The Upside-Down Kingdom

Summary of sermon on Matthew 20:29 - 21:11 from Pastor Ky Martin.

If you’ve been walking with us through Matthew for very long, you’ve often heard the word Kingdom mentioned a lot.

Right from the get-go, Jesus has centered his teachings around the idea that the Kingdom of God has come to Earth. In the last six chapters especially, we’ve often used the phrase "upside-down". The upside-down kingdom is not a reference to the TV show Stranger Things. It is the idea that Jesus’ teachings are a reversal or flipping of religious norms and the culture’s value systems.

The value system of God’s Kingdom is upside down.

We have several recent examples of this:

Last week: To be great is to serve. The first will be last.
Laborers in the vineyard: The Kingdom of Heaven is not built on the idea of merit but rather on grace.
The rich young ruler
Let the children come: We should be like the children. The people who Jesus valued and spent time with was different.

Today at the end of ch. 20, we are seeing one more example of these upside down values.

The healing of the blind men... Jesus and his disciples were on their way from Galilee, in the north, to Jerusalem. It’s passover. This takes place 1-2 weeks before Jesus’s death. There is likely a large crowd, making their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the passover. This is a similar setting as with the children in that the way Jesus sees and values people is different from the ways everyone else sees them.

Verse 29 says “The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent”

Does this Sound familiar? Like children, these men were seen as an unwelcome nuisance. Even after all Jesus had done to show that He has time for the hurting, the sick, and those who bring nothing to the table but their great needs. He’s shown that and said that time and time again, and yet the people still project this idea onto Jesus that He doesn’t have time to mess with these blind beggars. Why? Because that’s how they think. It’s what they would have done in Jesus’s shoes. It is a constant uphill battle for Jesus’ followers to accept the upside-down values of His kingdom. Jesus, as we know, does not deride them, but instead stops and heals them.

Verse 32 says “And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you? They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.”

This quote sums it up:

“That Jesus stopped among such a large, moving crowd to respond to the request of two insignificant individuals illustrates again the unconventional values of the kingdom of heaven, in which the good of a “little one” takes precedence, and in which compassion triumphs over the expectations of the many. At a time when his mind might be expected to be on his imminent arrival in Jerusalem and the fate which awaited him there, Jesus still has time to notice and respond to the need of a beggar.” -R.T. France

We saw a very similar story in Matthew chapter 9... There is a big shift though, one difference was the need for secrecy. What we are about to see is that the time of secrecy and keeping a low profile has come and gone. Jesus is about to be more clear and upfront to the general public about who He is and why he came.

There is a clashing of two kingdoms. We need to see it this way as we move through the rest of Matthew. You have the kingdom of man, then God sent a savior but he wasn’t welcome to the leaders. Jesus’s arrival in Jerusalem instigated a battle of Kingdoms.

When Jesus comes in we could call it "A Royally Odd Entrance".

When Jesus comes into Jerusalem, he does so as the King of Israel. He is declaring himself as King and there is a clash of kingdoms. You have this procession of people praising the coming King with palm branches as the sign of royalty. There are many elements to this that are upside down to what you would expect of a King entering the kingdom. Those who were deemed unimportant nobodies were in the procession of Jesus. You would expect a King to come on something impressive and majestic, not a donkey. For Jesus to ride in like this, with a crowd of worshippers laying down palm branches, signified a turning point for Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. The heir of David had come to sit on David’s throne as the King.

This is a clash of Kingdoms.

They had set up their own little Kingdom as a placeholder, or interim, until the new king returned.

This happens on Sunday. From this point on, He acts with almost complete disregard for who the religious leaders of the day thought they were. He leads and teaches as if they are just in the way, with no regard to their supposed authority. But as we have seen, it is a different kind of Kingdom and He is a different kind of King than what was expected. But those who held the authority in waiting for this King resented his coming. We do indeed see a clash of powers and kingdoms and values which builds and intensifies over the next 5 days, ultimately culminating in the execution of the King by those who did not want to give up their influence and authority.

The upside down elements:

While the presence of a crowd was to be expected, the composition of this particular crowd was not.

In most kingdoms, the audience of a procession is an indication of the importance or esteem of the one who is entering. And yet as the King of Israel enters, the ones hailing his name are not the dignitaries or the movers and shakers of the time. They would largely be categorized as unimportant. By this we are reminded yet again that in this Kingdom, conventional values are upside down. Someone’s importance in this kingdom is not determined by their wealth and accomplishments, but by their need and humility. Those who come last in this world are first in God’s Kingdom. The greatest in God’s Kingdom often seem ordinary and not so great to the world. Another upside down element of this procession is the mount on which Jesus rode. YAs if to put a giant exclamation mark on the upside down values of the Kingdom, the King rides in on a donkey.Not even a full grown donkey, but a colt.

It can be summed up with this quote...

