The Dependence of the Kingdom

Every New Year’s Eve, millions of people around the world celebrate the New Year, hoping next year will be better than the last. And usually; they make plans to ensure it will be better than the las. How? By making new year’s resolutions. “This will be the year when I will finally lose that extra 10 pounds!” Or, “This will be the year that I spend more time with my family!”

In 2021, studies showed that nearly half of Americans made some kind of New Year’s Resolution: And when it comes to the most common resolutions, studies show that, 44% of resolutioners resolutioned to exercise more,

42% resolutioners resoluted to eat healthier,

31% resolutioned to lose weight,

30% to not waste so much money,

And almost 20% resolated to either quit smoking or cut back on alcohol consumption.

And what becomes of these resolutioners resolutions? well, I think we already know the answer there, but here it is: One study found that 77% of people hold firm to their resolutions!... For a whole week! Which means, that 23% of people give up before the first week! And over the next month it doesn’t get any better either, as roughly 80% of people give up their resolutions by the second week of February.

The fact is, whether it be a New Year’s Resolutions or a new good habit we are trying to pick up, we all have experienced this kind of failure Have you ever made a religious resolution? Maybe to read your Bible more?

Pray more,

Serve in church more, Or just go to church more? (Which as a pastor, I gotta say, I personally don’t find that one to be all that difficult)

But the point is, when it comes to resolutions: Though we are resolved in our determination, Though we really do want to succeed, And though we try our hardest… We usually still end up in sitting there in mid February looking at our new Tread Mill that has more clothes on it than shelf at Kohls. Which then makes us feel defeated, worthless, and shameful that we can’t seem to ever get our act together.

Church, by this point in Jesus’ sermon the mount, this is exactly how you should be feeling, Because the standard of righteous given to all of those who would resolve to enter the kingdom of heaven by their obedience of that standard has a 100% failure rate by January 1st, at 12:01 am. No one can do it. No can make it. And so because of this, when it comes to entering the Kingdom of Heaven there are 3 things we MUST DO. And here they are.

In our resolution to enter the kingdom, we must: Quit Ask Trust

Let’s look at that first point. In our resolution to enter the kingdom, we must first, quit. Now why do I say that? If you have your Bibles, look at verse 7 of Matthew 7, and let me ask you - what’s the first word in that sentence? “Ask.” “Uh oh, the preacher’s out of order here, that’s his second point!” OK, yes, that is the second point, but we aren’t out of order - so stick with here. What’s the inverse of asking for help? Trying to do it all yourself Right?

And who here doesn’t need help with following the moral instructions given in the sermon on the mount? Just think back with me for a moment: Who here perfectly recognizes their moral bankruptcy before a Holy God? And then out of that recognition, mourns over their sin, lives meeker than Moses, perfectly hungers and thirsts for righteousness - to the point that you are salt and light in a dark and decaying world which persecutes you because of it. And then when you’re persecuted for for being such a good and faithful witness of Christ, you aren’t grumpy and sad, Oh no, no - in fact, you rejoice and are glad about it! Anyone got all of that down?

And WAIT - THERE’S MORE! Which of us is perfectly merciful towards others? Which of us is perfectly pure in heart? Which means, your desire and affections are undivided as they are for God and God alone.

Who here has perfectly perfected the art of peacemaking? Which means, you aren’t simply a peacekeeper, but you perfectly speak the truth in love, always, at the right time and the right moment. Anyone got all of that down?

But wait, there’s more! You never have anger in your heart You never lust, You always keep your word, You never retaliate but pray for your enemies, And when you give your money, fast, and pray, you always do these things for the right reasons and without trying to draw attention to yourself Oh, and whenever you pray, you’re always more concerned with God’s will than your own. Anyone got all of that down?

But wait, there’s more! You never worry “ABOUT A TING” - (not cuz you think everything’s gonna be alright) but because You’re so heavenly minded your earthly goods are of no significance to you, “Oh, you want my tunic, here! Take my cloak!”

And why are you this way? Because you’re heart’s desire is perfectly set upon the the Kingdom of heaven, because the King of that Kingdom is your heart’s ultimate treasure! Anyone got that all down?

