The Kingdom of God: A Present Reality

Amen. Well, I got a very, very special treat for you. If you're a first-time guest, my name is Jonathan, pastor here, and if you're a first-time guest, you're gonna get a guest speaker today. So, but don't let that bum you out. One of the best in the biz. I wanna introduce you to him, but not by way of how well he speaks. Glenn Schaefer is with us today. James Hudson as well, right over here to my right. If y'all would lift your hands just so they can identify, all right. All right, they're not our normal 30 to 40 crowd, amen. Years ago, we were connected just by God. And we were sharing that with some leaders yesterday that the connection that we have is definitely not out of man's orchestration, that the reason we're connected has got to be God. There's really not any other reason for it. And he is a part of a group we call ATI, Family of Churches. And we're very, very glad to be connected. In that way, but they really do produce oversight for us as a family, as a church. But more than that, just like Paul told Timothy, there's been a begotting through the gospel. And we really do look at you guys as fathers. And they have really done more than just giving us good advice. They have imparted their life. They've opened their home and their life and who they are to us. And we've only seen God work through that. Amen. Amen. super excited to introduce him to you. If you would, welcome Glenn Schaefer. He's going to be speaking with us this morning. Well, what an honor to be here, and I'm really enjoying the worship, particularly that second song. All the songs were great. I don't think I've sung that second song. I like that. I really like that. It's a tremendous, tremendous time together in worship. I so appreciate the Kennedys, the Fox, and all the team that's here. All of our friends feel like family, and I think it's only been about three years since we've been here, but man, it seemed like it was just last year because of the connection that we have, and those of you that we've not had a chance to meet, it's good to see you and be here. We love you. Our congregation back home thinks move is the greatest thing, and in fact, if we were closer, we'd all come over here with y'all. And that's kind of how we feel. It's just a real connection and family, and I've watched the Lord work in this house, and it's with great delight, great delight, because I see fruit of Christ, and that's all that matters. When we stand before the Lord, it'll be the fruit. Jesus said, I've appointed you to bear fruit that remains. I'm very much aware of the songs we were singing today. One song in particular is talking about standing before his throne, and to think that God has given us a means of being free from our sin is unbelievable. What do you do with your sin? What do you do? There's no one has the answer for that but the gospel. Judaism doesn't have the answer. They hope someday God will forgive them. Islam doesn't have the answer. They hope someday God will be merciful and forgive them. Hindus do not have the answer. Whatever God is, they hope will be merciful. And sometimes I hear people that attend church services. They have that mindset that someday God might forgive me. And when I've pastored people for years and maybe by their bedside in the hospital, they're not sure what they do with their sin. And I thought, Lord, why is it that we've not made clear the gospel? That people would not know what really happens, what the gospel really is. When you think about it, says in Romans chapter 4, the end of that chapter, that Jesus was offered up for our sins. What does that mean? That means he was put on the cross for our sins, right? And the scripture says in Corinthians that he was made to be sin who knew no sin. That means that he knew nothing about sin and his own sin wasn't his. He was made to be sin. And whose sin was it? Because man had fallen. I don't believe we know how far we've fallen. We think we're pretty good people. We have no idea what sin did and how far Adam fell. And since that time, everybody's been born into this world, born as a sinner. If you don't believe me, just go work in the nursery. You don't have to teach them about selfishness, do you? That's mine. It's all about me. And we grow up that way. We don't know what to do with our sin. And the Bible says he was offered up for our trespasses. That word means sin. He was offered up for our sin. He put on the cross for our sin. And here's what it is. If I put my trust in what happened to him, that's only saving faith. If I believe in Jesus, that's not saving faith. If I believe that Jesus died on the cross, that's not saving faith. I've got to believe he died for me, that what he did was for me. That's not saving faith. That's not saving faith. That's not saving faith. He may follow me. If that's saving faith, if I don't ever take that personally, then it's just a story out there. So he was offered up for what? For our sin, for our transgression. But then it says, listen to this, he was raised for our justification. What does that mean? Man, this is too good to be true. Here's what it means. If God forgave me, wouldn't that be enough? It is not enough for God. Because he not only forgave you, but he not only forgave you, but he not only forgave the resurrection is just as if you never sinned. So not only did he forgive you of your sin, come on now. Trace, do you sit there forgiven? Fully forgiven? Fully accepted? Fully loved? Can you imagine that? My sin is totally forgiven. What about yours? Not because of what I did, but my trust is in what he did. Are you with me? And then he was raised, James, is just as if you never sinned. I mean, so that means if you're here today and you don't know what to do with your sin, I ain't tell you what to do with your sin, is to say, Jesus took it and I repent of it. I call out, I know I'm a sinner and I need him to take my sin because that's what he did on the cross. Could we just pray and get into the word? Father, I thank you that in this room, your people rejoice in you. And I ask for our hearts to be open, eyes to be open. And anyone here today that's saying, Jesus, I'm going to trust you for my sin. I'm going to trust you for my sin. I'm going to trust you for my sin. I'm going to trust you for my sin. I'm going to trust you for my sin. And I repent of my sin. I turn from my sin because Jesus, you took it. And then you were raised from the dead in the resurrection that we celebrated last week so I could be justified just as if I never