Podcasts about upside down kingdom

Preacher: Kailey Vanderbaan Title: The Upside Down Kingdom Sermon Series: A Life Given Away Scripture: Matthew 25:34-40 (NIV)

Join us this week as Lead Pastor Daniel Bridgman teaches a sermon entitled 'Mourn', continuing our series, The Upside Down Kingdom. This week, Pastor Daniel teaches on being poor in spirit in Matthew 5:4 and what it means to mourn like Jesus.

‘DYING TO LIVE' Upside-Down Kingdom — Week 2 - Mark 8:34–36 OPENING PRAYER Father, some of us are holding on so tightly. We're holding onto our plans, our security, our reputation, our comfort, our control. We're trying to protect the lives we've built, and sometimes we're exhausted from trying to keep everything together. So help us hear the words of Jesus this morning. Help us hear an invitation that sounds like death, but actually leads to life. Give us the courage to loosen our grip, to trust You, and to follow Jesus wherever He leads. In Jesus' name, Amen. INTRODUCTION There is something instinctive in every one of us that says: Save yourself. Protect yourself. Look out for yourself. Build a good life. Protect what you've built. Make yourself secure. Avoid unnecessary suffering. Hold onto the people and things that matter to you. And honestly, a lot of that sounds like common sense. Nobody wakes up in the morning thinking, How can I lose my life today? We spend our lives trying to preserve it. We buy insurance for the things we're afraid of losing. We save money because we don't know what tomorrow will bring. We protect our reputation because we care what people think about us. We make plans because uncertainty makes us uncomfortable. We try to stay healthy because we know these bodies don't last forever. We build lives—and then we spend enormous amounts of energy trying to keep those lives from falling apart. And then Jesus comes along and says something that turns all of that upside down. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.” And then Jesus asks one of the most haunting questions in all of Scripture: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” You can almost hear Jesus asking: What exactly are you trying so hard to save? Because you can spend your entire life trying to save your life...and lose it. And you can surrender your entire life to Jesus...and finally find it. That is the paradox of the Upside-Down Kingdom. You have to die... to live. THE ROAD TO THE CROSS But to really understand what Jesus is saying, we need to back up a few verses. Because Jesus doesn't just walk up to the disciples one afternoon and randomly start talking about crosses. Something has happened. Earlier in Mark 8, Jesus asks His disciples: “Who do people say that I am?” They give Him some answers. John the Baptist. Elijah. One of the prophets. But then Jesus makes the question personal: “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter gets it right. “You are the Christ.” This is the moment. Peter understands who Jesus is. He is the Messiah. He is the King. He is the One Israel has been waiting for. But Peter is about to discover something: He knows who Jesus is, but he doesn't yet understand what kind of Messiah Jesus is. Because immediately after Peter's confession, Jesus begins explaining what is going to happen. Mark tells us: “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” And Peter doesn't like this. In fact, Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes Him. Think about that. Peter has just said, “You are the Christ.” And a moment later he's essentially saying: But Jesus, that's not how this is supposed to go. Messiahs don't lose. Messiahs don't suffer. Messiahs don't get rejected. Messiahs don't die. Peter wants the kingdom. He just doesn't want the cross. And I wonder how often we want the same thing. We want Jesus. We want salvation. We want forgiveness. We want peace. We want eternal life. We want the kingdom. But we'd really prefer not to have the cross. So Jesus turns to Peter and says: “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's.” That's strong language. Because Peter is thinking the way the world thinks. Win. Protect yourself. Avoid suffering. Preserve your life. And Jesus says: That's not how My Kingdom works. And then Jesus calls the crowd together with His disciples. And now the words make sense: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” Do you see it? Jesus isn't asking His disciples to walk a road He refuses to walk Himself. Jesus goes first. Before He tells us to take up our cross, He has already set His face toward His own. Before He asks us to surrender our lives, He has already determined to surrender His. Before He tells us that life comes through death, He is preparing to demonstrate it through His own death and resurrection. The road of discipleship follows the road of Jesus. And that road leads through the cross. TAKE UP YOUR CROSS We've heard the phrase “take up your cross” so many times that it can lose its force. Sometimes we use “my cross to bear” to describe almost any inconvenience. A difficult coworker. A bad back. An annoying relative. Something in life we wish were different. But that's not what the people listening to Jesus would have pictured. When Jesus said cross, they knew exactly what He meant. A cross was an instrument of Roman execution. If you saw someone carrying a cross, that person wasn't heading toward inconvenience. He wasn't heading toward personal improvement. He wasn't heading toward a difficult season. He was heading toward death. The condemned man carrying his cross had lost his claim over his own future. And Jesus takes that horrifying image and says: That's what following Me looks like. Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow Me. In other words: Your life doesn't belong to you anymore. And that may be one of the hardest truths in Christianity. Because everything around us says the opposite. It's your life. Follow your dreams. Speak your truth. Do what makes you happy. Become whoever you want to be. Put yourself first. And Jesus says: Deny yourself. Now, let's not get confused. That doesn't mean hating yourself. It doesn't mean believing you have no value. It doesn't mean neglecting legitimate needs or allowing other people to abuse you. It means something much more fundamental, it means… I am no longer the lord of my own life. Jesus is. My life is His. My money is His. My time is His. My body is His. My gifts are His. My future is His. My plans are His. My reputation is His. My comfort is His. Everything I am belongs to Christ. That's discipleship. THE LIFE WE'RE TRYING TO SAVE And this is where Jesus' next words become uncomfortable. “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it.” Because most of us are trying to save something. Maybe you're trying to save your reputation. You need people to think well of you. So you manage how people see you. You hide weakness. You avoid vulnerability. You don't admit when you're wrong. And eventually your reputation becomes a prison. Maybe you're trying to save your security. You need to know there's enough. Enough money. Enough savings. Enough certainty. Enough control over tomorrow. And prudence is good—but somewhere along the way, prudence can become fear. And fear begins making your decisions. Maybe you're trying to save your comfort. You don't want life disrupted. You don't want difficult conversations. You don't want costly obedience. You don't want to serve when it's inconvenient. And slowly comfort becomes more important than faithfulness. Maybe you're trying to save your independence. You don't want to need anybody. You certainly don't want anyone seeing you struggle. So you carry everything yourself. You refuse help. You keep people at a safe distance. And what you call independence eventually becomes isolation. Maybe you're trying to save your plans. You know how your life is supposed to go. You know what your career should look like. You know what your family should look like. You know how the next five or ten years are supposed to unfold. And then life doesn't cooperate. And suddenly you discover how tightly you were holding the blueprint. We all hold onto something. And here's the problem: The tighter you hold it, the more it begins to hold you. That's what Jesus understands. “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it.” The life spent desperately protecting itself eventually becomes a life controlled by fear. Fear of losing money. Fear of losing status. Fear of losing health. Fear of losing relationships. Fear of losing control. Fear of losing life itself. And Jesus offers another way. LOSING YOUR LIFE “But whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.” Notice something important. Jesus doesn't simply say: Lose your life. There is nothing inherently Christian about loss. There is nothing inherently holy about suffering. And Jesus isn't telling us to become reckless or self-destructive. He says: “Whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.” That's the center of the whole thing. Jesus. Christian self-denial isn't about becoming less of a person. It's about surrendering ownership of our lives to Christ. It's saying: Jesus, You get to decide. You get my yes before I even know what You're asking. If obedience costs me comfort, I follow You. If obedience costs me popularity, I follow You. If obedience costs me money, I follow You. If obedience means forgiving someone I'd rather resent, I follow You. If obedience means serving someone who can never repay me, I follow You. If obedience means admitting I was wrong, I follow You. If obedience means giving when I'd rather keep, I follow You. If obedience means standing faithfully when everyone around me walks another direction... I follow You. That is taking up the cross. And most of the time, it doesn't look heroic. Nobody writes books about it. Nobody applauds. Nobody posts your sacrifice on social media. Sometimes dying to yourself looks like getting up tomorrow morning and faithfully doing what Jesus has called you to do. Serving your family. Loving your spouse. Caring for someone who needs you. Forgiving an offense. Keeping your word. Giving generously. Confessing sin. Speaking truth. Showing mercy. Putting someone else's interests ahead of your own. Cross-bearing usually happens in ordinary places. But every time we say, “Not my will, Lord, but Yours,” something in us dies. Our pride dies. Our demand for control dies. Our insistence on comfort dies. Our need to have everything our way dies. And strangely enough... that's where life begins. WHAT DOES IT PROFIT A MAN? Then Jesus asks: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” Imagine actually succeeding at everything the world tells you matters. You get the money. You get the house. You get the position. You get the recognition. You get the body. You get the followers. You get the retirement account. You get the comfort. You get people to envy you. You win. You gain the whole world. And then Jesus asks: Now what? What if you got everything you ever wanted... but in the process became someone you never