about 30 minutes from the Lake of the Ozarks. My pastor would always get up on Memorial Day weekend and say, "And good morning to all the folks who don't own a boat." Well, some of you do own boats, you're here anyway, so glad that you're here.
So parenting has been a source of constant conversation, seems, in my life over the last couple weeks, and this is all tied into something I've been thinking about more because we brought our middle daughter Brooke home from college. There she is back there. Say hi, Brooke. And so, you know, you're at the age where you're reviewing— I'm at the age where I'm reviewing all of the kinds of things about parenting that we've learned, and the overarching lesson learned is God did it. God has been so good.
That's the overarching lesson. One of the practical things I've thought about that I'd like to pass on to you is I have figured out how to hypnotize teenagers. And this is handy in case there's any emergency dental work that needs to happen. Maybe they're on a long trip and would just like to pass the time unconscious. I've learned that there are 5 words that can put any teenager into a vegetative state. And those 5 words are, "When I was your age." If you start If you say, "When I was your age..." Now they're gonna wince like they're in pain. They're not in pain, they're okay. "When I was your age..." They're gonna wince a little bit, then you just keep talking and you keep talking about things that were true for you in your day. And you will... They may have their eyes open, but they will be unconscious. They will be impervious to pain. They will not notice time or space any longer until you have finished your conversation about "when I was your age." So So Doc, if you ever have somebody in the emergency room and you just have to calm them down, just start— they're teenagers— just start, when I was your age and— Ketamine. Yeah. Oh, yep. That and ketamine, yeah.
Well, that phrase, when I was your age, is really relevant as it relates to parenting and kids. Because if you really want to know your parents, you will need to understand their experience coming to age. You really, if you want to get to know your parents, just ask them that question and try to stay awake, you know. Tell me about, tell me about how things were when you were growing up. Tell me about your mom and your dad. I've seen so many people my age come to know their parents better when they finally understood the homes in which their parents were raised. This is a key idea of understanding the older generation, to understand what life was like when they were coming to age.
And this is relevant as we open our Bibles to spend a great deal of time studying a book called the Acts of the Apostles. As we study a book that is about the founders of our faith, the fathers of our faith, it is so relevant to, before we get into it, ask the simple question: what was it like for you as you were coming of age with Jesus? What was, what was your experience like as you were coming into this faith?
Luke gives us the opportunity in Acts chapter 1, verse 1, to look back and reflect before we get into the crazy pace that is the book of Acts, in which in the first verse of the first chapter of Acts he just says, in my former book I wrote to you about all that Jesus began to do and and to teach. And today, as we did last week, we're just going to take a moment. This isn't necessarily an expository sermon. We're just going to take a moment to review, to look back at all that Jesus has done and taught and hold those things fresh in our minds as we progress into the book of Luke.
6 · Introduces the sermon's organizing structure: four categories of Jesus's kingdom teachings discovered through systematic study
There are some problems that I've found that only a spreadsheet can solve. And this week I wanted to look at all of the teachings, all of the kingdom teachings of Jesus. I wanted to be able to look at all of them and understand kind of categories and what Jesus was doing in all of these kingdom teachings. So I grabbed every kingdom teaching of Jesus in the Gospels, and I put it into a spreadsheet. And then I categorized those teachings according to various categories. To begin with, I wound up with like 10 to 12 different categories, 10 to 12 different kinds of kingdom teachings. But as I worked through, I realized there are basically 4, 4 categories of Jesus's kingdom teachings. So as we enter the book of Acts, let's look at the way that Jesus talked about the kingdom, because that's what these apostles were thinking about. This is what the apostles had in their hearts as they entered into this new season of the kingdom. The first category of kingdom teachings that we see from Jesus is just the supreme value of the kingdom. The supreme value of the kingdom. There's a whole chunk of scriptures all over the Gospels where Jesus's basic message is the kingdom is worth any price you might have to pay to enter it. Matthew 13:44. We're just going to look at a lot of different scriptures in the Gospels today. Matthew 13:44: The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Matthew 13:45, again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. Again, the story is he finds the finest pearl of all. Matthew 6:33, Jesus says, absolutely no question about it, seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you. So this category of kingdom teaching is that the kingdom is above all. The kingdom is worth more more than anything else, and you should do whatever you need to do to acquire or to enter into that kingdom.
