Embracing Kingdom Values Through the Holy Spirit

Devotional

Day 1: Kingdom Over Empire

In a world that often prioritizes personal gain and self-centered ambitions, the call to shift from an empire mindset to a kingdom mindset is both radical and transformative. John the Baptist's message in Luke 3:16 challenges us to prioritize the needs of others over our own desires. This shift requires a heart willing to trust God and embrace a lifestyle of compassion, honesty, and contentment. By doing so, we embody the values of the kingdom, moving beyond mere rule-following to living out the kingdom here and now. This transformation is not just about changing actions but about a deep, internal shift in priorities and values. [10:30]

Matthew 6:33-34 (ESV): "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Reflection: In what ways can you prioritize the needs of others over your own desires today, trusting that God will provide for you as you seek His kingdom first?

Day 2: Empowerment by the Holy Spirit

The baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire signifies a transformative empowerment that enables us to live out kingdom principles. This divine guidance is crucial for bringing the kingdom to earth, as we cannot do it on our own. The Holy Spirit acts as our guide, comforter, and enabler, helping us to embody the values of the kingdom in our daily lives. This empowerment is not just about personal strength but about a reliance on divine power to live out the radical call of the kingdom. It is a reminder that we are not alone in this journey, and that the Holy Spirit is always present to lead and empower us. [18:59]

Acts 1:8 (ESV): "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Reflection: How can you invite the Holy Spirit to guide and empower you in a specific area of your life where you feel weak or inadequate today?

Day 3: Radical Simplicity

John's instructions to share resources and be content with wages challenge us to embrace radical simplicity and generosity. This lifestyle reflects kingdom values and requires a heart willing to trust in God's provision. By living simply and generously, we demonstrate our trust in God's ability to provide for our needs and our commitment to prioritizing the well-being of others. This radical simplicity is not about deprivation but about a conscious choice to live with less so that others may have more. It is a call to examine our lives and consider how we can live more simply and generously in a world that often values excess and accumulation. [21:19]

1 Timothy 6:6-8 (ESV): "But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you can practice radical simplicity and generosity today, trusting in God's provision?

Day 4: Trust in God's Mysterious Ways

Embracing the kingdom means accepting that God's ways are beyond our understanding. We must trust in His mysterious guidance, even when it challenges our conventional thinking or personal desires. This trust requires a willingness to let go of our own plans and desires and to embrace the unknown with faith. It is a call to surrender our need for control and to trust that God's ways, though mysterious, are ultimately for our good and His glory. This trust is not passive but active, requiring us to step out in faith even when we do not fully understand where God is leading us. [24:02]

Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV): "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are struggling to trust God's mysterious ways? How can you actively surrender this area to Him today?

Day 5: Living in Kingdom Purpose

The call to bring the kingdom to earth is about living with purpose and aligning our actions with God's will. This requires ongoing discernment and openness to the Holy Spirit's leading, asking, "What should I do?" and responding in faith. Living in kingdom purpose means being intentional about our actions and decisions, ensuring that they reflect the values and priorities of the kingdom. It is a call to live with a sense of mission and purpose, knowing that our lives are part of a larger story that God is writing. This purpose is not about achieving personal success but about participating in God's redemptive work in the world. [30:10]

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV): "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Reflection: What is one specific action you can take today to align your life more closely with God's kingdom purpose? How can you ensure that your decisions reflect the values of the kingdom?

Sermon Summary

As I reflect on the journey leading up to my departure on April 27th, I find myself in a bittersweet moment, filled with both sadness and excitement. Today, we delve into Luke 3:16, part of our Mission 316 series, exploring passages with chapter and verse 3:16 in the New Testament. This passage captures John the Baptist's call to repentance and the anticipation of the Messiah. John, baptizing in the wilderness, is approached by various groups asking, "What should we do?" His responses are simple yet profound: share your extra shirt, don't collect more taxes than required, and be content with your wages. These instructions challenge us to prioritize others over ourselves, a radical shift from the empire mindset to the kingdom mindset.

John's message is not about listing sins but about embodying kingdom values—compassion, honesty, and contentment. This requires a heart willing to trust God, moving beyond mere rule-following to living out the kingdom here and now. The call to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire signifies a transformative empowerment, enabling us to live out these kingdom principles. It's a reminder that the Holy Spirit is our guide, comforter, and enabler, helping us to bring the kingdom to earth.

As we navigate our lives, the challenge is to let go of self-centered priorities and embrace the kingdom's call. This means allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in making decisions that reflect kingdom values, even when they seem counterintuitive or difficult. The power of the Holy Spirit is essential, as we cannot accomplish this on our own. We must lean into this divine empowerment, asking, "What should I do?" and being open to the Spirit's leading.