sinned. Lord, that's too good to be true. Let the gospel be clear, I pray. If you agree with that, say amen. I want to talk to you about the kingdom. Is that okay? I've got a life message in me. It's a church and the kingdom. I love the body of Christ. And I love to talk about the kingdom. The kingdom is one of my favorite concepts. And I want to tell you that Jesus, whenever we're preaching the kingdom and healing the sick, those are two things he did. Preach the kingdom and heal the sick. And so I'm going to challenge us to embrace the kingdom. Say that with me. Embrace the kingdom. That when you're born into the church, you're born into the kingdom. When you're born into the kingdom, you're born into the church. You can't join the church, you're born into it. Now, I know we join where we believe God's hooked us up, but you are born into the kingdom. So I want to read a couple of scriptures. But before I do, I want to show you a concept of what I call the bigger picture. And then I want to walk you through it by scripture. Can I show that on the screen? There's a concept of the bigger picture. And I want you to see that. This gets me every time I think about it. From beginning before there was time, there was God. You ever had a child ask you, how did God make you? Who was here before God? You go, nobody was here before God. And their little brains are trying to figure that out. My brain's still trying to figure it out. I cannot comprehend. But somewhere, listen to this, in the heart of God, God said, I want a bride. Before there was time. That means it's the eternal. There never was a time. Wow, this gets me. When God did not have it in his heart to have another, have his bride. And somewhere in the eons of time, that was his choice. And this invisible God, outside of time and space, desired to reveal his glory in the universe and what he called the earth as well. And he created mankind in his image for his glory. Not just so you can have fellowship. That's a benefit, but that's not why he created you. He created mankind for his glory. And this invisible God created man in his image. In a visible world. And soon as he did, it wasn't long, there was a fall. Adam fell. Sin came into the world. But that was not a hindrance to God. He had orchestrated that we might know him in his redemption. See, some people don't understand this because they think Satan slipped into the garden. Satan cannot slip into God's garden. You say, well, why would he even allow the serpent in the garden? Anybody ever wonder that? You know him in his redemption. All of heaven rejoices because he was worthy to be slain and redeemed. That attribute of God, you would not know had there not been sin and redemption. And here's the good part. Your sin, redeemed by him, gives him glory all through eternity. That means no one in this room has ever gone so far that your sin redeemed does not give him glory. Otherwise, there would never be allowed for any sin. That's amazing, isn't it? That God knew in advance. The Bible says the lamb was slain before the foundation of the world. The Bible tells we're chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. That blows me away. I cannot imagine. I was chosen in him before the foundation of the world. How could that be? Only in God. And so soon as sin came in, God had a plan, though, to bring a redeemed people. So what'd he do? He called Abraham. And out of Abraham came the 12 sons, right? 12 tribes called Israel. And God had to separate his people from the evil world by giving them laws that showed them how sinful they were. And it was impossible for them to live holy because they eventually would need to know they had a need of a savior. So he had this place called Israel. He called the place the tabernacle and eventually the temple. God would come and dwell among them in a temple. And in the tabernacle, witnesses, fire would be there. The glory would be there. And if you went into where God was, you were struck dead. Only a high priest could go in there one time a year. And he had to go through certain putting on the blood before he could go in. And they had a rope around his leg in case God didn't accept the sacrifice and he fell over dead. They'd drag him out because nobody's going in for him. This is a holy God desiring to be among a people. What's this? Who are not holy, though he's chosen them. And there came a time when the fulfillment of the gospel was not done. And he was chosen. And there came a time when the moment of time that the Father sent the Son. And when he died on the cross, listen, the purpose of it, it says in Ephesians, for the eternal purpose of Christ, which was purpose in Christ through the cross, he birthed in Pentecost, watch this, a body of believers made up of Jews and Gentiles. The first 10 chapters of Acts is all the Jews that were coming in as a remnant, returning to God through Jesus Christ. And then the Gentiles were opened. To them, and God began to put together his bride, both Jew and Gentile, and his kingdom in the earth through the church. Now, you got a picture? Let me show you another picture that most of us grew up with. Another picture is what some people would call dispensationalism. It's that God deals with man differently in seven different dispensations. Let me tell you why that I don't teach this. Because what it says is the church, is just for a period of time. That the church is anomaly, meaning it doesn't fit. The church is a parenthesis. That God came to his own, the Jews, and they rejected him. So then he decided he would have a church for a period of time, and then he'd go back to dealing with the Jews in a future kingdom. So many of us grew up, I grew up that way, believing that someday Jesus was going to be crowned king of kings. Someday he would be on his throne. Someday it would be different. I did not understand that the church that Christ birthed in the earth was a very dwelling place for him, the temple, that he would manifest his kingdom into the earth. Let me go back to the other picture. You see, this one here does not have a future kingdom. It has what Jesus said when he came, the kingdom of God is at what? Hand. What does it mean at hand? If I said lunch is at hand, you wouldn't think 20 days from now, 2,000 years from now. You'd say, Glenn, quit preaching. So I can eat. You said it was at what? Hand. John the Baptist came preaching the kingdom of God. It is at hand. But let me show you what we have been told. We've been told that one day there's going to be a kingdom. One day Jesus is going to