The Imminence of the Kingdom

Life with Jeannie Greer open by the time the person probably spaces what you want them away as that's how the kingdom of God is going to be its unexpected. You said you don't get to know the day or the hour, not even the angels know and bugs and ministries offer endless speculation about the end times in the kingdom of God. But this message seems to sell really well, especially in times like we are facing right now, but today Pastor JD explained the kingdom of God is actually already here, but it's also play for it here. How is that possible well here's Pastor JD with answers in today's message titled evidence of the kingdom been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come.

Jesus answered them, do not worry about that because one day I will raise up my servant Tim will hate you will write those left behind books and he will explain everything to you. You don't want to read the books will raise up my other servant Kirk Cameron who walked about a movie for and they said the guy from growing pains and he said yes. Verse 21. The kingdom of God, however, is not coming with signs to be observed nor will they say, look, here it is or there for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you, some of the translations of the Bible that some of you may hold right there may say the kingdom of God is within you. Technically, the Greek words there could be translated within you that is true. But Jesus would never have said that to the Pharisees's favorite term for them was sons of the devil suffer him to turn around and say the kingdom of God is within you is not somebody would save the Pharisees so another way to translate those words which is in my opinion, the correct translation is the kingdom of God is among you are in the midst of you now what you talking about what you talk about what was in the midst of that what is in the midst of them is the kingdom of God is within you. He is saying, the kingdom of God is me. He was the essence of the kingdom. You see, they were looking for the kingdom of something kinda out there. Something, then the clouds a big political smack down cosmic smack down where you are the Messiah would riding on a white horse with a light saber slant all the black bad guys and mentor in the blood and Jesus doesn't deny that there be some spectacular elements of the Messiah's ultimate coming, but he says guys.

She sorta missed the point.

The point is I am the king. I am the essence of the kingdom and to know me is to enter into the kingdom. The most important part of the kingdom of God is knowing Jesus. And when you know Jesus, the kingdom enters into your life. Now there are certain dimensions of the kingdom which are still awaiting fulfillment in the future, but in him and knowing him to get the beginning of the kingdom works on what theologians call the already not yet principal already.

Not yet. Principal that's not just something for seminary students to know that it's very important for you to know because there is a dimension of the kingdom that is already. And then there is another dimension that is not yet. And people who know Jesus lived right in that period of having already set for the kingdom and that are not yet sent over the last few weeks of explain the kingdom of God. Jesus favorite analogy for that was a party party party. When Jesus kingdom is restored is going to be the party of all parties. He chose the image of a party because with all parties will parties because were great image of God.those parties seen in the kingdom of God. Every one of your heart's deepest desires are going to be fulfilled right so the kingdom of God is like a party, not yet.

Are we in that ultimate party. However, when you know Jesus that party that festival that fees begins in your life right now when Jesus what Jesus did. Through his miracles, was he gave us pictures and signs of what is kingdom. Rain would look like one day.

But those same miracles also had an implication for us right at the moment give you an example, the Rate is a miracle. We skipped over the Gospel of Luke chapter 8 talks about Jesus being out on the sea of Galilee with his disciples.

He's asleep in the front of the boat and a terrible storm comes up sorta so bad that all the disciples thinker to drown. Now that's pretty significant when you consider the fact that their professional fisherman storms all the lives so they think this is a bad storm so they wake Jesus up in the midst of this crisis and they say don't you care that will perish. Jesus stands up and just most matter-of-fact way does it work the disciples stands up and says that he rebukes the waves immediately. They ceased not like. By the way that the storm slowly died down.

But this had to be some pretty amazing because when ceased and the waters went completely flat and placid all in one moment, but that's what he does know what is the meaning of that. What is the meaning of that miracle. Well, there's one meeting and that is that one day Jesus kingdom nature will no longer be a terror talks we won't have to worry about tornadoes and hurricanes and floods and tsunamis in a kind of that's one of the meetings, but the other meeting is that for those people who know Jesus. Right now he calms the storm in our soul that comes from thinking life is out of control and there's a God he doesn't care about us. So there is already sense of that miracle and there is a not yet cents and that miracle and that is where believers live. Knowing Jesus is to enter the kingdom of God, and you begin already not yet relationship is that make sense. Some of you. I remember Johnny Erickson taught that name sound familiar to you. 1976. She was a teenager sheet broke her neck broke her spine and spinal cord. Permanent injury responsible, but through a diving accident.

