The Heart of the King

Elder Kevin did not start by talking to us. He started by talking to God. He thanked God for the privilege of coming before His throne, for the blood of Jesus, and for the Holy Spirit. Then he asked that his words and thoughts would please God, using King David's words Psalm 19:14, and that he would become smaller so Jesus would look bigger, as John the Baptist said John 3:30. Before the sermon even began, he showed us its heart: a preacher asking God to check his own heart first.

Next, Elder Kevin thanked the brothers who spoke at the men's gathering the day before: Robert, Mark, Sat and Brian. Two of them had said things that stuck with him.

Robert said the biggest danger for a Christian man is not failing at work or money. The biggest danger is living an unexamined life, which means never stopping to look honestly at yourself 2 Corinthians 13:5. Then Brian asked a question that Elder Kevin called “the missing link” for this sermon:

Elder Kevin said this question is not only for men. It is for the whole church. Then he gave us his big message: the heart of the King reveals the character of His kingdom.

Before going to the story, he took one step back to Luke chapter 13, because the two chapters fit together. In chapter 13, people wanted to know who would be inside God's kingdom. Jesus gave a surprising answer. Some people will say, “But we ate with you! You taught in our streets!” and Jesus will still say He doesn't know them Luke 13:26–29.

Think of it like this. Sitting in a gym every day does not make you strong. You have to actually train. In the same way, being close to Jesus, hearing His words and admiring His miracles is not the same as knowing Him.

Elder Kevin knows this from his own life. He grew up in a Christian family and always knew Jesus was Lord, but he did not know Jesus as his Lord. What he had was religion: the habits and rules without the heart. One day he got so tired of it that he prayed, “Lord, please deliver me from religion.”

That's why he said Jesus did not come to start a religion. Jesus came to build His kingdom and His church, and nothing can stand against it Matthew 16:18. He quoted the teacher Dr. Myles Munroe, who said religion is the greatest enemy of the kingdom of God. And he showed how sad Jesus was when people chose religion over Him. Jesus wanted to gather them like a mother hen gathers her chicks, “but you were not willing” Luke 13:34.

The whole sermon is built on just six verses Luke 14:1–6. Read them first in the panel.

In simple words: Jesus is invited to dinner on the Sabbath. Everyone is watching Him closely. A very sick man is right in front of Him. Jesus asks the experts, “Is it allowed to heal on the Sabbath?” Nobody answers. Jesus heals the man and sends him home. Then He asks, “If your son or your ox fell into a hole on the Sabbath, wouldn't you pull him out right away?” And again, nobody can answer.

Elder Kevin split the story into three parts, and each part became one of his points.

How he used the Bible. He started with the first two verses of the story Luke 14:1–2. He pointed to a few small words: they were watching Him closely. This was not a friendly dinner. The leaders were watching Jesus like detectives, hoping to catch Him breaking one of their rules so they could accuse Him under the law of Moses. Why? People everywhere were calling Jesus a great prophet, and He had not come through the leaders' own schools. That made them angry.

So the room was full of religious experts, and none of them saw a man who needed help. That led to one of the clearest lines in the sermon:

His second piece of evidence. To show this wasn't a one-time problem, he read what Jesus said to the Pharisees in another Gospel Mark 7:6–9. Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah: these people honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far away.

Here's the idea. Imagine a kid who says “Sorry!” to their sister only so they won't get in trouble. The words are right, but the heart isn't in it. Jesus says religion can be like that: the right words on the lips, but the heart far away. And when people love their own traditions more than God's word, God's word stops having any effect on them. Elder Kevin said many churches still do this today.

Two side lessons for our church. Here Elder Kevin stopped to apply this to how his own church works.

First, order in worship. Spiritual gifts are welcome, but if someone speaks in tongues, there should be someone to interpret, so everyone understands 1 Corinthians 14:27–28. Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way 1 Corinthians 14:40. That's also why the church moved the announcements: they were interrupting the flow from worship into the Word.

