdom in its fullness. [21:22]

"Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!" (Psalm 130:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel the need to lament? How can you bring this lament to God today?

Day 4: The Church as a Beacon of the Kingdom

The church is called to embody and represent the Kingdom's values, serving as a beacon of hope and transformation in the world. While the church is not the Kingdom itself, it is tasked with living out the principles of justice, love, and community. This involves a holistic approach, engaging in evangelism, social justice, discipleship, and community outreach. By representing the Kingdom, the church becomes a powerful witness to God's love and a catalyst for change in the world. [24:33]

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house." (Matthew 5:14-15, ESV)

Reflection: How can you contribute to your church's mission to represent the Kingdom in your community?

Day 5: Embracing the Call to Repent, Lament, and Represent

Our response to the Kingdom's arrival involves three key actions: repent, lament, and represent. These actions guide our engagement with the Kingdom, aligning our lives with God's will. We repent to align our lives with God's will, lament the world's brokenness, and represent the Kingdom through our actions, becoming active participants in God's work. This holistic approach invites us to be fully engaged in God's mission, living out His love and justice in tangible ways. [27:48]

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20, ESV)

Reflection: Which of the three actions—repent, lament, or represent—do you feel most called to focus on today, and how can you take a step in that direction?

Sermon Summary

The journey of the Oak Ridge Mall development serves as a powerful metaphor for understanding the Kingdom of God. Just as the mall's transformation was announced, planned, and is now nearing completion, so too is the Kingdom of God—a reality that has been proclaimed, is being constructed, and is yet to be fully realized. This concept of "already, but not yet" is central to understanding Jesus' message about the Kingdom. Jesus announced that the Kingdom of God is at hand, urging us to repent and believe the good news. Yet, the Kingdom is not fully realized, as evidenced by the ongoing struggles and injustices in the world.

Historically, the Kingdom of God was a central theme in Jesus' teachings, deeply rooted in Jewish eschatology, which anticipated God's return through a Messiah to establish a new age of justice and peace. Jesus' proclamation that the Kingdom is here was revolutionary, occurring at a unique historical moment—the Pax Romana—when the message could spread widely. This timing was divinely orchestrated, much like the precise timing of a family's immigration process that our church has been involved in.

Repentance is the first step in responding to the Kingdom's arrival. It involves a complete turnaround, not just in heart but in action, preparing us to receive God's presence. However, the Kingdom's full realization is still awaited, as seen in the lives of Jesus' disciples, who faced martyrdom while spreading the message. This tension between the Kingdom's presence and its future fulfillment calls us to lament the current state of the world, acknowledging the gap between God's promises and our reality.

Yet, we are not to remain in lament. We are called to represent the Kingdom, embodying its values in our lives and communities. The church, while not the Kingdom itself, is its representative, tasked with living out the Kingdom's principles of justice, love, and community. This involves a holistic approach, embracing both evangelism and social justice, discipleship and outreach. As we repent, lament, and represent, we align ourselves with God's ongoing work in the world, becoming active participants in His Kingdom.

Key Takeaways

1. The Kingdom of God is both present and future: Jesus announced the Kingdom's arrival, yet its full realization is still awaited. This "already, but not yet" tension invites us to live in hope and anticipation, actively participating in God's work while acknowledging the world's brokenness. [04:10]
2. Repentance is a call to action: True repentance involves a complete turnaround, not just in our hearts but in our actions. It prepares us to receive God's presence and aligns our lives with His Kingdom values, prompting us to make tangible changes. [16:25]
3. Lament acknowledges the gap between promise and reality: In the tension of the Kingdom's "already, but not yet," lament allows us to express the pain of unfulfilled promises. It is a truthful acknowledgment of the world's brokenness and a call to bring our sorrows to God. [21:22]
4. The church represents the Kingdom: While the church is not the Kingdom itself, it is called to embody and represent the Kingdom's values. This involves a holistic approach, engaging in evangelism, social justice, discipleship, and community outreach. [24:33]
5. Our response: Repent, Lament, Represent: These three actions guide our engagement with the Kingdom. We repent to align our lives with God's will, lament the world's brokenness, and represent the Kingdom through our actions, becoming active participants in God's work. [27:48]
** [27:48]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[04:10] - The Already and Not Yet Kingdom
[07:40] - Historical Context of the Kingdom
[11:00] - Jesus' Proclamation of the Kingdom
[16:25] - The Call to Repentance
[21:22] - The Role of Lament
[24:33] - The Church as Kingdom Representative
[27:48] - Our Response: Repent, Lament, Represent
[30:00] - Conclusion and Call to Action

Sermon Clips

"Okay, about 10 years ago, 2014, I was walking through the old Oak Ridge Mall and I saw this display about what was going to happen, this development plan, Oak Ridge Mall that was going to all these new construction developments that were about to take place. It was an ambitious project, a huge project, 3,000 new homes, 12 new towers, 44 stories, some of these towers in height, a million square feet of new retail space, 500,000 square feet of office space, 9 acres of rooftop park, community center, library, daycare, theaters, estimated to cost $7 billion. Now, it was years in the planning. This is 2013, this photo is taken from. And then in 2019, finally, construction began. This is another model, rendition, architect's model of what that was to look like." [00:00:05] (68 seconds)

