A Kingdom Of The Least - Join Us for Chapel Service at Jakes Divinity School!

17:03 Again, we've been talking about the kingdom of God is among us, and this week we talk about a kingdom of the least. But before we get into that, let's pray. Father, I am so grateful for this opportunity to share your word, and I pray that you come right into the middle of this message. Manifest yourself, Father. Show your glory. Throw your weight around. And God, do what you do best. And that is reveal who you are to us. In Jesus' name, amen. The kingdom of God is among you. And the kingdom of God is the least. There's a verse in Matthew that I want to read that will anchor this text. And it says, And the king will answer them. Truly, I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers and my sisters, you did it to me. That's from Matthew chapter 25 verse 40. You know my friends the kingdom of God is not like kingdoms of this world because you see worldly kingdoms are built on power and privilege and prestige but the kingdom of God is built on humility service and self-giving love.

18:06 The very structure of God's reign flips the world upside down. Jesus reveals this paradox when he tells his disciples, listen, the greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled and all who humbled themselves will be exalted. Matthew chapter 23 verses 11 through 12. So in today's passage in Matthew, what I just read, Jesus gives us this startling truth. The king himself identifies with the least. I want you to hear that. Jesus identifies with the least Not with the puffed up Not with the princes and the kings Not with those with the most money Not with those who we elevate in positions But he identifies with the least of them Because he says what you do to them It's like you do it to me He does not say he is found in the palaces of emperors But in the hungry child He does not say he is enthroned in marble halls, but in the prisoner's cell.

19:12 He does not say his presence is revealed only in the eloquence of preachers, but in the cry of the forgotten. This is a most shocking reality, especially in the times that we live in, that God's kingdom is a kingdom of the least. So let's give some context to Matthew 25. Let's take a moment and understand where this verse falls. Matthew 25 is often called the judgment chapter. Jesus gives these three teachings, the parable of the ten virgins, meaning to be watchful, the parable of the talents, which translates to faithfulness, and the judgment of the nations, which is speaking of his compassion. In the last parable, the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne and separates people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. And the criteria is very simple.

20:05 It's centered around acts of mercy. He says things like, did you feed the hungry? Did you clothe the naked? Did you visit the sick? Did you welcome the stranger? Now notice here, the righteous are surprised in this parable because they didn't even recognize or realize that they were serving Christ when they served others. That's the kingdom Christ hidden in the least, present in the lowly. This theme runs like a golden thread throughout scripture. You know, in the Old Testament, we see examples like Hagar. She was cast out into the desert, and then she encounters, as she calls him, the God who sees me. In Genesis chapter 16, she becomes the first person in Scripture to name God. Then there's Joseph. You remember him? Joseph was sold into slavery, forgotten in prison, yet God raises him to save a nation. And then David. David is, believe it or not, often overlooked.

21:01 that when Samuel comes to anoint a king, Jesse doesn't even bother to call him from the field because David was the least. And while Jesse was looking at his sons in priority, God was looking at the heart of the least. God says the Lord does not see as mortals see. There are prophetic voices that over and over the prophets declare God's defense of the orphan, the widow and the foreigner. You can find this in Deuteronomy and Jeremiah. In Jesus' ministry, in his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus blesses the poor, the meek, the mourners. He touches. He touches lepers. He eats with tax collectors and lets children come to him. Suffer the children to come unto me, for such is the kingdom of heaven. This is what he says. He raises his Jairus daughter, but he also stops for the bleeding woman on the way. Do you see the pattern that is going forth? Do you see how Jesus is not just so concerned about those that are following him, but he even has his heart attuned to those who are on the wayside, those outliers, those who are on the fringes, those that we would walk past and not even remember that they're there, those that sometimes when we're in our cars, we drive by them, they're on the side of the road with a sign, those are the ones that Jesus says, this is who my kingdom is made up of.

22:32 The Gospel of Mark emphasizes this service. There's a verse in Mark chapter 9 that says, whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. Let that sink in. Let that sink in. Whoever wants to be first must be a servant of all. Wouldn't that change our hierarchical systems? if the way to the top would be being of service to everyone that you encounter. So in the book of Luke, it highlights this reversal that Christ does. The Magnificent declares that God has brought down the powerful and lifted up the lowly. The reversal, Luke chapter 1. John highlights this love of the least in Jesus' intimacy, how he stoops down to wash the feet of his disciples, showing that the divine glory is revealed in humble service. Because you see, from Genesis to Revelation, God's heart beats for the least.

