Playing god: the tale of two kingdoms
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PLAYING GOD The war of two Kingdoms
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Transcript of Playing god: the tale of two kingdoms
PLAYING GODThe war of two
Kingdoms
Kingdom Issues
1. The rules of the kingdoms2. The king of the fake kingdom3. Life in the true Kingdom
1. The rulesof the
Kingdoms
Is man
inherentlygood??
What the world says
Steve Jobs
Technology is nothing.What's importantis that you have a faith in people, that they're basically good and smart.
Stephen King
“I believe most people are essentially good.I know that I am..
Jay Leno
“…all people are basically good …”
Barak Obama
“People are basically good…”
What God says
"The heart is deceitfulabove all things
and desperately wicked;who can know it?
Jeremia 17:9
Jesus said
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness,wickedness, deceit, lewdness,an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
All these evil things come from withinand defile a man. Mark 7:21-23
All have sinnedand fall short
of the glory of GodRomans 3:23
If you thinkman is basically good
You are deceived
A short history of our “goodness”
Death
TollEvent Dates
155,000,00
0
Second World War (Some overlap w/Stalin. Includes Sino-Japanese War and Holocaust. Doesn't include post-war German expulsions)
1937-45
240,000,00
0China: Mao Zedong's regime. (incl. famine)
1949-76
320,000,00
0USSR: Stalin's regime (incl. WW2-era atrocities)
1924-53
415,000,00
0First World War (incl. Armenian massacres)
1914-18
5 8,800,000 Russian Civil War 1918-216 4,000,000 China: Warlord & Nationalist Era 1917-377 3,000,000 Congo Free State 1900-088 2,800,000 Korean War 1950-53
9 2,700,0002nd Indochina War (incl. Laos & Cambodia)
1960-75
10
2,500,000 Chinese Civil War 1945-49
What people
sayabout …
Your Self
“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.”– Lucille Ball
Life
"... I’ll do whatever the **** I want - I'm famous." - Linsay Lohan
Money
"Too much moneyain't enough money.Lil Wayne
Giving
Take what you can – give nothing backCaptain Jack Sparrow
Winning
Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing- Vince Lombardi
2. The king of the
fake Kingdom(or: the god-player’s world)
His majesty the baby
Each time the king cries out, he is obeyed
The world exists for him He is the king, he is Number One
The baby’s world
1-6 years
Enjoys being the centre of the world Resents authority when he is disciplined Manipulates and schemes to get what he
wants
Between 6 and 13 Wants to maintain the self-
centred life Begins the war with authority Perfects the divide and conquer
routine
The teenage years Sees himself as centre of the universe At war with authority Overcomes authority with
conflict/division Treats overcome authorities with
contempt
20 and up
Very happy to be his own authority
Tolerates authority because he has no choice (he needs the bucks)
He is completely self centered
The god-player’s world
The God-centered life
The Throne and the Cross
Lucifer’s creed
“How you are fallen from heaven,O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,You who weakened the nations!For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregationOn the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,I will be like the Most High.’
Isaiah 14:12-14
The god-player’s
Claims
I amIn Control
God’s sovereignty The phony king’s:
claim attitude options resulting condition
I amThe Law
God’s holiness and law The phony king’s:
claim attitude options resulting condition
I am Right
God’s omniscience The phony king’s:
claim attitude options resulting condition
I amPower
God’s omnipotence The phony king’s:
claim attitude options resulting condition
I amSelf-sufficient
God’s life The phony king’s:
claim attitude options resulting condition
In many ways, you and I
are trying to beGod
in our lives
The basic problem
The hunger to be “like the most High”is resident in every person
“rebellion is as the sin of divination,and self-will is as iniquity and idolatry”
(1 Sam. 15.23 Darby)
3. Life in the true
Kingdom
The Impossible Standard
A lustful thought and divorce is adultery
Do not resist an evil person Give to him who asks of you Love your enemies Forgive everyone who sins
against you Anger is murder Be as perfect as the Father is
perfect …… and many other (difficult) things …
Responses to
The Impossible Standard
The chicken response:Don’t Even Try It
Satan’s Trap:Let Christians
a)give up without trying and b) live like they want to because the do not want to look like hypocrites
The Pharisee response:Try to do it yourself
Satan’s Trap:Let Christians work until they:
a)despair b)bring the Impossible Standard down to a list
of rules they can keep c)lie to themselves that they keeping to
the high standard
The law was designedto make us fail
and run to God Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to
Christ, that we might be justified by faithGalatians 3:24
Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sightRomans 3:20a
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes Romans 10:4
…you also have become dead to the law through the body of ChristRomans 7:4a
Do you still secretly try to
impress God by keeping the law?
