YouTube || Podcast Matt 5:38-48 (CSB) Jesus teaches what a kingdom type of like looks like - a life that is out of the ordinary! #convenantkeepers (v31-32) In the first part of this text, Jesus is standing against the mistreatment of women. Rabbi's at this time gave various interpretations of the Mosaic law with regard to divorce. William Barclay notes that the school of Shammai taught sexual immorallity was ground for divorce. Hillel's school taught that a cooking fail was grounds for a man to divorce his wife. Rabbi Akiba said that if someone more attractive came along, that was enough to justify divorce. Add the influence of Greco-Roman culture, the family unit was at risk. Jesus is focussing less on the legal grounds for divorce, and highlighting the selfishness of hearts, and the effect that this has on others. People of the kingdom are called to be #covenantkeepers. People of honour and humility. Men should see women as daughters of the King and not objects to satisfy selfish desires. #truthspeakers (v33-37) Empty promises. Broken agreements. Going back on what was said. Not much has changed since the time of Jesus until now. Oaths varied in strength depending on who or what was invoked when making the oath. Jesus is teaching that a kingdom person should be of such integrity, that no extra words or guarantee would be needed. Just a Yes or No. The point is that the length of the sentence doesn't matter if the substance in the heart lacks integrity. #peacemakers (v38-42) The Lex Talionis, the earliest recorded code (Hammurabi, Babylon from 2285 to 2242 B.C.) is the law of tit for tat. An eye for an eye. The punishment should fit the crime. This code was less about personal vengeance and more a guide for judges to execute justice. Here, Jesus call's his followers to not seek revenge at all. A backhand slap was a pointed insult. Jesus' point - if someone insults you, don't retaliate. Taking a shirt could be done as a pledge, but custom required that a coat should always be returned by sunset. Jesus' point, don't stand on your legal rights, even when you have the right to. Going one mile was something a Roman soldier could demand of any Jew. Jesus said, go two. He is teaching that his followers should focus less on their rights, and more on their responsibility to pursue peace. They should remove themselves as judge, and let God handle justice. #barrierbreakers There were many that were "not the neighbors" of Jesus' hearers. Roman, oppressors, the unclean Gentiles, and the Samaritans. Jesus is not calling his followers to have the same personal relationships with everyone as with those closest, but rather is talking about agape love. An intentional and unconditional benevolence and goodwill. He is calling his followers to deal with prejudice and pursue unity. The barriers we have in our hearts toward others can limit the flourishing in our relationship with God. #beperfect The relationship must come before the rules - rhythms rather. The things Jesus teaches are not checklists to tick off, but character-shaping practices to lean into. Perfection here, then, is a progression and a process, rather than a moment. Galatians 5:16-17 16 I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other so that you don’t do what you want. There is a tension between the Spirit and the flesh. Whichever one is given preference in the thousands of decisions we make each day will be the one that becomes the anchor! Jesus is the ultimate #convenantkeeper 2 Tim 2:13 (CSB) if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. #truthspeaker John 8:32 (CSB) You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” #peacemakers Rom 5:1 (CSB) Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. #barrierbreaker Eph 2:13-14 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility

Catch the message on YouTube or Podcast When you come to faith in Christ, you become a target of the enemy. Not because of you, but because of the Name you carry. There are three areas where we do battle; areas that are opposed to the will of God. The domain of darkness - the area of deception and destruction The world system - the area of desensitization and relaxation The fleshy nature - the area of rationalization and temptation Sex is an area used by the enemy to deceive, tempt, desensitize and destroy. We tell ourselves stories, usually false but very powerful, that rationalize our thoughts and actions. Jesus has a different take... Matt 5:27-30 (CSB) 27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. Ouch! Here are some big thoughts on this passage - to you if you follow Jesus, and for your consideration if you don't. SEX IS SACRED Dr Brian Simmons (TPT creator) notes that the Aramaic word that Jesus would have used for adultery really incorporates any sexual act. You could paraphrase it this way "Keep all sexual acts inside the covenant of marriage". Many (sexual) relationships today are consumeristic. Selfish motivations Independence is important, Given physically but not fully Needs are more important than the relationship Authenticity is not complete because it is not a safe zone (there is a risk it could end) Long-term commitment is a phobia The Bible is most definitely pro-sex and sexual desire when it is within its intended place - the marriage covenant. It is a covenant good, not a consumer good ( as Tim Keller says). It is sacred (a sacrament if you will) because it is a physical expression of an invisible reality - a life that has been fully and completely given. It is like a fire; beautiful in its designated place, but destructive when fueled by the wind in a forest. LUST IS A LIAR Jesus points out that the attitude counts as much as the action. Lust, really is sexual idolatry, as it elevates created things over the Creator (Rom 1:24-25). It overpromises and underdelivers, much like the car that I bought some years back, not knowing it was accidentally damaged. Had I known the trouble it would cause, I would have never gone through with the deal. Don't only think of the stereotypical man whose look becomes a leering stare. Lust is far more inclusive than that. The Greek word used for lust is the same as for coveting, greed, or desire. It is FAST. Fantasies - If only I had... Addictive - the temporary fix keeps you going back for more Selfish - it is only about you and your desires Tyrannical - it becomes controlling Lust tells a lie, that it will bring you the satisfaction you really want. To defeat lust, you need to RECOGNISE the lie that you are believing. REPENT of it - which means to ask God to help you change the way you think. REPLACE the lie with truth - that the only place you will find what you really desire is not in a place at all, but rather in the person of Jesus. DRIFT IS DANGEROUS Jesus calls for drastic action to be taken to change a trajectory otherwise headed to gehenna - a picture of unquenchable thirst and unfulfilled desire. Most people don't decide to get all tangled up in sexual idolatry. As the writer of Hebrews points out, sin ensnares easily (Heb 12:1) It happens slowly over time. You drift into it. You can't drift out though. You have to decide to take drastic action to get untangled. Once we were tiger fishing on the Zambezi, drifting with the current in a small boat. We got distracted, and almost too late, we realized we were drifting toward danger. A tree caught on a sandbank, on which there were crocodiles and elephants. Just in the nick of time we got the engine started and managed to avoid the death trap! Sexual idolatry looks like Sexual acts outside of the marriage covenant Pornography and masturbation. By the way, based on stats from Project Exodus 79% of young adult men and 76% of young adult women admit to using pornography monthly. 10% of visitors to porn sites each month are under the age of 10. Believing the lie that you need to have sex to be happy Expecting that your partner will meet ALL of your needs Fantasizing about the day that you will be with him or her and have the house and the car... that then you will be happy So, how do you fight this? Against the domain of darkness: Grow into the power of PRAYER and the power of the word, to take down strongholds and live from the victory that Christ has won. This is about authority, and understanding what Jesus has achieved. Key verse: Col 1:12-13 Against the world system: Take your cue of the BIBLE as your truth, rather than the news or your social feed. Set some healthy BOUNDARIES - you may need to remove out some things from your watchlist, or cut some ties with certain people. This is about changing the way that you think. Key verse: Rom 12:2 Against the fleshly nature: Start putting some spiritual PRACTICES in place. Aren't we talking about the flesh? Yes! Spiritual practices are ones that fuel the spirit and starve the flesh. Things like prayer, fasting, regularly attending church and life groups, silence and solitude, giving, and so on. Get some PEOPLE around you that can encourage you and keep you accountable. If you are not sure where to start, this would be a great first step. Reach out for help. You can get in touch with us at Free Church. We know what it's like to struggle, and we can help. We are also connected to Urban Recovery. Urban Recovery has recovery support groups that meet online and in person, to help people affected by addiction. More details here The truth is that in Christ, the flesh has been crucified, but in faith, you live that out and remind it that it is indeed dead to you. Key verse: Gal 2:20 In Jesus, and through the Church, there is help, hope and healing. Sexual integrity is something that is TOV. It's good, and it's how God intended it to be.