crown, be crowned king of kings. One day he's going to get those sinners right far. In the meantime, we're just holding out to the very end. Let me tell you what the scripture says. Let's walk through this with scripture, could we? Let's do this real quickly. It says here in Ephesians chapter two, y'all are walking through the book of Ephesians, so you'll be getting to this soon. Verse 11, if we were to read the first 10 verses, which I don't take time to do it, it would tell us that we were dead in our sins and our trespasses, right? And God made us alive. Now listen to what he says in verse 11. Therefore, remember that formerly you were Gentiles. What's a Gentile? Anybody know what a Gentile is? It's a dog. A Gentile is those who are outside the promise of God. You and I are Gentiles by nature, but not Gentiles in the kingdom. Because he says, therefore, remember that formerly you are Gentiles by birth and you're called uncircumcised by those who call themselves the circumcision, which is done by the body. Meaning the Jews saw circumcision, which it was as a sign of their faith, and Gentiles were called uncircumcised, which means you don't have a covenant. Don't get in with God. But watch this. Remember that at that time, you were separated from Christ, excluded from citizenship. You didn't belong to Israel and foreigners to the covenants of promise without hope and without God in the world. But now, everybody say, but now. It says, but now Christ Jesus, who you once were far away, have been brought near by the blood of Jesus. And not just near, but you've been brought near by the blood of Jesus. And not just near, but you've been brought into covenant as God chose Israel. Not everybody in natural Israel were of Israel because they were not of faith. But now he's included everyone in Christ in one body, both Jew and Gentile, and he's torn down the dividing wall. He's created what? One new creation. If you are created in Christ, you are what? If any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. It's not an creation. It's not an improvement. It never existed before. What he created you was in Christ himself, a new creation. So this is not self-improvement. This is not getting better, not pulling up my bootstraps, not being better. It is a brand new creation, he says. Now watch what he says here. In the next verse, he says, for he himself, talking about Jesus, is a peace who has made the two groups. What's the two groups? Jews and Gentiles. He made them what? One. And he destroyed the separation. He destroyed. How did he do that? At the cross. He destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility by setting aside in his body, listen, the law and its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself, watch, one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace. Peace in one body to reconcile both Jew and Gentile of them to God through the cross by which he put to death their division or their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away. That was us. Far away and peace to those who were near. That was the Jews. For through him, we, who's the we? Both Jew and Gentile have access to the father by one spirit. What's this? Consequently, consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone. What's this? In him, the whole building is joined together, both Jew and Gentile, and rises to become a holy temple, the same place where God dwelt. And only the high priest could come in. Now we live. The holy God lives in us. We're being built together and rises to become a holy temple in the world. And in him, you too are being built together with Jew and Gentile and become a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit. Now, here's why this is so important. There'll be those who said that the church was an afterthought, that God came to his own and his own received him. And so therefore he had an afterthought. How Lindsay would teach, there's an afterthought. There's a place that comes afterwards called the church. It's a church age. And when God gets through the church age, he's going to go back to dealing with the Jew. That's not what Paul said. He said, when Jesus came, he made them what? One, which he calls his eternal purpose. In fact, how Lindsay would say that the church is the mystery of God, but that's not the mystery. Let me look at it. Look at Ephesians chapter three. It says this mystery is through the gospel. Here's the mystery. Not that the church would not be known, but here's the mystery that the Jew and Gentile would be one. Nobody could believe that. That's the mystery that through the gospel, what was that? Through the gospel, say through the gospel. See, through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, shares together in the promise of Christ Jesus. And here's my favorite verse, 10 and 11. His intent was that now through the church, hello church, the manifold, the manifested wisdom of God, the multifaceted wisdom of God, should be made known to the rulers and the authorities and heavenly places. Principalities, angelic host, principalities of demonic host, natural magistrates are looking at the church. Everything rises and falls on the church. 70,000 believers are in prison today in North Korea. 70,000. When voice of the martyrs somehow got a contact with them and said, how could the church in America be praying for you? They said, no, we're praying for the church in America. We're experiencing the glory of God. Why, why has Christianity grown faster in Iran in the last five to 10 years than any other place in the world? Why? Because in the midst of what the gospel is the most effective, some of the most fearful anxiety people I know are Americans. The gospel has become a gospel of comfort and they don't understand what's going on in the world because they don't see Christ reigning presently in the earth. They see the devil in charge. They see the devil in charge. And that someday Jesus is going to do something about this ugly stuff. They haven't understood the kingdom that when Jesus rose on high, his intent was that through the church, notice what he says, that he would make known through the church, through the church, what goes on here in warrior matters. You may be a small part, but you're part of the biggest thing in the earth, the fastest growing thing in the earth. For 20 years in Brazil, more people come into the kingdom of God than are born in the natural. The church is growing at a very fast rate. When Paul was preaching the gospel, there was only one Christian for every 360 people. After