CRCF””1-24-10
The Kudzu Conspiracy:
The Growth of God”™s Kingdom
in the Empires of Men
We”™ve been talking about God”™s kingdom””how God is working in this world today through His people. And we”™ve found out that the Kingdom of God acts an awful lot like kudzu! (Slide 1)
Part 1: God”™s kingdom grows like a weed””subtly, yet wildly taking over people”™s hearts with Jesus”™ love. (Slide 2)
Part 2: Enemy-love is the fertilizer for The Kudzu Conspiracy. Enemy-love is the secret for the growth of God”™s Kingdom in the empires of men.
We”™ve talked about how crazy kudzu grows and how hard it is to get rid of. Now, if you could ever truly get it pulled up by the root, it wouldn”™t grow anymore, right? But, that”™s a big “IF”, isn”™t it?
Part 3: “The Root of The
Kudzu Conspiracy”
Matthew 4:1-11
(Slide 3)
Jesus is the Root of
The Kudzu Conspiracy.
And Jesus is a Root that can”™t be pulled up! The Kudzu Conspiracy is God”™s unstoppable kingdom because of the victory of Jesus on the Cross and through the Resurrection.
Jesus builds His Kingdom without dependence on earthly powers.
Hebrews 4:15
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.
As we look at the temptation of Jesus, what we see is Jesus identifying with His people. And there are some interesting, and intentional, parallels to the experiences of the people of Israel, especially their 40 years of wandering in the desert, where they too were tested.
Matthew places Jesus”™ testing in chapter 4 of his Gospel””right before the Sermon on the Mount, which is basically instructions on how to live in God”™s kingdom here on earth. The point is, Jesus”™ temptation/testing was foundational for the beginning of the Kingdom of God. So, clearly, Jesus”™ temptation is also key for our understanding of the Kingdom of God.
Notice: Jesus”™ temptations could all 3 be summed up in one word””power. All 3 were temptations to different forms of power in this world.
Ronnie McBrayer: “Economics, religion, and politics, the major social structures upon which all empires are built . . . These were attempts to provide Jesus with an easier means at achieving his mission, to build an empire through systematic force and domination, rather than establishing the Kingdom of God through love, justice, and suffering sacrifice.”
Matthew 4:1-11 (NLT)
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
”˜People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”™”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
”˜He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won”™t even hurt your foot on a stone.”™”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ”˜You must not test the Lord your God.”™”
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
”˜You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.”™”
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
Jesus builds His Kingdom without dependence on earthly powers.
(Slides 4-7)
- 1. Jesus refused Economic Power (3-4)3 During that time the devil came and said to
him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones
to become loaves of bread 4 But Jesus told him,
“No! The Scriptures say, ”˜People do not live by
bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”™”
The backdrop here was a society where over 75% of the people lived in poverty. Life was very much about survival””especially under the Romans and all of the corruption of the authorities and tax collectors. The common people had no shot at a better life.
So, for Jesus to make bread and feed Himself and then extend that into a nationwide feeding program would have been a very effective way to rally support and start a “peasant rebellion” and overthrow the Romans, setting up God”™s kingdom on earth!
But Jesus refuses this sort of economic power! He quotes from Deuteronomy where the Israelites are wandering in the desert, hungry and start to long for all of the prosperity and abundance of their slavery in Egypt! God gives them manna to show them their dependence on Him.
Here Jesus is saying that it more important to depend on God””and to help others do the same””than to have a full belly! Because full bellies don”™t change hearts.
A little later in Jesus ministry, we see just that.
John 6:14-15, 26-33
14 When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!” 15 When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself . . . 26 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. 27 But don”™t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.” 28 They replied, “We want to perform God”™s works, too. What should we do?” 29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” 30They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? 31 After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ”˜Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.”™” 32 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn”™t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Jesus builds His Kingdom without dependence on earthly powers.
God”™s kingdom is being built on God”™s Word, the Bread of Heaven””both of which are Jesus Himself!
(Slides 8-10)
- 2. Jesus refused Religious Power (5-7) 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city,
Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,
6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
”˜He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won”™t even hurt your foot on a stone.”™” 7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ”˜You must not test the Lord your God.”™”
“If Jesus had staged this stunt at the temple . . . he could have used his might to mesmerize the powerful and the elite, winning religious legitimization.” (Claiborne and Haw, 87)
But Jesus isn”™t into religion! Jesus was never impressed by the self-righteous religious folk. In fact, His harshest words were for the most religious of His day.
Jesus is building a kingdom where we relate to God as His children, in a real relationship that is possible because of God”™s grace and love given to us in Jesus!
Jesus builds His Kingdom without dependence on earthly powers.
God”™s kingdom is being built, not on a religious “dog and pony show”, but on the bloody sacrifice of Jesus Christ that gives sinners a relationship with a holy God!
(Slides 11-12)
3. Jesus refused Political Power (8-10)
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very
high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms
of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all
to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and
worship me.” 10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ”˜You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.”™”
This is what the nation of Israel was waiting for””a Messiah to overthrow the Romans! But not Jesus!
“It”™s extraordinary that when the Devil said all political power in the world belongs to him and he can give it to whoever he wishes, Jesus didn”™t dispute the claim; he just flat out refused the offer. He knew well the bitter fruits of this world”™s power. He saw governmental power not as a coveted position to run after but rather as the Devil”™s playground. Jesus”™ ancestors had suffered from the bloodshed and hunger and pain inflicted by kings and empires . . . Instead of ascending the throne of power to establish God”™s society, he would descend into the world as a slave . . . To serve God alone is to refuse to take the reigns of world power . . . Jesus would enter his people”™s story, tears, sweat, and hunger and show them a way out that doesn”™t require financial, military, and political power of kings and presidents and cabinets.” (Claiborne & Haw, 85-86)
Jesus builds His Kingdom without dependence on earthly powers.
There is only one King Who is the Son of God, Whose kingdom will never end””His name is Jesus! His rule in this world came through the Cross. And He tells us that we are to “deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Him.” That means, as we saw last week, loving our enemies like Jesus loved His enemies””US! That means that we must interact with this world the way Jesus did! THAT is how the Kudzu Conspiracy works! THAT is how the Kingdom of God grows in the empires of men!
Ronnie McBrayer: “Jesus did not attempt to fight, tear down, or to reform these powers; that was neither his role, nor the role of his followers. Instead, Jesus rejected the necessity of dependence upon all earthly powers. He “opted out,” refusing to conform, knowing that no human power can serve God”™s ultimate will. To believe otherwise, is to lose faith. It is to fail to resist power”™s temptation.”
Jesus builds His Kingdom without dependence on earthly powers.
Will we, as Jesus”™ followers, live in this world the way HE did? We will resist economic, religious and political power? Will we show the world an alternative power that melts hearts and changes lives? Will we show the world the power of love””even enemy-love, justice, grace, mercy and holiness?
Celebration of the Lord”™s Supper
This meal is a celebration of God”™s alternative power in this world””the power of love in Jesus. Also, this meal is a commitment to live out that alternative power in our world””to be part of The Kudzu Conspiracy and see what God does in the hearts of men, women, boys and girls.