We know the Bible is called the GOOD NEWS, but sometimes what we read doesn’t seem like good news at all! If you are anything like me, the temptation is just to skip over that section and get to the parts that sound good and are easier to apply to our lives. Matthew 5:17-20 is one of those that we can be tempted to skip over. 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20 (NIV) Reading this verse reminds me of trying to do high Jump at school. The bar keeps getting higher until it’s impossible to jump over it without crash landing on top of it. “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law…” well that just feels impossible to me! But when we find something in scripture that confuses us, we need to zoom out to see how it fits into the broader story of scripture to make sure we understand it correctly. Context is important when reading the Bible! And when we look at the bigger story, we see that Jesus Himself broke many of the “rules” set out by the Pharisees. The rules and laws that the Pharisees aimed to keep were added to the original laws God gave to Moses by religious leaders of the day. They were almost impossible to keep, but more importantly, they were largely focused on what you can see on the outside and had very little to do with heart change or willingness to do God’s will. More of a tick box approach than a lifestyle of love and relationship with God. So, when reading the Bible it may be helpful to keep the following in mind: 1) What you think about Jesus probably needs to be rethought. 2) If you are asking “What can, or can’t I do?” You need a better question. 3) If you are feeling the pressure to perform, you need a different perspective. 1) What you think about Jesus probably needs to be rethought. If we don't dig deeper, we limit Jesus to a good teacher, who sets a really high bar, we, think the OT is irrelevant, focus on the NT only, and miss the context, so our view becomes limited to trying to do the right thing, legalism so that we get to heaven and avoid hell. What Jesus was saying is he had come to fulfill everything that was before. Jesus is the key to the OT Testament. Jesus came to keep the law, to be the Messiah, and to provide the sacrifice so that we can be made righteous before God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) The great exchange! 2) If you are asking “What can, or can’t I do?” You need a better question. Jesus does not say that one must keep the commandments to enter the kingdom of heaven because He is far more interested in heart change than outward behaviour management. When we become so focused on behaviour management, we miss out on the opportunity to be transformed inwardly! So here is the better question: Rather than ask what I can I / can’t I do… ask WHY do I want to do this or that, because this is getting to heart motivation. Is this going to honor God or not? Is this going to bring me closer to Him? 21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:21-24 (NIV) 3) If you are feeling the pressure to perform, you need a different perspective. The Kingdom of heaven is not heaven in the future, simply the opposite of hell. But it’s here and now, where God's rule and reign is, where His will is done. It is the message Jesus came to bring. Repent. Change the way you think. I'm about to turn things upside down. Jesus is setting up an invitation to a new kind of righteousness, a new quality. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) You do not need to perform, to jump over the incredibly high bar, because Jesus came to do that for you! God is not looking at our outward actions, rather He looks at our hearts and our faith in Jesus. When you put your faith in Jesus and his finished work, it’s like you get the gold medal, without even having to jump the bar. Now, this is how the Bible is GOOD NEWS! I pray that this grips your heart and gives you new lenses to read the Bible and a fresh perspective on who Jesus is.

Watch / Listen to the full message here A lot of us have preconceived ideas about Jesus. For example, many believe he is just an exceptional moral teacher. He is, but more than that he is TRUTH. And TRUTH demands reflection and response that looks like a radical reorganization of your life. In Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus brings some truth that demands just that. He highlights a danger: an unhealthy heart leads to death. He gives a directive: urgent humility leads to life. The context is Jesus teaching about the kind of TOV life that characterizes his people, of which he is the prototype. This is who he is calling us to be! By the way, TOV is the Hebrew word for "good", but with a fuller intent which implies something which fulfills the purpose for which it was created. When something is doing what it was created to do - that's TOV. Matthew 5:21-26 21“You’re familiar with the commandment taught to those of old: ‘Do not murder or you will be judged.’ 22But I’m telling you, if you hold anger in your heart toward a fellow believer, you are subject to judgment. And whoever demeans and insults a fellow believer is answerable to the congregation. And whoever calls down curses upon a fellow believer is in danger of being sent to a fiery hell. 23“So then, if you are presenting a gift before the altar and suddenly you remember a quarrel you have with a fellow believer, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar and go at once to apologize to the one who is offended. Then, after you have reconciled, come to the altar and present your gift. 25It is always better to come to terms with the one who wants to sue you before you go to trial, or you may be found guilty by the judge, and he will hand you over to the officers, who will throw you into prison. 26 Believe me, you won’t get out of prison until you have paid the full amount!” Ouch! Jesus is referring to the 6th command - don't murder. Many of his hearers thought as long as they didn't commit the act, their attitude didn't matter. However, Jesus shatters their self-righteousness but highlights that heart attitude counts. To describe the consequences of relational disunity, he uses pictures of judgment, gehenna ( translated as hell, but really a rubbish dump outside Jerusalem where child sacrifice used to take place), impaired worship relationship with God, and imprisonment. The idea is that this trajectory does not lead anywhere good. We live in an angry age. Passive aggression is normal, road rage is a given, and social media is a place where people comment without consequence. It doesn't seem to matter what the subject is, and it gives voice to what is in the heart. The things people want to do to each other... To be clear, Jesus is not saying one can't get angry, but he is warning about holding on to unrighteous anger, which is we feel like we have been wronged. Righteous anger, which Jesus himself demonstrated, is when a person is angry because of injustice done to others, or dishonor of God. In our country, 6083 people were murdered from January through March 2022. That is incredibly tragic. The gravity of Jesus' words is that if one carries anger in your heart, in God's eyes, it's the same as murder. You are called to Take Responsibility: Guard your Heart. Watch Your Words. Make the First Move. GUARD YOUR HEART Jer 17:10 (NIV) “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” Our son was in agony in January of this year. From the outside, he looked fine, but he couldn't walk because his back was so sore. Eventually, an MRI scan revealed an abscess on his spine, which if left untreated could result in paralysis or at worst, fatality. Three practical ways to guard your heart (no one else can guard your heart for you 1. Open your Bible and Psalm 139 as a daily prayer. Ask God to search your heart, reveal anything horrible in there and lead you in the way of life. He knows what is in there, and He wants you to be free of it. He can't deal with it if you won't let him. 2. Stop Blameshifting. Blame shifting is when you say "He made me angry". Truth is, no one can make you angry. Sure, people do horrible things, but the decision to be angry and stay angry is sole with you. Rather say "When she did that, I got angry". This shifts the responsibility of your anger to you, rather than blaming someone else for it. When you own it, you can deal with it. 3. Set Boundaries. A lot of the time, we get frustrated, angry, and eventually contemptuous because I believe the lie is that we can't set boundaries. We can't say "no" because we like to please people. We can't rest because we need to work more because we find acceptance and identity in what we do. We end up overwhelemd, overworked, and angry. Truth is, the more healthy your rhythms are, the healthier your heart will be too. WATCH YOUR WORDS Matt 15:18-19 (NIV) But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. There are two types of cricket chirps that I know. The first is the peaceful chirp chirp chirp in the evening. The second is a continuous shrill chirp. That is the sound of mole crickets. Mole crickets burrow into the ground and eat all the roots of your lawn. After a while, you end up with dead patches of grass everywhere. The noise that you hear is just a sign of what's the destruction underneath. #Paulsprotip ins 2 Tim 2:23 is simply - Don't get involved in foolish arguments. My paraphrase: stop commenting on the latest argument on social media. It's not going to lead anywhere good. Speak words that are pure "If you don't have anything good to say… ask God what he would say, and say that. It's probably going to be good. MAKE THE FIRST MOVE Heb 12:14-15 (NIV) Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness, no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. There is a plant that grows here called a fire stick. It is extremely poisonous, yet it's all over the place. Admired even. Jesus is calling us to deal with the things in our hearts before they cause more harm. And he asks you to make the first move. A practical mantra: Keep short accounts. If there is relational tension, deal with it quickly. Make the first move. Urgent humility. That leads to life. Repentance: If you become convicted that someone is offended or angry with them, you go to them to reconcile. Their response to that is not your responsibility. Forgiveness: If you have become angry with someone, ask for the grace of God to help you forgive them. Dig up the root. Why does Jesus put such an emphasis on this? Why does he call you to be a #peacemaker? I guess it is because where there is unity, there is a blessing, and he wants the best for you. Living with anger, bitterness and offense is not tov. It's not what you were created for. Psalms 133:1,3 (NIV) How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!.. …For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore Through the power of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, and the person of the Holy Spirit, you are free and empowered. Free and empowered to forgive as you have been forgiven. Free and empowered to live with the humility Jesus lived with. Free and empowered to reconcile as you have been reconciled to God. Your move. What's it going to be? Take Responsibility: Guard your Heart. Watch Your Words. Make the First Move.