She talks in her autobiography, which I would highly encourage you to read. She talks about how God used that accident to awaken her to God and bring her back to himself. In her autobiography. She talks about the fact she was raised in a pretty traditional church were they did a lot of kneeling in their church and she always went to the motions and it never would pay the attention she said after that racket. I forgot awaken me to himself.

She said I went to church and the minister asked everyone to kneel simpler for some of my life that she wanted to kneel. I wanted to be on my knees in front of Jesus to show you my appreciation.

She said, and then it hit me. Never in my life would I be able to kneel before Jesus said I was overwhelmed with the sense of regret that before when I had knelt I had documented and now that I wanted to kneel my knees would no longer do it, MD," she writes. I remember the kingdom resurrection just before the party gets Gordon having the wedding feast of the Lamb. The first thing I plan to do on my resurrected legs is to drop ungrateful glorified knees to kneel quietly before the feet of Jesus and then I'm going to be on my feet dancing. Can you imagine the hope she writes that this gives someone with a permanent spinal cord injury. Can you imagine the hope. This even gives the one who is manic-depressive. No other religion promises new bodies, a new material universe only in the gospel of Christ to people hurting like me find such enormous hope to live. Her legs are still crippled, they are not yet healed. Her soul is already leaping and dancing her soul is in the kingdom in one day, her body will catch up you get this already, not yet verse 22 then Jesus says to his disciples, the days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man and you will not see it and they said he looked there, look here. Do not go out or follow them rest, the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side of the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. Now Jesus has begun to refer to that coming of his kingdom.

He does come with with all the things that people think about anything about in the world. The time when he punishes the bad guys and heals the earth right and he seems to understand get this to be a lot of claims that this is happening over the next 2000 years are long it is before he actually does this. A lot of people claim as religious leaders of his all-time size here. His name is on it. The new Messiah is here. His name is Joseph Smith. His name is David Karesh. His words categorically listen, don't believe them. My second coming will not be a secret movement that you should wonder whether or not you have the joint knelt by the way religious people are not the only one to get caught up in this kind of hysteria yet secular versions of this every so often a new politician comes along with a new political movement say this is it.

The answer to all the world problems restore peace sizes come along to save this kind technologies now going to bring peace on earth.

Educators will say is this educational philosophy is going to restore peace on earth. Jesus is categorically told the real coming of the kingdom. The real King is a couple adjectives document before before the day is over.

That will describe his coming once said, sudden nor this morning like lightning. He says you'll see light becoming a member in science class. That was one of the high school learning that let lighting is income for the top with Scott about it actually starts this from either side of me to the middle and if you like what you don't. You don't see a Y jewel notes.

Lightning happened so fast it's all the sudden minute.

You can't see it coming. Number two. Unmistakable is the second word used to describe Jesus coming unmistakable like lightning somebody shows up on the house and says I got a sign of the kingdom of God. It's here it's a three-headed donkey that I know… Now in order for me to verify that they live and carry out the house and look at it but he says that's not waiting on God to be like lightning. Lightning strikes and carry back and see it from here. This is the kingdom of God is unmistakable big public. Everybody will see it know it. The point it's not a secret movement you might miss out on what you notice something really quick about this year because you're paying attention you might notice that Jesus almost seems to contradict himself to the Pharisees. He was like you got the kingdom of God is bigger spectacular. But you missed because it was me I know he turns and says the kingdom of God comes one day bigger spectacular.

Nobody could miss it.

So why does he say about things. Here's the pointless Jesus is the only movement you ever need a joint that's what he's telling I'm going movement you ever need a joint I'm the only boundary cannot tell you why that is important.

Every call says you gotta join us to miss out.

Oh Jesus, that's great. Jesus yet. Well, you also gotta be a part of this other leader you gotta be a part of this other denomination secondary movement.