wanted to be? What if you built the perfect life... and discovered you weren't really alive? What if you protected everything... except your soul? That's the question. And Jesus isn't saying money or success or comfort or accomplishment are inherently evil. He's asking: What are they worth compared to your soul? There is no exchange rate. There is no amount of success that compensates for losing yourself. There is no earthly kingdom worth missing the Kingdom of God. And there is nothing you possess today that is worth refusing Jesus. WHAT ARE YOU HOLDING? So I want to ask you a very simple question this morning. What are you holding onto? What is the thing you find hardest to put into the hands of God? Maybe you already know. Maybe as we've been talking, it came immediately to mind. Your money. Your reputation. Your future. Your children. Your career. Your marriage. Your health. Your comfort. Your plans. Your independence. Your need to be right. Your need to be respected. Your need to be in control. What makes your fist tighten when you imagine surrendering it? Because sometimes the thing we are most afraid to surrender reveals the place where we trust God the least. And Jesus isn't standing before you demanding that you throw something valuable away. He's saying: Give it to Me. Trust Me with it. Trust Me with your future. Trust Me with your family. Trust Me with your reputation. Trust Me with your security. Trust Me with the life you've worked so hard to build. Because the Christian life is lived with open hands. Not because nothing matters. But because everything belongs to Him. LEARNING TO LET GO And surrender usually isn't a single dramatic moment. Most of us will have to learn it over and over again. So maybe this week begins very simply. Name what you're holding. Be honest before God. Lord, this is the thing I don't want to surrender. Then ask yourself: What is holding onto this doing to me? Is it making me afraid? Angry? Anxious? Controlling? Jealous? Exhausted? Is my attempt to protect this thing actually keeping me from following Jesus? And then bring it to God. Maybe your prayer isn't eloquent. Maybe it's simply: “Lord, I don't know how to let this go. Part of me doesn't even want to. But I want to trust You more than I trust myself. So help me open my hands.” And then take one step of obedience. Not because you feel fearless. But because you trust Christ. Maybe you need to forgive someone. Maybe you need to apologize. Maybe you need to give. Maybe you need to serve. Maybe you need to ask for help. Maybe you need to stop pretending. Maybe you need to obey something Jesus has already made clear. Take the step. And then take another. That's discipleship. JESUS WENT FIRST But before we finish, there's something we cannot miss. Everything Jesus asks of us in this passage... He did first. Jesus denied Himself. Jesus surrendered His rights. Jesus took up the cross. Jesus gave His life. Jesus could have protected Himself. He could have walked away. He could have called down angels. Instead, He surrendered. Paul says in Philippians 2 that although Christ existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, humbled Himself, and became obedient— even to death on a cross. Jesus lost His life. And then came Sunday. That's the part Peter couldn't yet understand in Mark 8. Jesus said the Son of Man would suffer. He would be rejected. He would be killed. And after three days He would rise again. Death would not have the final word. The cross would lead to resurrection. And that is why Jesus can ask us to follow Him. Because when Jesus tells you to die... He knows where that road leads. It leads to life. CONCLUSION We spend so much of our lives trying to save ourselves. We protect our reputation. We protect our comfort. We protect our money. We protect our plans. We protect our future. We protect the lives we've built. And Jesus stands before us and says: Give it to Me. Not because your life doesn't matter. Because it matters too much to spend it trying to save it. Jesus says: “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.” That's the Upside-Down Kingdom. The world says: Hold on. Jesus says: Let go. The world says: Protect yourself. Jesus says: Trust Me. The world says: Your life belongs to you. Jesus says: Follow Me. And maybe that's the invitation for some of us this morning. Open your hands. Stop trying to control what was never really yours to control. Stop trying to save yourself. And trust the One who gave His life to save you. Because the moment I finally say, “Jesus, my life belongs to You,” is the moment I finally begin to live. Your life in His hands is safer than your life in your own hands. That's the paradox. That's the invitation. That's the Upside-Down Kingdom. You have to die... to live. CLOSING PRAYER Father, We come before You with clenched fists. Some of us are holding onto our plans. Some are holding onto our security. Some are holding onto our reputation, our comfort, our relationships, our future. And some of us have been holding on for so long that we're exhausted. Teach us to open our hands. Teach us to trust You. Give us the courage to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. And when we're afraid to surrender, remind us that Jesus went first. He surrendered Himself. He carried the cross. He gave His life. And He rose again. Help us believe that the way of Jesus really is the way of life. And may we have the faith to say: My life is Yours. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Upside Down Kingdom-Part 1

