I Want Them in My Kingdom

The title of the sermon today is, I Want Them in My Kingdom. I'd like you to reflect back, if you can, to a time almost 3,000 years ago. To the time of David's reign in Jerusalem. To a time where he had the power unmatched by most nations around him. He had a standing army of 1.5 million soldiers. Quite impressive. But I'd like you to think about a group of men that are listed in the Bible called David's Mighty Men. It's been debated whether there were 30, 33, or 37. It depends on what theologians you read. But you find that these men were awesome soldiers. They were very dedicated men. They were the best of the best. The elite of the elite. If you can imagine, 1.5 million people and choosing the top 30. And you see some of their exploits. One man stood on a battlefield and slew 800 people in one day. Another tale is where 3 men were fighting against the Philistines, one of these 3 of these mighty men. And there came such a rush of Philistines towards them that the men behind them, actually the army left them. And left them standing in this field facing hundreds and hundreds of men. They did not retreat. The 3 stood there and slaughtered the coming army. Almost legendary was in their time. But it just didn't entail men from Judah and Israel. You find that list of names included a Moabite and, of course, a man that you all know, Uriah the Hittite. Because great fighters came from all around to be a part of this amazing army and be a part of these mighty men, were the actual bodyguard in a battle of King David himself. So dedicated were these men that one time when they were in battle, the King David actually made a statement that he wished he had some water from the rivers of Judea. And two of his men, his mighty men, crossed enemy lines at night just so they could go and grab a little container of that water and bring it back to him. To which David, as you could understand, was upset. As they say, almost had tears running down his eyes that his men were that willing to give their life. They were that loyal. They were that obedient. That even his wish was their command. Amazing story. It reminds me of the loyalty of one of the most amazing horses that galloped their way upon this earth. For any of you who was raised with horses or had a horse, I did. I had a quarter horse. But I always dreamed, because I'd read the stories, seen the movies of having an Arabian horse. The Arabian horse is a unique horse. For thousands of years, they've been bred because of their qualities. Though the Arabian horse is only 14 to 15 hands, smaller than a quarter horse, smaller than other horses, their bone structure is actually stronger than most horses and can carry more weight than horses 20 to 30 percent larger than their size. But the unique thing about the Arabian horse is, of course, they were bred and trained and raised in Arabia, in the desert. And when you read about these amazing horses, you find that even thousands of years ago, these horses had a unique bond to their owners. And they had, it almost said, almost a strange understanding of what was going through their master's minds. They were of such value that even the better ones, they say, even to this day that have Arabian horses, keep their horses in their side of their tent at night so no one will steal them. So valuable were these horses.

I bring this out because it has only amazed equestrian people because to this day, the Arabian horses are elevated so much higher than other horses. And they look back and find that thousands of years ago, this same training process took place. They would raise these horses, these Arabian horses, with their owners. And it came to a point when they had trained them and trained them and worked with them and spent time with them, that when they were finally ready to consider this horse trained, they would take the horse out, male or female, and they would take the horse out and spend time in the desert like two to three days without water.

And they came back after two or three days without water. And they would be a short distance, say, a hundred yards away from an oasis where there was water. And they would get off their Arabian horse. And of course, the horse, being so thirsty, took off for that oasis, at which time the owner would yell, whistle, whatever their call was, and call the horse back. And only the horses who came back to their owners were used to breed.

A horse so obedient that even its desire, its life and death desire, was overruled by obedience. An incredible and amazing story, an incredible amazing horse. So even today, they are treasured over so many horses. And they are so easy to work with.

I bring that up because they, like us, are made to be obedient. Is obey? Four-letter word to you. Many places in this country has changed over the last hundred years. Marriage ceremonies today are even changed because they do not like putting the word obey in a marriage ceremony. Nothing was thought about that fifty to a hundred years ago, but today it is. I'd like to give you three famous quotes from the good book. Christ learned obedience by the things He suffered. Hebrews 5 and verse 8.

Christ humbled Himself in obedience to God. Philippians 2 and verse 8. If you love Me, obey My commandments. John 14 verse 15. Rocco asked me a question a couple of weeks ago as I was actually working on a sermon about this.

He had questions about the second chapter of James, about faith and works. And He answered the question, what type of works? It's a good question. Because James explains it's not just faith, but it's faith and works. But what kind of works? And what is works? What is works?

So I'd like you to go with me today in James 2. In James 2 verses 14 through 24. And I will read them from the New Living Translation. Because I think it helps explain it a little more. For a good part of Christianity today, they do not turn very often to James. We know actually Martin Luther called it an epistle of straw. Because he had difficulties with the works part of it.

Chapter 2 in verse 14. James says, what good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?

Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, goodbye, and have a good day. Stay warm. Eat well. But then you do not give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, some people have faith, others have good deeds. But I say, how can you show me your faith if you do not have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds. This by the half-brother of Jesus Christ. You say you have faith, for you believe there is one God.

Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can't you see that faith without good deeds is foolish, useless? Don't you remember that your ancestor, Abraham, was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions work together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened, just as the Scripture says, Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

This man painted the picture many years ago for me. If you've ever been in a boat, a little canoe, with two oars that are anchored, try using just one. You will usually go around in circles. And like faith and like works, they work together. You want to go in a direction that God wants you to go in? It takes both. To truly put works into one word, I want to insert the word today. One word, obedience. Perhaps you've never heard that before. Because you see, there's no real balance in the world today. It's either all or nothing.

Only faith is required. Nothing else needed to get my reward to enter the kingdom of God. The other side says, works. If I work hard, I'll get my reward and I'll enter the kingdom of God. Brethren, if you have true faith, you will have works. True followers of God were not only faithful, they were obedient. That's what this book shows us. Time and time again. It's a history. Obedience is what God has always desired for the last 6,000 years.

All the way back to Adam and Eve, all the way back to Cain and Abel. And all through the years, he's asked one thing. I still obey him. Like you go to 1 Samuel, 1 Samuel 15. I'll read from the New Living Translation today except where I reference it separately. 1 Samuel 15, verse 22. Samuel is talking to Saul, the king of Israel, who had decided that even though he had been instructed by God what to do, he decided he didn't need to obey God and obey those instructions.

And so I read from verse 22 as Samuel is talking to Saul. And he says in verse 22, What is more pleasing to the Lord? Your burnt offerings and sacrifices are your obedience to his voice. Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice. And submission is better than offering the fat of a ram's. And then he goes on in 23 to say rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft. And stubbornness is as bad as worshipping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king. What a shame!

What a shame! Brethren, when we obey, we are doing something. Obedience is works in action.

It referenced in James the story of Abraham. So many people know the story. And he's called the father of the faithful because of his amazing faith. But also it's so interesting when you go back and read the story where God instructed him. Abraham! Abraham! He said, Here I am.

I want you to take a few days journey. I want you to take your son. Your only son.

Because it was a son of promise. There was another son Ishmael, but he wasn't in the picture. He said, I want to take your only son. I want you to take him to this mountain. I want you to build an altar. And I want you to lay your son on that altar. And I want you to sacrifice him to me.

And it was until the angel of the Lord yelled, Abraham! Abraham! As the knife is about to be put to his son's throat.

And what did God say? Now. Now I know.

Now I know that you will follow me. No matter what.

Faith and works. It shows God so God can look at us as many times as he gives us something to do. And I'm sure he says now, I know.

It's because of obedience. Abraham was very obedient. But you see, he had faith. He was going to do it because he had such faith that he told the servants down at the foot of the hill mountain. He said, me and the boy, we're going to go up here and sacrifice and we will come back down.

That's faith. He didn't know how God was going to do it. He may have actually thought God was going to have him kill his son and bleed out and raise him up. But he knew his God. Do we know our God?

But God's never had someone kill their son.

He just watched his son die for all of us.

Obedience is about doing something. How do you define doing something then?

Doing something godly. Doing something godly. Because that's what this book is about. This is why we read it. So that you don't just come in, sit for an hour, hear a sermon, go home, and that's it. This is a way of life.

This isn't the world's churches.

You live it and you show it. You show your faith. And you show how to live righteously and act righteously.

Obey 69 times in this book. 69 times in 60 verses. 44 times in the Old Testament. 25 times in the New Testament. Obedience. 16 times in 16 verses.

The word obey in the Old Testament, Hebrew, is Shema. S-H-A-M-A. Shema. And it actually means to hear, listen, and obey.

But you see, it's not just three different words. They're actually chain words. Because it's a process. Hear, listen, obey. Because you can hear and not listen. You can listen and not obey. But Shema means that you hear. You listen and you do something and you obey. And you obey. In the New Testament, the Greek word is hupa, ku'u. Hupa ku'u. And it actually means to listen up. Which I used to hear that from my father. Listen up! He didn't know it was Greek. It means to listen up and come under. Listen up and come under the words that are spoken.

You see, God is so plain. All He asks, just like how many parents? Just ask you to do what we tell you to do. And you have some kids that do. Have kids that don't, right? No more Jesus. Told me a few stories His way. Of His kids.

He's told me stories that sometimes I wish I had kids. He told me stories. I'm glad I didn't. And most of you can probably relate to that yourself. Praise kids. All right, rock on.

Jeremiah. Jeremiah 7. In verse 23, you can just listen to these. I'm a little reading from the New Living Translation. Jeremiah 7, verse 23, says, This is what I told them. Obey me, and I will be your God. And you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well.