Jesus is the only movement. The only question is whether or not your inside him or outside, you say well you would like tell people to join a church local church is just a community of Jesus followers. A local church were not some secondary denomination that's gathered around something new good churches of the group of people together around Jesus together around me. When I gathered round particular denomination to local churches gathered around Jesus. That's what a good churches you say, well, why make a big deal out of this because Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses number one source of converts is still people in churches like this one and this is the line they always use belly celebrating her Jesus. What is another leader that you got to be a part of. If you really want to be part of the kingdom of God in us as well. Jesus continued for 25 but first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation that this is the part. This is the mystery that ability tripped over Jesus day because before he could bring the kingdom he had to die in order to bring peace of God on earth had to first bring us to peace with God in the way that he would do that would be by suffering and dying he would take upon himself the wrath of God for our sins so that by doing so we could remove the penalty of our sins, and then change our hearts create in our hearts desire to be at peace with God if he had not done that that even if he had put peace on earth, we would not have been at peace, and we would've turned heaven. The kingdom of God into hell nobody got this in Jesus day because nobody realized how wicked their hearts were entered by the problems in the world began in our hearts before God to calm the storms of destruction out there all morning here} 26 begins again to refer to again to his coming king verse 26.

Jessica was in the days of Noah, so will be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark in the flood came and destroyed them all. Third adjective that describes the second coming of the kingdom is the word unexpected unexpected God warned the people of Noah's day that he was innocent of flood, but he didn't tell him when his was coming forgot about it. But if you can read the story of the flood. Genesis 7 tells you that at one point before the first drop of rain and never falling, God tells Noah it's time I want you going to the ark. You want it warm enough nobodies listen and God himself shut the door and they were in their Genesis 17 for seven days, seven days of the bunch animals you can imagine the odors you can imagine the doubts there for seven days and then it says the rain began.

He didn't begin gradually you look at the way it's written says that all of a sudden it came the floodgates from the earth burst open and the skies burst open and by the time the first drop of rain get people's faces was entirely too late.

Flood swept them away as that's how the kingdom of God is going to be. You don't get any advance warning its unexpected don't listen Jesus said you don't get to know the day or the hour, not even the angels know the day or the hour. And no matter how clearly he says this some fool thinks he can figure it out and find some new way to read the Hebrew that if you squint your eyes just right, you don't cross your eyes you can see something in the Hebrew language and none of us of everything when I was in high school I was about to came out 88 reasons why Jesus coming back in 1988 anybody remember that book to study to raise your hand over campuses. If you remember that book anybody right as I see one. I guess I see that by any religious combat 1988 I went to a Christian school in the Christian school I went to seem perfectly prone to things like this.

And so it actually took root a little bit more even pass around. It was time convincing you really have laid out some impressive reasons why Jesus, back in 1988 and he had limited down the three days three days and I member him say in the book it said Jesus told us we could know the day or the hour. So I got down the three days we don't know which of these is right, but we know it's one of those three. So on the third day when she is still in common had come back out our soccer coach. Since all down right before dusk we are finishing a practice he said well she's supposed to come back today. You know that's what I think so wait for the last 15 minutes root as you sit here and wait until the sun goes down, you look to me, this is JD at if that action happens. We make sure everything is cleaned up and put back in the and we sat there 15 minutes in silence and he said well I see you guys tomorrow. I got comes out.

The next year with a book called 89 reasons why Jesus coming out 1989 he's like I made a miscalculation. I forgot the material on yours or something like that. It and he blew it cannot be like oh I forgot the logarithm of them went mixing here and it was something I didn't get.

Jesus is telling you know it's all all false.

That's all wrong is you can't know the day or the hour it's like to fly. He told you it's coming, but he didn't tell you exactly when it was going to be the coming is sudden, its unexpected verse 28. Likewise, just like it was in the days of Lot. They were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rain from heaven and destroyed them all verse 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. The same thing here. What what strikes you is how moral life seems to be with the judgment comes and sweeps people away say by the way that the people of Noah's day or Sodom's day and said he didn't believe in God, the imminence of his coming was out of their mind. On one level, a little of it sounded so strange to them that they scoffed. Noah seriously floodgates of your Scott drop. I want to ground to build an ark for around 40 days get whatever likes it a lot. Usually fire and sulfur from the sky.