Listen in this week as Lead Pastor Daniel Bridgman kicks off our new series   :The Upside Down Kingdom with a sermon enetitled Poor In Spirit, teaching from Matthew 5, focusing on the idea of God's favor coming to those who approach the Father with empty hands.

Why did Jesus choose a table to reveal the Kingdom of God? Throughout Luke's Gospel, meals become places where outsiders are welcomed, grace is shared, and lives are transformed. As we explore the Last Supper, we discover that Christ's table isn't reserved for the perfect—it is a place where the hungry are fed, the broken are welcomed, and everyone is invited to experience the life only Jesus can give.

“WEAKNESS IS STRENGTH” Upside-Down Kingdom Week 1 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 INTRODUCTION We start with weakness because it's where most of us are. If you're honest, there's something you feel inadequate about. Something you wish you were better at. Something you've tried to fix or hide or overcome, and it's still there. Maybe you struggle with anxiety. Maybe you're not as smart as you wish you were. Maybe you don't have the body you want. Maybe you battle depression. Maybe you're lonely. Maybe you feel like you're failing at parenting or marriage or work. And you feel weak about it. In our culture, weakness is shameful. We're taught to hide it, overcome it, we try to medicate it. We put on a brave face. We project confidence we don't feel. We work harder to compensate for what we lack. But Paul teaches something radically different. He says his weakness was the entrance point for God's power. “I am most content with weakness, with insults, with hardships, with persecutions, with difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). This is the Upside-Down Kingdom. Weakness is strength. THE CONTEXT: PAUL'S THORN To understand this passage, we need the context. Paul had an experience—an encounter with God that was so profound, so overwhelming, that he couldn't even talk about it directly. He mentions it in verses 2-4. “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven…I know that this man was caught up to paradise” (verses 2-3). He's talking about himself, but using third person, like it was so incredible he can barely reference it. Maybe he was hesitant to brag. Maybe it was so sacred he could only speak about it indirectly. And then: “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh” (verse 7). Notice that phrase: “to keep me from exalting myself.” God gave Paul a weakness specifically to prevent pride. Specifically to remind him that he was not self-sufficient. That he was dependent. That all his power came from God, not from himself. A thorn. A weakness. Something painful. Something constant. Something Paul couldn't escape. We don't know exactly what it was. Throughout history, people have speculated: physical illness, chronic pain, spiritual attack, a limitation Paul felt deeply. Some scholars think it was vision problems. Some think it was physical ailment. Some think it was emotional or psychological. But Paul doesn't specify. And maybe that's intentional. Because we all have thorns. We all have something we can't seem to get past. Something that humbles us. Something that reminds us we're not in control. THE PRAYER: ASKING FOR REMOVAL Here's what Paul did: “Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me” (verse 8). He prayed. He asked God to remove it. Three times. Which suggests he wasn't praying casually. He was earnest. Desperate. “God, please take this away. Please remove this thorn. I can't function at my best with this limitation. I can't do my ministry effectively. Please.” Do you know that prayer? Have you prayed it? Lord, remove this anxiety. Remove this pain. Remove this inadequacy. Remove this struggle. I can't do my best work with this. I can't be the person I'm supposed to be with this. It's a legitimate prayer. It's honest. It's something most of us have brought to God at some point. And then comes the answer. And the answer might surprise you, might disappoint you, or might transform you. THE ANSWER: “MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT” Verse 9: “He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.'” Not “I'll remove the thorn.” Not “Don't worry, you won't even notice it after a while.” Not “Be strong and overcome this.” But “My grace is sufficient for you.” There's a massive difference between these responses. One response says, “I'll fix your problem so you don't have to experience it.” The other says, “I'll give you what you need to walk through it.” God didn't remove Paul's limitation. But He gave Paul something more valuable: access to divine grace. Access to a power that doesn't depend on Paul's strength, but on God's. And here's the key: “Power is perfected in weakness.” Not “power despite weakness.” Not “power if you overcome weakness.” But “power is perfected in weakness.” Meaning: weakness is the very condition in which power is most fully realized. The weakness itself becomes the vehicle for power. This is counterintuitive. This is the Upside-Down Kingdom. THE REVELATION: HOW WEAKNESS BECOMES STRENGTH Here's how this works practically. This is crucial to understand. When you're strong, when you have it all figured out, when you don't need help, when you're self-sufficient and confident, you're inclined to trust yourself. You believe in your own capability. You lean on your own understanding. You solve your own problems. You push through on your own power. And you never experience the need for God's power. You never access it. Because you never hit the limit where you have to. But when you're weak, when you've exhausted your own resources, when you can't do it on your own, when you've tried everything and nothing works, you're forced to trust something beyond yourself. You have to. You have no choice. And that's when God's power becomes available to you. Not because God wasn't available before. But because you weren't available