KINGDOM COME: Forgiveness & Justice in the Kingdom

Matthew 6:7-15

Common misconceptions about forgiveness among Christians:

1. You don’t have to do anything to receive God’s forgiveness. Not true, it must be accepted.

2. Forgiveness must be earned. Not true, it can only be given.

3. Trust should be given, not earned. Not true, trust & forgiveness are two different things.

4. Forgiveness is a feeling. Not true, forgiveness is a choice.

5. Forgiveness is the belief that they won’t mess up again. Again, not true. Forgiveness is the belief that they probably will mess up again, but choosing love anyway.

Romans 12:17-21

We can easily forgive, because: 

1. God’s much better at vengeance.

2. We’ve been forgiven of so much.

3. It’s much more effective at conviction (and therefore, life change)

4. That’s how you conquer evil.

KINGDOM COME: Complications of the Kingdom

REVIEW: Ways that we are a part of the kingdom: 

• God is King 

• We are his subjects 

• This is his castle

The Complications of living in the Kingdom.  Being a Christian doesn’t make things easy.

Romans 8:1-39
Freedom From Condemnation

• We all have a choice: be dominated by guilt or liberated by grace. Because of Christ’s presence in our lives, we become saturated with God’s grace, which makes us more gracious people. Gracious people are better at home, at work, and in the community. It’s the best way to build your foundation.

Freedom from Inadequacy 

• I know I am not enough but the good news is, I was not made to be enough!

• The only standard we should be trying to live up to is that of Christ our savior and we will always fall short.

• I am not less. I am a Child of God.

Freedom from Victim Mentality

• We have conquered Death and the grave! We are above, not below. We are victorious!

KINGDOM COME: Kingdom Subjects

John 12:16 NLT

The word “Gospel” = a single event, happening within a much larger context, that changes the future, and as a result, everything is changed.

Matthew 5:1-12 MSG

OUR PERSPECTIVE

• What we believe, influences what we think, and what we think influences how we see ourselves, and how we see ourselves influences how we behave.

Matthew 5:13-20 MSG

OUR BEHAVIOR

Matthew 5:21-48 MSG

OUR ATTITUDE

• a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior.

KINGDOM COME: The Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 6:9-13

Matthew 6:9-13 New Living Translation (NLT)
9 Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

Romans 14:17 (NLT)
17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

1. God is our King.

2. Subjects of the Kingdom.

3. The Castle.

EPIC Weekend - Eran Holt - Heart & Soul

You can’t be right with God, and be wrong about Jesus.

WHY is Jesus the only way? How do I share my faith?

4200 different religions in the world. Two MAIN differences.

1. Legalism= you HAVE to follow all the rules. There’s a god out there, and the god may or may not choose to love you based on whether or not you followed all the rules.

2. Fatalism= your fate has already been determined for you, and it has nothing to do with you.

The biggest difference with Christianity is FREE WILL. Genesis 2:3-9 / Deut 30:15-19

John 14:6 - the verse that makes Jesus seem very bigoted & intolerant to our culture. If you were to remove every other religion’s leader, what would still exist? Every other religion. If you were to remove Jesus from Christianity, what would we have left? Nothing.

4 reminders on Christianity being exclusive. 1. Jesus made the statement, we’re just repeating it. 2. Christianity is not the only religion that claims exclusivity. Most religions do. (Don’t make Jesus just one of the guys. Don’t lower your perception of Him. HE IS GOD.) 3. Truth by its very nature is exclusive. 4. Jesus is inclusive to everyone. Why is there a way at all?! Because Jesus came for us. Jesus isn’t an app on your phone, he’s the whole iOS!!

God speaks through creation. Romans 1:20

God speaks through conscience. Romans 2:15

God speaks through comfort. John 16:5-15

God speaks through scripture.

God speaks through conversation. Romans 10:8-15

What about the kids in Africa?? What about the people who don’t know yet? Yeah—what about them?? I didn’t know you cared so much! Have you gone to tell them? Do you give and equip the people who are going to tell them?

John 3:16

Acts 17:26-27

Romans 10:14-15

Check the statistics—the Gospel works!
It works because it demands a response.

EPIC Weekend - Eran Holt - 11:15

Genesis 35:16-21

“Ben” means son, “Oni” means sorrow.

Those that are experiencing the most sorrow, are also living out the most strength. The past sorrow, produces the future strength.

Don’t forget to focus on the negatives. Going down produces just as much strength as going up. There are some things you can only learn through the sorrow.

“Ben” means son, “jamin” means MY RIGHT HAND. You can call it “my sorrow” if you want, or you can call it MY BLESSING. Call it blessed.

“I just call it what it is”….how’s that working for you? That doesn’t take any faith, does it? I’m really grateful that God didn’t just call it what it is.

EPIC Weekend - Eran Holt - 9:15am

Genesis 25:24-34

1. The bowl tempts us to trade faith for feeling. 

• Our culture has whipped up a recipe for you to figure out your identity. The world will tell you:

  • Ask yourself, “How do I feel? I feel therefore I am.”

  • Ask yourself, “What do you like? Who are you attracted to?”

  • Ask yourself, “What are you good at?”