Do you still secretly try to impress God by keeping the law?
There is no life for you in the law – and you are dead to the law
It is time to run to Him in trust
The only correct responseto The Impossible
Standard
Life the Christian life with Christ’s life
A Confusing Scripture
He who loves his life will lose it,
and he who hates his life in this world
will keep it for eternal life. Joh 12:25
All Greek to you?
He who loves his life (psuche) will lose it,and he who hates his life (psuche) in this world
will keep it for eternal (aionios) life (zoe) Joh 12:25
psuche is the natural biological lifeThe word psychology comes from psuche
zoe is God’s life, eternal life
We deny our selfish and natural life (psuche)to live God’s life (zoe)
What isour old nature?
Tim And Terry’s Lunch Bars
the hunger for the lunch bar is not your flesh, old man or old nature –if that were so, even a hungry catwould have an “old nature”
Your flesh/old nature/old manis everything that is1) independent,2) selfish and3) self-servingin your life
Our new Life
We have always thought that Jesus came to put eternal life in our lives
We then tried to live the Christian life by working hard in our own lives
Not so: He wants our old life to dieand His life to live in us
Jesus does not only give us life – He Himself is our life
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.Galatians 2:20
Paul’s (and our) problem
For what I am doing, I do not understand.For what I will to do, that I do not practice;
but what I hate, that I do.
O wretched man that I am!Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the
flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
has made me free from the law of sin and death.(Romans 7:15,18,24, 8:1,2 MSG.
How do we get
in Jesus?
The Father put us in Jesusat the moment of Salvation
… of Him (the Father)you are in Christ Jesus,
1Corinthians 1:30a
God the Father
One and together for eternity past
Jesus becomes human
Jesus pays for our sins
God the FatherWe get Jesus’
life through the Holy Spirit
FaithOld self dies
Salvation
JesusUs
Separated from God
Unsaved man
Eden
Separated from God Christ in us Us in Christ Christ in God
One and together for eternity to come
The world sees Jesus in
us
The Father sees Jesus in
us
God the Father
Jesus
Us
GOD’s LIFE (Zoe)NATURAL LIFE (Psuche)
The branch and the vine
"I am the vine,you are the branches.He who abides in Me,
and I in him,bears much fruit;
for without Meyou can do nothing.
John 15:5
The life is in the branch
Do we already have this life?
Yes we do.
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.1John 3:14
… God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.… I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life1John 5:11-13
It is more than WWJD
WWJD is a safe but Pharisaic choice
it assumes you have: the selfless desire the unselfish motive and the strength to do it
… and you don’t
Brokenness
If you have been going through a long, tough time …
For your family’s sake For the Kingdom’s sake For your own sake
PLEASEsurrender now
… and begin a new life
Be humble …
As long as you are humble and surrendered,let God can prune or discipline you as He sees fit
“God resists the proud,but gives grace to the humble.“
James 4:6
You do not want God to resist you: He specializes in hard cases like you and me
Be wise: choose to surrender now
What do you think God would rather that you have:
?
a changed heart that bears eternal fruit ..
… or an arrogant son with wealth that lasts only for this
lifetime?
He does not mindthat we have both,
but He desiresyour changed heart
above all
The Lifeguardand the Drowning Man
Choose Himand trust Him
for everything else
The most difficult thing you will ever do:Deny your right to your
own Life
The 3-partProcess
1) Practice His Presence 2) Choose His will
3) Call on Him for Help
1)Practicing His Presence
God is alwaysintimately close to Us
Recognise God as being intimately present in you
Involve and acknowledge Him in every area of your life
Keep you mind focused on Him It is a habit to be acquired!
2)Choose His Will
Choose against your own will(the certain bad outcome)
andChoose His will
(... for His plans for you are good)
3) Call on His Name
Cry from your heart
Call out loud
How it worksWe practice His presence
+We use our wills to choose His will
+We cry out to Him for help
=He helps and we change
=The life of Jesus grows in our lives
=Sanctification
Going to
10and beyond
OUR OLD LIVESGenerational weaknesses
SinsAgreementsAddictions
10
0
-10
WE ARE SET FREEConfessionForgivenessDeliverance
LIFE
in t
he
NEG
ATIV
E
SURRENDERLoveJoy
PeacePatienceKindnessGoodness
FaithfulnessSelf-controlGentleness
TAK
EN
to
PO
SIT
IVE
WE L
IVE
CH
RIS
T’s
LIF
E
We:1) Practice His presence
2) Choose His will3) Cry to Him for help
... and He breaks open
the skyto help us