Salt + Light If you know me and have spent any length of time with me, you would know that I am an avid follower of sport, and team sports, in particular. No! I don’t have a room in the house with all kinds of sports memorabilia and replica shirts of my favourite teams (maybe one day I will)! This love for sports developed in me during my school days. I was in boarding school for a very long time, right from the time I was 8 years old, all the way up until I completed high school. We had a lot of time on our hands to dabble in all types of sports, soccer, cricket, rugby etc….And it was during matches that I began to appreciate that some individuals among us had skills when we were allowed to express ourselves on the field of play. Oftentimes, it was during the dull and boring matches that were destined for a stalemate, that someone either came on as a substitute or someone already in the field, changed the trajectory of the outcome of the game in our favour with their exploits. Perhaps that’s where the term ‘gamechanger’ was derived. Even in the sports world today, there are plenty of game-changers who we read or hear about their exploits on the field of play but that’s not why I am here this morning. I want to talk about the TOV #morethangood gamechanger. If you open to the beginning of the Bible in Genesis, you find beautiful a description of a mountain garden in a region called Eden (meaning pleasure), with plants, trees, rivers, life… It is God's tov creation. People are in tov relationship with God, and each other. The same picture is what we read about at the end of the Bible in Revelations. In the middle of the story, we are introduced to the gamechanger and his name is Jesus. His story is one of redemption, setting things right (as they should be), the ultimate victory story (tov triumphing over ra)! Because God is tov, more than good, he sends his son Jesus into the mess of the world, he is God’s rescue operation for the world. Last weeks blog, Peter shared on The Beatitudes, which I believe are the character foundations of how we must practically live as disciples or followers of Jesus. Some scholars go as far as describing them as a ‘code of ethics for the disciples and a standard of conduct for all believers’. Matthew 5: 13-16 (NLT) 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14 “You are the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way. Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Jesus uses salt as an analogy/metaphor to describe the people in the crowd because in the ancient culture, salt had many purposes for which it was good for: - · PRECIOUS: The Romans believed that other than the sun, there was nothing more valuable than salt. The Romans said “There is nothing more useful than sun and salt” (Latin: Nil utilius sole et sale). In fact, it is said that Roman soldiers were often paid in salt, which is where the phrase “He’s not worth his salt” was coined. Salt was also considered a mark of friendship. When two people shared salt, then they were more likely to look out for each other. Therefore, when Jesus called the disciples/followers salt of the earth, naturally these aspects would have come to mind. Salt was extremely valuable and they would have known that they too were valuable in Jesus’ eyes. We too are valuable to God’s kingdom should we choose to become a part of it. · PRESERVATIVE: Perhaps one of the most important functions that salt had in the ancient times was to be used as a preservative, especially to meats. In a time when there was no refrigeration, salt was the best way to preserve food from decay. Salt also has medicinal properties as it can be used to heal cuts or bruises and prevent germs from entering our bodies, it is an ANTISEPTIC. It prevents things from going ‘bad’. So then salt preserves from corruption. If the Christian is to be the salt of the earth, he must have a certain antiseptic influence on life. We should counteract the moral decay in society. We all know that there are certain people in whose company it is easy to be good, and that also there are certain people in whose company it is easy for standards to be relaxed. There are certain people in whose presence a soiled story would be readily told, and there are other people to whom no one would dream of telling such a tale. The Christian must be the cleansing antiseptic in any society in which he happens to be; he must be the person who by his presence defeats corruption and makes it easier for others to be good (tov). · FLAVOUR ENHANCER: The greatest and most common quality of salt is that it enhances the flavour of food when added to it. Food without salt is sadly bland and not very enjoyable. Christianity is to live what salt is to food. As followers of Jesus, we are called to bring flavour to life. What ‘flavour’ are you bringing to the lives of those around you? Is it a TOV flavour? Mark 9:50 50 Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavour, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other. Many Christians blend into the world around them and avoid the cost of standing up for Christ. Jesus says that if we lose our DISTINCTIVE SALTINESS, we become worthless. We are called to preserve the good in the world and bring a new flavour to life, we must STAND OUT! It requires careful planning, willing sacrifice and unswerving commitment to Christ’s Kingdom. But if we fail to be “salty”, we fail to represent Christ in the world. John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not wark in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 9:5 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world This is perhaps the greatest compliment that Jesus paying to us as his followers, in that he is calling us to be what he himself claimed to be. With great power comes great responsibility! During that time, Jerusalem was often referred to as “a light to the Gentiles” and a famous rabbi often called “a lamp of Israel”. In their minds, the Jews believed that no man kindled their own light and that indeed Jerusalem was a light to the Gentiles but “God lit Israel’s lamp”. The light with which the nation shone was borrowed light and therefore it must be the same with the Christian. Jesus is therefore not asking us to produce our own light but we must shine the reflection of his light. As “light” we are called to illuminate or make visible. Our lives are to be an on-going witness to the reality of Christ’s presence in our lives. When we worship God with pure hearts, when we love others as ourselves, and when we do good without growing weary, we are lights shining. Dr Michael Youssef The Aramaic word for “light” (noohra) is often used as a metaphor for teachings that bring enlightenment and revelation into the hearts of men. Lights can also represent the presence of God (“the light of his countenance”). Jesus is the light of God within us. TPT Footnote on Mat 5:16 How do we practically become the light of the world? · OUR LIGHT IS MEANT TO BE SEEN: We obviously can’t do that when Eskom load sheds our suburbs…..hahahaha. By placing the lamp on a stand provided light for the whole house. The same cannot be said when you place the lamp under a basket. Christianity is something which is meant to be seen. Someone said, “there can be no such thing as secret discipleship, for either the secrecy destroys the discipleship, or the discipleship destroys the secrecy.” Our light should not be visible only in the Church. It should shine in all the dark places in our lives, in our schools, our neighbourhoods, our workplaces, shopping malls. Light reveals truth and exposes darkness! · OUR LIGHT IS A GUIDE: A light is something to make clear the way. Think about driving down a street with no lights. As followers of Christ, we need to be bold enough to take a stand to do the right thing, and take the lead so that others may follow. The world is desperately in need of guiding lights right now. GOOD DEEDS must not only be good; they must also be attractive! Our good deeds ought to draw attention, not to ourselves, but to God. The Greek word for good in this text is ‘kalos’ which means that a thing is not only good but that it is also winsome, beautiful and attractive. Therefore, let your light so shine before men. Ephesians 5: 8-14 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. 10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” - Themba Moyo

I grew up, not always having what the other kids did financially, we moved homes a lot, and I was often not in the “cool crowd’, oftentimes finding myself excluded. I would often look on from the outside, at what looked like the good life - Wealth and the joy and the ease that people seemed to have, big houses, fancy cars, influence, “successful” people, popular people. Maybe one day I’ll have that, maybe one day I’ll be accepted like that, celebrated like that…live like that… Maybe one day…I had this picture of what the good life and happiness looked like from some of those around me. Were they happy in their lives..? Surely! I mean - how could they not be? Today I want to talk about the good life! #blessed! Who is truly blessed in this world..? What does Jesus think? The Bible begins in the book of Genesis and starts in the beautiful, perfect garden of Eden on a Mountain. If we fast forward to the end of the Bible in the book of Revelations, we see in the very last chapter - a picture of the perfect garden city on a Mountain with the Tree of Life that all will be able to eat from again. We see the narrative arc - starts good and ends good but something happens in the middle that affects and changes the trajectory of our lives… That something is Jesus. In his TOV, goodness - God sends his son Jesus to earth, to teach us about his Kingdom with the view to bringing God’s Kingdom and reign back to earth, restoring creation to as it should be! We have spoken of God being TOV, meaning good but more than good. And maybe you, like me, have been sitting here thinking, “Okay, so where do we see this goodness in our lives.? What is the good life? What does it look like? Who is truly blessed? I want in…” What does the world tell us? You're "Facebook" blessed if you are happy! All the good things we get to enjoy and experience! What the world sets out as the good life: Wealth, the job title, the social status, fancy car, splendid house, maybe an island, boats, power, influence, popularity, followers on Insta or Facebook, you be you, living my best life, hashtag blessed, hashtag winning, life goals, business goals, perfect marriage, perfect children - I don't know what it was/is for you or what pictures come to mind…I wonder what picture came to Jesus’ mind? We will start with Jesus’ famous Beatitudes! The beatitudes are often recognised for their parallels with Moses and the 10 commandments, however, instead of fire and smoke on the mountain, this time, God sends his son in flesh. Who experienced all we experience. Jesus comes as the rescuer, like Moses, leading the rescue mission. Jesus would have been seen as a prophet or son of God to the Jews and perhaps a wise sage to others, inviting people into ways in this world that promise the truly good life…In this teaching, he shows us what it means to be blessed in the Kingdom of God. Into the beatitudes… From Matthew 5v1 1Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Okay, a very different #blessed list to what we are used to in our world. What is going on here? Let's summarise what they are not: First, saved by grace through faith, not by our works or by our attitude. They are not a list of virtues or things to do or become in order to earn blessing. It is not a list of commands…Not something you should go and do! Praying to be poor or sad? Surely this doesn’t make sense…I don’t think Jesus commands this. It is a blessing. The aim is not to go out and do… It is not a list of timeless truths…Do the meek always inherit the earth? No. Sometimes, but rarely…It's often the idiots who run the world. Any Trump fans in the house? Those who run countries are normally the rich, powerful, well educated, often those who lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead. Do mourners always receive comfort? No! If you read it as a list of timeless truths, it doesn’t work.. So what exactly they are? First - It is the Gospel. If you define Gospel as Jesus is King and his Kingdom is coming. You get it at the very beginning of his sermon on the mount. His Kingdom is coming and it is coming for the least likely of people - the down and outs, those living in sin, those whose life is a mess, those, who by worldly standard would be considered un-blessable. Not only for those who have it all together - the wealthy, powerful, influential- it's also for those who don’t have it all together. Those people are blessed! All those people are blessed and they didn’t do anything but show up! If you turn it into virtues or a list - it becomes the exact opposite of justification by grace through faith. It