You guys can sit down thank you.
Thanks Pastor Ben.
Before I speak tonight, we're just going to receive are
offering so I just wanted to read out of Malachi 3 verse 10.
It says bring the whole tide into the store house that there
may be food. In my house test being this says the Lord
Almighty and see if I will not draw open the floodgates of
Heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be
enough room to store it.
I love this scripture and I I think I've used it before, but
it's so relevant and I think it's so good as a reminder
because it promised when we give and I love that in this. It
actually says to test the Lord in it. I love that we can
actually test. The God with test God with our finances. When we
give we can test him and know that he's going to come back
with it. It says that he'll test him in it, and he will pour out
the floodgates. He'll pull out the floodgates, too, and we
can't even hold it anymore. I love that when we give in faith.
He actually responds to are giving there's a blessing.
That's guaranteed. So if you've got your giving we're just going
to receive the offering want you hold it in your hand and I'm
just going to him load. I thank you for this house God. I thank
you. For every person giving Tonight God and I thank you.
That when we give Jesus there's a promise when we give there's a
promise that says that you'll actually pour out a blessing God
when we feel your storehouse. God you're actually filling ours
as well. Amen.
A man before I speak well. Just go to video why don't you turn
your eyes this screen?
Cool um what we're doing as a youth ministries web actually
replaced I use can we normally run youth camps in January. But
what we're doing is we're believing big things this year
and we're actually running a youth festival, and I guess a
lot of the questions that I've got so far or what's the
difference and what we're doing is we're doing a full bumpy and
we're not hiring a whole. We're not hiring accommodation where
literally going on pretty much just a block of land were
setting up our own perimeter fencing and all of that and
camping zones outdoor. Eating areas, outdoor entertainment
like stage and stuff of Big Pavilion markets literally.
One day they'll be a failed and the next day there will be tons
of stuff going on and we're just believing it's going to be
awesome. We've seen our young people go to all these festivals
in music festivals and stuff going on and we really felt that
we want to do something and take something back for the Kingdom.
We want to actually do something that our young people are
wanting but actually showing them how to do well. We want to
do a Christian festival, one that's alcohol and drug free and
one that's actually choosing to seek first. The Kingdom of God
over all else. So we're doing that in October are
registrations up in Friday. If you're a young person if you
register in the top three you get a free hoodie, which is
pretty cool, it open 6:00 PM, but can I challenge you church
get on board with this our young people were believing that lives
will be changed at this camp so if you can be praying with a
spot if you can do more than that and also give would love
you to sponsor someone. It's still in October. So there's
months leading up to it. But if you're willing. You can go on
our website and there's actually an option to sponsor someone.
Which I think is really cool so feel free to start thinking over
that for the next few months?
Next week, we have Nick V preaching. It is going to be
awesome. We have him Saturday night for a youth rally. It is
$10 online. I think it's boomnight.com you can pre
register there or you can pay at the door. But it's $12.00 at the
door. It is going to be phenomenal. This place is going
to be packed with young people and we're leaving for an awesome
night. We also have him Sunday morning here and it's going to
be great that ones. Obviously totally free. It's church for
us, but it's a combined service with Pimple Myron. It's just
going to be an awesome time.
Um. And we're also going into our twenty one days of
breakthrough next week. It's going to be phenomenal. It's
going to be awesome. Last year, we had a number of our youth
participate in it, and I remember one of our girls came
up to Maine and I think this is after the first week, so it
hadn't even finished yet, and she said. I've been totally
healed of anxiety. I haven't felt any anxiety over the last
couple of days and it's only just the beginning and I love
that that was faith and that was breakthrough in that moment. But
it took in action, so we're
going to start. Breakthrough next week Sunday night is
going to be the beginning and I believe it's going to be
also not so make sure you don't miss it.
Cool.
Announcements are done so, let's start is the youth take over so.
When I was planning this message. I kind of reminded me a
little bit of my school days. An I'm not much of an academic. I
like to think I'm very smart, but I'm not necessarily the
smartest but what my mom would always tell me and she's here
tonight with my dad so but my mom would always tell me. You
never applied yourself and that was kind of harsh but probably.
Probably relatively true but I've done a bit of a PowerPoint
tonight. 'cause power points are cool and I was reminded of a
specific moment in school and if you're in school now. The thing
you should do when you get an assignment is kind of plan out
like a rough plan on what you're going to do how you're going to
like when your workloads are going to spike so you're not
doing it, the night before. This is kind of what you should do.
You get the paper you work, it out some smaller nights at the
beginning. Or maybe 1 big one at the end, but it's kind of evenly
spread. This was mine in school.
Yeah. Can anyone relate like you need all the adults are quite
but we know they don't work as well? Yeah, but it came to this
one paper and have you heard the greater levins harder than grade
12? I'm an advocate for that because this really spoke to me
in Grade 11 weirdness Simon on the Great Gatsby and.