Second, baptism. Elder Kevin was sprinkled with water as a baby, and for 30 years he thought that meant he was baptized. But he was baptized at 31, after he gave his life to Christ. He teaches that baptism comes after you believe, as your first step of obedience: “Repent and be baptized” Acts 2:38. He added that even Jesus was baptized, to lead by example Matthew 3:13–15. (Christian churches have different views on baptizing babies; this is the view this church teaches.)

His last piece of evidence for Point 1. Then he brought it back to the main idea. God's kingdom is not about outward rituals that people can watch and point to Luke 17:20–21. It is about being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and letting Him lead us into truth John 16:13, instead of clinging to the letter of the law. As Paul wrote, the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life 2 Corinthians 3:6.

Following the “letter” means following rules without love. Following the Spirit means letting God change your heart. As Elder Kevin put it, you cannot come into God's presence and stay the same, unless you reject Him. That is exactly what the Pharisees did.

Point 1 was about what Jesus sees. Point 2 is about what Jesus does.

How he used the Bible. He read the next two verses Luke 14:3–4. Jesus asked the experts a simple yes-or-no question. They stayed silent. They wouldn't say yes, because that would allow the healing. They wouldn't say no, because that would sound cruel. So Jesus didn't wait for their permission. He took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him on his way.

A thought about a trap. Elder Kevin wondered out loud, using what he called his “sanctified imagination,” whether the leaders invited the sick man on purpose to trap Jesus. The Bible doesn't say that, but he used the idea to encourage us. Even when someone sets you up, God can turn it around, just as Joseph told his brothers Genesis 50:20. So don't panic when someone works against you. The battle belongs to the Lord 2 Chronicles 20:15, you don't need to be anxious Philippians 4:6–7, and you can build yourself up in your most holy faith Jude 20–21. God always provides a way out 1 Corinthians 10:13.

His main argument: the Sabbath was a gift. Next, Elder Kevin walked us through the Bible to show what the Sabbath was really for. He built the case in four steps.

Step one: God Himself rested after creating the world, and He blessed that day Genesis 2:2–3.

Step two: God gave Israel the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship Exodus 20:8–11.

Step three: God connected the Sabbath to the time He freed Israel from slavery in Egypt. Every week it reminded them of His power, His mercy and His promise to rescue them Deuteronomy 5:12–15.

Step four: Jesus said it in one sentence: the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath Mark 2:27–28.

So the Sabbath was like a present from God. A present is meant to help you, not to become a chain around your neck. The Pharisees had turned the present into a burden.

Elder Kevin gave an everyday example. If your boss schedules you to work on a Sunday, do you quit your job? No. You go to work and take care of your family. The Bible even says that if a man won't work, he shouldn't eat 2 Thessalonians 3:10.

Jesus did what He promised. Elder Kevin then showed that healing this man was exactly what Jesus came to do. At the very start of His ministry, Jesus read a passage about Himself: the Spirit had anointed Him to heal and to set people free Luke 4:18–19.

And Jesus has the right to do it, because He is in charge of the Sabbath. Three Gospels record Him saying so Matthew 12:8 Mark 2:28 Luke 6:5.

Finally, Jesus explained it Himself in another Sabbath argument. If a sheep is worth rescuing, a person is worth far more. So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath Matthew 12:11–12. Elder Kevin added that the curse of the law was nailed to the cross Colossians 2:13–14.

Point 2 showed Jesus healing one man. Point 3 shows why the religious leaders couldn't answer Him, and what that means for us.

How he used the Bible. He read the last two verses of the story Luke 14:5–6. Picture this. A farmer's ox falls into a deep pit on the Sabbath. Would he leave it there until tomorrow? Of course not. He'd pull it out right away. Every person at that dinner would have done the same.

That's why they couldn't answer. Their own rules let them rescue an animal on the Sabbath, but they complained when Jesus rescued a person. Elder Kevin asked, “Now you tell me if that makes sense or not.” He added that even today, people can care a lot about animals being hurt (which is good) and still not care much about people being hurt. Jesus had warned these same experts about loading people with burdens they would not lift a finger to help carry Luke 11:46.