becomes a twisted way of earning blessing not through good works, but by being these things. The gospel, the good news Jesus comes to share is, “Hey you, your life is kind of a mess - come into the Kingdom, blessed are you..” “Hey you who is sad…Come in, you’re welcome here.” “Hey you who is mourning the status of your marriage..You are blessed and you are welcome here. "Hey you who are grappling with addiction - come in, you are welcome here…” Blessing first, and out of that blessing he preaches the rest of his sermon on the mount… So first, the beatitudes are the gospel. Second - In the beatitudes Jesus radically redefines who is blessed. His list is countercultural in its time. It went against populist thinking. Upside down as we say. And I think the same holds true today. It's the last thing they would expect to hear….I think even if you are familiar with the teachings of Jesus you could be sitting here thinking, hey, I'm not so sure about this bit. In borrowing a structure from JMC, you could paraphrase Jesus’ list in todays language something like this.. ⭐ Blessed are the the down and out, the unemployed, the over worked, those without an education, those without insurance or medical aid, or those who are spiritually simple and have very little to offer because they are in the Kingdom of God. ⭐ Blessed are the sad, the depressed, the anxious, those grieving the death of a loved one, the failure of a marriage or another miscarriage - because one day God himself will comfort their pain. ⭐ Blessed are the lonely, the badly dressed, the uncool, the socially awkward - because one day they will be free from what others think of them and they will reign as queens and kings of his Kingdom. ⭐ Blessed are the messed up, those who just cant get it right, those in abusive relationships, those in troubled homes, those grappling addicted - because one day they will be so filled with the freedom and goodness of God. ⭐ Blessed is the humble one, the one who doesn’t pay back violence with violence or seek revenge, one day they will receive that mercy back tenfold.. ⭐ Blessed are the Christians in a culture that can at times make fun of them or look down on them as stupid and behind the times - they get to share in the Kingdom of God… The list goes on…Jesus is redefining who is blessed and it is possibly more radical now than it was then! What does the world say about happiness in this life, who is blessed.? Our world is so often built around the pursuit of happiness! We have redefined happiness to what we have and what we feel. I think we can grow up with ideas for what happiness should look like and then go and chase after it and life happens and some of your dreams maybe don’t come true, Here, in complete contrast Jesus is saying whenit'saltogethers not altogether, let’s celebrate! When the world says you are un-blessable, Jesus says, “Congratulations, you made the list of blessings!” John 16:33 - Jesus “ I have told you these things so that you will have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart (be encouraged) for I have overcome the world”. We live in a culture that says you are not blessed. I want you to hear that you are! Regardless of what your condition or situation is - I want you to hear, that you are blessed! In the beatitudes, I believe Jesus is painting a picture of what his Kingdom looks like, a world put right. A great reset! Kingdom and earth as he originally intended. I believe he says, My blessing, my TOV, my goodness is for everyone! All are welcome here, regardless of your condition or situation, and you don’t have to do anything, there are no conditions - just receive it! Our King Jesus says everything is going to be okay. Let me show you…Take a deep breathe. I know it doesn’t currently look like you thought it would. It's okay. Everything is going to be okay…Blessed are you! Peter Molver

YouTube || Podcast One of my favourite moments of holiday is that first walk on the beach, sea air, sand, watching the kids run toward the waves. It's a "this is good" moment. An "as it should be" moment. I'm sure you've had these moments too - perhaps watching a sunset over the bushveld, taking in snow capped mountain ranges, seeing an explosion of life and colour on a coral reef, sharing good food with great friends, holding a new born baby. Moments where things are just as they should be. The word tov in Hebrew means good. Yet, it's more than just good. Tov is when things are as they should be, when things are working the way they were created to work. In our world, there is so much not-tov - so much ra - the Hebrew word for bad - evil, brokenness, dysfunction, adversity. If God is tov, where is he? Is really any hope? Is the Bible even relevant, or is it just a bunch of rules that religious people try (unsuccessfully) to keep. If you open to the beginning of the Bible, you find beautiful a description of a mountain garden in a region called Eden (meaning pleasure), with plants, trees, rivers life… It is God's tov creation. People in tov relationship with God, and each other. Humans had a role and responsibility, to take care of this tov creation. In the middle, the tree of life, a picture of God's sustaining presence. Near it, the tree of knowledge of tov and ra. A choice - God's wisdom, word and way (the tree of life) or humans seeking to do things on their own terms (the other tree). The idea being a choice. Humans would have to walk by tree one to get to the other. Humans rejected God's wisdom, word and way, and choose their own, and suddenly things were no longer the way that they were created to be. There was a fracture in relationship between people and God, and people and people. The consequence: relational, spiritual and physical death. Now, if you turn to the last pages of the Bible, you find a beautiful a description of a mountain garden city, with plants, the tree of life, a river, a throne, healing, God dwelling amongst his people, his people reigning for eternity. It is tov, again, but better. 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, Revelation 21:10 1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. Revelation 22:1-4 And in between, lies the narrative arc. Tov in the start, conflict introduced, Tov at the end. So the question is, how is God going to restore tov and bring healing, and in that narrative, we are invited to find ourselves. The way the story God is that God selects a person, that will become a people to be his representatives and partners, through which he will bring blessing, and "tov-ness" if you will. He starts with Abram, who we talked about last week. He promises him a multitude of descendants, through a long awaited son, Isaac. Isaac's grandkids become heads of the 12 tribes of Israel, and they grow and increase, to the point where Pharoah Egypt becomes fearful and enslaves them for 400 years. In Exodus Ch3 God meets an (initially reluctant) man called Moses on a mountain (Horeb) and commissions him to lead the Exodus, the liberation moved. We see a tree, a fire, on a mountain, the flaming presence of God - linking back to Eden. There is a requirement though for Moses to take off his shoes, to do with holiness, which is an important theme, and, naturally Moses is fearful. God says that one day Moses will return to the mountain, and the people will serve God. ​1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Exodus 3:1-6 Over the next 15 chapters we find the story of the liberation of God's people, and their journey back to the mountain, this time called Sinai - possibly because the bush from Ch 3 was a סְנֶה seneh (thorn bush); (סִינַי sîynay; Sinai = thorny.) 4 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ Exodus 19:4-6 When Moses told the words of the people to the LORD, 10 the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments 11 and be ready for the third day. Exodus 19:9-11 18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. Exodus 19:18 Here again we have the mountain, the fire, the presence of the Lord, and a requirement for holiness (to be in the presence of God). A kingdom of priests - the role of Adam and Eve in the garden, to rule, work and keep the land. It's like Eden again. Moses is on the mountain for 12 Chapters, receiving from God, the 10 commandments (or 10 words rather), instructions for the tabernacle, details of social justice and relationships. Sidenote1 - if we take just this "picture" one can get the idea that following Jesus is all about rule keeping. Yet if you see the context, you have a different idea. First, this was a nation with 400 years of slavery baggage. He was giving basic relational instructions, most of which, we would agree, are good things… don't steal, don't murder and so on. Second, God was gracefully revealing who he was, how to approach him, and how to live as his people. This was completely unusual, because all the other gods were irrational and unpredictable, and could be manipulated. So, to say to an ancient Hebrew that the law was hard work, would make no sense at all! Sidenote2 - the description that God gives of the tabernacle is links, how God will live amongst his people. The ark of the covenant is going to contain the law, the wisdom of God, in the holy of holies, where God's presence is, a court, tree like carvings, an outer court. There is a strong link back to Eden All this takes some time! And again the people are presented with a choice. Do they trust God, or grow impatient and go their own way. What do they do? They build a golden calf and say, this is our god… It is like the fall in the garden all over again. God is ready to leave them alone, Moses intercedes, God rewrites new tablets, and renews the covenant. And we have to wonder, is there any hope? Well, no, and yes. "No: in and of ourselves. But emphatically "Yes" in Jesus. Jesus comes as a human to be the human that humans could not be. The second Adam. He brings together the presence of God, the tree of life, the wisdom of God, the temple, he announces the rule and reign (kingdom of) God and he goes about being tov and doing tov. Healing, restoring, forgiving, loving. He carries a message of seeds and fruit and things growing, it links back to Eden, yes, but it's really the start of the new creation, heading toward those last chapters of Revelation. The way it is inaugurated is that Jesus goes through a garden, onto a mountain, and is hanged on a tree as a sacrifice to settle the debt of humans rebellion. Sidenote - Last week we saw this mountain was called the one where the Lord provides - God himself provides the solution to man's problem! He is raised to life to defeat death, and sends his Spirit to indwell his followers, so that they may be the temple. Jesus overflows with grace, and through him, humans are made righteous, and can boldly enter into the presence of God, the source of tov, and find wisdom and eternal life. So, what does this have to do with us? The way that we see Jesus must impact the way that we live. It is how we find ourselves in the Biblical narrative. God is restoring tov. This story is going somewhere. We are invited to be part of it. There is one caveat, though, is that God will leave alone those who continue to reject the invitation. There is wisdom in paying attention, and getting on board! For those that choose God's way, Peter links back to Exodus 19, only this time, he is writing to the church, not just Israel. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul. 12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits. 1 Peter 2:9-12 This is a call to action. He is saying that how we live matters. By the power of the Spirit, we are in fact able to be tov and do tov, and be the people that bring blessing. If God's people have nothing to say or do in the face of all this not-tov, what are we doing here? Over the next few weeks, we will be digging in to another mountain moment. This is where Jesus teaches what the kind of TOV life looks like, of which Jesus is the prototype . This is the way he is living and he's calling people to join him. It is a lifestyle that's consistent with the arrival of God's tov kingdom. What Jesus teaches is not a pack of rules to keep, but potential to be realized! We can only be this (tov), by being with Jesus - staying connected to him, the Tree of Life, the true vine, the source of tov - in that is where our bearing tov fruit comes. We are able to overcome sinful desires. We are able to conduct ourselves honourably. Is it easy? No! Is it possible? Yes! So the question is, how are we doing? How are we living out our intended role? How are we reflecting God’s character and nature to those in our gardens - our circles of influence? How are we doing justice, creating, showing kindness and compassion, restoring, bringing hope and healing? How are we being intentional about all of this? What does that look like? What one thing needs to change for you to be a conduit of God’s tov - to set things, in part, as to how they should be?