a thousand years of preaching the gospel, there was one Christian for every 270 people. At the turn of this century, it had gotten a little bit better, meaning 20th century. There was one Christian for every 50,000 people. There was one Christian for every 50,000 people. There was one Christian for every 57 people. When I moved to Claremore 46 years ago in 1980, there was one Christian for every 11 people. Today, they say there's one Christian for every four people, and some say three. Come on. You may not know it in Warrior, Oklahoma, but that little stone is becoming a huge mountain and is filling all the earth. And that 11, 11's a lump when you don't even see it. That same kingdom has entered into your home. Hasn't it? Some of you have generations that have not served Christ. You're the first of that generation. An 11 that's leveling the lump. The kingdom of God is active in the earth right now. We're not just here to sing a few songs and attend church. We're the church that attends. We're the vessel, the vehicle of the kingdom. When you walk into that workplace, you're not just going in to a workplace. You're going with the light of the glorious gospel. When you're faithful as a mom to raise a generation, you're not wasting your time. You are investing in the kingdom of what Christ is doing in the earth by raising a godly generation. What we see as mundane, God sees as his eternal work in the earth, and we don't see the value of what it means to serve the Lord because we've not seen the kingdom. We've seen that we're just biding time. We're just waiting until someday, someday, yes, there'll be eternity. Yes, Jesus Christ will come back, but I want you to know that the work is his intent, and he called it the eternal purpose. Watch. According to his, what? What does it say? Say it out loud. Eternal purpose. That means there never was a time when this wasn't the purpose of God. There never will be a time when it's not the purpose of God. You, the church, is the eternal purpose of God. Hello, church. Wake up, church. Church, be the church. The kingdom, the rule of Christ, when I know that, something shifts in me. The promise came in Genesis chapter 12, verse 3, to Abraham, a worshiper of the moon god and the sun god in the Ur of Chaldees, modern Iraq. God looked down, saw Abraham, and chose him. He believed God, and it was credit to him for righteousness. And God said to him, and in you, notice those words, and in you, all the families. Of the earth, that means groups and families of the earth would be blessed. God called him the father of many nations. Changed his name from Abram to Abraham, the father of many nations. Why? Because God's original intent was for the nations of this earth to hear the gospel. There's no way the gospel is kept out. It can go in any place and anywhere. Don't take for granted small. Don't take it small for what you have. It's not because you're good. It's not because you've done things right. It's because he has chosen you into his purpose, called the eternal purpose. And he said, and Abraham, in you. Guess who's in you? Well, Paul, the apostle, tells us in Galatians chapter 3, now to Abraham and his seed, notice the capital S. He said, Abraham, in you, all the families. God was making a covenant to Abraham, to Abraham's seed. Who was in Abraham? The future Messiah. That would come into the earth through the children of Israel. Are you with me? The purpose that he had to have, Israel, was to bring forth the Messiah. And once the Messiah came in, Israel continued, but now it's made of a Jew and Gentile. Are you with me? Notice what he says. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, and to seeds. Why does he not say to seeds? Because he's not talking about the many. The promise was not to the many. It was through the one seed, Jesus Christ. So that if you are of faith, you are what? The children of Abraham. Hello, children of Abraham. I know we don't believe that. We don't see that, but someday you will. Revelation will come. You'll see the purpose. Why? Because in Galatians 6, it says there's neither circumcision, that means Judaism or Israelism, or whatever, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision. It does not do with Jew or Gentile, but what? Neither means anything. Circumcision and uncircumcision, what does it mean? What does it mean? What? What counts? What counts? What counts? The new creation, peace and mercy to all who follow this rule. What's the rule? To those who know nothing else counts than peace to the Israel of God. Somebody's going to get it. It'll change how you live. I've never had anything change me any more than the revelation of the church and the kingdom. Changed. I remember when I was 16 years old saying, why should I get married? Because the world's going to hell in a handbasket. Why should I have children? I don't want them to be subject to terrible things. That's the way most Christians live, because they don't see the work of the cross. They don't see the promises of God. And I'll tell you why this is so important. Because the kingdom of God, as we know, has always been in existence in the sense that the Lord reigns and he's robed in majesty and his throne is, established from long ago through all eternity. But when Jesus came, he did something. He came and made it possible for us to be born into the kingdom. Unless you're born into the kingdom, you cannot see the kingdom. You got to be born again to be in the kingdom. When you come to Christ, you're born into the kingdom. And in Christ's earthly reign, he went about saying, repent for what? The kingdom of heaven is near. It's right here at hand. Question for you. When does Christ's reign begin? There are some who say one of these days, it's going to start. Can I tell you? The New Testament apostle tells us. It's called biblical hermeneutics. The Old Testament prophet declares it. The New Testament apostle explains it. Here's a good example of what I want to read to you out of Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. What happened? Peter gets up to preach. He says, this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel. So now Peter explaining the Old Testament. And look at, he gets down to verse 29. He says, fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried and his tomb is here today. Yet he was a prophet and he knew God had promised him an oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Mark that. David had a promise that one of his descendants would be buried and one of his descendants would be