Living as Disciples: Embracing the Kingdom of God

The only thing for you to do, and that is the way that the early message came into the world, and it's swept the world while all of the Mediterranean and soon far beyond that. And the way it came was simply this is the only smart thing for me to do is to give my life to the pursuit of this vision. [00:01:08]

A disciple of Jesus is one who has decided that the most important thing for them to do is to learn to live in the kingdom of God as he did. That's the most important thing for them to do, and as a result of that, they are arranging and rearranging their affairs so it will actually happen. [00:01:42]

One of the least productive states of mind, I believe, is guilt, and especially for people who are genuinely committed to doing the best they know. Now, if you're not like that, maybe you need a little guilt, but I'm sure most people in this room do want to do the best they know. [00:02:26]

We're going to look at some passages now, and especially we're going to look at the passage in Colossians 3, and that could get you under a burden of guilt. And see, what I'm hoping or hoping that we can do, especially in these last three segments of the series, is to constructively help people begin to find how you can actually step into the full reality of the kingdom of God. [00:03:03]

The world wants the real thing. We need the real thing. The real thing is available to us, and I think if I were going to try to walk on water, I'd rather do without the transparent bridge. You know, we often talk about Peter who'd walked on water for a few seconds. I'll tell you, if I had done that, I'd have that on my resume, wouldn't you? [00:06:00]

We put ourselves in a position of risk, and we've tried to lead through some thoughts about what that means. And last week, we talked about being in the world but not of it, and see, that's where you're really walking on water, no bridge, a real thing, being in the world and not of it. [00:06:52]

You can be a Christian now forever and not even be challenged to become a disciple, in fact, not even be given the opportunity. And so there's a division here that is very troubling to people or outside as well as those who are inside the professing church. [00:08:11]

The important thing is Paul is saying we can live a life in which the distinctions that human beings draw in order to control one another and put one another down simply disappear from our minds, and he uses that lovely phrase, but Christ is all and in all. Christ is all. [00:14:53]

Put on innards, so your innards is where your life comes from, and really, that's what this is all about, is transforming the insides. Put on bowels, a heart of mercies, kindness, humility of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one if anyone have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. [00:15:43]

Forgiveness is a primary human instrument for managing people. Did you know that? That's one reason why many people are loath to give it up is because that would take a tool for managing people out of their hands, and they may say things like, well, I'll forgive but I won't forget. [00:18:38]

The question is what is the power that can come into our lives that will enable us to do that, and I leap ahead to say, you know, the answer is that there will be a power in your life if you do it. That's the trick. If you do it, if you don't do it, the power will not be there, and all of your worst fears will be confirmed. [00:19:28]

The person who forgives and forbears is a person who has decided they will not use these instruments of human exchange that are so common to try to govern the lives of other people. That's a huge step, and yet when you begin to see that, you see the power of the life that is not of this world in this world, not of this world. [00:21:29]