"This would have been a ridiculous display, if it had not been in accordance with the prediction of Zechariah. | In order to lay claim to the honors of royalty, he enters Jerusalem, riding on a donkey. | Magnificent display, truly! more especially when the donkey was borrowed from some person, and because they had no saddle, the disciples threw their garments on it, which was a mark of disgraceful poverty. | Sounds of loud and joyful welcome are heard; but from whom? From the very poorest, and from these who belonged to the despised multitude… | He had to exhibit some proof of his kingdom, and to show that it does not resemble earthly kingdoms."

The ultimate display of the upside down kingdom is what happened 5 days later. Jesus won the battle through his own execution!

In light of this upside down Kingdom we see highlighted in this story, let's consider what it looks like for us to shape our values around this Kingdom…

-The values of Jesus’s Kingdom were opposed to the cultural value system then, and they are opposed to ours now.

Following Jesus is a constant effort to redefine our own value systems.

Four things to consider to reshape our values:

(1) How we value people.

We can’t get to know every person we meet.

Do we see their value because they are made in God’s image or for what they can or cannot do for us?

(2) Who do you consider to be “successful”?

Jesus has redefined that. Do we admire and esteem those who are ahead of us financially or those who are ahead of us in spiritual maturity?

(3) What is our greatest hope for our kids?

Is it achievements and merits academically, athletically, socially? Or would we gladly trade all in order for them to truly know God and see how great their need is for Jesus.

(4) What do we hope to achieve with our financial gains?

Comfort and ease, or the ability to bless others

Hopefully we can sympathize with why Jesus’s followers wanted to push away the kids and the beggars. When you are introduced to a value system that is completely opposite of everything you know and how everything else operates around you, it's not an easy shift to just turn it all upside down. To adopt kingdom values in our culture or any other is to push directly against the grain of everything that’s happening around us. That is why we have to keep coming to worship each week. six days of the week the world is trying to shape our view of what is important.

Our King won victory over dying and that is what we should be fixing our eyes on!

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The Joy of Justification

29 Apr, 2024

Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Sermon text: Romans 5:1-5 We find joy in the blessings brought by justification —peace with God —access to God’s grace Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. —hope of the glory of God “Christian hope is not uncertain, like our ordinary everyday hopes about the weather or our health; it is a joyful and confident expectation which rests on the promises of God, as we saw in the case of Abraham. And the object of our hope is the glory of God (2), namely his radiant splendor which will in the end be fully displayed. —John R. W. Stott, The Message of Romans We can even find joy in our sufferings “Various kinds of sufferings will come to us, but we can rejoice in them when we recognize that they serve a purpose: to develop our Christian character. In verses 3b–4 Paul shows how a godly response to suffering can initiate a series of virtues, culminating, strikingly, in hope. Note, however, that Paul is not saying that we should rejoice because of suffering. Evil things are still just that—evil—and we never should be happy about them. But by looking beyond the suffering to its divinely intended end, we still can rejoice in the midst of them.” —Douglas J. Moo, Encountering the Book of Romans —suffering produces endurance “ We know this, especially from the experience of God’s people in every generation. Suffering produces perseverance ( hypomonē , endurance). We could not learn endurance without suffering, because without suffering there would be nothing to endure.” —John R. W. Stott, The Message of Romans —endurance builds character —character gives us confident hope Discipleship Questions: How does it change your outlook on life to know that you have peace with God? In what ways have you experienced the greatness of access to God’s grace? How does future certainty bring us lasting hope? Describe a time when you experienced joy in the midst of suffering. How has God used suffering to grow your faith and mature you? What are some ways you have experienced God’s love being poured into your heart?

The Faith of Father Abraham

22 Apr, 2024

Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Sermon text: Romans 4:13-25 Abraham was not justified by works Abraham was not justified through the law Justification comes through faith alone —by faith we are forgiven of sin —by faith we are credited righteousness —by faith we are Abraham’s offspring Galatians 3:29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. The faith of Father Abraham… —is trusting God no matter how things appear “Paul next goes on to remind us of the way Abraham believed the promise of God even when all the tangible evidence seemed to point in the other direction. In brief, as Paul succinctly summarizes the matter in verse 18, Abraham believed “against all hope” yet “in hope.” Specifically, he did not allow all the many reasons to distrust God’s promise to weaken his conviction that God would do just what he had promised.” —Douglas J. Moo, Encountering the Book of Romans —is being convinced of God’s power —is taking God at His word —is unwavering, even when we fail “Abraham did not always live out his faith, his obedience was not perfect, his trust fluctuated; but his faith was never extinguished. He hung on to God’s promises even in his own flaws and failings—and as he did so, he “was strengthened in his faith.” He was able to look at a mistake and say: This has reminded me that my only hope is to trust in God’s promise, and trust in God to fulfill that promise.” —Tim Keller, Romans 1-7 For You Discipleship Questions: Spend some time discussing justification and talk about the effects of it on our lives. What are some ways that you trust God in spite of how things appear or how you feel? How have you experienced your faith being strengthened through God’s Word? What are some examples of times you have taken God at His word and acted on it in your life? What do you think it looks like for us to have unwavering faith based on Abraham’s example?