YouTube || Podcast We often refer to God as Father, and perhaps miss out on some of what the early authors of the Bible had in mind. In a sense God is the Father of all as the creator, but passages like (Isa. 63:16–17) link the idea of God as Father to the one who redeems His of the covenant people, and forgives their sins. It denotes a special relationship. To redeem means to compensate for the faults or bad aspects, gain or regain possession of (something) in exchange for payment. It is possession through payment. To restore, on the other hand, is a process of perfecting - to bring something back to it's original state. God is committed redeeming and restoring! The narrative in the Bible is all about God redeeming and restoring, bringing tov back to his tov creation. WE To do this, He begins with a man named Abram, who we meet Gen 11 & 12 75. He makes a covenant with Abram; that through his descendants, blessing would come to all. However, Abram as 75 at the time, with no children! Twenty-five years later, the promised son is born. Sometimes the promises of God become harder to believe as time goes by. Be encouraged to wait well. God always does what He said. so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11 In the waiting, don't let your timeframe be the measure of God's tov. Don't let the promise be bigger than the promise maker. Don't be like Abram, and take things into your own hands 10 years into the waiting. Some of God’s promises come to pass quickly, even overnight. Others stretch over long periods of time, acting as sinews holding together the history of his covenant people over centuries. David Mathis In the waiting, remember we have the Spirit who strengthens us, Community which encourages us and the Word which tells stories of how God has always been faithful to his word. Back to Abram, now, Abraham. He finally had the one thing he had wanted - Isaac. Now, a good few years later, when Isaac was somewhere between 20 and 37 (don't imagine a little toddler) God asked Abraham to him to give Isaac back. ​1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 22:1-2 This may seem crazy, and contradictory, but if you look deeper, is inline with the holy and just character of God. Then, in the near east culture, the firstborn was everything. A little later in scripture, we are introduced to the idea that the life of firstborn belongs to God - unless the firstborn was redeemed. Putting these two thoughts together, God was within his right to ask for Isaac, because Isaac belonged to him, as Tim Keller put it: God was calling in the debt [of the family sin]. Why? He was testing Abraham. Not to see if he would pass or fail, but rather to refine him - to continue a process of restoration in him. God knew how Abraham would respond, so it wasn't as if God was waiting on the edge of his seat to find out what Abraham would do - hence, the testing (refining / restoring) would be more for Abraham himself - and others, like us, to learn from! What was God testing? Perhaps he was helping Abraham check that Isaac was not becoming an idol in his life. Would he be able to say, I can live without Isaac. TESTING IS A CERTAINTY Testing is a certainty, because God is tov. He tests, to help as see and deal with idols in our lives, because he knows that idolatry is destructive and damaging to us. All kinds of (good [tov] and bad [ra]) things can become idols in our lives. To identify an idol, one could ask "What is the one thing you I live without, the thing that is so important to me, that I would compromise for?" Read through Keller's Counterfeit God's for great perspective on us. Abraham had a choice to go through the test. As do we. OBEDIENCE IS A CHOICE God is tov, so he always gives us a choice. We don't have to take our Isaacs up the mountain, but don't, it's not that God comes out to punish us, but rather that idolatry doesn't lead anywhere good. Ever. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” Genesis 22:5 In hermeneutics, there is something called the law of the first mention which is similar to a first impression. The first time a word or doctrine is mentioned lays the foundation through which to see other mentions. This is the first time worship is mentioned. The context: being prepared to lay down something that is close to you. That is food for thought! Something else to take note of here is the faith of a father. He considered that God was able even to raise him [Isaac] from the dead, as Hebrews 11:19 tells us! It's as if Abraham was thinking "I don't know how this is going to work out, but I know you are tov, GOD, and you have promised descendant, so I'm going to do what you have asked". For us, we need to be ready to follow Holy Spirit DIRECTION even before we know all the DETAILS or the DESTINATION! As someone once said, "Faith is never brought to maturity without going through suffering" So Abraham and Isaac go up the mountain. And God intervenes at the last moment. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” Genesis 22:11-14 Here we are introduced to the idea of substitutionary atonement - simply (and insufficiently) put: one life is offered in place of another, in a way that is acceptable to God, and results in an at-one-ment with God, sin removed, forgiveness applied, debt paid. It's like a vindication gift; clearing someone of blame or debt. VINDICAITON IS A GIFT As the story concludes, we see the link back to Gen 3:15 - the offspring or seed that will come to rule and defeat the enemy, through which blessing and tov will come. I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” Genesis 22:17-18 Interestingly, the mountain, Moriah, is likely the same location of Solomons temple (2 Chron 3:1) and Golgotha where Jesus was crucified. There is so much imagery in this story that one can't help but see Jesus. The father and the firstborn, the sacrifice, the location, the ram, redemption, the substitute provided by God. Only, when Jesus was on the cross, the Father remained silent, and the Son cried out. Abraham arose early for the journey of dread He lifted his eyes to where Isaac’d be dead But when his faith was applied in what God had said He lifted his eyes and found a substitute instead, He arose with joy for the journey home Covenant confirmed, through no doing of his own. As God provided the ram to let Isaac alone, So God graciously gave Jesus, so He may be to you known If you accept this free gift of grace, Your sin is removed beyond outer space Walk free and forgiven, with peace in your heart Redemption for you was the plan from the start. T esting is a certainty. O bedience is a choice. V indication is a gift. T. O. V. God is good.

Today we begin something new, exploring tov, the Hebrew word for good. You may have heard it in "Mazel tov" which means good luck. This little word is so much more than just good. To say that God is "good", is somewhat of an understatement. He is tov. #morethangood This word appears many times in the first few chapters of Genesis. It is an explosive word that is the standard of good, the substance of good, from the source of good, and links to the idea that things that are tov have within them the seed - or potential - to multiply and make more tov. [Genesis 1:11-13 Genesis 2:8-10] Eden is full of tov. A garden planted on a mountain (Ezek 28:13-16) with a river flowing from it, full of plants and trees. Adam, (ha-adam - "the human” ) and Eve, (chavva - "mother of life") are placed in the garden to rule and reign, to increase and multiply, just like the plants and trees. In fact, there is a lot of imagery in the Bible that compares people to trees. (Ps 1:3, Ps 92:12-14) CREATION IS TOV BECAUSE GOD IS TOV In the garden, we are introduced to two trees, that represent a choice. (Genesis 2:15-17) The first is the Tree of Life, which is in the middle of the garden and is a picture of God's presence. It is less about a magic apple to eat and live forever, and more about an ongoing sustaining presence - communion with God, the divine creator. Later, the tabernacle and temple link to this. In the middle, the Holy of Holies, where God's presence is. Around it, garden like wood carvings (1 Kings 6:18, 29, 32, 35; 7:18-20). The temple on a mountain facing east. Adam's role, to work and to keep the garden, is the same language used for the priestly function to keep the temple. (Num. 3:7-8; 8:25-26; 18:5-6; 1 Chron. 23:32; Ezek. 44:14). Skip to the last chapter of the Bible, (Revelation 22:1-2), the throne of God in the middle, the Tree of Life is there, the river is there, it's Eden all over again. The second is the Tree of knowledge of Good & Evil - or the tree of wisdom of good (tov) and bad (ra). Evil in English has no Ancient Hebrew equivalent, it's just ra - bad. So the idea is this is less about a philosophical right and wrong and more about the knowledge, wisdom, discernment of what is a good experience or a bad experience. Of what is functional and "dysfunctional". These words tov and ra are used together in a few places in the Bible, one in Jer 24 describing good and bad fruit, and another by Solomon (1 Kings 3) where he says "I am but a little child. I don't know how to rule these people or how to discern between tov and ra’ (See also Isa 7, Deut 1). The idea is an immaturity in wisdom - childlike. The point is this tree is not just about something morally right or wrong - but a knowledge (or wisdom) of the experience of badness. Now, by reasoning, wisdom, knowledge, discernment would be needed by Adam and Eve to rule and reign, so then these two trees offer two pathways of how to learn wisdom, of how to learn tov and ra. The Tree of Life - God's way, The Tree of Knowledge - the shortcut way, that God warns against. This is fascinating, perhaps unrelated, perhaps not? Peri-erga is the Greek for witchcraft (Acts 19:19) and it means "around the work" - a shortcut. I wonder if there is not something here about the strategy of the enemy to point toward a "shortcut" when God says otherwise. We often blame God for putting a choice before us, but if he didn't that wouldn't be tov - so he does, because He is tov. GOD GIVES PEOPLE A CHOICE BECAUSE HE IS TOV In the very next chapter, we see that humans choose to covet wisdom at the expense of their relationship with God. Again the idea is less about a poisonous apple that kills, (by the way apples are not believed to be native to the Middle East, and the idea of the forbidden fruit being an apple seems to have come from Milton 1667 paradise lost - likely it was a fig or a grape), it's more about the coveting in the heart of man, and a choice to go against what God said. This act brings about a consequence of relational, spiritual, and