Kingdom Priorities

Kingdom of God Series, Part 5 of 6

  1. The Spirit of the Kingdom
  2. Heroes of the Kingdom
  3. Laws of a Righteous Kingdom
  4. Kingdom Exploits
  5. Kingdom Priorities
  6. Worship the King of the Righteous Kingdom

October 2, 1988 (also April 5, 1992)

Matthew 6:33 "Seek ye first the kingdom of God ... "

(Service of Holy Communion)

Intro:

One of the difficult things for Protestants is grasping the great importance of the sacraments of the church. Of all the means of grace, the sacraments of baptism and communion are possibly understood the least. [Our fierce American/Protestant independence makes us want to reject anything that looks like "formalism" or sanctimonious hocus-pocus. But in a blanket rejection of the "mysterious side" of our faith we throw away literally hundreds of years to which we are heirs as much as any Christians anywhere!]

Our text this morning as we prepare to share together in the sacrament of Holy Communion is of the most powerful promises in Jesus' teachings. It is the text from the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:33 "Seek ye first the kingdom of God..." There is a strong correlation with this text and coming with God's people to share the sacraments Jesus has commanded for the church.

Look at the text:

I. SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

  1. A challenge to take God's word against all other voices, including the word of our pagan world.

    The text comes to grips with the basic conflict that we see as: Christian faith and "flesh."

    [It answers the question, 'When push comes to shove, and you must decide "Shall I compromise on my moral principles just a little bit and eat, even if I know what I am doing is immoral? or, Shall I obey what I know Jesus wants me to do even when it will cost me cold hard cash?" WHO WILL I PUT FIRST? ME ... OR HIM?]

    1. One view: flesh is "evil" and must be mortified. Nothing that is enjoyable can be holy. Black clothes; etc.
    2. Another view: flesh 'does not connect' with faith; so what we do does not matter so long as we have "standing" with God (antinomianism)
    3. The clear scriptural word is: Somehow the flesh must become the vehicle of expression of the spirit.

    We hear quoted: "...they that are 'in the flesh' cannot please God" But also we read, "I beseech you ... present your bodies a living sacrifice" and that is "flesh!"

    ...and Paul writes of Christians:(Rom 8:) "Ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you!"

  2. MAKING THE FLESH SERVE THE SPIRIT: this is the whole of practical Christianity. It isn't that we don't need material things.
    1. God knows what we need! We do need clothes, food, etc. So it becomes a matter of trust! Not presumption. Not foolish laziness: "I'll pray all the time and God will supply the rent money and I won't have to work!" but rather: "in the choices of life I will deliberately seek to do what God will have me do, regardless of what the cost may be!"
    2. If we will seek God's grace, He will provide for us BOTH to live IN Him and FOR Him, AND to make our way in this physical world.

[Transition to "Sacrament" and connection with text:]

But that is where 'means of grace' come in, and particularly the sacraments:

II. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SACRAMENTS AS MEANS OF GRACE

As I speak about the importance of sacraments as 'means of grace' let me raise some very simple questions:

  1. What is grace? Grace is unmerited favor of God; grace is that which bestows God's great LOVE on us; grace is God's attitude of forgiveness toward the sinner; grace is a quickening and strengthening of life within the soul.
  2. And means of grace are just that: the ways and means, the vehicles or channels by which God bestows His LOVE on our hearts. And what are the 'means of grace?' My list may not be complete, but I submit seven:
    1. Word of God; and with this I include the faithful the preaching of the Word, as well as reading in order to obey God's will.
    2. Prayer is probably the primary means of grace; and prayer combines with power with the use of the Word.
    3. The Fellowship of God's people is a significant and powerful means of grace. God never intends for us to make our way to heaven independent of other individuals, or of other families, or even other groups of believers. God intends that we bear one another's burdens.
    4. Corporate worship, in the large groups or celebrations, in the smaller groups united around a lesson or a ministry (congregations,) as well as in the accountability groups of prayer and sharing (cells,) is a means of grace.
    5. Personal worship may be the same as #2, prayer; but it involves the carrying forward of life in the spirit of 'the living sacrifice.'
    6. Wiley lists the Sabbath as a means of grace! It was introduced at the time of man's creation, and belongs to mankind generally and perpetually. Personally, I am convinced that there is great spiritual power waiting to be released in the lives of the people who can tap the resources of the Lord's Day by observing it joyfully, not in bondage, but in rest and worship and refreshing.
    7. But the last 'means of grace' I would mention are the sacraments of the church that were instituted by Jesus.
  3. What are 'sacraments?'

    We use the term 'sacrament' to signify an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given to us, ordained by Christ Himself as a means of receiving that grace, and as a pledge or assurance of Christ's promise. From the earliest times, the sacraments have been understood by the church to be religious rites that carry the most solemn obligation of loyalty to Jesus Christ and His Church.

    1. The RC church teaches seven (7) sacraments: baptism, the Lord's supper (or "mass"), confirmation, ordination, extreme unction (or 'last rites), penance (or 'confession'), and marriage.
    2. All Protestant churches recognize but two: baptism and the Lord's Supper.

    Sacraments are pledges of loyalty to Jesus Christ; they are testimonies that mark Christians as separate, different from those who do not believe.

  4. It is vitally important that we reach out for God's grace in every way we can. [ Perhaps we do not take seriously the parables of Jesus when He warned us that it is mortally dangerous to have talents and not use them! ] We are responsible not only for what we are, but for what we might be by God's free gifts of grace!

    Along this line John Wesley once said: (in 1736) "I think the rock on which I had the nearest made shipwreck of the faith was the writings of the Mystics; under which term I comprehend all, and only those, who slight any of the means of grace." GFH, p541

    In other words, Wesley said that even people who seem to be so very, very spiritual nearly led him astray when they picked out which means of grace they would adopt, and which they would avoid. Wesley was saying 'I want to be faithful to God through Christ's church!'

  5. And if you wonder what John Wesley thought the 'true church' consisted of, here is a quote from H. Ray Dunning: "There were two major means that Mr. Wesley seemed to identify as constitutive of the church: the pure Word of God preached, and the sacraments duly administered. This puts him squarely in the Reformation tradition." GFH p542

III. COMMUNION IS A SYMBOL OF THE FLESH SERVING THE SPIRIT

  1. The salvation Jesus has provided is NOT (simply) a "spiritual salvation!" It is a TOTAL salvation. It will not be complete until we have a glorified BODY.

    Jesus died on a very real cross. Jesus literally put His BODY on the altar for our salvation. And thus He became our very LIFE!

  2. Jesus expects us to glorify Him IN OUR BODIES! That is, not just "spiritually" but in the expression of His love in day- by-day living!

    He wants us to give very real water and food and clothing to real people in His name! He wants us to flesh out His Presence by the way we live!

  3. That is why He wants us to use real bread and wine at His table, in His sacrament! Coming to the table of the Lord in faith is coming to that meeting place of spirit and body: it is ack nowledging that Jesus really did DIE for us; it is saying that we will live in Him and by Him.

(Text) May this communion be a means of grace to us all: May we reaffirm the reality of the Christ-faith And may we pledge OUR FLESH TO SERVE HIS SPIRIT!