to receive it. Your strength was in the way. I think of a man I know who built a successful career on his own strength. Self-made. Driven. Ambitious. Confident in his own ability. He worked eighty-hour and ninety-hour weeks. He achieved everything he set out to achieve. And by all external measures, he succeeded. And yet, he was miserable. No peace. Constant stress. Anxiety about maintaining it all. Empty victories. Success that tasted like ashes. Then his body gave out. Burnout. Panic attacks. Insomnia. His strength failed him. And he couldn't fix it. Meditation didn't work. Exercise didn't work. Pushing harder didn't work. Because the problem wasn't something he could solve through willpower. So in desperation, he stopped trying. He stopped fighting. He admitted: “I can't do this on my own.” And in that admission, something shifted. He got therapy. He started taking medication. He asked for help. He learned to rest. He learned to pray not from obligation, but from desperation. He learned to say “I don't know” and “I can't handle this” and “I need help.” And in that weakness, he found something he'd never had in his strength: peace. Real connection with God. Authentic faith. Deep dependence. Unshakeable stability. His weakness became the doorway to his deepest strength. APPLICATION: YOUR THORN IS AN INVITATION So here's the question for you: What's your thorn? What's the limitation you wish you didn't have? The struggle you keep trying to overcome? The weakness that embarrasses you or frustrates you or keeps you up at night? Maybe it's something internal: anxiety, depression, loneliness, self-doubt. Maybe it's something external: illness, disability, chronic pain, something you can't change. Maybe it's something relational: conflict you can't resolve, someone you love who won't come back, a relationship that's broken. Maybe it's something about yourself: your appearance, your intelligence, your talent level, your capacity. Whatever it is, you've probably tried to overcome it. You've worked on it. You've fought it. You've prayed about it. And it's still there. And here's what Paul is telling you: That thorn might be an invitation. Not an invitation to give up. Not an invitation to stop trying to grow or to accept harmful situations. But an invitation to stop relying on your own strength and start relying on God's. Because here's what's true: You were never designed to be strong enough on your own. None of us were. Our culture tells us we should be. Be self-sufficient. Be independent. Be strong. Take care of yourself. Don't burden others. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. If you're struggling, it's because you're not trying hard enough. But Jesus never taught that. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Weary. Heavy-laden. Weak. Tired. Burnt out. Those are the people Jesus invites. Not the strong. Not the self-sufficient. But the weak. And when we finally accept that invitation, when we finally admit we can't do this on our own, when we finally stop pretending and start being honest about our limits, something shifts. We stop performing. We stop pretending. We stop trying to be strong enough. And we discover that God's grace really is sufficient. It really is enough. More than enough. THE PRACTICE: NAMING YOUR WEAKNESS So practically, what do we do with this? First: Name your weakness honestly. Don't hide it. Don't minimize it. Don't pretend it's not there. “My anxiety is real. My loneliness is real. My inadequacy is real. My pain is real. My struggle is real.” Naming it is the first step to surrendering it. Second: Stop trying to overcome it through sheer willpower alone. You've probably tried that. If willpower could have fixed it, it would be fixed by now. So stop. Admit that your strength isn't enough. Third: Bring it to God. Really bring it. Not in a formal, churchy way. But honestly. “Lord, I'm weak here. I don't have the strength for this. I've tried and I've failed. But Your grace is sufficient. Your power is perfected in my weakness. So I'm going to stop trying to be strong and start trusting that You are.” Fourth: Live differently because of it. Maybe your weakness means you need to ask for help. Maybe it means you need to slow down. Maybe it means you need to be honest in community. Maybe it means you need to be honest in community. Maybe it means you need professional help—therapy, medication, coaching. Maybe it means you need to develop spiritual practices you've resisted. Do whatever it takes to stop pretending you're strong enough. And fifth: Watch for God to show up in ways you didn't expect. Because when you stop leaning on your own strength, when you stop white-knuckling through life, you create space for God's power to actually work. CONCLUSION Here's the paradox that closes this: The thing you're most ashamed of might be the thing that makes you most useful to God. Think about it. Paul's thorn—whatever it was—never went away. He carried it his entire life. But because he carried it, because he knew his own weakness intimately, because he had to depend on God's grace every single day, he became one of the most compassionate, most spiritually powerful leaders in history. Why? Because he didn't just believe that God's grace was sufficient. He lived it. Daily. He knew it in his bones. His weakness authenticated his faith. If you're sitting here today feeling weak, feeling inadequate, feeling like you're not enough, I have good news: That feeling might be the most honest thing about you. Because you're not enough. You were never meant to be. You were designed for dependence. For trust. For grace. And when you finally accept that, when you stop fighting it and start surrendering to it, when you stop trying to be strong enough and start receiving God's strength, you'll discover what Paul discovered: Your weakness isn't a liability. It's an opening. It's where God's power enters. This is the Upside-Down Kingdom. And it starts with weakness.