"So the title of my message today is Jesus and the Kingdom, and we're focusing on this message, this central message of Jesus' in history about the kingdom of God. Something huge. Something big has landed here on this earth, on this planet, among human beings. Out of the in our history, something life-changing. But at the same time, it's not quite complete yet. Already, but not quite done. God's kingdom is here in Jesus." [00:02:43] (40 seconds)

"Repent and believe the good news. But then at the same time, in lots of Jesus' teachings, in his parables, he talks about the kingdom as a seed, as growing, as a mixture of wheat and weeds. And there is a fulfillment that is still to come, and not quite yet. So here's what I want to do this morning. Talk about Jesus' history in the kingdom as situated in the kingdom. And then I want to talk about the kingdom of God. And then I want to talk about within our history series or the historical Jesus series. I want to talk about the already kingdom a little bit." [00:03:35] (35 seconds)

"Now, as far as Jesus in history is concerned, this is one of those things that all scholars, all historians, nobody debates. This was the central message of Jesus in history, the kingdom of God. I mean, it's attested in all three Gospels, synoptic Gospels. It's in the Gospel of John as well from a different perspective. It's in multiple places in those Gospels. First of all, and second of all, it's a core part of Jesus' teaching. It fits everywhere in Jesus' teachings." [00:05:02] (41 seconds)

"So throughout the Old Testament, God, Yahweh, is recognized as sovereign. He is king. So the sovereignty of God over all of creation, this concept is universal in the Old Testament. But after the last of the great prophets, it seemed as if God's presence was distant. God's voice was muted and he was farther away. And so the sense that began to grow during this time, historically, among the Jewish people, was they were looking forward to God's return, that God would come back in power and in presence." [00:08:37] (45 seconds)

"And it's not really end in the sense that we think of the end of the world in terms of some kind of a destruction, but in Jewish understanding, really, God would return in history through a Messiah, through his representative, and there would be ushered in a new age of history. A new age of history in which kings who were wicked and unrighteous and foreigners, people who took advantage of the Jewish people, of God's people, they would be deposed. And God would reign through his Messiah." [00:09:37] (38 seconds)

"Repent, what does that mean? It means basically to turn around, to stop doing what you're doing, turn around, change, stop doing what you're doing and pay attention to what's happening, to the fact that God's kingdom is coming, that God is here. And repentance is not just about our hearts. It's not just about our intentions, but it's also about our actions. So imagine that that announcement that this family has been waiting for in India, you are approved and I'm sure they were jumping in joy at that news and I know the sponsorship team also was jumping in joy saying hallelujah praise god amen that god is finally moving and we're looking forward to this but imagine if that's all that they did and they say wow that's wonderful you know it's great that we want them here it's great that we sponsor them to come here but now all these things need to take place in order to have to be in motion for them to be for to be ready for them to arrive here right like visas have to be approved there has to be a move there has to be a situation a living situation here we have to get furniture we have to raise finances all these things have to happen to be ready for their arrival it's like that in our lives too it's not just about our intentions and our hearts it begins there but what must also take place is change so that we can receive god in our lives the kingdom is here get ready and repent so that's the first message the kingdom is already here it's upon us it's so close it's right at hand jesus says and how do we get ready is we repent we have to start making changes in our lives we have to start doing things that god wants us to do opening our lives in a way that god wants us to open our lives that's repentance okay" [00:16:41] (153 seconds)

"And Jesus and the disciples, I think, they knew best that even though the arrival of the kingdom was happening, they knew best that there was still a lot that was left to be done. There was still a lot of this kingdom that was still not yet fulfilled or completed. Jesus probably knew it best. Here he was handpicking 12 other disciples, 12 other men to be with him, and he's giving them his best. And they're with him 24-7. They're receiving the best training that anyone can ever get in terms of how to do it. How to live and how to be in this world." [00:19:58] (44 seconds)

"So the word I have for us in this situation is lament. Lament. We are living in this time in which Jesus has come, the arrival of God's kingdom has come, has been started. But there's this overlap between this period and the final period in which Jesus will come. And so in this in-between time, this is the time in which we presently find ourselves. And there will be moments, there will be times in which that kingdom that has been announced, that we feel the tension of its promise, but at the same time, its unfulfillment. The promise and its unfulfillment." [00:22:23] (56 seconds)

"I think a better way to understand it is that there are really two sides of the same coin. Now, the church is not the kingdom, but the church represents what the kingdom is supposed to be about. The kingdom really focuses on Jesus and the coming of his kingship in this world. But the church represents the people who are entering into that kingdom. They're the other side of that coin. So the church and the kingdom really are much closer related than sometimes we give credit for." [00:25:11] (38 seconds)

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