buried. How Lindsay says that David's throne is vacant and has been for 2,500 years. Peter says, no. Peter says the resurrection was the placing of David's son, which was Jesus Christ on the throne. When he rose up high, he was given all might, all authority, and all power. When did he start reigning? He reigned in the ascension. When he rose from the dead, he said, all authority has been given unto me. Therefore, say, go. Lord, I'm with you. When he ascended on high, all of history changed. There's no separation between the saints here on the earth and the saints in heaven. The Lord reigns in righteousness. God rules in the heavens right now. He's not just someday going to rule. The King of kings, the Lord of lords sits in the heavens. Notice what he says. One of his descendants would be on his throne. And here's what he says. And seeing what was to come. What's he mean, what was to come? Seeing when David's son would be placed on the throne. He spoke of what? The resurrection. So David being a prophet saw that when Jesus, the son, the seed of Abraham was raised from the dead, that would be his son being placed on the throne. Anybody with me? When he rose on high, not waiting 2,500 years from now, not waiting a long time from now, he says, but the Messiah would not face decay. And he says in verse 32 through 36, and God raised this Jesus to life. And we're all witnesses and exalted him to the right hand of God. That's the throne. And has received the father, the promise of the Holy spirit. Did you know the outpouring of the Holy spirit on the day of Pentecost was proof to them that Jesus was sitting on his throne because David did not ascend to heaven. And yet he said, the Lord said to my Lord, this Psalm 110, sit at my right hand until I make it. Make your enemies a footstool for my feet. The most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament is about the throne of David, Jesus being seated on his throne. Here's what I'm telling you. This is not in the future. Jesus Christ right now reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords over the nations, over the nations. I'm not afraid of some world power. I'm not afraid of what's going to happen in the straight of whom. I'm not afraid of what's going to happen because when there's activity going on, I have a King who sits on his throne and he reigns through the gospel. You don't think Iran is going to have revival. Do you not think that the gospel is going to be freed in that nation? Do you not understand that God is at work and he uses natural events to be able to bring about his glory in the earth? Why? Because he deals with, he deals with evil people and uses other people. But in the meantime, the gospel is the rule of God. When he says he reigns with a rod of iron, what is that? That's the gospel. You can't get any harder than the gospel. You believe and you're saved. You don't, you're damned. That's not that you can't get any harder than that. That's a rod of iron. How does he rule? He rules the nations. He rules the nations through the gospel. Church, if I see that, my job is only to preach the gospel of the kingdom, to manifest his glory. Our job is to move in prayer and move in evangelism. Those are the two things. I don't care how bad it gets in Iran. The church of Jesus Christ is growing in Iran right now. We have a gal coming to our summer conference who spent nearly 300 days in the prison of Iran. You ought to read her book, Captive in Iran. The gospel, when they were in that incarceration, and the terrible prison of that nation, they served the prostitutes, the ladies who had been beaten, and those who'd shown their hair in different reasons and put in prison. They shared the gospel with them. They gave them their food. And when I read about the captive in Iran, I thought, that's the kingdom invading that dark place. And they said, God has put us in prison that we might preach the gospel. Out there, we couldn't preach the gospel openly because they put us in prison. But now we're in prison. We're in prison. We're in prison. We're in prison. We're in prison. What else can they do to us? They're assigned to be executed. And they said, that's okay. We're going to preach the gospel. Through a miracle, they were released. But I'm here to tell you, pray. Don't be in fear. Intercede. Don't be afraid. Preach the gospel. Because what you're doing here has a part around the world. Because it is the reign of Christ in the earth. And it is his footstool. Some of you remember a statue of Nebuchadnezzar. Anybody remember? That big statue. A head of gold. And then there was the breast of silver. And then the thigh of brass. And then down here below was legs of iron. Anybody remember that? Growing up in Sunday school. Nebuchadnezzar had a vision. Daniel interpreted it. And he told him of the days that were to come on the earth. And he said, oh Babylon, oh King Nebuchadnezzar, you're that head of gold. But there's one coming after you called Persia. And God orchestrated Persia to come. And defeat. In fact, he called Cyrus his anointed. Called him his shepherd. Named him 175 years before he was born. God's using this man who's out of covenant to bring about the purpose of God in the earth. God uses whomever he wants to to bring about his purposes. So Babylon was taken down. Persia came next. Then Greece. The book of Daniel talks about Greece. Alexander the Great. It's all in there. And Daniel. Finally, Rome. And he says in the days of those kings. Listen to this. The God of heaven was set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. And out of that vision, he said, I saw a stone coming out of heaven that was not made with man's hand. What was it? It was Christ in the kingdom. He is that stone. He's a stepping stone or a stumbling block, right? And that stone came out of heaven. And it crushed all these kingdoms to power. And then that little stone, he says, becomes a huge mountain and filled all the land. And then he says, I saw a stone coming out of heaven. And it crushed all the earth. Hello, stone. You're in that that's now filling the earth. It's here in where? It's here in Alabama. It's in nations of the world and wherever the gospel goes forward. Thank you for being involved in nations. Thank you for being involved in missions. Why? Because it's the gospel going into the nations of the world. You should have been with me when I was preaching this in East Jerusalem Baptist Church 25 years ago. The pastor, East Jerusalem Baptist Church gave me 20 minutes to preach this. He didn't give me a time. I'm