Jesus tells a simple story about a persistent widow and an unjust judge, but beneath it lies a challenging question about faith, waiting, and God's timing. In a world built around instant gratification, what does it look like to persevere when God doesn't seem to answer our prayers on our schedule? Discover why the goal isn't to wear God down, but to keep from losing heart while trusting that God's justice will come at the right time.

What if everything our culture says about success is backwards?In this powerful message from 1 Corinthians 4, Pastor Carl explores how God's Kingdom turns the world's definition of greatness upside down. While culture celebrates popularity, status, and self-promotion, Jesus calls His followers to humility, servant leadership, faithful endurance, and lives transformed by the Gospel. This sermon challenges us to stop asking, "How can I make my name greater?" and instead ask, "How can I point people to Jesus?"You'll discover:• What biblical success really looks like• Why humility is stronger than pride• How Jesus modeled servant leadership• The role of spiritual fathers and mentors• Why God's grace is exactly what our exhausted world needs• How to live and lead toward Jesus every day• One of the most powerful truths from this message: "God has an inexhaustible grace for an exhausted world."Whether you're a leader, parent, mentor, or simply trying to follow Jesus faithfully, this message will encourage and challenge you to embrace God's upside-down Kingdom.

Every table tells a story about who belongs and who matters. Jesus challenges us to stop chasing places of honor and instead trust that God has already prepared a place for us. Along the way, we learn to notice those who are still waiting for an invitation.