I'm not much of a radar and this assignment was to like to read
the book and compare it with the movie love to the movie part,
the book. Not so much and look what happened was it was a big
assignment. We got a week. One and it was due Week 10, so I
knew this was going to not fit into the normal way of doing it
for main menu. I wasn't going to be able to get it done So what I
did was a new plan.
I kind of you know little steps like if their little steps
you'll make it all the way.
Needless to say the first few weeks went by, and I had
an updated plan.
A few more weeks went by, and I had an updated plan.
Another week went by, and I had
an updated plan. I think one more week went by, and I had
an updated plan.
And then it was about 3 days before the assignment.
Yeah, and that's where we're at with my workload. It was quite a
dramatic turn of events. When I spent a lot of time over the
next 3 days asking a lot of friends. What I should be
writing about. I still had not completed. The novel nor was I
even going to attempt it at this point, so you do this scheme
reads and you read all the like summarized versions online so I
did a lot of quick study over the next few nights and I handed
in that assignment. I got it in on time it was all good.
And the following week, my English teacher pulled me aside.
And she told Maine it was the best assignment, they've ever
got. No, that didn't happen.
I definitely didn't happen.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the worst, though so that's good,
but it definitely works in the best and the reason I share this
story is 'cause. We're going to be talking a little bit about
the Kingdom tonight and the thing about the Kingdom is you
can't put off the Kingdom as believers. We actually need to
seek first, the Kingdom.
Um in Matthew 633, which is you would have seen it before in
that video that's what we're basing our campground. It says,
but seek first. The Kingdom and his righteousness and all things
will be given to you. Some context in this a few verses
before it says it says do not worry about what you will eat do
not worry about what you will drink and it even compares it to
the birds. It says the birds do not store up for tomorrow and
even God looks after them how much more is he going to look
after you. And then it tells us your priority is sake. First,
the Kingdom and so many other times in Scriptures. It it goes
through when all throughout the gospels. It says seek first, the
Kingdom. The Kingdom is at hand. The Kingdom is coming in John,
18, verse 36. It says Jesus said. My Kingdom is not of this
world if it were my servants would fight to prevent my arrest
by the Jewish leaders, but now my Kingdom is from another
place. Kingdom is mentioned so many times, so clearly has some
importance so if a women to be citizens of this Kingdom is
people of God, then we should know a little bit about it, so
tonight. I'm speaking on 3 things we should know about the
Kingdom of God.
Um. Now. The first one, is the Kingdom is not
always what you expect.
And maybe you need to change your thinking now probably 2
years ago. Now it was a while ago but I remember walking into
a cafe and I think of myself as a little bit of a coffee
connoisseur. I'm not that good at it, but I like to think I am
I like to taste like the textures in the milk like how
strong the coffee is the flavors from Madagascar and stuff, yeah,
it exists. No, but I love to see it and I went into this cafe and
I'm like you know how you judge it by like the aesthetics 1st.
It doesn't look cool the coffee is probably not good. It was
probably like a 5050 cafe. So it's like OK. I'll do something
simple. Let's go with an ice latte now. If anyone's orista.
Ice lattes and not that hard. It's a shot of coffee.
It's a bit of ice and it some cold meal like you can't burn
the milk. You can't over do it. You can't undo it like you just
pull the shot now, what I received was different to what I
expected what I received.
Was? A shot of coffee.
Some warm milk and some ice
cubes in it. They had literally made me a latte and put ice in
in and that was their definition of an ice latte.
It was disgusting.
And the thing is I think when we talk about Kingdom. We often put
these these boxes around it. We put in these expectations that
we have, but the thing about the Kingdom is it's not always what
we expect but God actually does it better gods actually playing
this Kingdom for us. Therefore we should live for it.
I want to actually take a look back at the Jewish people a
little bit more specifically around the time just before
Jesus comes in the Jewish people. They went through a lot
of a lot of history. They were persecuted group. They went
through a lot of tough times they went through hardships, but
they were also faithful. They had different prophecies like in
Micro. It talks about but you brother in Bethlehem, Sorry,
though you are small among the clans of Judah out of you will
come for me one who will rule over Israel, whose origins are
from old from agent times.
And in Daniel it says in my vision at night. I looked in
there before Maine was one like the son of man coming from the
clouds of Heaven. Um as his prophecies of these this Messiah
coming in these Jews, who had been through such hard times.
They were optimistic for this Messiah. They were actually
believing for it and look. They had lived through persecution
for years and years. They lived through hard times and even when
they were in the Roman Empire, which is pretty much when Jesus
was coming and it wasn't necessarily the worst, but they
never know, and true freedom.