aware of the time, but he didn't give me a time. I preached it in 20 minutes that God's people and the rule of Christ was in the earth that made up of Jew and Gentile. He came up after me crying and he said, had I known what you were going to preach, I would have given you all the time in the world because everybody that comes from America comes and tells us that we need to get out to let God's people come in. He said, we are God's people. We're born again in Christ, a church of God. Pastor got down on his knees and he wept. He said, I thought all of America was duped because they didn't see a place for these other nations to be in the church. And when he heard that he is made up of the tribes, that he's a part of the Israel, that he is in the covenant through Christ and Abraham, he said, I've never heard that. No one's ever told me that. See, we have a thought here in America that everything is about us. So I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, it's not about us at all. It's about him and the purposes he has in the earth. God help the church in this nation to turn from itself to the reign of Christ. If you put that image up there of Babylon, you'll see what I'm talking about. Would you put that image up? The stone becomes a huge mountain and fills the earth. Who is that stone? Jesus is that stone. Listen to what Daniel says. Daniel chapter 2 says, in the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. Hello, kingdom. When did Jesus Christ come? He came in the time of Roman, the last of those kingdoms. That was a prophecy of when Jesus Christ would come and set up his reign. He'll never be destroyed. He'll never be left to another people. This is not to be given to anybody else. He will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but his self will endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of the mountain. But not my human hands, a rock that broke the iron, the bones, the clay, the seeds, and the ground pieces. Those were principalities and powers that were broken. And verse 35 says, but the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. Hello, rock. Hello, stone. Hello, church. Hello, kingdom. Hello, the children of Abraham. Show that next illustration, if you will, because I want you to see this. Same picture, but that image of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. I want you to see Jesus came and died on the cross, and he rose again, and his reign started when he ascended on high. When he rose out of the grave and he ascended. You remember when he was ascending in Acts chapter one, they said, this same Jesus, you say, go away, will come in like manner. And the Bible says that he was received out of their sight. Clouds received him out of the sight. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Those weren't clouds. They were clouds. They were clouds. They were clouds. They were clouds. They weren't dew drop clouds. That was glory clouds. Why? Why was there clouds? Daniel tells us why there was. Let me read it to you. The next slide will show you. Well, I didn't, let me just give you, no, it's not the next slide. Let me tell you, Daniel in the night vision, Daniel chapter seven, verse 13, 14 says, I was watching in the night vision, and there was one like unto the son of man that came up to the ancient of days. He came with clouds to the ancient of days. He wasn't down. This wasn't the second coming. Daniel was watching 500 years before it happened. Daniel says, I was watching in a night vision. And there's one like the son of man who came with clouds, came before the ancient of days. And there was given, watch, and there was given to him who was coming. It was the son of man. It was the ascension. He was coming with the clouds before the ancient of days. Who's the ancient of days? It's the father of God and was given to the son of man. A dominion, a power, a might, and glory. When was Jesus given all authority? In the ascension. So that means he's seated right now. Daniel the prophet saw it. The New Testament reveals it, that Jesus is seated in the heavens far above all principalities, powers, might, and division. Now let me show you this. First Corinthians 15. I want you to hear this. But each in his turn he comes. There will be a resurrection. And those that belong to him, listen, then the end will come when he hands the kingdom of God over to the father. Right now, this is Jesus's day. He's ruling and he's reigning. And there'll be a day, listen, that through the church, through his rule in the earth, through the gospel, that every enemy will be destroyed. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. That means this must continue until the resurrection. And he must reign. Everybody say he must reign. Until he's put every enemy under his feet. I want you to see this. How does he put the enemy under his feet? Through the church. Husbands, it does matter how you live. Wives, it matters how you live. When you say no to temptation and yes to God, you just put the enemy under your foot. In the reign of Christ. Is seen. Romans chapter 16, he says, you shall crush Satan under your feet shortly. Sometimes we in our day of understanding of God's grace, we think it doesn't matter. We think I can live how I want to live. We're not talking about whether or not you're going to heaven or not. We're talking about the reign of Christ being seen in you. We're talking about it does matter. When you make a righteous, godly decision to respect and honor your husband and the husband of your wife, you give a picture of Christ in the church. It matters. When you walk in integrity, it matters. When you say no to temptation, what did you do? You just put the enemy under your feet. It matters. I want you to see it does matter because Christ is at rule and reign through the believers. When you're challenging us to devote ourselves and our affection, why does that matter? Matters because it's his kingdom. It matters because it's a purpose. I don't want you to serve God and be faithful to him just so you'll go to heaven. That's not how you get to heaven. You get to heaven by the grace of the Lord Jesus for what he did to you and did for you. But I want you to be faithful to him because he's your father and Christ reigns and it makes a difference. That there's evil around you, but he's placed the church in the middle of it. That's why in these nations where there's darkness traced, the church is thriving. I'm almost jealous. I don't want persecution. I don't want hardship, but I want to see the church be the