Key Takeaways

1. centered empire thinking to kingdom living, where others' needs are prioritized over personal gain. This requires a heart willing to trust God and embrace a lifestyle of compassion and honesty. [10:30]
2. Empowerment by the Holy Spirit: The baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire signifies a transformative empowerment, enabling us to live out kingdom principles. This divine guidance is crucial for bringing the kingdom to earth, as we cannot do it on our own.

3. Radical Simplicity: John's instructions to share resources and be content with wages challenge us to embrace radical simplicity and generosity. This lifestyle reflects kingdom values and requires a heart willing to trust in God's provision.

4. Trust in God's Mysterious Ways: Embracing the kingdom means accepting that God's ways are beyond our understanding. We must trust in His mysterious guidance, even when it challenges our conventional thinking or personal desires.

5. Living in Kingdom Purpose: The call to bring kingdom to earth is about living with purpose and aligning our actions with God's will. This requires ongoing discernment and openness to the Holy Spirit's leading, asking, "What should I do?" and responding in faith.

** [10:30]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[06:41] - John's Radical Instructions
[10:30] - Kingdom vs. Empire
[13:30] - The Call to Think of Others
[18:59] - Baptism with the Holy Spirit and Fire
[21:19] - Prioritizing Kingdom Values
[24:02] - Trusting in God's Mysterious Ways
[26:43] - Leaning into the Holy Spirit
[30:10] - Living in Kingdom Purpose

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Luke 3:10-16

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Observation Questions:

What specific instructions does John the Baptist give to the crowd, tax collectors, and soldiers in Luke 3:10-14? How do these instructions reflect a shift from self-centeredness to kingdom values? [06:41]
How does John the Baptist describe the coming Messiah in Luke 3:16, and what does he say about the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire? [18:59]
In the sermon, what examples are given to illustrate the difference between living with an empire mindset versus a kingdom mindset? [10:30]
How does the speaker describe the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering believers to live out kingdom principles? [24:02]

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Interpretation Questions:

Why might John the Baptist have chosen to focus on issues like sharing resources and being content with wages rather than listing more obvious sins? What does this suggest about the nature of kingdom living? [21:19]
How does the concept of being baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire relate to the idea of transformative empowerment in a believer's life? [18:59]
What does the sermon suggest about the challenges of trusting in God's mysterious ways, especially when they conflict with conventional thinking or personal desires? [24:02]
How does the speaker interpret the call to live with kingdom purpose, and what role does ongoing discernment play in this process? [30:10]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on a time when you prioritized personal gain over the needs of others. How can you shift your mindset to prioritize kingdom values in similar situations in the future? [10:30]
The sermon emphasizes the importance of the Holy Spirit's guidance. How can you become more attuned to the Holy Spirit's leading in your daily decisions? What practical steps can you take to invite the Spirit's guidance? [24:02]
Consider the concept of radical simplicity and generosity. What is one area of your life where you can practice this principle, and what specific action will you take this week to live it out? [21:19]
The speaker mentions the challenge of trusting in God's mysterious ways. Identify a current situation where you struggle to trust God's plan. How can you practice letting go and trusting in His guidance? [24:02]
How can you actively seek to live with kingdom purpose in your workplace or community? Identify one specific action you can take this week to align your actions with God's will. [30:10]
The sermon discusses the importance of asking, "What should I do?" in response to the kingdom's call. What is one area of your life where you feel uncertain about your next steps, and how can you seek the Holy Spirit's guidance in this area? [26:43]
Reflect on the idea of being content with what you have. Is there a specific area where you struggle with contentment, and what steps can you take to cultivate a heart of gratitude and trust in God's provision? [21:19]

Sermon Clips

John is speaking here and John has been out in the wilderness and he's been baptizing people. And so this particular part of scripture finds us not with Jesus yet, but with John. And so John has been out baptizing people and it's kind of making a little bit of a ruckus. It's like getting people a little bit worked up about what's happening. And so what we're going to do is we're going to pick up reading, I want to say it's verse 10, Luke chapter 3 verse 10. [00:03:29] (27 seconds)

If you were raised like I was in the church, you just kind of, it was always in front of you. But maybe if you didn't, you've come into the church later in life, you're like, I don't really know what to do. And I think this crowd, this Jewish group of people, mostly Jewish people, they're like, okay, John, we hear what you're saying. We buy into what you're saying, but tell us, what do we do then? [00:04:46] (19 seconds)

Not only do people come and ask John tax collectors. Let's read the next verse. Even tax collectors. Now, if you're up on your Jewish culture, which most of you, I mean, you may or may not be tax collectors are, they are up at the top of the worst people in Jewish culture. These are hated people. These are not people who were liked. And there are reasons why they're not liked. [00:07:00] (21 seconds)