physical death, and leads to great pain and evil and death in the world, which we live in today. Note that it is not God that does the killing, but rather the consequence of the choice. GOD WARNS OF THE CONSEQUENCES BECAUSE HE IS TOV This sets up the plot conflict - how is God going to restore tov to His creation? He starts a rescue mission with grace and mercy. Gen 3:15 is the protoevangelium - the first mention of the Gospel, that talks about a seed that will destroy the snake. It's an act of grace - mankind getting what is underserved. Gen 3:22-23 is an act of mercy, driving man away from the Tree of Life so that the state of death can have an end. Mercy: mankind not getting what is deserved. GOD STARTS A RESCUE MISSION BECAUSE HE IS TOV It all comes together in Jesus. The plant imagery, mountain and Gospel (good news) we see again in Isaiah 11:1, 52:7. Jesus arrives declaring the gospel - the message of tov. He goes about being and doing tov. He claims to be the temple, the place where heaven and earth meet (John 2:19). He says whoever believes in him will have eternal life (John 3:16). He claims to be the bread of life and talks about living water. His parables about the kingdom are all about seeds and growth. He says he is the vine, and his followers can only bear fruit if they abide in him. It's Eden imagery all over again. God is planting a the new garden temple that will last for eternity, where he will live with his people….and Jesus is the seed…of the TREE OF LIFE. Yet, seeds must first die to bring life. John 12:24 “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” And the way this seed dies is on a tree, on a mountain. He goes through the garden (Gethsemane), onto the mountain (Golgotha), and dies on a tree (the cross) (Gal 3:13) The contrast and similarity to Eden is surely not accidental? Then, the seed is raised to life, and offers salvation to anyone who will believe, a forgiveness of rebellion, He plants his Spirit in us to bring TOV into the world. His followers - connected to the true TREE OF LIFE, bear fruit (John 15:1-4) become the temple (1 Cor 3:16) and release living water (John 7:38). We can only be tov because we are connected to the one who is tov. God designed all creation and everything in it— including you and me and this church—for tov. We all lost this along the way. Jesus came to bring this back. Only though Jesus can we be restored into this relationship with God, and be transformed into the people that can rule and reign with God over His tov creation for eternity. And, we have a choice: peri-erga, or God's way - the tree of life - Jesus.

You can listen to / watch Sunday's message here We all have significant moments in our lives. Moments that change the trajectory of our lives. One of those moments was when Amy and I decided to commit to a local church - to move from spectating to participating. Church became more than just attending a service, but a place of worshiping, working, encouraging and doing life together. St. Cyprian, a 3rd century bishop, said, “No one can have God as Father who does not have the church as Mother.” John Calvin, the swiss reformer later echoed that thought. ‘If God is our father, the church is our mother.’ John Calvin. It may seem like a strange idea, but really what they were getting at is that unnecessary and undesirable to be a Christian by yourself, as it is to be a new born baby by yourself. You need the church in order to grow! We all have different views of church. Some think of dark buildings, rules and hypocrisy. Others feel hurts and offenses from long ago. Some see church as a place to go to on Sunday for a spiritual bath. I see church as home. A place of help, and healing, of love and laughter, friends and family, where people are learning, growing to pray, coming struggling with things, discovering purpose, finding hope. A place where people are set free and stay free. I see it as the greatest thing on earth. Over the past few weeks, we have spent time looking at how Jesus came to announce inaugurate the Kingdom of heaven - bringing God's space and man's space together for good. He came as the anticipated Son of Man, the Lord's Servant, the Davidic King. He arrived on the scene against the backdrop of a Roman Empire lead by Augustus Caesar that promised peace by military might. Seemingly insignificant in terms of geography and followers, Christ was really the sunrise while Rome was a mere candle... And how often in life are we, like moths, drawn to the candles - a story for another time. He left his disciples with the famous charge in Matthew 28:18-20 18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” What followed was the birth of the church, empowered by the Holy Spirit. The fact that Jesus has died and been raised means The Kingdom of Heaven has been inaugurated, and that sinners are invited into the Kingdom and qualified to share in the inheritance of the Kingdom because of the finished work on the cross (substitution, forgiveness, righteousness), and hence there is good news to share with the world! How does this apply to us? 1. WE ARE IN A WARZONE. NO CHOICE. We are in this drama of a clash of kingdoms. W see it in Jesus’ life, with Paul's life. Although Jesus has brought the kingdom, it is not recognized everywhere yet. We are in the now and the not yet. The Kingdom has come but is not complete. Evil was defeated, but is not yet removed. This explains why we still see and experience so much hurt and brokenness. While Jesus has already won the victory, we are still in a battle, and there will be a day ahead when evil is fully removed. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. Ephesians 6:12 In the church is where we learn to live, to fight, to mature, to get battle ready! 2. THE CHURCH IS GOD'S CHOICE There is not much Bible that God does without people. It's not that God is dependent on people, but rather that he loves to partner with people to carry out his good plan! And so it is with the church. God has chosen the church, full of imperfect people, to be the very vehicle to carry forth the good news, and to display His wisdom to those cosmic authorities and powers! This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. Ephesians 3:10 There is a great REDEMPTIVE POWER in the Church, and also the reality that members and leaders will at times fall short. The church is the single multi-ethnic family promised by the creator God to Abraham. It was brought into being through Israel’s Messiah, Jesus, energized by God’s Spirit, and it was called to bring the transformative news of God’s rescuing justice to the whole creation. NT Wright It's important to recognize that the church is not the Kingdom, but it is part of the Kingdom. It is were the life of the kingdom is worked out primarily in the church. Did you ever think about that? The church is where God’s kingdom is made visible in this age. It's important too, to recognize that the full coming of Kingdom is not dependent on the church, because that would make God dependent on people. Despite our best efforts, we are not going to be able to bring about, the kingdom promised in the Bible. This will only come about when the true King comes back to make it happen! Else God is depending on us. So, should we just sit around and wait? For Jesus to return? Of course not! And here is why: The kingdom of God is the redemptive rule, reign of God over those who are saved by Jesus. When the kingdom of God comes into a person's life, they will become more and more like the King - Jesus. As we become more like him, from overflow, empowered by the spirit, we begin to do what Jesus did - to move toward the hurting and broken, to preach the good news, to desire to see the kingdom come. You can see this in one of two ways: "works" or "becoming like Jesus." Paul is clear that it is God's gift of grace that makes (empowers / changes / transforms) him to works. So, the more we lean into grace, from overflow, the more we serve. The more "Kingdomness" we get inside of us, the more we work to see the Kingdom advance, while at the same time the coming of the Kingdom in it's fullness doesn't depend on us. I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power. Ephesians 3:7 3. BEING PART OF THIS IS YOUR CHOICE Being part of the Kingdom of God depends entirely on one’s response to the King. Jesus was clear that only people who accepted Him and his message would be included in his kingdom. Paul pointed out that the wicked / unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9). In this case he means those who continually and repeated reject the gospel. Faith and repentance and are like the two sides of one coin - you can't separate them. One can't really choose to make Jesus savior (faith) and not Lord (repentance) Faith is when one trusts in the Jesus alone for salvation from sin and the coming judgment. Repentance is when one changes direction, thinks differently, turns away from his sin. And it's helpful to see that there is a difference between sin and sins. Think of sin as the rebellious heart toward God's rule and reign. While sins are the list of things done wrong. When one makes a decision to repent - turn away from rebellion and accept the rule and reign of the King, then, one will no longer live at peace with the list of sins. Over time ones life changes, sometimes slowly, sometimes sporadically, but change it does change. So, you may be thinking "what now” ? Well, if Jesus is not both your saviour and Lord, then make a decision to believe in Jesus, repent of your sin, respond in obedience and allow his Kingdom to fill your life. If Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, then remember that gospel calls you first of all to rest in his finished work on the cross - there is no striving needed! Yet at the same time allow the gospel to move you into a greater love for God’s people, the church. What's in your heart when it comes to the church? Perhaps there are some past hurts that you need to let go of? You may need some time, but know that Jesus see you, cares about you, and knows what you been through, and he is powerful enough to bring about healing. Remember, the church is his choice! Don't let offense keep you on the sidelines. Perhaps you have been on the sidelines for enough time. Now it's time to take your next step. To think about committing to your local church, even joining the Dream Team. Serving is not just about serving tea, coffee and food nor about setting chairs out. It's being together in this. Encouraging each other, talking, growing as we worship God, partner in spreading the good news of the Kingdom in our city, and learn to do battle in the spiritual.