7 · Develops the first category (supreme value) by examining Jesus's teachings on the high cost of kingdom entrance
This includes a lot of teachings where Jesus says— talks about the high cost of entering the kingdom. In Matthew 19:12, he says, there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. And he doesn't apologize for that statement at all. He just says, hey, This is what some people have done for the kingdom, and the kingdom's worth it. In Mark 9:47, Jesus says, if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell. Again, this idea is, hey, if you need to tear an eye out to enter the kingdom, it's worth it because the kingdom is worth everything. You know, Matthew 5:10, during the Beatitudes, Jesus says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Again, the cost is persecution, and it's a good deal, right? So you should be happy because if it costs you persecution and you wind up in the kingdom, you're blessed. You should be happy.
8 · Summarizes the first category and signals transition to the second category
So that's the first category I noticed in Jesus' teachings, and there's a number of scriptures that correspond to that category, that the kingdom is worth everything, the kingdom Kingdom is above everything.
9 · Introduces the second category of Jesus's kingdom teachings: kingdom ethics
The second category is just kingdom ethics, actions that befit kingdom citizenship. Kingdom ethics is probably an easier way to write that down. But Jesus goes through a series of teachings throughout the Gospels where he says, like, this is how you should act if you're a member of the kingdom. In Matthew 5:19, Jesus says, therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. So the kingdom ethic that Jesus is teaching here is that holiness matters, practical holiness matters, righteousness matters.
10 · Extends the second category by identifying two more kingdom ethics: proclamation of the kingdom and mercy toward others rooted in having received mercy
Repeatedly throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus saying that kingdom citizens should be proclaiming the kingdom of God. One of the clear ethics, one of the clear actions we must take as kingdom citizens is to proclaim the kingdom of God. And he also says, like in Matthew 18:23, amongst other scriptures, that kingdom citizens should be merciful people because they've received mercy.
11 · Synthesizes the first two categories and transitions to the third category
So there's this first category, the kingdom's worth everything. Second category, this is how kingdom people act. They should proclaim the kingdom, they should pursue righteousness, and they should be merciful. They should be forgiving. They should be loving.
12 · Introduces the third category: the already-and-not-yet nature of the kingdom
The third category of kingdom teachings that I found was this idea of the already and not yet kingdom. This is kind of having to do with kingdom timing, this idea that the kingdom has arrived. Jesus teaches that quite clearly, but also that the kingdom is still coming. So for instance, in Matthew 4:7, Jesus says, repent, for the kingdom is at hand. In Matthew 12:28, Jesus says, the kingdom has come upon you. So this idea that the kingdom is here, Jesus teaches that quite often.
13 · Develops the 'not yet' dimension of the third category through two parables of progressive growth—the mustard seed and the leaven—both demonstrating the kingdom's expansion from small beginnings to full realization
But he also makes these metaphors for the kingdom. Matthew 13 is a great passage to read in your own time this week. Lots of kingdom teachings in Matthew 13. One of the things Jesus does as he talks about the timing of the kingdom, this idea that the kingdom is here but that it's coming, is he tells a couple of parables. One of them is a In verse 31 of Matthew 13, he says, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is grown, it is larger than all of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." The idea of the kingdom here is that the kingdom is progressive. It starts as a seed and it grows and it grows and it grows and it expands and it gets bigger over time. In verse 33 of Matthew 13, he says, the kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in 3 measures of flour till it was all leavened. So this idea of putting a little yeast in a bucket of flour, and over time that yeast will populate and take over to the point where that whole loaf becomes leavened bread. These are the, the ideas that the kingdom is growing, that it's expanding. It's here, but it's expanding.
14 · Draws a theological parallel between progressive sanctification and progressive kingdom expansion, then adds a third parable (the growing seed) emphasizing the mysterious, organic, and progressive nature of the kingdom's growth toward harvest
We'll talk more about this when we talk about the Holy Spirit in a few weeks. But the idea is that just as we in Christ progress— what's called progressive sanctification— as we grow, as Paul describes, from one degree of glory to the next, so the kingdom progresses in the same way. We progress in Christ's likeness, the kingdom progresses. In Matthew 4:26, Jesus teaches another helpful metaphor about the kingdom here but growing. He says, the kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come. Get this idea of progression?
15 · Recaps the first three categories and prepares for the introduction of the fourth and most significant category
Okay, so the disciples had heard a lot from Jesus in these three categories. Jesus had taught them repeatedly that the value of the kingdom is above all. He He taught them appropriate actions for those who are citizens of the kingdom, and he taught them that the kingdom is here but not yet fully here.
