Sep. 06, 2026

In this sermon, Pastor Scotty kicks off a brand-new series on the Kingdom of God, explaining that the good news of God's reign is even better than we might think. The message is a call to look past the routine of religion and experience the full, active power of God's reign in our daily lives, challenging us to step through the gate of salvation and live as active ambassadors in a messy world.

Three Core Truths About God's Reign

• It is not a physical kingdom: While many people in biblical times expected a physical empire, the kingdom is spiritual and exists wherever the King has dominion.
• It is meant to be an everyday reality: The kingdom is not just a destination for after we die. It is something we are instructed to pray for and experience as a daily, practical reality in our normal, everyday lives.
• It is about God's will being done God's way among God's people: This is where we often struggle, as we like to negotiate doing things our own way. True order and peace come when we align completely with God's design instead of living in chaos.

The Danger of Sitting at the Gate (The Disney World Illustration)

• Imagine being gifted an expensive, free ticket to Disney World. You ride the train to the park, walk up to the entrance, scan your ticket to get inside, and then spend the entire day sitting on a bench right at the entrance.
• You technically used your ticket to get in, but you completely missed out on the rides, the food, the sights, and the overall experience.
• This is how many of us treat salvation. Being born again is the essential starting point and the gateway, but it is not the finish line. We should not limit our faith to "fire insurance" for heaven while choosing to sit at the entrance and missing out on the abundant life of the kingdom.

Standing Firm in the Fire (An Ancient Example)

• In the Old Testament, a powerful king built a massive gold statue of himself and demanded everyone bow down and worship it whenever the music played.
• While everyone else followed like sheep, three young men stood tall and refused to bow.
• They declared that their God was fully capable of saving them, but even if He chose not to, they still would never worship the king's statue.
• When thrown into a blazing furnace heated seven times hotter than usual, they were completely unharmed—not a hair was singed, and they did not even smell like smoke.
• A fourth figure, who looked like the Son of God, walked with them in the fire, proving that standing firm for the true King opens the eyes of the world around us.

• When we act as kingdom-minded ambassadors in difficult or dark spaces, God uses our willingness to stand firm to display His light and power.

We Can Step Up and Serve

We are called to represent our King anywhere and every day—whether at work, at school, or in our neighborhoods.