Watch the message here Most of the ideas here are not my own, but simply a synthesis of what I have and am learning from the likes of N.T. Wright, Tim Mackie, Michael Bird, John Eldredge, the team at CFNI and C.S. Lewis to name but a few. We have this tension in our home... which is to see towels being hung on towel rails! Yet, each day, they seem to migrate to the floor - no matter what we try :) In life, there are similar tensions; desires, yearnings to see things set right. We see injustice in the world, and want to see justice done. We see moral conflict in ourselves, a struggle between wanting to do what is right, and actually doing it. We see it in our relationships - we find they are hard work. There is a genuine desire for peace and happiness, but often so much self focus prevails the expense of generosity, humility and kindness. It's weird that we have this desire for better, the knowledge of what needs to be done, yet no matter how hard we try it proves difficult, impossible rather, to do. One of the ways we can learn from the Kingdom theme in the Bible is answer to this tension. There are basically views we can hold in life, when considering some of the tensions we wrestle with. #1 THIS IS IT Also known as this is YOU DO YOU. Or from time gone by: YOLO. Get used to this life, get what you can, because you already have all that there is. There is no solution to evil and there is no future beyond where we now are. The foundations of both atheism (there is no divine) and pantheism (the divine is in all). f there is a Divine, it is in everything: nature, animals, people, creation. Heaven and earth are two sides of one coin. The towels will never make it to the towel rails. #2 THIS IS NOT IT Also known as SURVIVAL MODE. There is a better future, but it's somehow disconnected. We dream of it. One day we will get there. Until then, hold on, grin and bear it. God is out there somewhere in heaven, but he is removed. So while I believe in a higher power, I don't pray, nor go to church, nor read my Bible because this power doesn't seem interested in my. I'm trying my best here, so that I will be on the right side, when I die. Deism. Gnosticism. The towels will make it to the towel rails... in the next life. #3 THIS IS, BUT ISN'T FULLY, IT, YET Also known as A WORK IN PROGRESS. There is a sense of something of putting things right. Of us being put right. Heaven and earth overlap and interlock in a complex and confusing way. Judaism, Christianity and Islam would all hold something of this view. The towels may not be on the rail every day, yet, but we celebrate the days that they are and keep working toward the end goal! Which is it for you? Let's talk about Christianity. It would seem that many believe a very simplistic view of Christianity - one where the goal is to avoid hell and get to heaven. When you die, there is a checkpoint to assess your life and decisions, based on which you will either go to heaven (portrayed as clouds and harps) or hell, a fiery place with a devil with horns. The problem with this view is it is incomplete and focusses on the wrong things. It's like trying to see the picture on a 1000 piece puzzle with only 3 pieces in hand. By the way, this "understanding" is way more of a #2 THIS IS NOT IT view. A lot of people have a problem with God in this because of the question "How can a loving God send people to hell?" We will get to that in the weeks to come. What I am certain of is that people who reject Jesus because of this view, are rejecting a different Jesus to the one I know. Let's put down some working definitions - Themba read Psalm 96 at the start of the service, and it's all about the reign (kingdom of God). Psalms 96:10-12 10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it! HEAVEN = GOD'S SPACE (DIMENSION) Christians often talk about living with God "in heaven" forever. The final resting place. the place where God’s people will be with him, in eternal bliss after they die’. Speaking this way offers a way to talk about where God always is, so "going to heaven" really means ‘going to be with God in the place where he has been all along’. Hence, ‘heaven’ is not just a future reality, but a present one. Our idea may be unclear, and include clouds, and harps. As John Eldredge puts it in the The Journey of Desire: Nearly every Christian I have spoken with has some idea that eternity is an unending church service. After all, the Bible says that the saints “worship God in heaven,” and without giving it much more thought we have settled on an image of the never-ending sing-along in the sky, one great hymn after another, forever and ever, amen. And our heart sinks. Forever and ever? That’s it? That’s the good news? And then we sigh and feel guilty that we are not more “spiritual. The authors in the Bible speak about heaven as ‘the sky’, i.e. location within the world of space, time and matter but also as the place where God is and always has been. Heaven is God’s space as opposed to God’s location within our space–time universe. Heaven does appear to be a place, as Jesus ascended to heaven and said he will go to prepare a place for us, but it is more of a spiritual dimension that we cannot fully sense, right now, rather than somewhere above the atmosphere (as Yuri Gagarin famously pointed out - he found no evidence of God up there in space). Question: IS GOING TO HEAVEN THE GOAL? ‘Going to heaven when you die’ is not portrayed in the New Testament as the main goal. The main goal is the resurrection, to be bodily raised into the transformed, glorious likeness of Jesus Christ. In a sense, "going to heaven is step of something much bigger. Another question: IS HEAVEN THE OPPOSITE OF HELL? While hell is a present and future reality (we will get to that too), it is not a major focus in the Bible. The counter part of heaven is earth, not hell. EARTH = OUR SPACE (DIMENSION) In the Bible, the earth is actual earth beneath our feet, but also to our space, our dimension of reality, as opposed to God’s. Psalm 115.16 ‘The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to human beings’ The question then is how do heaven and earth, God’s dimension our dimesion, relate to one another? One more definition to help us KINGDOM The English word it primarily refers to a place, for example the Kingdom of Lesotho. In the Bible the Gk , basileús, Hb, malkuth both to an activity, an action that includes a place. To paraphrase: kingdom means, who is in charge, who's will is being done? Last week I said that The kingdom of heaven is not a place you go to but something that happens to you, and it's all based on this idea - it's the reign / in charge-ness / will of the King coming in to you life. Here is perhaps a better way to look at this all - the grand narrative of the Bible. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God's dimension (the brightly coloured circle thing) and our dimension (earth), and they overlapped and interacted with perfect unity. Humans were created full of POTENTIAL, with this amazing task of embodying God's rule and reign. Interestingly there there is a line of thinking that being created in IMAGE OF GOD refers to ruling - dominion - in the same way God does. This is the story of Genesis 1 and 2. God's space, humans space. Together. One. Unity. Glorious. Then comes the fracture of Genesis 3, the freewill choice of humans to create an alternative kingdom culminating Babylon, and reflected in Egypt with Pharoah, the failed kings of the promised land, the Babylonian and Assyrian empires, even the great Roman Empire. We still see this today (remember those desires to see things set right). It's not that God left, but rather that our access to heaven's dimension was no longer what it used to be. The story of the Old Testament tells the story of clashing kingdoms, of God constantly pushing in to the human kingdom and save from ourselves, and humans constantly wanting to push God out. God chose Abram, and Israel to be a contrast people, but in the pages of the story we see their persistence in choosing their own way. There are moments where the heaven and earth meet, God speaking to Abraham. Jacob‘d dream. Moses and the burning bush, the parting of the Sea, Sinai, the Tabernacle. Joshua and the commander of the Lord’s armies. The Temple on Mount Zion. And in between there are prophesies: Daniel, with Israel in captivity in Babylon and Jerusalem ruined, shared hope that the whole world will somehow be brought to order under the kingship of the Ancient of Days. David was promised that his lineage would produce of a King and kingdom that will last forever. Isaiah spoke of new creation. The message was that reign of the Messiah (King), would bring peace, justice and setting the whole creation right. Just no one expected the Messiah would be Divine. Enter Jesus. Trying to makes sense Jesus without all of Israel's history is like trying to figure out a game of golf with zero context or coaching, and we can easily put him in a moral teacher box. Matthew, Mark and Luke give us the one liner version of His message: "Repent for the Kingdom of God / Heaven is here, or it has arrived." All his other teachings and behaviours only make sense in light of some bigger thing. That bigger thing is that the Kingdom of Heaven is here and there is a new way to live. Jesus went around teaching and announcing the kingdom. He form a group of 12 disciples - symbolic of a renewed Israel. He invited people them to live under his reign to be the contrast kingdom. he CONFRONTS EVIL, he gravitated toward the outcasts, sick and broken, and he said that Israel will truly be - the contrast kingdom it was called to be. Then, as an act of sacrificial love, he gave his life on behalf of those who have rebelled against his reign. And, as a statement of his love and commitment to his creation and to humans made in God's image, he defeated death and the in the resurrection. THE VICTORY and VINDICATION of Jesus as king. As he rose from the grave, God’s entire new creation emerged from the tomb, introducing a world full of NEW POTENTIAL and possibility. The new creation where the kingdom has truly arrived in the death and resurrection of the Messiah. As the image of God He becomes the human that we're made to be and then through him, we became come the humans that we are made to be. Jesus came to bring heaven to earth and join them together for ever, to bring God’s future into the present, once and for all. We live in this reality. The kingdom has come, BUT it is NOT fully recognized or implemented yet so we are all called to partner with God, to discover, through following Jesus, this new world is teapot a place of things beings set right, turned upside down, and to carry this message, to be part of seeing on earth as it is in heaven. The great narrative of the Bible end, not with believers being taken up into heaven, away from the evil earth and the but rather with heaven fully coming to earth, the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven to earth, so that the God’s space and our space is overlap and interlock again. Christianity is not about, Jesus setting a good moral example, though