Footsteps to Faith

17 Apr, 2024

Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 14, 2024. Sermon text: Romans 4:1-12 V. 1-3 “What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Abraham was not justified by works. Paul chooses Abraham as an example because it is likely that at this point some of the listeners, especially the Rabbis, would have thought, “No one has room to boast? What about our Father Abraham?” There was a cultural perspective in the Jewish community about Abraham that can be read in the books of Jubilees and Maccabbees. “Abraham was perfect in his dealings with the Lord and gained favor by his righteousness throughout his life”… and they quoted Genesis 15, the very verse that Paul is using here, saying, “was not Abraham found faithful in temptation, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness?” So Paul is arguing that Abraham was not justified by works, because many in the Roman church believed that Abraham was justified by works! This isn’t just an emphasis in a few chapters, it is the heart of the whole letter. Paul is saying, “If he was justified by works, then sure, he can boast before God, but he is not!” And there is a phrase in verse 3 that we must make sure not to gloss over. How does Paul prove this point and bring clarity to their error? FOR WHAT DOES THE SCRIPTURE SAY? We must understand the Biblical narrative because the cultural narrative is always changing. Far more wisdom and effort has gone into the canonization of Scripture than has gone into the picking it apart to prove someone’s point in a certain cultural moment in time. Some today argue that they are listening to Jesus, but not the Bible because they are separating what Jesus says and what the Bible says. It’s an argumentation technique to say, “Well, Jesus didn’t say that. Paul did.” And the result is that people present themselves and posture themselves to look like followers of Christ while dismissing how Christ fulfills all of Scripture. So what does Paul say to the Roman church who was struggling with how this Gospel of Jesus was going against their cultural norms? “What do the Scriptures say?” Justification by faith isn’t some new idea in Jesus. In fact, Father Abraham was justified by faith. V. 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. God did not owe Abraham Imagine getting your paycheck and it is labeled “a gift from management”! You would probably say, “No, I earned that! Thank you very much! That’s not a gift. That is my money.” Now imagine, going to God, and saying of your right standing before Him, “No, I earned that! That is mine. You owe it to me!” Paul’s hope for the Roman church, and for us today, is that we would really consider thoughts like that and really reckon with the reality that we cannot earn our justification. Paul is saying, “I know I have already said it and defended it and given Abraham as an example of the reality that we can only be justified by faith, but I am saying it yet another way so that you would search yourself. If God owed Abraham, then maybe God could owe you, and God owes no man. For the wages if sin is death. That is our due. That is what we are owed. V. 5-8 “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” Faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. Paul wants the church to see that Jesus is the thread that runs through all of human history. We can see Jesus in the life of Abraham and we can also see Jesus in the life of David. Two of the most prominent figures in Jewish history are who Paul chooses to prove justification by faith alone. When it comes to justification, faith is opposed to work. God justifies the ungodly because there are no godly ones to be justified. When you hear that Faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness, it might be easy to quickly modify that in your mind, and think, “Oh, so Abraham was faithful, and by being faithful, he became righteous… almost like his faithfulness was a substitute for good works…” And that is wrong. There is a HUGE difference between saying “Through faith Abraham became righteous” and “Through faith Abraham was counted as righteous.” It is a judicial reckoning by God. Or for us it is the difference between saying “Now I am righteous” and “Now I am counted as righteous”… Paul wants the church to know that they need something from God that they cannot achieve on their own, and if they are chasing righteousness by trying to live in the right way by saying and doing the right things, they will never find it. You need for God to not count your sin against you. V. 9-12 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. Circumcision is a sign. So for those asking, “Was Abraham’s faith counted to him as righteousness before or after the act of circumcision?”, Paul’s answer is simply, “before”. Why? Because it was a sign. Application: Walk in the Footsteps of Faith … Abraham was not ju stified by works… I am not justified by works. God did not owe Abraham anything… God does not owe me anything. Faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness… Faith can be counted to me as righteousness. Circumcision is a sign… By faith in Christ, I am brought into a rich heritage where my story is the story of a people who were only ever justified by faith alone. So rather than resting in my works, I can rest in Christ. Discipleship Questions: If we know we cannot earn a right standing before God, why do so many of us continue to try? Are there any ways in which you still act and think as if God owes you something? How is circumcision still beneficial to Gentiles in 2024? How does an understanding of the Biblical narrative help us against an ever-changing cultural narrative? Be specific. What are some specific cultural narratives that you and your children struggle with? How does the Biblical narrative help to bring understanding and peace? Why does it matter that your story is the story of a people? Of the 4 footsteps of faith mentioned, which do you struggle with the most? Why? Faith is trusting God's promises. What are some promises that we can lay hold of and rest in?

The Upside-Down Kingdom

The value system of God’s Kingdom is upside down.