Yet we see that Raymond never seen it rain, fire and sulfur. The same thing today. The judgment of God seems so out of the specter of normal reality that people can comprehend is a real heaven and a real hell and when somebody closes their eyes, and death. They either awaken to eternal bliss in the presence of God or eternal punishment in hell. Interesting so far out of the specter of global life, the people scoff at the other dimension here is that is that things got busy with what they thought was more impressive, more should be more pressing things in life eating and drinking a marriage and all of those things now are all good things is just that the People really from pay any attention to any weights or what God said. Just a few weeks ago.

The more people listen more people miss the kingdom of God through neglecting it to reject when my favorite authors 17th-century philosopher named Blaise Pascal rebuttal of one say in there. He talks about about about just learning to see life in the right perspective.

He said it doesn't make any sense that people whether or not they believe in God any attention to the fact that one thing we know is true about life is. Imagine you are in a room and in that room every few minutes this monster the savage beast comes in, grabs one person seemingly randomly mold them to death in front of your eyes and drag their course out and then another few minutes he comes into grabs another way does the same thing you're watching this and it is apparent that he is going to systematically do that to everybody in the room don't pay me. Did you do would you want distracting yourself with how much you enjoy being in the room is that monsters are death so we know that everybody's going to die.

Why would we not pay attention to the one thing we knew was true of life is another metaphor. He said he says like you're not in his day horse drawn carriage in your barreling toward the edge of a cliff. You know the edge of the cliff is coming but you think about it you distract yourself with the trees and the bushes and the scenery and are pretty it is outside the digital to think about the cliff that is coming. Cliff is your death, whether or not you believe in God is a secondary got a question on this one.

Why would you not give this the weightiest importance I asked you this a few weeks ago.

What the Bible says about heaven is true what the Bible says about hell is true.

You understand that these things that are more than everything you have things like marriage, they become secondary to this. This is the most important question you will ever ever answer verse 31 on that day. Let the one who is in the housetop with his goods in the house not come down to take him back. Likewise, what one was in the field not turn back. Jesus told his disciples to do the opposite of what the people of Noah's day of Sodom and Gomorrah did you live everywhere. Every second of your lives focused on the coming kingdom living every second of your lives in the eternity in my coming pressing in on your heart to break through at any moment my coming your death might come to my coming but either one will take away from this life and into the presence of eternity forever. That's number four were used to describe the 440 used to describe imminent eminent. You should be ready at any moment to me. God is also saying here your life to be like in mobile focused on eternity and not super attached. Things here and now.

Life really ought to be like mobilizing the imminence of eternity presses that audits are you not super attached.

Things are now every situation you're in. Thankfully Jesus always close by in our attitude should reflect that nearness listening to Senate life Bible teaching ministry of Pastor JD Greer JD on behalf of this whole summit team. Congratulations on your new back when people hear the title. What are you going to do with your life.

Maybe wondering, will this help us to find for actually called to ministry are not yet.

You know, so I think that's a big question people ask and ask. Different ages you know is not just like high school, college students about seven. I don't know if I'm called. I think there's a myth that Christians believe that if God wants to call you in the service that he there's like this mystical moment where he spells out in your Cheerios with Godspell so that your cheerio certainly you should pay attention to that. But more often than not what God's spirit does is he acquaint you with the depth of the gospel losses of the world and lead you to ask yourself how can I how can I leverage what God is giving me my resources.

My opportunity my talents to bring people to Jesus you really think about if the gospel is true and eternity is real and what more important thing to do with your life into see people brought to Jesus so we like action make this this book available week, I wrote it reaction dedicating all the money that comes in this book we turn it all back and put it back in the ministries we just want to see people engage the great commission. I really feel like it has a chance to really be kind of a defining moment for for you and to enter reshape how you approach life. So JD were.com all the information to be there and so hopefully can do that. Just be sure to get in touch today so we can get you a copy of this new back companion work that comes our way of saying thanks when you donate to support this ministry Senate life wouldn't be possible without the generosity of friends like you were so grateful to ask her what are you going to do with your life by JD Greer since May 2025 dollars and joint calling 335-5226 5220 or you can get clear that that's tomorrow thinking reminds us that Thursday Senate life