Oh, and I almost forgot last week’s super easy-to-follow kingdom rule... It’s so easy I almost forgot... You never wrongly judge anybody else, EVER! Which I’m sorry, those judgy people are THE ABSOLUTE WORST - AMIRITE?!

In fact, we are so good at not judging others, it’s like somebody gave you spiritual CLEAR EYES, because not only are there no logs at all in your eyes, but you perfectly, lovingly, and graciously help others remove the specks that in their own eyes. Anyone here got that all down?

Church, do you realize how incredibly naive it is to read Jesus’s sermon on the mount like that? Like it’s a collection of spiritual fortune cookies or a self-help book... Because it’s not! Jesus’ sermon on the mount is not a doable new year’s resolution! - And we haven’t even gotten to the love your neighbor as yourself part, And so if you think it is doable, boy are you in for a rude awakening one way or the other! Because the truth is, you aren’t going to make it!

And so what must we do? Give up!... Quit!.... Abandon all hope!

“Ohhh that sounds good. You mean I can sin it up and it’s OK?” Well, Paul answers that question for us in Romans chapter 6, where he writes:

¹ What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ² By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Romans 6:1-2 ESV

And the implied answer to Paul’s question is “WE CAN’T!” For as Revelation 21:8 says:

⁸ But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Revelation 21:8 ESV

Also, in Romans 2:6-8 it reads:

⁶ He will render to each one according to his works: ⁷ to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; ⁸ but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

Romans 2:6-8 ESV

Look, the Bible is clear. While we must obey God’s law, we cannot. It is impossible! For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

Romans 3:10-12 ESV

The truth is, none of us can live up to God’s glorious standard And if that wasn’t already clear enough, the sermon on the mount makes it crystal clear! For as Jesus told them, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees (who BTW were the navy seals of religion), you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (ESV) 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Church, do you see what those verses are saying? As Christians, all of that YUCK that we had on us, that would keep us out of the kingdom, has been washed off! Not cuz we removed it, but because someone removed it from us! NOTICE ALL OF THE PASSIVE VERBS We WERE WASHED - We WERE sanctified We WERE justified

And praise God there are no active verbs there at all! For if my washing, my sanctifying, and my justifying are contingent upon my actions, upon my resolutions.... Then I’m IN BIG TROUBLE Then Your’e in big trouble! We’re ALL in big trouble!

Unless, however... We WERE washed We WERE sanctified And we WERE justified by God Himself! And how does that happen? I’m glad you asked, because your question actually leads us to our second point.

In our resolution to enter the kingdom, we must: Quit Ask

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

When we have come to the place where we realize we cannot save our selves, what must do we? Ask. Knock Seek, and you will find. How? By calling upon the name of the Lord!

¹³ For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:13 ESV

⁹ because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Romans 10:9-11 ESV

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 ESV

This is the gospel. We cannot save ourselves, and so someone must save us! And that salvation comes by GRACE through FAITH in Jesus Christ! Not by works of the law so that no one may boast.

The gospel is pretty simple isn’t it? In fact, it’s simplicity is one of the reasons people often reject it.

Whenever I am able to share the gospel with people, what I find amazing is reading their faces after they hear the gospel. Because it’s usually a look of: “That’s it?” “It can’t be that simple!”

The gospel’s simplicity offends us, because we are so accustomed to have to do our part! If I want to build muscle, I have to go the gym.

If I want to lose the weight, I have to discipline myself to diet

If i want to get the job, I need to work on my resume. But do you see that resume building DOESN’T WORK with God... It doesn’t matter how good your LinkedIn profile is or how many job recommendations you have, your spiritual resume before God isn’t good enough! And so you must humble yourself before God’s law, admit you’re not able to keep it, and then ask for His help.

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

It doesn’t matter how badly you’ve failed at living a righteous life. Nor does it matter how good you’ve succeeded at living a righteous life. YOU MUST come to the point of asking for God’s Divine aid.