  • Ask yourself, ”Where did you come from?”

  • Ask yourself, “What have other people said about you?”

2. The bowl tempts us to trade calling for comfort.  

• There’s nothing comfortable about fulfilling the calling of God in your life. Destiny never comes at a discount.

• Comfort has become the drug of choice, for Americans today.

• There’s no growth in the comfort zone, but there’s no comfort in the growth zone.

3.  The bowl tempts us to trade our future for our present.  

• Also said like: what you want now for what you want most.

• The devil’s not playing checkers with you, he’s playing chess.

• You can have a birthright of peace in your life, or you can have the bowl of anxiety.

Don’t be an Esau. Don’t squander your birthright. Don’t drink from the wrong bowl.

EPIC Weekend - Eran Holt - 6:15pm

Hebrews 12:1-3

Judges 2:7-12

Look back.

• Embrace the crazy. Get some faith and some encouragement from the crazy faith of the past.

Look in.

• Stop asking: “is it wrong?”

• Start asking: “will this help me run my race better?”

Look down.

• Race envy. We get too busy looking at everyone else’s race, that we can’t focus on our own.

• If you’re not running your race, who will?

• Anointing: the ability to go beyond.

Look up.

• Fix your eyes on Jesus.

The Big Comfy Couch

As Christians, we enjoy a certain amount of favor...and many blessings from God. We forget, easily, that his blessings are conditional on our behavior.

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." (Ephesians 6:18)
"Pray continually." (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
"Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray." (James 5:13)
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." (Romans 12:12)
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)

When God says to stop praying:

1. When there’s unrepentant sin. Joshua 7

   1. Matthew 5:23-24

2. When It’s time for action. Exodus 14

3. When you’re doing so with selfish motives. Luke 10

Bottom line: Don’t get too comfy on the couch. The ONE THING worth being concerned about is relationship with your heavenly father, through Jesus Christ. If that’s right, the rest will be worked out.

THE COUCH POTATO: The Whirlwind

THE WHIRLWIND: “You have planted the wind”

• Laziness now, means chaos later.  The chaos is often our fault. Hosea 8:7a

Hosea 1:2

Hosea 2:14-16

Hosea 3:1

A couple ways to avoid the whirlwind:

1. Church is not a vaccine. Hosea 8:11

2. Stop making excuses. Hosea 8:12

   1. Knowing the laws, and happily being obedient to them, are two different things.

3. Look for the root. Hosea 10:13

4. Allow the whirlwind to bring you back to Him.

   1. Hosea 2:6 How bloody do you have to be to repent?!

   2. Hosea 2:16. could be said as, God is my partner. Not my slave-driver.

   3. Hosea 14 Healing for the Repentant

More of Candace’s favorite verses in the book of Hosea:

• 4:2, “You make vows and break them;

  you kill and steal and commit adultery.

  There is violence everywhere—

  one murder after another.

  3 That is why your land is in mourning,

  and everyone is wasting away.

  Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky,

  and the fish of the sea are disappearing.”

4:4, “Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! My complaint, you priests, is with you.”

4:9-11a, “And what the priests do, the people also do.’ So now I will punish both priests and people for their wicked deeds. 10 They will eat and still be hungry. They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it, for they have deserted the Lord 11 to worship other gods.”

4:16, “Israel is stubborn,
like a stubborn heifer.
So should the Lord feed her
like a lamb in a lush pasture?

5:5, “The arrogance of Israel testifies against her
Israel and Ephraim will stumble under their
load of guilt.”

6:5-7, “I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces—to slaughter you with my words, with judgments as inescapable as light. 6 I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.”

6:11, “O Judah, a harvest of punishment is also waiting for you, though I wanted to restore the fortunes of my people.”

7:1, “I want to heal Israel, but its sins are too great.”

7:7-9, “Burning like an oven, they consume their leaders. They kill their kings one after another, and no one cries to me for help. The people of Israel mingle with godless foreigners, making themselves as worthless as a half-baked cake! Worshiping foreign gods has sapped their strength, but they don’t even know it. Their hair is gray, but they don’t realize they’re old and weak.”

8:2-3, “Now Israel pleads with me, ‘Help us, for you are our God!’ 3 But it is too late.”

8:5c, “How long will you be incapable of innocence?”

8:13, “The people love to offer sacrifices to me, feasting on the meat, but I do not accept their sacrifices.”

THE COUCH POTATO: The Problem with Potatoes

The Problem with Potatoes

Mathew 21:28-31 NLT

• Called to Work

  • Fruitful Faith

  • Multiply mentality

• First Son's Faith

  • Feelings are often foolish.

  • Feelings change quickly. Lives change slowly.

  • Live for later

• Second Son's Sin

  • Right words

  • Actions matter

• Get Off The Couch

Matthew 7:21 NLT

THE COUCH POTATO: Love, The Beautiful Prize

Two types of Couch Potatoes:

• The eater

• The waiter

Mark 12:29-34 (TPT)

Loving God is meant to consume you.

Love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.

A well-rounded disciple, close to the Kingdom of God….will be passionate about BOTH. Being a learner, AND a servant. An eater AND a waiter.