church. I want us to get a revelation of what it means that Christ is sitting on the throne. I want to change how you do business. I want to change how you live. I want you to be able to live that life out in honor and glory to him so that when you stand before him, he says, well done, good and faithful servant, because you manifested my glory in the earth as the church. Well done, good and faithful servant, because you manifested my glory in the earth as the church. If you're a believer today, it does matter. It does matter. I know you know this, but you're not playing games here. You're serious about generations. Why do we disciple? Why do we pour into people? Why does that matter? Because sin has had a hold on people. Even when they come to Christ, the wounds of their past and the bondages of their past, if they don't get healed, they act like they're not even believers. They act like they're not even believers. They act like they're not even believers sometimes. But when the grace of God, as I've watched in this house, when I watch the grace of God come and transform, how many of you have gotten healing in an encounter retreat? Look, I got a bunch of help. 2002, I went to my first one. Since then, we've been having them. First few years, we did four a year. We had so many people need to get through it. Now we do twice a year. But I'm telling you, when I see Christ working in people, I don't want to be a part of it. I don't want to be a part of it. I don't want to be a part of it. I don't want to be a part of it. I don't want to be a part of it. I don't want to be a part of it. I don't want to be a part of it. I'm just attending. I want to see the reality of Christ. Can I pray over you? I believe there's individuals in this room that you're hungry. I think you're hungry for the things of God. Some of you, the Lord is speaking to you about your own life. Would you bow your heads right there where you are? Father, we pray over this house today. Oh God, for you must reign until every enemy has been placed under your feet. Lord, those who can name the name of Christ in this room, I ask you, Father, would not be casual about it. Let the urgency of the gospel be clear. The urgency of the gospel. While you're praying, could I just ask a question? You say, Glenn, I really have depended upon the future mercy of God. But today I see I really need to trust Jesus for my sin. I really need to see what he did for me. And I have not seen that. I've been a pretty good person and I've kind of depended upon that. But today I see it differently. Today I know it's only faith and what Christ did for me that matters. And today I'm making that proclamation. I'm shifting to reality that my life belongs to him. And because I'm doing that, I believe that my sins are forgiven because I'm putting my faith and I'm confessing and I'm repenting and I'm turning from my old way of life. If you're here today and when you walked in, you're here today. I believe that my sins are forgiven because I'm putting my faith and I'm in this room. You weren't certain of your eternal, the eternal place. But you say, Glenn, today I need to put my faith and confidence. I need to repent from my sin and turn my confidence in the work of Jesus. If that's you, either raise your hand, nod at me. Let me see who you are. I pray for you right there where you are. Who is today that God is speaking to in this room? You're saying, this is for me today. This is for me. This is for me. The grace of the Lord Jesus, the power of God. The power of his spirit. Lord, don't let one person walk out here today the same way they've come in. Not one person walk out the same way by your spirit, by the gospel, by the power of the gospel. I want to do something here. I want to invite all of us in the room together to just stand where you are in his presence as you're standing before his throne. We sang a song about it. And I want you to just close your eyes as though you're standing before the throne of God. And I want you to know that all of your sin has been placed. And I want you to know that all of your sin has been placed. And I want you to know that all of your sins are forgiven because you trust in that. I want you to meditate on that right now. That nothing is held against you if you put your trust in him. That it's all washed away. And not only washed away, but the fact is just as if you never sinned. That's too good to be true. If you've walked in here today and you need someone to pray with you, I'd like to have the prayer teams make themselves available if they would. So many times I've come into a gathering and as I've started to leave, someone would say, would you pray for me? And I say, I'd be happy to pray with you. Did you go forward for prayer? They said, no, I knew there was an opportunity, but I didn't know. I want to give you opportunity. I know during the worship, some of you were given that opportunity, but I want to make that available right now from the word of God. Sometimes we move too quickly after the word is preached. Could we just give some time here? Would you just be in prayer where you are? And I don't care what you might need prayer for. You may be walking through something right now, but you need someone to pray with you. Your answer could very well be in one of the members of the body. You might want to run to one of the pastors or one of the elders and say, would you pray for me? And I'm not against that at all, but what if your healing was involved with somebody, a member of the church? What if the answer to your prayer was with someone else? You could go to someone and say, would you pray with me? If you're walking through something right now, you need somebody to walk through. Could we just be so old and so much of a family and say, I want prayer before I walk out of here. If that's you, just slip out not quickly. Teams and let them begin to just minister to you and pray without care what you're walking through. Please don't leave here today without prayer. Please don't leave here. That opportunity is for you. The body of Christ is alive and well. The King is risen. He's sitting on his throne. He dwells within us by his spirit while the others are going for prayer. Can I just say in this room, come on, in this room right now, if you are in a fear time, in a despondency about what's happening in the world, would you shift that to the resurrected Lord? Would you just shift over to the resurrected Lord and say, Lord, teach me your ways that I might know that the King is alive and well. I traveled up to