16 · Signals heightened importance by asserting that the fourth category is not only the most significant but also the most frequently taught by Jesus
The fourth category of Jesus' kingdom teachings is the most significant. He does this one most often. More than any other category, Jesus teaches this fourth one the most often.
17 · Uses a hypothetical scenario to illustrate that Jesus's most common teaching topic was the kingdom, and within that, the question of who is in and who is out
Imagine if you're living in Jesus' day. And you find out that Jesus is going to be teaching down at the local synagogue, and you say to your wife, "Hey, you want to go hear Jesus of Nazareth teach down at the local synagogue, and we better get there early because it always sells out." And your wife says, "What is he going to teach about?" If you said, "Probably the kingdom," you'd be making a safe bet. That's mostly what Jesus teaches about. And then she said, "Well, what specifically?" do you think he's going to teach about the kingdom? If you said he's probably going to talk about who's in it and who's out of it, you'd be making a really safe bet. That's the fourth category— who's in, who's out.
18 · Explicitly identifies the fourth category: the question of who is admitted to the kingdom and who is excluded
The fourth category of kingdom teaching that Jesus talks about the most is who is in the kingdom and who is not in the kingdom.
19 · Demonstrates the fourth category through three texts identifying who qualifies for kingdom entrance: the poor in spirit, the persecuted, and those who become like children
So Matthew 5, many, many scriptures in Matthew 5 talk about this. But when Jesus says something like, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God, he's talking about people who are in the kingdom of God. We already looked at Matthew 5:10, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Matthew 18:3, truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like a child, become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
20 · Makes the interpretive claim that Jesus's kingdom teaching focuses on two who questions—who is the king and who are the citizens—rather than the when, what, or where questions we tend to prioritize
Jesus's main concern as he talks about the kingdom is not when, not where, not even what, but who. All of the teachings related to the kingdom come down mostly to two who questions. All of our questions about when, what, and where are usually the wrong questions. There are really two questions, two who questions we should be asking. And the first one is, who's the king? And the second one is, who are the citizens? And those are the two main things that Jesus talks about when he talks about the kingdom. And we are so quick to pick up all the other stuff when this is the central issue for Jesus.
21 · Provides a cascade of texts demonstrating Jesus's persistent concern with the question of kingdom admittance: who enters and who doesn't
In Luke 12:32, he says, fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. When Nicodemus goes to Jesus at night and Nicodemus says, we to tell that you're a teacher sent from God, for no one else could do the works that you do unless they were sent from God. Jesus says, you can't see anything, for unless you are born again, you can never enter the kingdom of God. You can't see the kingdom of God. Jesus in 3:5, John 3:5 says, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Jesus's main concern is who's in, Who's out? Matthew 7:21, not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 19:23, truly I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the the kingdom. Over and over again, Jesus's concern is with admittance. Who gets in?
22 · Expounds the parable of the wedding feast to demonstrate Jesus's concern with who is welcomed into the kingdom and who is excluded
He tells these parables, these really, really rough parables about feasts and about people who are welcomed and people who are not. Matthew 22, Jesus says, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast."' But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants treated them shamefully and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. And then he said to his servant, the wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find. And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad, so that the wedding hall was filled with guests. Now Jesus goes even into that further. We won't go there, but it goes even to that further and talks about even those invited guests, who was in and who was out.
23 · Uses the parable of the wheat and tares to demonstrate that even a parable addressing kingdom timing (progressive growth toward final separation) ultimately serves Jesus's primary concern: distinguishing who is truly in the kingdom and who is not
Just even the parable of the wheat and the tares, it teaches us this idea of a progressive kingdom, right? The enemy comes and sows tares among the wheat so that there are some who are members, legitimate members of the kingdom, and some who are not. And this idea is that we're supposed to wait, not supposed to go out and pick the tares on our own, supposed to wait for this to all come to fruition. And then at the day of judgment, the wheat and the tares will be separated. But what's that ultimately about? It's talking, it discusses the progressive element of the kingdom, but what's it ultimately about? It's ultimately about who's in and who's out. This is Jesus's main concern. More than anything else, he talks about who the citizens of the kingdom are.
24 · Pivots from expositional work to application by posing the relevance question
Now, what does that have to do with us?
