Reaching the Multitudes | Pastor Mike Fortune | March 17, 2018

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REACHING THE MULTITUDES
by Pastor Mike Fortune
March 27, 2018
 

Maewyn Succat aka St.Patrick

Reaching the multitudes requires clarifying Jesus'...
  1. Kingdom (Luke 19:11-14; Matthew 3:1-2; Matthew 4:12-13,17; Matthew 5:1-2; Matthew 12:28; Luke 17:21; Luke 18:16-17; John 6:15; Luke 18:29-30; Psalm 69:4; John 1:11; John 19:15)
  2. Return (Luke 19:15-23; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 19:11-16)
  3. Commission (Luke 19:24-27; Acts 1:6-8; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 5:14; Romans 11:5-6; Pic; Quote; Luke 12:32)
Luke 19:11-14
11 The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away. 12 He said, "A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. 13 Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, 'Invest this for me while I am gone.' 14 But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We do not want him to be our king.'
 
Matthew 3:1-2
1 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2 "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."
 
Matthew 4:12-13,17
12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee.13 He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee. 17 From then on Jesus began to preach, "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."
 
Matthew 5:1-2
1 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2 and he began to teach them. 3 "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
 
Matthew 12:28
28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.
 
Luke 17:21
21 You won't be able to say, 'Here it is!' or 'It's over there!' For the Kingdom of God is already among you.
 
Luke 18:16-17
16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.17 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."
 
John 6:15
15 When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself.
 
Luke 18:29-30
29 "Yes," Jesus replied, "and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, 30 will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come."
 
Psalm 69:4
4 Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head.
 
John 1:11
11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.
 
John 19:15
15 "We have no king but Caesar," the leading priests shouted back.
 
Luke 19:15-23
15 "After he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were. 16 The first servant reported, 'Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!' 17 "'Well done!' the king exclaimed. 'You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.' 18 "The next servant reported, 'Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.' 19 "'Well done!' the king said. 'You will be governor over five cities.' 20 "But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, 'Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. 21 I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn't yours and harvesting crops you didn't plant.' 22 "'You wicked servant!' the king roared. 'Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I'm a hard man who takes what isn't mine and harvests crops I didn't plant, 23 why didn't you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.'
 
John 14:1-3
1 "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going."
 
Acts 1:9-11
9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. 10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!"
 
Revelation 19:11-16
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. 15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. 16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
 
Luke 19:24-27
24 "Then, turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, 'Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.' 25 "'But, master,' they said, 'he already has ten pounds!' 26 "'Yes,' the king replied, 'and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 27 And as for these enemies of mine who didn't want me to be their king—bring them in and execute them right here in front of me.'"
 
Acts 1:6-8
6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, "Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?" 7 He replied, "The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
 
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
 
Acts 5:14
14 Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women.
 
Romans 11:5-6 (NKJV)
At this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace.
 
CS Lewis
To be sure, it feels wintry enough still: but often in the very early spring it feels like that. Two thousand years are only a day or two by this scale. A man really ought to say, “The Resurrection happened two thousand years ago” in the same spirit in which he says, “I saw a crocus yesterday.”
Luke 12:32 (NKJV)
Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.