And I think it's such an interesting take when it's these
Jews expected something but it definitely wasn't the Jesus that
they got. Um from these scriptures you can hear things
like he'll rule over Israel and he did, but it definitely wasn't
how they expected. These Jews expected a God to come. This
Messiah their savior and to overthrow the government. They
expected this Jesus to come and lead a war that they would win
and be victorious. But yeah, that wasn't the Jesus they got.
Um.
The thing about it, though, is it's really cool for the juice.
They got someone so different but it was so worth it.
It was so worth it for the Jews because they only knew
persecution and war if a war had started when the Messiah had
come? What would have changed, but yet are Jesus brings freedom
are Jesus brings peace are Jesus brings justice a Jesus brings a
love attitude. And I love that because the fact is the Jews
didn't get the Messiah. They wanted they got the Messiah
that they needed and the fact is the Kingdom for us, it may
not be what we expect but it's actually what we need.
My second point on which I kinda just touched on, but the Kingdom
is full of Love Grace Mercy and
peace. Now a few years ago, I traveled to Disneyland in Paris.
Are there with my cousins. It was a fun experience who's ever
heard that Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth. I'm
actually a pretty big advocate for that. Now, if you know me
well. I've got kind of like arresting like unimpressed face
like. I'm not that impressed all the time, but when something
impresses me. You'll know it. And I was standing in Disneyland
and literally from when I walked in I was like this is kind of
cool. Like even the cleaners a smiling and joyful an like the
point that I realized this there was one like the parade was
going past and someone's literally. I think it was my
sister turned to inches like you're smiling heavy.
But at that point I was like I am like this is fun. Disneyland
is a fun place as Christians. We should be filled with joy. We
should be filled with fun. We should be love filled. We should
be love, giving the Kingdom is of God is full of Love Grace
Mercy and peace. The fact is when the Jewish people receive
Jesus. It's funny because he
came so different. They expected a God of War, yet,
he didn't throw 1 stone.
They expected someone to kill their enemies, but yet he says
love your enemies pray for those that persecute you I love that.
Um this scripture is love your enemies bless them that curse.
You do not do good to them that hate you and pray for them,
which persecute you. It truly is a Kingdom of Love Grace
Mercy and peace and the fact is. I love that if we look
back to those Jewish people. Some people didn't expect it
and they didn't accept it.
But yeah, the people that didn't expect it and open their eyes.
They received something much greater something so beyond this
earth like John was saying.
The thing is this Kingdom is not of this earth it's one of love.
One of joy, one of Mercy, one of peace. And when the Jewish
people engaged it and it's actually better. I know I'm
speaking about the Jews, a lot, but the fact is it actually is
open to all of us and the fact is when Jesus did that act when
he actually came down and when he decided not to throw this
stone when he decided to actually pray for everyone. To
actually bless them. It actually enabled us when he did the act
on the cross. It actually meant that this Kingdom was for all of
us, it was for everyone.
And the impact went far beyond this one people group and
actually went into all the
world. The fact is this Kingdom is full of Love Mercy Grace and
peace and the fact is maybe you've had a life where you have
really struggled. With that concept, we have really
struggled, with the world and how everything seems to be
against your how everything goes wrong and you had all these
Upson Downs and whenever something starts looking good.
You know it's not going to last but the fact is when you were
part of the Kingdom when you are a citizen of Heaven.
You know that the best is yet to come. You know that there is
love all around you. You know that there is Grace. There is
peace and there is hope.
It is a Kingdom of hope it is a Kingdom of love
of mercy and of peace.
I love that uhm I love that we're moving to Logan Village.
'Cause no one else is there.
And I love that when we talk Kingdom. I love that in the
scriptures. It's funny because Jesus often like Jesus said the
Kingdom is coming or the Kingdom is at hand and it was like well,
which is it is it here is it coming and I love that because
it's constantly moving, it is constantly establishing itself.
It is constantly expanding and as we planted church in a school
in Logan village. We are expanding the Kingdom. We're
taking territory and the fact is our Kingdom is full of Love
Mercy Grace and peace.
But when we go there were taking that message with us and as we
speak to the people in that community. They're going to
embrace it because it is different. It is not of this
world. It is not of the things that we have understood and I
love that even even yesterday as we elected a Pentecostal Prime
Minister. We're establishing Kingdom. I Kingdom is expanding
our territory is growing and the fact is it's that message of
Grace Love Mercy and peace.
That we're taking.
My Third Point is the Kingdom is
for everyone. Um literally this Friday, not just passed we, we
did a big night 'cause. We're launching seekers festival and
we invited everyone. We gave away some gift vouchers to stuff
some prizes. We had a big obstacle course out the
inflatable and stuff, and we actually had a bunch of kids
come from major bar state high, which is awesome. First time at
youth. First time in a church environment. And yet they came
and their 1st question was how much does it cost?