25 · Establishes a contrast principle by describing how earthly kingdoms operate: kings prioritize power, territory, and wealth over their citizens, treating people as expendable means rather than valued ends
Well, I want you to think about this. In most earthly kingdoms, the citizens are the lowest priority to the king. The least thing delighted in, in most earthly kingdoms, are its citizens. Now, we live in a democracy, so our politicians flatter us so that we will vote for them. But make no mistake, we do not matter to most of them. Human kings are usually far more concerned with ideology, with taking territory, with gaining notoriety and accumulating wealth. The citizens of a kingdom are usually the afterthought to most earthly kings.
26 · Uses Napoleon's statement to illustrate the expendability of citizens in earthly kingdoms
Napoleon was once trying to talk down an Austrian opponent, and he said, "You cannot stop me. I spend 30,000 men a month." That's what we are to earthly kings, or things to be spent in the acquisition of power. Were things to be burned for the gaining of territory.
27 · Contrasts Jesus's kingdom with earthly kingdoms: while Jesus is ideological and takes territory, his method is fundamentally different—he expands the kingdom by lavishing love on citizens
But in Jesus's kingdom, who is in the kingdom? The citizens of the kingdom. That's the most important thing to Jesus. That's the most important thing to King Jesus. Now don't get me wrong, Jesus is ideological. Jesus does take territory. And the riches of the nations will flow to the kingdom of God. Isaiah 60:5 says, then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and exalt, because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you. But the real bite worth chewing on as we think about all of Jesus's kingdom teachings is simply this: The future of the kingdom is gloriously bright, but all of the good stuff that's coming to the kingdom comes through a king who lavishes his love upon its citizens. And this is the difference maker in the authority wielding of Jesus over the authority wielding of every other king or authority in the earth. Jesus expands His kingdom by lavishing His citizens with love and grace. Ephesians 1:3. I want you to listen for these two themes: the kingdom expanding, Jesus taking, Jesus taking territory, Jesus claiming the earth as His own. But listen to the vehicle. Listen to the vehicle using His love for the for the citizens of the kingdom. Verse 3 of Ephesians 1: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption— adoption's such a key word in this conversation. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which He lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of His will according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and on earth. What's happening at the end of that verse? The world is being reconciled to King Jesus. All things are being brought in to him? What is the, what is the method? How is he accomplishing this? He's loving us. He's adopting us. He's choosing us. He's lavishing his love upon us.
28 · Articulates the gospel's strategy for world conquest: Jesus wins by loving believers so well that the overflow of that love becomes praise, ministry, and care that transforms the world
How will Jesus win? How will the gospel win? How will the kingdom stand above all kingdoms? How will the universe see that Jesus is the King above all kings. What is the actual tactic that Jesus will employ? To love you so well that that love overflows to praise, to ministry, to care, and it takes over the world. This is the method of conquest that the gospel prescribes: love well.
29 · Expounds Romans 8:18-23 to establish the biblical-theological principle that the redemption of all creation depends on and flows from the redemption of God's sons and daughters
In Christ's kingdom, it is the redemption of God's sons and daughters that leads to the redemption of all things. In Christ's kingdom, it is the redemption of sons and daughters that that leads to the redemption of all things. The Kingdom of God expands, it overflows, it grows, it flourishes, and it does that because that's the love relationship God has with His people. Romans 8:18, if you're familiar at all with this line of thinking, should come to mind. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation, that's all things, creation, all things except us, right? Kind of including us too. For its creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. Not only the creation, but we ourselves, we who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons and the redemption of our bodies. It's a lot going on. What's the basic idea? The fullness of God's redemption over all the earth— we talked about this last week with Jesus taking up Adam's creation mandate, God's creation mandate to rule and subdue and fill all things with God's glory. The fulfillment of God's redemption of all things happens through His redemption of sons and daughters.
30 · Acknowledges the theological density of the preceding exposition and signals a shift toward concrete application
Now, super practical. I know you kind of feel like that was just a huge— that was a big firehose moment. Super practical.
31 · Identifies the danger: Acts contains many glorious and theologically legitimate themes (shalom, social justice, charismatic gifts, racial equality, missions) that can become distractions from the central concern
As we stand on the precipice of entering the book of Acts, I would say there are few books which offer so many potential distractions. We could talk about the glorious picture of the church in Acts chapter 2, right? That's a worthy distraction, it seems to me. The shalom that we see in Acts chapter 2. We could talk about the thriving ministry. Listen, this is very key. This is going to affect all of you because this is how we walk in unity but also in diversity. Acts, the book of Acts, is full of potential seemingly worthy distractions. The shalom we see in the church, the thriving ministry to the poor, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, the miracles, the charismatic gifts. There are issues of racial equality that emerge in the book of Acts like nowhere else we see in Scripture. My personal favorite, the simple idea that the whole world is being turned upside down by the gospel. I tell you, these are all glorious things. I believe the kingdom of God involves all of those things. If you want to understand my basic understanding of what the local church should be like, read Proverbs 31. What does the bride of a king do? And the answer is all sorts of cool things. All sorts of worthy things. All sorts of glorious things. All sorts of good things.