23:31 Now, let's think about this theologically. Why does God prioritize the least? Here are my responses. Number one, because the least reveal our dependence on God. You know, this world teaches us about self-sufficiency. But those who are vulnerable remind us that we are creatures, not creators. And in their weakness, in our weakness, we see our own need for grace. Two, because the least mirror the humility of Christ. Even Philippians chapter 2 says this, Christ emptied himself, taking the form of a servant. He humbled himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. So the son of God chose the way of the least. Number three, because the least expose our hearts, it is easy to honor the powerful because it costs us nothing.

24:31 But to honor the marginalized requires love that mirrors God's love. As John would say, those who say I love God and hate their brothers or sisters, they're liars. So how do we show these parables in a contemporary framework? Like, how do we ask ourselves the question, who are the least in our communities today? Well, I'll give you some. The unhoused person ignored on the street corner. Children in underfunded schools denied opportunities. Migrants seeking refuge, viewed with suspicion. the elderly isolated in nursing homes, the incarcerated written off as irredeemable, and even those with mental illness often shud rather than embraced. The kingdom of God says, there I am. That's where you'll find me.

25:27 And let's not miss this. Sometimes even you and I are the least. Sometimes we, in all of our busyness I'm sure somebody's watching right now And you fall into one of those categories Maybe you're not unhoused Or maybe you're not in a nursing home But sometimes you feel overlooked Undervalued Sometimes you feel like the world doesn't see you Sometimes you feel like your contributions are not enough That maybe where you serve in your church, in your community Maybe you don't do things that get the applause or get lauded by everyone. Maybe your job is to make sure that the kitchen is clean after a good meal. And maybe and maybe we in our hierarchical systems have said what you do may be not as prominent or prioritized as someone else.

26:23 But I come to remind you that whosoever does anything in the name of God, who does it for God, God remembers. And that God doesn't see us like we see ourselves. God doesn't see this priority of least and greatest based on our dynamics. But whatever you do for the king, he sees it as great. The kingdom embraces us in our weakness, not just in our strength. So if the kingdom of God is a kingdom of the least, then the church must be a community where the least are welcome first. We must be a church of hospitality. Ask ourselves these questions. Are we opening our doors to the stranger or only to those that are familiar with us? Secondly, we must be a kingdom and a church and a community of generosity. Are we investing in the poor or only in programs that will benefit ourselves?

27:21 We must be a community and a kingdom of advocacy. Are we using our voices for the voiceless? Jesus will not ask us how beautiful our buildings were or how polished our programs became. He's going to ask us these questions. Did you feed me? Did you clothe me? And did you welcome me? This text carries a warning for all of us. The goats are not condemned for what they did, but what they failed to do. Neglect is as dangerous as wrongdoing. wrongdoing, to walk past the hungry, to ignore the prisoner, to overlook the suffering, that really is to reject Christ himself. The danger is not only in active evil, but in passive indifference. The kingdom calls us out of apathy into action. You know, Mother Teresa often said, each one of them is Jesus in disguise.

28:17 As she went about her ministry, she found Christ in the poorest of the poor. Diedrich Bonhoeffer, written from a prison cell, said this, the church is the church only when it exists for others, not dominating, but helping and serving. These voices echo the gospel truth, which is this, the kingdom lives amongst the least. So there is a reward for hope and mercy. I want you to know that there is hope. We are the ones that administer hope, and we have to let this world know that even to the least that their hope is always abounding and present. Because to serve the least is to encounter Christ in an unexpected way. How many testimonies come from people who went to serve and found themselves being transformed? The soup kitchen volunteer who received more joy than the one that he or she fed.

29:14 The prison minister who says, I went to bring light, but I found Christ already there in the prison cell. The reward is not only future, it is present. The kingdom is among you here and now whenever mercy is extended. So our call to action is this. The kingdom of God is not about climbing ladders, but about stooping low. It is not about crowns of gold, but about tiles of service. It is not about securing thrones, but about serving at tables. So let me leave you with these three questions, my friends. Where is God calling you to see Christ in the least of these? What action can you take this week, whether it be feeding or clothing or visiting the sick, that will reveal the kingdom to you? And lastly, listen to this question. Ponder it in your heart.

30:09 Will you live as if the kingdom is truly among us, not just in theory, but in practice? for the day will come when the king will ask all of us and may it be said, may he look at us and say, Oscar, when I was hungry, you fed me. Oscar, when I was thirsty, you gave me drink. Oscar, when I was a stranger, you welcomed me because this is the kingdom, a kingdom of the least. Amen and well done.