Seek the kingdom first. Elder Kevin reminded us of Jesus' promise: seek God's kingdom, and everything else we need will be given to us Luke 12:31 Matthew 6:33.

Knowing the rules versus knowing the heart. Elder Kevin summed up the difference like this:

Then he gave a verse from King David that shows the same difference Psalm 103:7. The people of Israel saw God's deeds: the miracles, the big things He did. But Moses knew God's ways: what God is like on the inside. You can see miracle after miracle and still not know God's heart.

Then Elder Kevin made it personal. We can go to Bible study, life group and church every week, read our Bibles and pray, and still keep doing the same wrong things. If nothing changes, something is wrong.

Why we stay stuck, and how to get free. He said we face three enemies: the flesh (our own selfish wants), the world, and the devil. John describes the pull of the world as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life 1 John 2:15–16.

But God has given us real weapons. They aren't swords or fists. They are spiritual, and they're strong enough to tear down strongholds and bring every thought under Christ 2 Corinthians 10:4–5. So be strong in the Lord Ephesians 6:10–11.

Then he said something very honest: “I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to Kevin.” He told us he usually preaches about what he himself is going through.

Who are you being? Elder Kevin asked us to imagine the scene again. Every important religious group was against Jesus: the high priest, the lawyers, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the council. Jesus faced all of them for the sake of one sick man.

That's why we need to examine ourselves. Not just who we are becoming someday, but who we are being right now, the person other people actually see. God looks at the heart 1 Samuel 16:7. But people can only see the outside, so the outside is our testimony. Jesus said you can tell a tree by its fruit Matthew 7:16–18.

Or as Elder Kevin said it: you can't tell people you're an apple tree when they see oranges falling off your branches.

With his three points made, Elder Kevin brought the sermon to the cross.

Jesus was perfect, and people still rejected Him. The same mercy He showed the sick man at dinner took Him all the way to the cross, where He carried our heaviest load. Elder Kevin's last Scripture was the prophet Isaiah's picture of the suffering servant: pierced for our sins, and by His wounds we are healed Isaiah 53:4–7.

He said Jesus did all of this to make us one with the Father John 17:21. He loves us so much that He comes to live inside us. And then He asks one thing: go and teach others what He taught us Matthew 28:19–20.

Is it really real to you? Elder Kevin shared a question from a Bible course called The Truth Project, taught by Dr. Del Tackett: “Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?” If we really did, we wouldn't be so full of worry when trouble comes. We'd remember that God brought us through last time and will do it again. And prayer wouldn't feel hard to start. It would feel hard to stop, because we'd know we were with God.

People are looking for Jesus. When someone walks into church for the first time, they might be hurting, sad, or fighting an addiction. They are looking for Jesus, and they need to see Him in us. Jesus said people will know we are His followers by our love for one another John 13:34–35.

He reminded us not to be shy about praying for sick people Mark 16:17–18, to walk in the Spirit Galatians 5:25, and to let our light shine Matthew 5:14–16. And to point tired people to the One who takes heavy loads away. This verse is the perfect answer to Point 3 Matthew 11:28–30.

Just as he began, Elder Kevin ended by talking to God. He prayed that we would be doers of the word and not hearers only James 1:22, that we would examine ourselves, not be legalistic, and let the Holy Spirit lead us. He also invited anyone who didn't yet know Jesus to come forward and receive Him.

After thanking the visiting brothers once more, he sent everyone out with a blessing from the book of Jude Jude 24–25.

Elder Kevin's message was that the heart of the King shows us what His kingdom is like. At a Sabbath dinner, Jesus saw a suffering man that the religious leaders ignored (Point 1). He helped him with mercy, because God's day of rest was always a gift (Point 2). And He showed that rules without love only add weight, while He came to lift it (Point 3). So the question for each of us is the one Brian asked: are we really being changed, or just learning to look the part?

Memory verse: Mark 2:27–28