Pretty simple instructions.

Isaiah 48. Isaiah 48, verse 17 and 18. Isaiah 48, verse 17, said, This is what the Lord says. You're a Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you, and leads you along the paths that you should follow. O, that you had listened to my commands.

Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river, and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sands along the seashore, too many to count.

There would have been no need for your destruction, or for cutting off your family name.

People who have not wanted to follow God's instructions. But they said they would. But then they changed their minds. Or as we all battle, and you knew that. I think to go back a few hundred years before this one to Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 11. Deuteronomy 11, verse 13. Here he told them all the way back, 3,500 years ago. If you carefully obey all the commands I am giving you today, and if you love the Lord your God, and serve Him with all your heart and soul, then He will send the rains in the proper seasons, the early and the late rains, so that you can bring in a harvest of grain, new wine, and olive oil. He will give you lush pasture land for your livestock, and you yourselves will have all you want to eat.

He's saying, just obey me and I'll take care of you.

Obedience.

It can be a big word, isn't it? Almost 200 years ago, in the country of England, there was a man who had this incredible dog. And he would go out, he had a small little farm, he would go out, and he had cleared this pasture land there, and had this little stump out there that he would go, and as he worked every day to clear the land, there was woods all the way around his place, and he was trying to clear it, it was taking years to clear. But he had this pasture land there with just this stump right in the middle, and so each day he would go out and work in the woods, but he would take his little metal pail of food that he would have for his lunch, and he would walk it out and set it there in the pasture on the stump.

And there to be with him all the time was his dog. And because there were different animals and so forth, they went through the woods, they would try to scavenge and eat anything, he had his dog and trained his dog to sit there with the food. And so as he would go walk into the woods and work in the woods, he would come back out for lunch, and there would be his dog, sitting there by his lunch pail, and they would have lunch together every day.

And no matter what, the dog kept watch over his food. And one day as he was in the woods, he saw in the opposite end, there was a fire that had started. And so he knew a neighbor woman was there, so he rushed to help put out the fire near the woman's house.

He was tired and exhausted as he turned back to the woods, and he looked back and there was fire that had started in the pasture.

As he runs back to put out the fire, as he comes, he sees the stump with his lunch pail, and the dog had been burnt, had been burnt and killed, but it would not leave his pail. There was his food.

Incredible true story. God made this animal like the Arabian horse, and it learned obedience even to the point of death. What an incredible example for us. Can we not learn even from a dog the loyalty of man's best friend? The first commandment. The first four commandments. God gives us. They're not requests, they're commandments.

And He asked us to obey them, and they're about obedience to Him.

All He asked us to do, obey Me, obey these first four commandments. And then He says the fifth, Honor. Obey your father and mother. Because when we obey our father and mother, we obey God Himself. And He went so far as to say this fifth commandment, this fifth statement. He said, if you do it, I promise you, long life.

It was very important to Him.

It was so important to Him that even at the time of Israel, three thousand years ago, He actually told people at the time, if you have a child who is disobedient, rebellious, towards the father, towards the family, you are to take them out, and you are to stone them.

It may sound harsh, but as you read the Scriptures and study about it, I'll leave that for you to do. You'll also find that it wasn't just He said no, it was a pattern, a way of life, of being disobedient. And why did He do that? Because He wanted to preserve the family unit.

It was that important. And it was that same mindset as Joshua came into the Promised Land, distributed all the land to the twelve tribes.

And you find it at the last few verses of Joshua.

Everybody's on their own. He's no longer their head. They all have their territories, they're all supposed to start their nations or families.

And they look back at Him and His famous last words, as My wife has a sitting in our house, as He says, As for Me and My family, we shall follow the Lord.

He's going to obey. He's done that for eighty-seven years, up to that time.

I'd like you to go with me to the second Kings. Second Kings.

Second Kings, Chapter 5.

I'll read this story. I'll read it from the New Living Translation. But I want you to see if you cannot relate to this a time or two in your past, perhaps even now.

Chapter 5, verse 1, Second Kings, says, The king of Aram, which is actually Syria, had great admiration for Naaman, not Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victory.

But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy. Now whether this was just the starting stages of leprosy, or there was also a leprosy where it just changed your skin, and you were just like a ghost-looking creature. So this time, the Aramian raiders had invaded the land of Israel. Among their captors was a young girl who had been given to Naaman's wife as a maid. One day the girl said to her mistress, I wish my master would go and see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy. So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. He said, then go and visit the prophet, the king of Aram told him. I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel. So Naaman started out carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold. We're talking over a million dollars here.