Roman soldiers are not kind people to the Jews, right? There may have been some, but as a whole, these are not people who sat down at dinner time and like, well, hey, let's have dinner together tonight. Y 'all follow me, right? These are hated people. What should we do? They asked John. That in and of itself, folks, is huge. Now, I want you to imagine Roman soldiers who beat up Jewish citizens. [00:08:52] (28 seconds)

John doesn't start ripping off a whole big long list of all these egregious sins. What he says is, folks, here's what you need to do. Think about others before you think about yourself. What? Why doesn't Jesus say that? Well, he does. Many, many, many times. I'm just going to ask you, we'll ask because... So you are going to ask you to have to deal with the Herrn about you. [00:13:49] (24 seconds)

John is laying the foundation for what Jesus is going to come and speak and here's the other thing listen each of these kingdom behaviors that is listed here requires a heart that is willing to truly trust in God cuz folks I got to be honest with you if I go home right now Dawn and I we've been talking for the last few months about paring down our closet have any of you had to ever do this any of you ever had to pair down your closet yeah okay so we're getting ready to have a change in our living situation and so our closets gonna go from like one size to about I don't even know a quarter maybe smaller I don't even know we're going from a room to a closet like our closet right now is like a small room we're going to a closet and there's way too much stuff in it y 'all follow me so when I'm looking through my closet you know what I'm not thinking you know I only really need one shirt how many of you when you look through your closet that's your first thought I really only need one shirt I mean the Bible says right I mean John says got more than one shirt that is not how I think and it's a struggle for me to think I like all these shirts I don't want to get rid of any of my shirts right I mean none of you have that problem but fortunately you're not like me and I want to keep all my shirts because I like shirts right but I got folks I got to get rid of some shirts shirts not just because I have too many shirts but I want to get rid of some shirts you would ever Patrick like contemplate for an outfit and the [00:14:06] (94 seconds)

We're going to go until 1230, so just strap in. Just kidding. The people are waiting expectantly, thinking that John could possibly be the Messiah, right? So let's continue reading here. This is the next verse. I think this is, what, 15? The people were waiting expectantly, and all were wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. And so John recognizes this, and he answers them and says, here it is. I baptize you with water, but one is coming who is more powerful than I. [00:16:12] (38 seconds)

a baptismal filled with fire back here and we baptize people in it it probably wouldn't be good right and some of you are like why would you even say that well in part because i'm just being contrary today right i'm just i'm just in this mood okay like the bible doesn't literally mean that you're going to be baptized into fire okay like in the fire out of the fire and if you do that i'm assuming five rivers won't choose to do that in the future right right but if y 'all what's that yeah yeah yeah if y 'all choose to do that you're on your own i have no responsibility for it okay but this idea of being baptized with the holy spirit and with fire it's like john is trying to help people understand look i'm just trying to prepare you for what is coming there is someone coming who's more powerful who's more what who's actually the true the true messiah i'm just here to prepare the way for him he will baptize you with fire and with the holy spirit and so i think that is so important to understand because i think sometimes we get so hung up on like forgetting that we have this spiritual guide comforter director like all this this this thing within us that guides us and points us and empowers us to bring kingdom here now right and sometimes i think that we just get too hung up you [00:17:21] (93 seconds)

And Jesus came not to be the Holy Spirit, right? We find that in Jesus' words that after me, when I am gone, another one will come. God will send another. And that's the time in which we live, folks. Are y 'all with me so far? So we've got this spirit that is in us. When we come to this place where we say, hey, I don't necessarily know how to explain all this to you, but I believe it. [00:19:48] (29 seconds)

Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk. I'm just telling you. God's ways are what? Mysterious, beyond our capability and understanding, and you're going to tell me that you have this all completely figured out? Folks, I don't, and I know I don't, and I'm actually in a place of peace with that. I'm in a place of peace that I can't understand why John would say, take your shirt and give it to someone who doesn't have one. [00:20:31] (25 seconds)

John seems to be pointing out that there is a bigger issue at play, and that is making sure that you're not making yourself priority number one. Don't make yourself priority number one, because, folks, that's not kingdom, right? That's not kingdom. Kingdom is not me doing everything I can to make the most money and have the most stuff and all the cool things and, like, that I live the best life. [00:21:18] (25 seconds)

And those aren't my words. That's not me standing up here trying to tell you. I'm saying if you dig into scripture and you look at what is being said here, the idea of bringing kingdom must be first and foremost on your list of priorities and everything else comes after. However, so John doesn't say to the people, hey, make sure you go home and get rid of all those idols that are in your house. [00:22:37] (26 seconds)