KINGDOM
NHCO New Year’s Eve 2019
Old jokes?
New Year means…we’re getting old!
When I was younger I used to want a BMW, now I’ll settle for a BM.
You know you’re old when you’re trying to enter your birthday on your phone and when you get to the year you have to spin it like you’re on wheel of fortune.
You know you’re old when you watch you watch wheel of fortune!
Lady prays and asks the Lord, “How old will I be when I die?”
The Lord says 96 years old.
She says, “Hot diggity dog, I will have myself fixed up.”
She had everything lifted and tucked, make all oshare kine.
She walks out of the doctor’s office, gets hit by a truck and killed!
She gets to heaven and asks the Lord, “What happened? You told me that I would live to be 96.”
The Lord says: “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you!”
At NHCO we like to describe our focus in one word.
In 2019: LEGACY (our building project)
What is the word in 2020?
I’ll tell you in a second.
Aloha
First, let’s look at “notable deaths” in 2019. Why?
1. To remember them, maybe honor them, and to ask, “What was their legacy?”
2. What if 2020 was our last year on Earth? How would I want to spend it?
Slides: “Aloha: In Memoriam”
1. Daryl Dragon from Captain & Tennille
2. Carol Channing
3. Remember this iconic photo depicting America’s celebration at the end of World War 2? A sailor randomly grabbed a nurse and kissed her he was so happy! Well, that sailor was Seaman First Class George Mendonsa. He lived a long life and just died this past year.
4. Peter Tork from the Monkees
5. Andre Previn, Oscar-Winning composer who wrote “My Fair Lady.” Interestingly, he was also a Holocaust Survivor.
6. Lt. Col. Richard Cole, the last of Doolittle’s Raiders. 16 B-25s launched from the USS Hornet on 4/18/42 to bomb the Japanese homeland 4 MONTHS after Pearl Harbor. (Watch the movie,
“Midway”)
7. Peter Mayhew died. Don’t recognize him?
8. How about now?
9. Tim Conway, Carol Burnett show
10. Bart Starr, MVP for Super Bowls 1 & 2
11. Lee Iacocca, helped developed the Mustang (Ford vs. Ferrari)
12. US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens
13. Rutger Hauer from Blade Runner and Lady Hawke
14. Cliff Branch, legendary WR from the Raiders
15. Contrary to all the rumors, Dog the Bounty Hunter is NOT dead, but sadly his wife, Pam, did die this year.
16. Finally, Revivalist preacher Reinhard Bonnke died. 75 million people came to Christ in his ministry, mostly in Africa.
For these people 2019 was their last year on earth.
Not saying that 2020 will be your last year on earth, but if it was how would you live it?
How can you make your life count for Jesus in 2020?
Maybe you’ll discover part of the answer in today’s message.
Happy New Year, nay…DECADE!
In one word what is NHCO’s focus for 2020?
KINGDOM
Definition of Kingdom
king•dom kĭng′dəm
n. A political or territorial unit ruled by a sovereign.
n. The eternal spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ.
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
The American Heritage dictionary defines KINGDOM two-fold: (1) a nation ruled by a sovereign AND (2) a spiritual sovereignty ruled by God.
The most important prayer for us this year that Jesus taught us: “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done ON EARTH as it is in HEAVEN.
“On Earth as it is in Heaven”
In the world as it is in Heaven
In HAWAII as it is in Heaven
In your family as it is in Heaven
In your personal life as it is in Heaven
This is called “The Gospel of the Kingdom.”
Jesus said:
“And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world,
so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14 NLT).
The Gospel of the “Kingdom” IS the Gospel of Salvation but it goes way BEYOND CONVERSION. Raising your hand to accept Christ is such a HUGE step in a person’s life, but it is a single step of a lifelong journey.
In 2020 we’re going to take you on a journey.
You know how we plan out all our series 6 months in advance?
This year we are so planned out in advance we’ve worked out all our series to work together around ONE KEY THEME: KINGDOM.
Here’s what we’re planning:
2020 Sermon Series At a Glance
Spring 2020:
20/20 Vision : His Vision | Our Focus (Nehemiah)
God’s Kingdom of Hawaii
Easter 2020:
Where God Shows Up
Summer 2020:
Kingdom Families
Blockbuster Lessons
Fall 2020:
Your Kingdom Come
Practical
1. COME AND SEE.
“He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour)” (John 1:39 NKJV).
When Mona and I first started courtship (we don’t believe in dating), there were no commitments, no promise rings, just getting to know each other, and honestly looking for reasons why we shouldn’t be together.