And ten sets of clothing. The letter to the king of Israel, which was probably Jehoram at the time, said, with this letter I present my servant Naaman. And I'm sure the king already heard of this legendary military hero. I want you to heal him of his leprosy. When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, this man sends me a leper to heal? Am I God that I can give life and take it away? I can see that he's just trying to pick a fight with me. But when Elisha, the man of God, heard the king of Israel, torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him. Why are you so upset? He said, Naaman, to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel. So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha's house. But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message. He didn't even come to the door! Million dollars! Powerful man!

He sent the message, and his messenger said, Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored and you will be healed of your leprosy. But Naaman became angry and stalked away.

I thought he would certainly come out to meet me, and I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord as God and heal me.

Aren't the rivers of Damascus the Abana? The far part. Better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn't I wash in them and be healed? So Naaman turned and went away in a rage. But his officers tried to reason with him and said, Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn't you have done it? So you should certainly obey him. When he says simply go and wash and be cured. So Naaman went down to the Jordan River, dipped himself seven times as the man of God had instructed him, and his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed. And Naaman and his entire party went out to find the man of God. They stood before him and Naaman said, Now I know there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant. And of course, Elijah said, No, I don't do gifts.

All you had to do was obey, and he was healed.

Turn to one last scripture today. Like you turn to Isaiah. If you turn to Isaiah, and I want to read it from the New King James, if you have a New King James. Isaiah 1 verse 19. Isaiah 1 and verse 19.

He said, If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.

If you are willing and obedient, willing shows faith, obedient shows works.

Isn't it? And we show our faith by our works.

Last night, not to give Mary any praise.

But last night, one of our neighbors, I had met her a time or two. Mary had met her a few times before that. She's 80-something years old. She called and I picked up the phone. It was getting near sunset. It was getting 5.36 o'clock. She said, I wonder if you could help me. I think I'm having a heart attack. Could you take me to the hospital? First she asked for Mary. Mary was out at the time. And so I said, of course we can.

And so I got ahold of Mary. Then she was there and she was willing to take her. That's all my part was, to help her down the elevator, get her in the car. Mary took her down. It wasn't a heart attack, thankfully. She was able to take her back home. What, eight o'clock last night? Something like that.

See, people know in our condominium complex, well, I'm a pastor and she's a pastor's wife. And we follow God. Now, they all know that, but brethren, that's not good enough. They need to see it. And so I am constantly beseeching God to help us to show, not just the works so that people can see, oh, how righteous. But it's part of our character because that's what we do.

Are we willing and obedient to God? God so desires us to be like Christ. He has always desired us to be like Christ.

One of the hardest works ever that will ever be is for us to be able to show agape. That's hard. Agape love, that's action.

That's an action word.

And we do it because God requires it. But He requires it so that we adopt it and we adapt it and it becomes a part of us. It becomes who we are.

It just becomes second nature that we don't have to think, well, why should I help them? Or I remember when they said this or did this. No. It's like Abraham, Isaiah, all those that go, here I am.

Because, brethren, I'm not the only one in here in this room who works for God.

You do too. I'm not the only one that has faith. I'm not the only one that has works. And they work together. And that's God's will.

John Stott said, so a thought reap an action. So an action reap a habit. So a habit reap a character. So a character and you reap a destiny. That's us.

We're eventually going to be just like our father and our elder brother. Because it always says, repetition is a mother of all skills. The more you do something, the more you...

John Kenneth Galbraith. Anybody heard of him in here? No. I thought you would. Yeah, even the little one back there has heard of him. John Kenneth Galbraith was a Canadian economist and a diplomat who advised three or four different presidents on economic matters.

Very intelligent man, very smart man. He was also a very tall man at 6'7".

But he was an incredible worker who would work hours upon hours upon hours.

Throw himself into his work. He actually tells a story in his autobiography.

How he came home one day after working long hours and was so dead tired from all his weeks work. And he came in and his housekeeper was there. Her name is Emily Gloria Wilson. And he came in and told Emily, I am beat. I am so tired. I'm going up and I'm going to bed. I'm going to get some sleep. Don't wake me up for anything.

About four hours later, the phone rang. It was President Lyndon Baines Johnson. The housekeeper picked up the phone. And he said, this is the president. She said, yes, sir. I need to talk to Ken.

She said he's asleep. He said, well, wake him up. I want to talk with him. In which he said, no, president, Mr. President. I work for him, not you. At which President Johnson, if you knew his character, slammed the phone down.

The next day, Kenneth Galbert went to the White House to meet with President Johnson on these economic matters.

And President Johnson said, Ken, that housekeeper of yours. He said, yes, sir. If she ever quits you, I want her in my White House.

Which surprised Ken Galbert.

Brethren, imagine God and Jesus Christ at His right hand. Looking down at seven billion people and seeing only a few of the children who will obey Him.

But when He sees those children, I can see God turning to His right and telling Christ, I want them in my kingdom.