1 Corinthians 13 in TPT

• “The Aramaic word for love is hooba, and it is a homonym that also means “to set on fire.”

• It is an intense affection that must be demonstrated.

• 1 Corinthians 13:5 - The Aramaic can be translated “Love does not stare at evil.”

• 1 Corinthians 13:8 - “Love never, not even once, fails [lapses]” or “Love never falls down” (it keeps going higher).

• The action phrases in this version really got me too...

  • Refuses to be jealous

  • Joyfully celebrates

  • Never stops believing

  • Never takes failure as defeat

  • Never gives up

  • Never stops loving

  • Extends beyond prophecy

  • More enduring than tongues

  • Remains long after words of knowledge are forgotten

We can’t afford to be too fat or too thin in our spirituality.  We can’t afford being lopsided Christians who only care about learning, or only care about serving.  We must love God, and love people, these are the greatest commandments. 

The Couch Potato Christian is an oxymoron.

CHURCH CAMP: Mountaintops 4 // Change the World

Acts 1:6-11

1. World changers are focused on their mission, and they trust God to work out the future.

2. World Changers have to go back down the mountain.

To do that, sometimes we need a few things.

1. They needed closure.

2. They needed a commissioning.

3. They needed a helper.

4. They needed to get to work.

In this series, we have defined VIBRANT, PASSIONATE, AND SELFLESS.

• VIBRANT disciples are single-minded in their dynamic life-worship of God.

• PASSIONATE disciples obediently pursue Jesus.

• SELFLESS disciples are willing to sacrifice comfort to demonstrate love.

• We CHANGE THE WORLD with the message of the Gospel.

“We aren’t the church because we all believe the same thing--we’re the church because we have a singular PURPOSE.”

In and out.  Up the mountain.  Down the mountain.

• Renew your vibrancy.  

• Feed your passion. 

• Practice selflessness.

• CHANGE THE WORLD.

CHURCH CAMP: Mountaintops 3 // Selfless

Mark 9:2-9

Selfless followers spend time alone with Jesus.

Luke 9:32

Selfless followers listen to Jesus.

Mark 14:35-36

Selfless followers lead others.

Sign up to serve SELFLESSLY.

CHURCH CAMP: Mountaintops 2 // PASSIONATE

“I believe kids at this age NEED other adults in their lives saying the same things as their parents, AND peers who believe what they do. I still believe kids ARE the church, not the future of the church”

“Mountaintop experiences help even when you’re not on the mountain.”

1. MountainTop Moments

• Vibrant is single-minded, active, fun, bold, dynamic, life-worship of God.

2. MountainTop Moments create Passion

Exodus 32:31

“Most of us don’t have an obedience problem we have a passion problem.”

Exodus 33:12-18

3. Passion = obedience

John 14:15

4. Passionate Disciples obediently pursue more of God

5. Passion creates a request for more presence

CHURCH CAMP: Mountaintops

1 Kings 18-19

1. Vibrant is single-minded, active, fun, bold, dynamic life-worship of God.

2. Every vibrant disciple, needs mountaintop moments.

3. Vibrant disciples don’t journey alone.

DEEP DIVE: Lessons From Africa

Matthew 28:19-20

Lesson ONE: Phony Faith vs. Authentic Faith

Mark 9:13-25

Lesson TWO: Importance of Honor

Mark 6:1-6

Lesson THREE: I will give everything for the Gospel

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

SIGN UP BELOW TO HELP WITH OUR CHURCH CAMP SERMON SERIES & EVENTS:

DEEP DIVE: I'm Out

John 6

1. Jesus doesn’t always make it easy. I’m out when things get tough.

2. Jesus didn’t apologize for offending them. I’m out when something offends me.

   1. Let me be clear: JESUS is perfect, WE are not. Just because Jesus didn’t apologize, doesn’t mean you don’t have to. We have to be careful not to be so SACRED, that we never say I’m Sorry.

3. The crowd vs The disciples.

The crowd had a starving spirit…ME CHURCH spirit..
-always wants more
-never satisfied. Never content.
-tend to want the power only for the POWER.

Things Jesus DID NOT do for a starving spirit…

1. Keep feeding them baby food.

   1. If you only receive from God in worship services...you need to go deeper.

   2. In the context of someone else’s words..

   3. From the verse of the day...

2. Stress himself out trying to keep them happy.

3. Let them stay in that mindset.

4. Run after them and beg them to come back.

5. Blame himself.  He gave it over to His Father.

FULL HEART GREAT GAIN: Plundering Blessing

1 Samuel 15:1-31

1. Obey CAREFULLY. Remember who’s in charge.

2. Why RUSH for the plunder? Remember who blessed who.

3. What is more pleasing to God?

   1. Here’s the good news, the news of FULL HEART GREAT GAIN.  You can have everything you want.

      • You can.  But it’s not about adjusting everything you HAVE.  It’s about adjusting what you WANT. 

FULL HEART GREAT GAIN: Can't Lose

Mark 7:1-23

1. Full of Religion

   1. Mark 12:29-31

2. Cloudy Eyes

3. What Goes Into our Hearts

1. Luke 6:45