Jesus is King? You’ve got to be kidding.

Steve Brown:
Jesus is King? You’ve got to be kidding. Let’s talk about it on this edition of Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
This is Key Life. We’re here to let you know that because of what Jesus has done, God will never be angry at you again. Steve invited our friend Pete Alwinson to do the teaching this week. Pete is a former pastor, founder of ForgeTruth.com and the author of Like Father Like Son.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. Pete Alwinson who’s always here on Friday, is now here during the week. We’ve been talking about the Kingdom and such good stuff. It’s a subject that everybody mentions occasionally, but you very rarely go into details and you ought to, because the Biblical teaching, and there are hundreds of references to the Kingdom of God throughout Scripture. Those references are there for a purpose and that purpose is life changing. And we’re talking about it and Pete’s teaching us. He’s been teaching on the Kingdom at Forge and and it’s changing lives and this is going to change yours and mine. Pete, there is some argument, is the Kingdom future or is it present? Those are the two, you believe both, don’t you?

Pete Alwinson:
Absolutely. Yeah. You know, there’s 154 times that Kingdom is mentioned just in the New Testament. And that’s not even mentioning the individual word of king or throne or rule. You know, it’s everywhere. And so, kind of the challenge for us all, it would be to, as we think about this idea of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of heaven is to reread the New Testament through Kingdom eyes. Let that be a filter that we see that rule because it’s so encouraging. In fact, when I first started studying this, it was toward the beginning of this tour, Christmas time last year. And my daughter had sent me a text and the text said this, she said, I don’t want to end the year on bad terms with anyone, so apologize to me. I love that. And so, I thought, okay. And I thought, you know. And I was studying Kingdom and I thought, there are times that Lord, I just have to apologize that I have treated you more like answer my prayers rather than you’re my King. And it’s really brought some reverence back where it was deeply needed in my life as I’ve studied this. But he is my King. And I love this at the, you get to the beginning of Luke chapter 9 and he called the 12 together and he gave them power and authority over all the demons. And to heal diseases. And he sent them out to proclaim

Steve Brown:
the Kingdom

Pete Alwinson:
the Kingdom of God. And to perform healing. And so, when we understand the ministry of the apostles and even the ministry today of healing. You and I both believe that God heals, but there was a unique reason for the healing, which is almost always linked with the casting out of demons. And that is to be proof positive that the Kingdom of God had come. And that’s why it’s hard, you know, today was you started out our talk, God is King, Christ is King. You’ve got to be kidding. But this, that’s why it’s all written down that we can have these accounts of these miracles to remember that the reality of the Kingdom is that it is here in Jesus, his rule, his reign is here, and it will come back in fruition. Later in that chapter, Luke 9 and verse 11, it says.

But the crowds were aware of this, and followed him, and welcoming him. He began speaking to them about the Kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.

So, does God heal everybody today? No, I just lost a good friend to cancer. He does not. We prayed for healing. He does not. But during the time of Elisha, during the times of the apostles, there was great outpouring of miracles and he can do miracles today. But here particularly was to prove that his Kingdom was here. So that in those times when we don’t experience the plethora of supernatural activity we know the Kingdom of God is still here, He’s still king.

Steve Brown:
And you see the Kingdom of God among God’s people.

Pete Alwinson:
Yes.

Steve Brown:
And it manifests itself in love,

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right.

Steve Brown:
in power, in the ability to continue persevering even when it’s dark. It is manifested in the church. It’s manifested in ministries that go around the world. Who builds hospitals, atheists don’t.

Pete Alwinson:
I mean, you’re exactly right.

Steve Brown:
Kingdom people do.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. And so, it wasn’t just the miracle themselves. It was the attitude in which Jesus did them. He really loved people.

Steve Brown:
Yeah.

Pete Alwinson:
He really loved people. And he did it out of love. And that’s why he wept at Lazarus’ tomb. He loved that guy. And so, we understand the King is here and the King has come to redeem us, which he did and showed his Kingly power by triumphing over sin and death and hell, And because he loves us so much, we can allow his Kingly rule into our life, not just to do correct character, but to allow his character and love to flow through us.

Steve Brown:
Oh man.

Pete Alwinson:
So, his Kingly, the way he carried out his Kingdom. It’s how we ought to carry it out, and with great love as well.

Steve Brown:
You know, I used to, when I was teaching communications and preaching at the seminary, and you did too, what I would say to students who were scared spitless about their first sermon, they didn’t know what to say. I said, look son, before you get up before this class, say to yourself, get out of my way. I have been sent, I have been anointed and commissioned by the King of Kings to bring a message to you, and by God, you will listen. And the students would say, we can’t say that. And I said, well, if it bothers you, repent later. But say it before, and you can get over your fear. That’s kind of where we are, isn’t it?