he does. It’s not about getting a ticket to heaven and making sure you end up on the right side when you die, though there is a choice in which in kingdom we want reign. It is about something that happened. To and through Jesus. That the creator God, , has accomplished all that was prophesied and promised – in Jesus. As a result of the world is different place, . It’s were heaven and earth have been joined for ever. God’s future in our present. And it all becomes real is through the powerful work of God’s Spirit. It’s option 3. We are set FREE: freedom to experience God’s redemption for ourselves. “The resurrection of Jesus doesn’t leave us passive, helpless spectators. We find ourselves lifted up, set on our feet, given new breath in our lungs and commissioned to go make new creation happen in this world.” N.T. Wright The first response to this news simply to believe. Not the factual kind of belief, but an “it just, makes sense“ kind of belief that resonates with something inside of you that begins to come alive. Sometimes waking up to this truth is an alarm clock type of shock. Sometimes its gradual of things long thought about. Either way, being awake is different to being asleep, and God is calling us to be awake in a world that is asleep and needs to be awakened to the Gospel too. All of this hinges on Jesus’ finished work on the cross, and our response to this, accepting his forgivenes and mercy, and giving our allegiance to him as the true King, forever and ever. Amen. We continue next week! Colossians 1:12-14 . He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Ever wondered what is going on in the world? Where is God? Is He asleep? Never mind the world, what's going on inside me? Why do I do things I don't want to do? One way the Bible gives insight to this tension is through the story of the Kingdom. Perhaps this might help you see things in another way. The thing is, our first response to "another way" is often criticism, suspicion and maybe even rejection! I haven't got things all figured out. I want to keep learning, and moving forward! The moment you think you have it all figured out is the moment you stop moving forward. ACTS 17:1-7 tells the story of Paul, Luke, Timothy and Silas on gospel tour into Greece; turning the world upside down, saying "There is another king, Christ Jesus!". Gospel comes from the Greek word euangelion and meant heralds would carry the good news / good tidings of a king, for example when a king one a battle, or took the throne. Christ is not Jesus surname, but comes from the Greek word Christos, which means anointed, and is equivalent to the Hebrew word Messiah, which means the Lord's anointed as is used mostly when speaking of a king. So, what Paul and his companions were really proclaiming was the good news / good tidings of a new king. This was a risky and electrifying message, because Caesar Augustus, the emperor of Rome, was believed to be the savior of the humankind, a god. And no one was permitted to go against Caesar and live. Here is an extract from the Priene Calendar Inscription found in Priene, Asia Minor dated 9 BC. ‘Since Providence, which has ordered all things and is deeply interested in our life, has set in most perfect order by giving us Augustus, whom she filled with virtue that he might benefit humankind, sending him as a saviour, both for us and for our descendants, that he might end war and arrange all things, and since he, Caesar, by his appearance , surpassing all previous benefactors, and not even leaving to posterity any hope of surpassing what he has done, and since the birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning of the good tidings/news for the world . Interesting that euangelion is first used to refer to Caesar, the powerful military leader of the Roman empire, promising peace and salvation through military might. And contrasted to him, the "nobody from Nazareth" who was crucified. This is the clash of kingdoms, not just on a geo-political scale, but on a cosmic scale! The Kingdom of Heaven, or Kingdom of God was something that Jesus spoke about A LOT! In fact, it's how he announced the start of his ministry. Proclaiming the good news of the king. Mark 1:14-15 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. He was saying, STOP!! PAY ATTENTION!! DECISION MOMENT!! For us, our knowledge of kingdom may be somewhat limited; coming from the Royal family, DISNEY or perhaps Game of Thrones? Yet kingdom is a MAJOR Theme in the Bible. It really is the whole plot conflict! It is first mentioned in Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Here we have God as sovereign king, and humans as rulers, partners - God willing to share ownership and delegate responsibility to people. With true responsibility is the potential for things to go wrong... God is in charge, but He is not controlling everything. That may sound controversial, but think about it for a moment. If your boss or CEO delegated dominion (authority) to you over a certain area, and you made some poor decisions for which their were consequences, the CEO is still in charge of the organization, but he wasn't controlling your decisions - that was all you. God gives people a responsibility to decide what is good and what is evil. To trust God, or to believe a lie and choose autonomy from God. Genesis 3 recounts the tragic choice of the latter. Humans choose their own version of kingdom, and essential try to force the kingdom of God out of the picture. Suddenly the ideal of humans living under the rule and the reign of the King is shattered, and there are now two overlapping realities - one where God rules, and one where evil rules. The question, then, is How will God re-assert His kingdom, His rule and reign, over the world? He begins with Abram and his family, who do fairly well, but end up enslaved in Egypt under the evil king Pharaoh. God eventually confronts the evil, liberates the people, and is declared their King once they have crossed the Red Sea. He takes them to their promised land, where after some time their demand their own king, to be like the other nations. Once again, autonomy from God is the people's choice. They end up being exiled. Now, there is a rebellious humanity, and a fallen Israel. In the midst of this, the prophet Isaiah speaks hope. That God would come to re-assert reign on Zion Isa 40:9-10, and God servant would come Isaiah 42:1-3 to bring forth justice. That the one who brings the good news would have beautiful feet Isaiah 52:7 Years pass, and suddenly Jesus, himself both God and the servant of God, shows up, with this volatile proclamation - the king is here. He spends his time teaching and proclaiming, because his kingdom so unusual and profound that he has to do so! He is confronting evil, liberating people, healing the sick, raising the dead. Prostitutes are forgiven and social outcasts restored. He invites people to drastically rearrange their lives and follow him. He is turning the world upside down. In the background, Caesar looms, representing autonomy from God. He is the modern Pharoah, the snake in Genesis, the puppet of evil. Eventually Jesus is crucified by the jealous Jews. Conveniently, too, for the Roman's as the threat against Caeser is squashed before it begins. He is not crucified for being a dramatic teacher, but for claiming to be THE KING. And this his is how his reign comes. Through and act of sacrificial love for his enemies. He is given a crown and a robe and he is LIFTED UP, not on a throne, but on a cross. He deals with humanities sin and corruption and rebellion himself with his life and love sacrifice. He is the King who DEFEATS death with his LOVE. Three days later, he is raised to life by the Spirit. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father and has released the Holy Spirit to live inside those who believe, He continues to form and transform a people who radically re-organize their lives by coming under his rule and reign. "The gospel of the kingdom announces the dramatic and apocalyptic invasion of God's saving power into our world through Christ and operating in the sphere of the Holy Spirit." Michael Bird - Evangelical Theology He promised to return again to deal with evil, pain and suffering for good. And we live in the NOW and NOT yet. The NOW, in the sense that the King has come to inaugurate his kingdom, and the NOT YET in that the kingdom rule and reign is advancing, but it is not everywhere yet, though one day it will be. As the Church, we are not the kingdom, but we are witnesses to the kingdom. Our MISSION to keep announcing this good news, inviting everyone of give their allegiance to the true King. That's why we pray, Father, your Kingdom come, your will be done. We are trusting for a CRITICAL MASS in our cities: a growing community yielding to the King. We show people what the King is like, until he returns. Perhaps something that limits our understanding of the kingdom of Heaven is that heaven is a place somewhere above the atmosphere with clouds and harps where we go when we die. And we hold on dearly to life, white knuckling it, until we finally get there. Jesus said though, Luk 17:20-21 (ESV) Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” What if we put it this way: The kingdom of heaven is not a place to go to, but something that happens to you, here and now, and continues for eternity. It is not an institution, but a invitation to radically rearrange your life by yielding of will to God's will. The kingdom of heaven is not a destination but a transformation. The kingdom of heaven happens to you when you encounter the king and choose to submit to his perfect rule and reign. Jesus is still here, inviting people to live under his reign. There is a paradox here in that to come under the rule and reign of King Jesus is actually the best news, because it brings liberation. His Kingdom stands in contrast to imperial Rome, where the emperor would bring peace and prosperity to the world through military force. It stands in contrast to modernism, a human-cantered utopia through advancements in knowledge, and it stands in contrast to postmodernism, looks toward the secular state as savior from oblivion. It stands in contrast to every other ism. For Jesus to become king is so unlike anything else, it needs a lot of teaching! It needs a heart mind and body transformation. It requires a complete of value system, identity and source of significance. It means allowing his love, mercy, wisdom to redefine our reality And we need to be liberated, in all areas of our lives. We need the King to help us dealing with the things we have given into and the lies we have bought into, believing that pushing God out is the best choice. Jesus always graciously forces a decision. No one leaves unchanged. We can choose to feel angry at having our heart motives revealed or we can bow our knees in humility, gratitude, and acceptance Jesus said "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." It is your decision Who is your king? _____ Acknowledgements to Michael Bird, Tim Mackie, CFNI, Tony Merida and many others for their writings and works to help shape this message.