“Now wait a minute preacher.” “I know all of that’s true, what’s this have to do with salvation, isn’t Jesus just simply saying that God will give us nice things when we ask for them?” “Like a new house, job, or whatever?” No - I don’t think that’s what Jesus means by verse 11’s “good things,” and I’ll tell you why:

Luke 11 is a parallel passage of Jesus’s teaching here, And in it, Luke tells us what the “good things” are that Jesus is referring to in Matthew 7 verse 11. Here’s what he says:

Luke 11:10-13 (ESV) 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Do you see what the “good things” are? The Holy Spirit! And why is that significant? Because not only did God the Father give us His only Son who died for us, but He also gave us the Holy Spirit of God which is the PROOF and guarantee of our salvation as Ephesians 1 tells us!

Ephesians 1:13-14 (ESV) 13 In him (Christ) you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

And all of that is from simply asking for it. We can’t earn it, We can’t pay for it, We receive it by grace, for it is the GIFT of God. And if that wasn’t remarkable enough, the apostle Peter tells us this:

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

2 Peter 1:3 ESV

For all of those who have humbly asked for God’s Divine aid, not only are you given the perfect righteousness of Christ credited to your account, but you also have EVERYTHING YOU NEED for life and Godliness! It’s all ours for the taking! For our Father gives us exactly what we need, when we need it! Which leads us to our last point.

In our resolution to enter the kingdom, we must: Quit Ask Trust

9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

In our scripture reading earlier from Luke 18, we read of Jesus’s parable about the widow who kept asking the unjust judge - an evil man who neither feared God nor respected others - to give her justice against her adversary. And what happened? At first, the judge was like, “No - Go away, I don’t care about your stupid problem!” But the woman kept coming She kept asking. And eventually what happened was she wore him out and he relented and gave her justice because he was sick and tired of hearing her whining.

And what’s the point? Keep bugging God and He’ll finally listen? NO! No, that’s not the point at all! That parable isn’t comparing God to an unjust ruler, it’s CONTRASTING GOD as a loving Father who cares deeply for His children’s needs!

Unlike the unjust judge, we aren’t trying to tire out the God who doesn’t tire with our perpetual prayers! For if we were, it would make sense to pray as the pagans do who babble on and on thinking they will be heard for their many words as Jesus mentioned in chapter 5. Church, we aren’t approaching an unjust judge, In fact, we aren’t even merely approaching a just judge, because if that’s all God was to us, we’d be in even greater trouble! Instead, we are approaching our heavenly Father. That’s Jesus’ point in verses 9-11 He’s saying, if you, who are evil, give good things to your children, then HOW MUCH MORE will your your Heavenly Father give you the GOOD THINGS that you need?

How much more church? I’ll tell you how much more.

Romans 8:31-32 (NLT) 31 … If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?

Our need was great: Our sins were many. The wrath of God lay upon us, waiting to crush us with the power of an all-powerful God! And yet, because of the great love with which He loved us, God sent His ONE and ONLY Son, to die the death we deserved, so that we might live as the beloved children of God. Do you believe that? Is that where your hope lies? Or are you still looking at the perfect law of God and foolishly thinking you can live up to it?! Are you deluding yourself to think that next year is the year where you will finally fulfill your resolution of living up to the holy standard of God? If so:

In our resolution to enter the kingdom, we must: Quit trying Ask for God’s Divine aid And then trust Him that He will continue to provide everything you need for life and godliness, and seek Him daily for that aid!

Church, these verses has nothing to do with God giving you the Ferrari or the new house! They have nothing to do with promising you a pain-free, sickness-free, happily-ever-after-American dream. They are not about giving us what we WANT, but what we NEED, And fundamentally what we need is A RIGHTEOUSNESS that SURPASSES THAT OF THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARISEES! Which means, we NEED CHRIST - which is the ultimate “good thing” that God gives His children!

As we are about to sing in a moment: How deep the Father's love for us How vast beyond all measure That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure How great the pain of searing loss The Father turns His face away As wounds which mar the Chosen One Bring many sons to glory

Have you accepted God’s gift - His one and only Son? Have you trusted in His shed blood which atoned for our sin upon the cross? If not, seek, knock, ask, and you will receive! And then, when you have, rest in promise of Romans 10 knowing that those who trust in Christ WILL NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME!

Praise God for Jesus, who perfectly fulfilled the just demands of the law for us, so that we can rest safely in His righteousness as the children of God!

This is the manuscript the sermon was preached from, so the recording may differ in places.