Kingdom Living, Now
Isaiah 6:8 “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for me?’ Here I am, send me”
Ministry goal #1: To be willing to be sent by the Lord to further His kingdom
Isaiah realizes the depth of His own sinfulness in comparison to the Holy God.
Yet the angel of the Lord brings a coal to Isaiah's lips and offers him atonement from his sins.
Once Isaiah is set free from sin and death, his willingness to be sent by the Lord is revealed.
I have been given this freedom.
I must stand before the Lord and proclaim ‘here I am, send me’
Matthew 6:31–33: But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Ministry goal #2: Kingdom living now
Francis Chan describes this life as a camping trip.
You only bring the bare necessities on a camping trip.
And when you get home from your camping trip, oh how nice it is to shower and cozy up in clean clothes after a long, exhausting, filthy, adventure.
Oh how nice it is to be home.
Our life on earth is a like a camping trip. Although camping is fun and exciting, nothing compares to the feeling of being home.
Our calling is to proclaim the Kingdom now, to serve the Lord and get dirty doing it.
Seeking first the Kingdom of God means living in light of eternity
Seeking first the Kingdom of God means that bare necessities are enough
Seeking first the Kingdom of God means trusting that God will provide when His will be done
I desire to seek first the Kingdom of God
Philippians 1:17: Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel...
Ministry goal #3 Live in a manner worthy of the gospel
We are at war
We are at war with Satan
We are not at war with nonbelievers. They are imprisoned, and we have been called to set them free.
They are not the enemy.
The father of lies is.
To live in a manner worthy of the gospel is to stand in the willingness to set captives free
To represent Christ wherever I go, in word and in deed
Revelation 21: And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
Ministry goal #4: Live in light of eternity
He will wipe away every tear from the eyes
Death shall be no more
No pain. No mourning.
This is the home we have been promised.
This is what we longsuffer for
This is what we wait for with eager expectation
Eternal life.