And we like it's free and they couldn't believe it. There, like
why is something like this free an I love that because I Kingdom
is actually for everyone?
And yes, you have to make a conscious decision but it's for
everyone. Anyone has access to it anyone can say yes.
In Luke 14 verse 16 to 23 and I think this one will be on the
screen Jesus replied. This is the This is the Powerball Jesus
replied a certain man was preparing a great banquet, and
invited many guests at the time of the banquet, he sent his
servant to tell those who had been invited come for everything
is now ready. But they all alike began to make excuses. The first
said. I just bought a field and I must go see to it. Please
excuse me. Another said I've just bought 5 yoke of oxen and
I'm on my way to try them out.
Please excuse Maine still another said. I just got married
so I can't come this servant came back and reported this to
his master. Then the owner of their house became angry an
ordered his servant go out quickly into the streets and
alleys of the town and bring in the pool at the crippled the
blind and the lame serve the servants, said what you have
ordered of me has been done and there is still room. Then the
master told his servant go out to the roads and country lanes
in compel them to come in so that my house is full.
Can I get the keys up?
I love that scripture I think that's awesome. Because isn't it
such a good picture of the heart
of God. Isn't that great like he's literally saying if they
don't want it someone else would like to like bring people in
this room, there's room for everyone. This room for whoever
is willing to accept it. I love that and he sends people out and
he says go into the streets get the cripples get the people who
can't speak get the death get get them like I love that Jesus
gives us parable and it's it's two ways. It's one that everyone
is welcome but it's true that there's a challenge on us.
And I think if we believe that this Kingdom is expanding as
we learn about this Kingdom is actually a responsibility on
us that we actually need to pass on this message. This
message that this Kingdom is one full of Grace of Love
Grace hope and peace.
We actually have an obligation as Christians to do that.
But the fact is Jesus died on the cross and it was a sacrifice
that that moved mountains. It was completely completely
radical. And we look at it 2000 years ago and it is a life
changing thing. The fact that we're even here is amazing.
2000 years ago, one religious figure changed the world.
And I love that.
And what he did was he didn't choose to be the guy on the
throne and he is on a throne pot. He didn't choose to be on a
wildly throne and just making everyone a slave or making
everyone just like a follower or peasant oran of higher classes
and all of that, but no he chose to sit on a heavenly throne. He
chose to be the king of all Kings. He chose to establish his
Kingdom with us, one where they wouldn't be there wouldn't be
paying one way. There wouldn't be there is persecution, but one
where there is freedom as well.
He chose to establish his Kingdom here and he gave it to
his people, and he said. Now building now go now establish it
and I love that.
But tonight I want to give an opportunity for anyone who may
not may not find themselves apart of that Kingdom because
the fact is he he's open the doors. There's still room
because anyone is welcome.
So can I get every I closed and head bowed in this place. I just
want to give an opportunity?
The fact is that he sent the messages. You've made it here
and that's also.
But the fact is that people still needed to accept the
invitation to come. And I'm proposing an invitation to you
tonight. Maybe you don't know God. Maybe you don't know this
Jesus figure who who brought Love Mercy Grace and peace.
But tonight you can tonight you can actually have the
opportunity to meet him personally. He's not a distant
God is actually personal.
So that's you.
Wine just raise your hand will no one else is looking.
Awesome.
Cool, you ask in open your eyes.
Now.
The other group, I want to put up put out a challenge.
Ann. These challenges for believers because I believe that
women to take this Kingdom forward were meant to advance in
that's why I love the heart of our church to go into areas
where people are not out.
We could easily plan a church in central Brisbane, but there's
people there. And they doing awesome job. But we chose to
go to a hard area.
And yet we're going to build a church there that will be the
light of that area that will be a community sanctuary that
people can come that people can feel loved where people can
find a home, we're going to go and do that. But as believers.
I think we need to take the call up to do it in our
workplaces. I think we need to do it to take the call up in
our grades in our schools in our universities in wherever we
go.
I think we need to be Kingdom. People we need to
know what the Kingdom is we need to be citizens of that
and we need to take their message of Love Grace Open
peace with us with everything.
So.
What I'm going to do is?
And look at it. I actually just
really feel that. We just need to worship.
And when you make it conscious decision.
So what I'm going to do is I'm actually going to open up the
old time and I don't think we actually needed lay hands on
you. But I'm just going to say by walking out you're actually
making a conscious decision that where I go. I'm a representative
of the Kingdom and that means I'm a representative of the
message of the Kingdom.
So why don't we stand in?
I'm going to challenge you? Why don't you come out the front and
just worship? Why don't you come out the front and just say yes
that's Maine? I want to represent the Kingdom with all
that I am and with everything that I am just like Jesus chose
to do on that cross.
That she like why don't you just come out and worship we're
going to go through this song?
Thanks team.