8/19/07 - Pentecost 12 - Luke 12:32

THE KINGDOM IS YOURS
- Don't be afraid
- Because you are his flock

This congregation had its official “restart” in 2001. We have now been restarting for six years. We sold our building and began to temporarily worship in this storefront. We have been temporarily worshiping here ever since. We bought a piece of property on which to build a brand-new church. But the last time I drove by it - it was still an empty lot. We do not have enough money to build what we want where we want right now. We do not have enough members to financially support the ministry of this congregation by ourselves. We do not have a nucleus of younger families at the moment to carry on the work of the church as the years go on. We have very little. We are little. A small band of believers outnumbered by the enemy. A handful of Christians surrounded by a sinful world.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Jesus spoke these words to his disciples. And he speaks these words to us. Because we are in no different a situation than the early Christian church was during the time of Christ. They had no buildings. They had no money. They had very few members. And so the comforting words that Jesus spoke to that minute number of his followers back then still rings true for us today. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” The kingdom is yours. Do not be afraid. The kingdom is yours because you are his flock.
But it’s so easy for us to be afraid, isn’t it? It’s easy for us to doubt and despair because it’s so easy to focus on what we don’t have as a congregation. Especially when we start comparing ourselves to other churches in town or to those across this country or even to those within our own Synod. We are on the low end of the totem pole, so to speak. I’m sure we could sit down and come up with 100 different things that we want changed or improved or done within this congregation. But oh, how soon we forget what we already have. We seem to repeatedly forget that our Father has been pleased to give us the kingdom. The kingdom of God is ours right now! It will never be taken away. Out of all the things we could have as a congregation on this earth what could be better than possessing God’s kingdom? And we don’t have to do anything for it. We don’t have to put on some special program. We don’t have to work for it or raise some money. It’s already ours. Is there a reason we keep forgetting that?
Imagine this situation: A young man is about to turn 16. He’s the only child of his parents and they want to do something nice for him and buy him a brand-new car. And so on the day of his birthday they throw him a set of car keys and tell him to look at what is in the driveway. He runs outside, sees the car, opens the door, sits in the driver’s seat, and checks out all the options it has as you would expect him to do. But then he gets out of the car. He walks up to his parents and says, “What I could really use now is a baseball glove. Maybe a new set of jeans. I saw a book in the store the other day I’d like to get. For Christmas you could buy me that computer I’ve always wanted. I’ve been keeping my eye on a new guitar too, so if you could get that for me someday that’d be great.” What effect do you think those words would have on his parents? I’m sure they would be a little hurt, a little offended, and probably a little upset at their son’s ungratefulness and his disregard for the incredible gift they had just given him.
Is this situation all that different from the way we treat our Father? We’re always wanting more. We’re always wanting something else. We are rarely content with the fact that he’s already given us his kingdom. The Lord is hurt by that attitude. He is offended and he is upset when we show an ungrateful disregard for the incredible gift he has given us. Yes, it’s a good thing to pray for what we want and what we need as a congregation. But not at the expense of forgetting to thank him for the kingdom we already have.
But - I know many of you are thinking this - what is this kingdom that he has given us? Well, just as with any kingdom, it is the place where the King rules. In Scripture the kingdom of God is described in three ways, Christ ruling in our hearts, Christ ruling in heaven, and Christ ruling all things. Jesus said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?  It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground.  Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade” (Mark 4:30-32). Jesus here is equating the kingdom of God with the faith he plants in our hearts. Later on Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation,  nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). The kingdom of God that our Father has given us is faith in Jesus our Savior. And the wonderful thing is: he doesn’t take that away! Even when we forget about that wonderful gift and only want more and ask for something else and despair over what we don’t have. The Lord doesn’t take his kingdom back. He will continue to rule in your hearts as you regularly hear the gospel message in the Word and Sacraments.
But the kingdom of God that you have been given isn’t just faith in your heart. It also means heaven - where Christ is ruling as well. In the chapter after our sermon text for today Jesus says, “People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:29). The kingdom of God is heaven. The kingdom of God is where Jesus is ruling. The kingdom of God has already been given to you. You are already guaranteed entry into that Paradise of perfection. You have been given the key. Your name is registered in the book. Your place is being prepared for you as we speak. It is yours. For free. Forever.
And this leads us into the third way God’s kingdom is described. He not only rules in heaven, he rules all things and we will join him in his reign. As the book of Revelation describes believers in heaven it says, “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:4-5). We will reign with Christ in his kingdom. Not on an equal plane, but with the honor and authority that only he can give.
So “do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” So what if we don’t have the buildings or the money or the members that other churches have. We have been given the kingdom of God: faith in our hearts, an eternal spot in heaven, and a promise that we will rule with him forever. What could be more glorious? What could be more priceless than that? Do not be afraid in this life. If the Lord has already given us the kingdom he can certainly supply this congregation with anything else for our good. Not that we would need it, but our Father loves to shower blessings on his children over and above what we need all the time.
But what if he doesn’t? What if God doesn’t bless our congregation with the things we’ve been working for and striving for and saving for? What if our membership keeps growing smaller and smaller? What if our evangelism efforts produce no visible fruit? What if the Synod cuts off our subsidy? What if we are no longer able to support a congregation here and in two years the closest church is in Grand Junction? Even if all that happens, even if Living Word Lutheran Church as we know it today no longer exists, the Lord has still given us the kingdom. And we are still precious members of his little flock.
The point is: we can’t expect that things will be easy for us just because we are God’s sheep. The little flock of Jesus’ twelve disciples did not have it easy. They were beaten and thrown in jail. They were scattered by persecution and rejected by their own countrymen. It is probable that the only disciple that died a natural death was John. All the rest most likely were murdered as martyrs. The Lord did not bless his own 12 disciples with a tremendous amount of wealth or earthly blessings. But were they still his little flock? Of course. There’s no doubt about that.
And you know the story of the great apostle Paul. A man hand-picked by Christ himself. Paul says about his life, “I have been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.  Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked” (2 Cor. 11:23-27). Paul had a miserable life compared to earthly standards. It would seem that the Lord gave him very few blessings while he lived on this earth. But was the apostle Paul still a sheep in God’s little flock?
Please remember that the Lord’s love for you, his little flock, is not measured by how many blessings he gives you in this life. The Lord’s love for you is not measured by how you feel about your relationship with him. The Lord’s love for you is measured by what he has already given you. And he has already given you the kingdom. He has worked faith in your hearts to believe in Jesus as your Savior. He has given you a free pass into heaven when you die. He has given you the promise that you will reign with him over all things in his kingdom. You do not have to be afraid. Everything has been taken care of and everything always will be. You are a cherished sheep in the Father’s little flock after all! And you not only possess his kingdom now, but you will one day rule with Christ in his kingdom for all eternity.
Should we pray for more? Yes - most definitely. Should we ask for things that we do not have? Yes - the Lord wants us to. But, my fellow sheep in the Lord’s little flock, let us not forget what we already have. We have been given the kingdom. And since God rules all things there is nothing else we could have. And so in the end, there is no congregation in the world wealthier than we are.
Amen.

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” - Revelation 11:15