32 · Issues the corrective: all the glorious secondary themes in Acts are rooted in and flow from the primary reality that Jesus died to save individuals
But as we stand on the precipice of a book so full of potential distractions— distractions, by the way, we see taking foot, taking hold in local churches today and also local churches in the first century. The church of Corinth comes to mind. As we see all of this, as we stand ready to enter all this, let's remember the one thing Jesus was most concerned about, and that was who's in and who's out. That was Jesus's personal concern for the personal salvation event, the personal adoption of sons and daughters of God. All of those things that we see happening—racial equity, care for the poor, the church as shalom, the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the gifts, charismatic gifts, all the things we see happening there are all rooted in one thing, and that is Jesus died to save me. That's the central theme of the kingdom, and that's the basic tactic of kingdom growth. That's the way the kingdom will expand. When we walk in that and love that and rejoice in the God of our salvation.
33 · Introduces a biblical narrative to illustrate the danger of prioritizing secondary spiritual victories over the primary reality of salvation
Listen, the disciples had flirted with fruitfulness before. There's this moment in Luke 10, Jesus had sent out the 72, many of whom are in this upper room here in Acts chapter 1. He sent out the 72 and he told them to go and proclaim the kingdom and and to cast out demons and to heal people and so on and so forth. And it says in Luke 10:17, "The 72 returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.'"
34 · Expounds Jesus's response to the returning seventy-two, showing that even legitimate spiritual authority and miraculous power should not be the primary source of joy—salvation should be
And Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless," Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
35 · Synthesizes the sermon's argument: as the apostles entered the church age, the truth they carried in their hearts was not organizational strategy or social program but the simple reality of God's saving love for sinners
This is the primary lesson that the apostles held in their hearts as they stood almost like conquerors, almost like pioneers on the edge of what you might call the church age. As they stood on the edge of an expanding kingdom, the central truth that they had been taught repeatedly by Jesus is it all comes down to his love for me and his saving me.
36 · Uses a recent wedding ceremony as a pastoral anecdote to introduce two principles derived from 1 Timothy 1:15
Yesterday I officiated Josh and Madison's wedding. It was such a privilege, and Attention spans being what they are, not just for them, but especially for them, the last thing you want to do on your wedding day is listen to me. I boiled everything down to two basic truths rooted in Paul's stunning statement in 1 Timothy. You know, Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am foremost.
37 · Articulates two principles for relational health derived from 1 Timothy 1:15: humility about one's own need for grace and generosity in extending grace to others
These two statements I wanted them to walk away with understanding this is basically the blueprint for any healthy relationship. Number one, nobody needs Jesus more than I do. And number two, his grace toward me is meant to flow to others.
38 · Elevates the two relational principles to kingdom strategy: these are not just personal ethics but the mechanism by which the kingdom expands in the world
Nobody needs Jesus more than I do, and his grace toward me is meant to flow to others. Guys, that's not only the central theme of of the kingdom. That's the central tactic of the kingdom. That is how the kingdom advances.
39 · Asserts that the truth of personal salvation sustained the apostles through persecution and powered their missionary advance, making it the engine of kingdom expansion
There's this— this central truth is going to keep these disciples, these apostles, singing in their prison cells, and it's going to keep one foot moving in front of another into the outermost parts. This truth Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am foremost. This is the central truth that moves the kingdom forward.
40 · Returns to the sermon's controlling idea: the 'who' question is primary, and all other questions about the kingdom resolve once the question of citizenship is settled
All of our questions about who, what, or about what, when, and where are meaningless without the basic question of who. Incidentally, just as a little side moment of, you know, just a thought, if you really care about the who, The where will take care of itself. If you really care about the who, the when will become self-evident— when the full number are gathered in. If you really care about the who, the what will be answered as well. It's the assembly of the redeemed. The what, the when, and the where are all answered in the who.
41 · Signals transition to an authoritative quotation that will synthesize the sermon's argument
So these two truths give us all the information we need.