Who is the greatest? It's a question the disciples argued about, and it's a ladder we still try to climb today. In the world, greatness is about elevating yourself, gaining power, and being served. But Jesus introduced an "Upside Down Kingdom" where the way up is actually down.In this message, we explore Mark 10 to see why true leadership is service, how serving others grants you genuine influence, and why you are never ready for authority until you have learned submission.Key Takeaways:Leadership is Service (Mark 10:42-45)Service is Influence (John 13:4-5)Influence is Submission (Matthew 26:39)

Merlin Miller returns to the Gospel of Mark series with this 40th sermon titled The gospel of the upside down kingdom, taken from Mark 10:32-34. For the third time Jesus clearly states what awaits him in Jerusalem, yet to the disciples amazement (and fear) he continues to lead them that direction. The upside down-ness of this pulls at all of us, and yet it is precisely this "good news" that we are to receive and to proclaim!

2026-07-05 (Upside Down Kingdom - Jon Brackett) by Trinity First SF

Worry has a way of pulling us in a hundred different directions as we try to control an uncertain future. But Jesus offers a different path: instead of figuring out tomorrow, he invites us to seek God's Kingdom today and trust that God will meet us when tomorrow arrives.

Celebrating America's 50th birthday and reflecting on what Jesus asks of his people in this moment.

Dave Mikesell | The Upside Down Kingdom | Matthew 20:1-16 | June 28, 2026

When Jesus came into this world, he established an eternal community called "the kingdom of God." Anyone in heaven or on earth who has submitted to King Jesus is a part of that kingdom, and the values & priorities of his kingdom are drastically different from those found in this world. #MoRealJesus

Merlin Miller continues the Gospel of Mark series with this 39th sermon titled Upside down kingdom, taken from Mark 10:17-31. Once again this text continues, and expands, the reach of the upside down principles of God's kingdom. Entering the kingdom requires dependence, which is difficult for us, especially if we have means through our possessions.

Matthew 5:1-12Bulletin PDFWatch Online The Traits of an Upside-Down Kingdom Rev. Jon Storck Download

Wednesday evening message with Guest Clint Phillips. Visit christianlifeustin.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram @christianlifeaustin to stay up to date with the exciting things happening here at Christian Life Austin.

When Jesus came into this world, he established an eternal community called "the kingdom of God." Anyone in heaven or on earth who has submitted to King Jesus is a part of that kingdom, and the values & priorities of his kingdom are drastically different from those found in this world. #MoRealJesus

Merlin Miller continues the Gospel of Mark series with this 38th sermon titled Upside down kingdom, taken from Mark 10:13-16. Jesus continues to use daily interactions with the disciples to illustrate principles of God's kingdom that seem backwards, or upside down, to us. The focus once again is on children, used to demonstrate the necessity of being born again to enter the kingdom of God.

Merlin Miller continues the Gospel of Mark series with this 37th sermon titled Upside down kingdom, taken from Mark 10:1-12. Though the subject matter dramatically shifts, the same "upside down" nature of God's ways versus man's ways continues, with the thread of selfishness woven throughout. This text addresses how God views marriage, given in response to the question divorce.

Life In The Spirit: Part 6 - What Jesus Doesn't Do - Pastor Robbie HiltonThis week, Pastor Robbie Hilton shared a powerful message about what it means to live as resurrected people, challenging us to see ourselves, others, and our faith through a different perspective.WE FOUND A BUILDING! We believe in Portland, and we're here to stay. Be part of the vision as we step forward and raise $17 million together.Learn More: https://rosechurch.org/building/Pledge/Give Today: https://donate.overflow.co/rosechurch/pledge/buildingWant to connect more with Rose Church? Find more information at https://www.rosechurch.org and give at - https://www.rosechurch.org/giveMake sure to subscribe so you don't miss more incredible sermons like this one or previous series like “The Upside Down Kingdom” or “The Tension of Faith” from Pastor Andrew Damazio, Dr. AJ Swoboda, Pastor Julia Damazio and many other incredible pastors!Thanks for listening! 