Pete Alwinson:
It really is.

Steve Brown:
We’re ambassadors. And Paul said that to the Corinthians.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right.

Steve Brown:
But ambassadors for Christ, the King.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. That’s right. And an ambassador, if he’s going to do his job well, is not going to be bombastic, he’s not going to be screaming and yelling, he’s probably going to have a smile on his face and saying to a King of another nation or to the Head of State of another nation. He’s going to say, this is what my King says. This is what my President, my Prime Minister says. I’m just, I’m the messenger.

Steve Brown:
And he’s given me the authority to tell you.

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah, that’s right.

Steve Brown:
Because he’s the King.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. And so, we misunderstand our role in evangelism as Christians. If we get angry and mean and nasty, no, Peter says.

Share about the hope that’s within you, but do it with gentleness and reverence.

You’re an ambassador.

Steve Brown:
Exactly.

Pete Alwinson:
You’re not the returning King who’s going to judge them if they don’t repent, you’re the messenger. And so, this takes a lot of pressure off of us.

Steve Brown:
Oh, it really does, that being an ambassador.

Pete Alwinson:
Being an ambassador.

Steve Brown:
The authority is somebody else’s.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. That’s right.

Steve Brown:
We’re simply bringing a message that we’ve been commissioned to bring.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. And that’s why Jesus, when you come to Luke chapter 9: verse 28, when he reveals himself to the apostles, the disciples on Mount Transfiguration, which is probably Mount Hermon, not Mount Tabor in Israel. But he gets up there and it’s interesting is that it says that he began to take on a glowing appearance and then there was a cloud. And of course, the cloud reminds us of the Old Testament Exodus experience where God led Israel in the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. And Jesus is enveloped and the disciples are enveloped and they see it are Peter, James and John, they see Jesus as the divine King that he really is, they get the closest look to his divinity. And Peter says, ah, let’s stay up here, man. This is where we need to stay.

Steve Brown:
Let’s build a church.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. And Peter was right on, man. I mean, the safest place is to be in the presence of the King. But the goal was that we would be with him in solitude at times, but not just for ourself, that we would be able after meeting with the King to go out and be with the people.

Steve Brown:
And we have our own personal Mount of Transfiguration, don’t we? Where we meet with him, recognize the King, see the cloud, recognize the authority and the power, and then return to the valley as his ambassador.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s exactly right. And that’s, you know, at Forge we talk about having what we call a daily appointment with God, that if you don’t make the appointment, you’re not going to keep it probably because we’re so busy. But that’s what we need. We need that time where we remember who he is, and we remember who we are. I need that. And I know you and I both, we’re both early birds cause we need it and we want it. It was a discipline that became a delight.

Steve Brown:
That’s exactly true, isn’t it? I don’t have to do it anymore, cause it’s the delight of my life. I can hardly wait. So, I go to the Mount of Transfiguration every morning, and you do too.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. That’s right.

Steve Brown:
And the King is there.

Pete Alwinson:
And the King is there. And then he gets us ready to launch out. And when you get to Luke 10, he sends the disciples out and he says.

Go out and heal the sick and tell them that the Kingdom of God has come near.

Steve Brown:
And so, we as Christians, when you understand the teaching of the Kingdom, we’re not trying to convince anybody. We’re announcing a reality that has taken place and we tell them deal with it, the Kingdom is here. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
The Kingdom of God, we often talk about it in passing, but all this week we are taking a deep dive on the subject. Thank you Steve and Pete. We still have one more day to go in this series, that would be tomorrow. Hope you will join us for that. So, it’s summertime, you’re about to hit the road with the fam and you’re thinking through your prep bathing suit check, sunscreen check, wait what about Key Life? Will I be able to listen on the road? I don’t know, I’ve never even been to Bandana, Kentucky. Well, relax friend, we’ve got you covered. Just go to keylife.org/stations and our Station Finder tool will point the way. And, you know, by the by on the subject, if you’re in Bandana, Kentucky, catch us on WGCF 89. 3 FM. The Station Finder is just one of many cool features on keylife.org and of course, all of those features are still free thanks to the generous support of listeners just like you. If you’d like to donate, just call us at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. And if you’d like to send your donation by mail, just go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses for the U. S. and Canada. Or you can e-mail [email protected] you can charge a gift on your credit card, or send a gift in your envelope. And of course, you can now give safely and securely simply by texting Key Life to 28950 and then following the instructions. Again, that’s Key Life, one word or two. It doesn’t matter. Just text that to 28950. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And we are a listener supported production of Key Life Network.