We were just getting acquainted, getting introduced to each other.
In the same way as we bring friends and family to church in 2020, there are no expectations, no commitments. Just checking things out.
We want to introduce people to Jesus.
You don’t need to serve anywhere.
You don’t need to give anything.
You don’t need to do anything.
Just “come and see” who Jesus is.
SEEK! Like we learned last week.
Here’s the thing: how many of us long for a place, a church, where we’re given a chance to change, to be a different person than the one we’ve always been?
This is what New Hope Central Oahu is trying to be–a “safe place” for you to explore the Christian life, ask any question you have, and begin your journey to freedom in Christ.
So the first is “come and see.”
The second…
2. COME AND FOLLOW.
“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” (John 1:43 NIV)
Second, there will be a moment when you’ve grown in your intimacy with Jesus and you will hear Him say, “Come and follow.”
You feel like, “But I don’t know the Bible, I don’t know how to be a Christian.”
Come and follow Him and He will teach you!
Start small:
You might sense that all He’s saying to you is, “Just come to Church on Sunday,” make it a priority. Good! Then do that.å
Or Jesus says, “Start reading and studying the Bible.”
Or, “Get away from your old friends and make new friends in Church.”
How many of us know the people you hang out with play a massive role in the person you
become?
Might seem small, but these are HUGE decisions in a person’s life.
NHCO can help you start following Jesus in so many ways.
From “come and see” to “come and follow” to finally…
3. COME ALIVE!
“24 Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it’” (Matthew 16:24-25 ESV).
“Losing your life” in order to “find your life.” That’s counter-intuitive!
What is Jesus trying to say?
How many of us have lived long enough to realize that whenever you do things your way it NEVER ends well, but doing it God’s way is ALWAYS better?
So once you get here to Stage 3, you hear the Lord say, “DIE TO YOURSELF and ONLY do God’s will. And you total embrace the–here it is–KINGDOM VERSION of yourself, instead of using a DO-IT-YOURSELF kit.”
So I hope you will join us in 2020 to contend for His Kingdom to come and His will be done on EARTH–in your life–as it is in HEAVEN.
Here at NHCO we will not judge you or condemn you. Why?
Because many of us have BEEN you!
Here at our church we have
ex-addicts
former adulterers
people who have had abortions
people who had anger issues
control issues
We’ve had the cops come to our houses because we were yelling too loud.
But by the grace of God we’re not those people anymore!
We’ve been set free because of the GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM.
Here at NHCO here’s our whole plan: “Take you to Jesus.”
Then Jesus Himself will teach you to follow Him.
You can count on us to ask you, “Is this what Jesus is asking you to do?”
Then as we together learn to die to ourselves, more of His Kingdom comes.
Less of us, more of Him.
We decrease, He increases in our lives.
We fade to the background so He can come to the forefront.
No more human agendas, no human control.
Instead, the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven!
40 Day Fast & Pray
This is what we’re FASTING for in 2020
Dying to self, dying to flesh
Come ALIVE in the Spirit!
Breakthroughs from Fasting & Praying
Leaders for Men’s Fellowship! (Women were already amazing.)
Marc Cabatbat leading a group of 9 men from CA
Transformation Academy has 2 new KEY leaders (Alan & Liane)
Husbands like Keith Yoshioka are ON FIRE
Ohana Group leaders are rising up!
Are you “stuck” in your Christian life? Fast and pray and Jesus will get you UNSTUCK!
So I hope you will join us in the New Year and FAST & PRAY for breakthrough!
Closing prayer
What if 2020 were your last year on earth?
How would you want to live it?
Visited people on their death beds.
No one on their death bed ever asked for another house, a Tesla, or more money.
It’s amazing how clear life becomes when you realize you’re about to die.
People think of two things:
Family (wanting to be reconciled)
God
The Gospel of the Kingdom begins by saying “yes” to Jesus.
On this last weekend before 2020, who would start the New Year by saying “yes” to Jesus?
Let’s pray
Questions for Meditation & Discussion
1. How would you summarize the main point of this message?
2. By faith what did God say to you in this message?
3. Which “notable death 2019” stood out to you
4. Instead of New Year resolutions, how can we actually transform?
5. What is the result when you “come and see?”
6. What is the result when you “come and follow?”
7. What happens when you “come alive?”
8. If 2020 was your last year on Earth, how would you live it?
9. How will you live in obedience to what God is saying to you today?