Canada not too long ago and I went through the security and through all the customs and it was so quick and easy. There was a camera there that you look into and your ID is done and you just walk on. One of the ladies in the Sunday morning service says, did you have to look in that camera? And I said, yeah. She said, aren't you afraid of that? I said, why? Well, you know, that could be the mark of the beast. He said, oh man, I wish I had time to teach you. And I find so many people afraid of what's happening in the world right now. But I'm going to tell you, your King is sitting on the throne. You don't have to be afraid. After I preached a message, something similar to this, a little bit different. She came up to me later and she said, I'm not afraid anymore. I'm not afraid because I see that Christ is in charge and he's ruling and reigning in the nations of the world. If you're fearful, I don't expect anybody here to be fearful, but if you're one of those that's fearful, would you just turn your thoughts towards Christ? Say, Jesus, you're on the throne. What can they do to you? Let the boldness come in this nation. Through the chains that Paul was in, he said, through my chains, may you be bold. Through the persecution that's going on around the world to the Christians, may we in America be bold. May boldness come forth. You ever notice that in Acts chapter four? When they were being persecuted, they didn't pray for persecution to end. They didn't ask for that. They just said, stretch forth your hand, show signs and wonders, and give us boldness to speak. I'm going to pray that over you today, that you not be afraid and you're not trying to pray out of anything. You say, God, but give me boldness. Pray this prayer with me. Say, Heavenly Father, I'm thankful for your Son, who's the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Say it with me. Who sits on the throne above every nation and rule. Jesus, I trust you. Go ahead of us, but give me boldness. Give me boldness with the gospel. Come on, ask the Lord, give me boldness with the gospel. If there's timidity in you, fear of man, what man might say, say, Lord, give me boldness in the gospel. For Lord, you reign, you sit on the throne. Just tell him that with all your goodness. Lord, we bless you. We bless you, Father. We thank you, Father. We thank you, Father. To God be the glory. To God be the glory. Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit. Awaken us to this hour, Lord. Awaken us. Awaken us. Thank you for the precious saints in this room. Thank you for the fruit of Christ in them. Pray for boldness and awakening. Add souls into the kingdom to this group. Multiply it in your timing. In your timing, Lord. Multiply it in your timing. I want to pray. Pray for souls to be added. I believe you will disciple them. I believe this house is committed to discipleship. You'll take them on. You'll walk through it. I tell the Lord, Lord, we'll disciple them. Help us add to the church. Give us divine appointments. May you add to the church those whom he's appointed into salvation. We pray, Father, over this congregation called MOVE, that through their family and their friends and contacts and business associates, those whom you have quickened. In the spirit, they would hear and see the glory of Christ and a boldness in them. That many would be added in your timing in this house for the glory of God, for discipleship, for increase, bearing fruit. Lord, I pray over 2026, over this year, that there'd be a hunger for divine appointments. That pray, Lord, give me divine appointments. Ask God for easy ones, would you? Just, God, give me the easy ones. Look in the New Testament. I don't see anybody coming to Christ but easy ones. I see the Philippian jailer saying, what must I do to be saved? I could have led him. I see the Ethiopian eunuch saying, I don't have anybody to explain Isaiah 53. I could have led him. The hard one, Saul, was already blinded and on the ground. I could have led him. I could have been like Ananias. You could have too. Pray for the easy ones. God, give me the low-hanging fruit. Give me the fruit that will ripen the harvest. Lord, that we come into my life, that I'd be able to share the gospel with them. I pray that, Father, over this house, I know they're going to disciple them, Lord. I know they will carry the load. I know they'll care for them. I know they'll pray over them. I know they will walk through life with them. So strengthen the saints, I pray, in Jesus' name, in Jesus' name. Hallelujah. I'm glad he's reigning. I'm glad he reigns. Give the Lord a praise, would you? That he reigns on high above every principality of power. Amen. Well, I just want to close out. Man, thank you, Glenn. And this is probably one of those times where you might feel like you just drank from a fire hydrant. But with the things I feel like that God's been doing over the last six months, specifically with us just dealing with a church, that sense of apathy, I really think words like this are the things that kind of push you to like, I just didn't know that there was that much of God available, you know? And so, as we leave here today, I think we got a lot of things to think on, pray about, but to be impacted by. Amen. There was such a sincere and genuine call to salvation. And we don't prep these or push these a lot, but these are our next move cards. And there's some on the table over there. And if you hit that seat back in front of you, that disc, it will actually take you to one of these. But if you made that decision to trust in what Christ did for you, then as Glenn just said, we want to know. The reason we want to know is because, it's great to celebrate what Christ has done for you, but then figure out how to walk it out. And we would absolutely love to disciple you, not to Lord over you, but to share out of our life, what God's done with us and how he's moved in us. And so, if you get a chance to fill one of those out, let us know or grab somebody. We're relational here. We're not going to bite you. So, maybe just talk to somebody, especially you're probably here because you know somebody here. So, connect with them as well. That would definitely be the case. So, we're going to leave out of here. We bless you. We love you. Grab your kiddos, hug some necks, talk to some folks. If you get a chance, come by, say hey to Glenn and James as well before you head out. We love y'all. We've got prayer tonight at five o'clock. So, we would love to see you back here if you get a chance. We love y'all. All right. Bye.