In this message from The Beatitudes, Angie Richey teaches from Matthew 5:5 that meekness is power under control. Meekness is not weakness, but strength submitted to God, emotional regulation, holy restraint, and trust that God can defend, heal, and lead us without our need to dominate, retaliate, or control every outcome.Click here to view the episode transcript. (00:00) - Power Under Control (01:18) - An Attitude Adjustment on Meekness (02:03) - Living in a Triggered World (03:17) - Matthew 5 and the Upside Down Kingdom (04:22) - Blessed Are the Meek (05:44) - Jesus Redefines Power (07:30) - From Survival to Spiritual Formation (09:12) - The Order of the Beatitudes (10:26) - Releasing the Need to Control (15:37) - Meekness Is Not Weakness (16:02) - Jesus Was Meek, Not Weak (19:44) - The Meek Will Inherit the Earth (23:21) - Psalm 37 and Abundant Peace (25:03) - Meekness and Emotional Regulation (31:43) - David, Saul, and Trusting God's Timing (33:50) - Practices for Meekness (37:12) - The Eagle, the Snake, and Spiritual Battle

Lesson 11 - The King's Teaching - The Upside-Down KingdomMatthew 18:1—19:30. Jesus continues to explain the upside-down nature of His Kingdom in this fourth section of His teaching. It is the Kingdom in which humility defines greatness, care for others overrides personal preference, and reconciliation is sought. God's design is the framework. Forgiveness is extended without limit, and great reward is promised to those who persevere in confident trust. It is the Kingdom open to all who know their need of mercy and who return to the Shepherd who was pursuing them all along.To learn more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Life In The Spirit: Part 5 - Praying in the Spirit: Prayer that Shakes the Church - Pastor Immanuel GarrawayThis week, Pastor Immanuel shares a message on praying in the midst of doubt, brokenness, and fear, and how the Holy Spirit gives us boldness to keep trusting God with expectancy for what He can do in this season or the next.WE FOUND A BUILDING! We believe in Portland, and we're here to stay. Be part of the vision as we step forward and raise $17 million together.Learn More: https://rosechurch.org/building/Pledge/Give Today: https://donate.overflow.co/rosechurch/pledge/buildingWant to connect more with Rose Church? Find more information at https://www.rosechurch.org and give at - https://www.rosechurch.org/giveMake sure to subscribe so you don't miss more incredible sermons like this one or previous series like “The Upside Down Kingdom” or “The Tension of Faith” from Pastor Andrew Damazio, Dr. AJ Swoboda, Pastor Julia Damazio and many other incredible pastors!Thanks for listening!

Life In The Spirit: Part 4 - Walking in the Spirit - Pastor Andrew DamazioThis week, Pastor Andrew shared that living in the Spirit is not about leaving dark places, but bringing light into them. He reminded us that we don't need Jesus to bring us new people, we need Him to open our eyes to the people already around us.WE FOUND A BUILDING! We believe in Portland, and we're here to stay. Be part of the vision as we step forward and raise $17 million together.Learn More: https://rosechurch.org/building/Pledge/Give Today: https://donate.overflow.co/rosechurch/pledge/buildingWant to connect more with Rose Church? Find more information at https://www.rosechurch.org and give at - https://www.rosechurch.org/giveMake sure to subscribe so you don't miss more incredible sermons like this one or previous series like “The Upside Down Kingdom” or “The Tension of Faith” from Pastor Andrew Damazio, Dr. AJ Swoboda, Pastor Julia Damazio and many other incredible pastors!Thanks for listening!

Life In The Spirit: Part 3 - The Gift and the Giver - Pastor Andrew DamazioThis week, Pastor Andrew reminded us that no believer is gift less. God has planted spiritual gifts in each of us, and it's our responsibility to nurture and use them to encourage others, build the Church, and glorify Him.WE FOUND A BUILDING! We believe in Portland, and we're here to stay. Be part of the vision as we step forward and raise $17 million together.Learn More: https://rosechurch.org/building/Pledge/Give Today: https://donate.overflow.co/rosechurch/pledge/buildingWant to connect more with Rose Church? Find more information at https://www.rosechurch.org and give at - https://www.rosechurch.org/giveMake sure to subscribe so you don't miss more incredible sermons like this one or previous series like “The Upside Down Kingdom” or “The Tension of Faith” from Pastor Andrew Damazio, Dr. AJ Swoboda, Pastor Julia Damazio and many other incredible pastors!Thanks for listening!