Heaven in Your Heart [LIVE] 10/04/2026

Happy Sunday, Grace Way Family. It's so good to see you all. 930, how you feeling today? [CHEERING] We got a lot of Chief's family in the building today. That's right. Jesus, you know that's right. It's so good to see you all. It's time to worship King Jesus. And so Colossians 3 and 1, it says, "Since then, you have been raised with Christ. Set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above and not earthly things. Father, help us to set our mind on things that are above. Father, let us worship you in spirit and in truth. Receive our worship. Receive our praise this morning, Father. Let it be a sweet aroma to your nostrils. In Jesus' mighty name, we pray. Come on, let everyone say, amen. Amen. ♪ Christ is my foundation ♪ ♪ The rock on which I stand ♪ ♪ When everything around me is shaken ♪ ♪ I've never been more glad ♪ ♪ I've put my faith in Jesus ♪ ♪ He's never let me down ♪ ♪ He's faithful through generation ♪ ♪ So I would heal ♪

Now, come on, you say, you won't. ♪ You won't, you won't. ♪ ♪ I've still got joy in chaos ♪ ♪ I've got peace that makes no sense ♪ ♪ So I won't be going under ♪ ♪ I'll not help out my own strength ♪ ♪ 'Cause I've built my life on Jesus ♪ ♪ He's never let me down ♪ ♪ He's faithful in every season ♪ ♪ So I would heal now ♪ ♪ He won't, no, no ♪ ♪ He won't ♪ Is that your testimony? Come on, sing it. ♪ He won't, babe ♪ ♪ He won't, babe ♪ ♪ He won't ♪ ♪ He won't ♪ ♪ He won't ♪ ♪ He won't, babe ♪ ♪ He won't, babe ♪ ♪ Come on, sing, please, dance my voice ♪ ♪ He is my first foundation ♪ ♪ Come on, sing it out ♪ ♪ The rock ♪ ♪ With everything ♪ ♪ Everything around me ♪ ♪ He's taking me down ♪ ♪ I've never had more left ♪ ♪ I'm when my baby, Jesus ♪

♪ He's never let me down ♪ ♪ He's faithful through generations ♪ ♪ So I believe now, now ♪ ♪ He won't, yet now ♪ ♪ He won't, yet now ♪ ♪ He won't, yet ♪ ♪ He won't, yet ♪ ♪ He won't, no he won't ♪ ♪ I've never seen the righteous forsaken ♪ ♪ North Sea, big and bred ♪ ♪ He's a faithful and consistent God ♪ ♪ He won't, he won't, he won't ♪ ♪ All of the rain can't wait ♪ ♪ Move, my house was built on you ♪ ♪ Come on, y'all sing it ♪ ♪ I say free ♪ ♪ You found the rain ♪ ♪ Come on, louder ♪ ♪ All of the rain ♪ ♪ Can't wait ♪ ♪ Move, my house was built on you ♪ ♪ I know that I am safe with you ♪ [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC]

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] I'm ready to sing about our King Jesus, who's coming back today. He's coming back soon. Come on everybody, let's lift up our voice. Sing unto God right now. Yes, sir. [MUSIC] Come on, sir. There is one who stands between God and me. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] ♪ Always be home ♪ # We lay down our lives # # For this gospel #

# Until the end of time # # All this is for # # Christ alone # # Kings for Christ # # Whoa! # # For Christ alone # # We lay down our lives # # For this gospel # # Until the end of time # # All this is for # # Christ alone # # For Christ alone # # Come on and sing # # For Christ alone # # Come on, we'll have you sing # # For Christ alone # # For Christ alone # Yo, and I make this declaration right now. Come on and sing it! # The first one from the dead # # Is coming back again # # Writing it up on the cloud # # Ice will see and knees will bow # # Those other kinds of lives # # I don't want to lie # # But there's one who wears the crown # # One who'll see and this will bounce it # # The first one from the dead # # Is coming back again # # Writing it up on the cloud #

# Ice will see and knees will bow # # The other kinds of lives # # But nothing but I lie # # I don't want to shine # # But there's one who wears the crown # # Ice will see and knees will bounce it # # The man has overcome # # Tested fire with blood # # When we hear that trumpet sound # # Ice will see and he glory to God # # Glory to God the Son # # Come on! # # The victory's been won # # We await your covenant now # # Ice will see and this will bounce it # # Oh # # The King is coming # # Come on! # # Everybody's here # # Behold # # Behold # ♪ But Jesus is coming ♪ ♪ Behold, behold, behold ♪ ♪ The King is coming ♪ ♪ Come on, come on, King Jesus ♪ ♪ King Jesus, King Jesus is coming back against ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, the King is coming ♪ ♪ In the flesh ♪ ♪ Super Christ of all ♪ ♪ You said ♪

♪ For Christ the Lord said ♪ ♪ We laid down our lives ♪ ♪ For the God that's called ♪ ♪ To the end of time ♪ ♪ Yeah, Christ the Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, Christ the Lord ♪ ♪ Everybody lift your voice and say ♪ ♪ For Christ ♪ ♪ For Christ alone ♪ ♪ We laid down our lives ♪ ♪ For this God alone ♪ ♪ For this God alone ♪ ♪ For this God alone ♪ ♪ Christ alone ♪ - Welcome to Grace Way. My name is John Stevens, and I'm so glad you're joining us today. Whether this is your first time with us, or you've been watching for a while, we're really glad you're here. You are a valued part of the Grace Way family, and it's a privilege to worship with you each week. No matter where you've been, or what your story looks like, God isn't finished with you. Throughout the Bible, we see Him using ordinary people with imperfect past, doing incredible things. Your past doesn't define your future. In Christ, there's always hope. There's always purpose, and there's always the next step.

If you have a family or friends who use the Pando app, encourage them to watch Grace Way too. even when you're in different places. One of the best things we can do is grow in our faith together, encourage one another, and keep the conversation going long after the service ends. If you're currently in a correctional facility in Kansas or Missouri and would like to see Graceway offered where you are, let your chapel know. They can learn more about bringing Graceway to your facility by visiting visitgraceway.org/prison. As we get started, don't just watch the service, jump in, worship, pray, and listen, and ask God to speak to you. I believe He has something He wants to say to you today. [MUSIC PLAYING] I am an instrument of exaltation, and I was born to lift your name above all names. You hear the melody of all creation, but there's a song of praise that only I can bring. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. You are the infinite, God of the ancient. Yet you chose to make my heart your twelve in place. You healed my brokenness, showed me your glory. So I have songs of thanks, not even angels see.

Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Come on, you sing. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? Yeah, there is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy?

There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one only in Jesus. ♪ Home in the sea ♪ ♪ Come on, you tell me ♪ ♪ There is God ♪ ♪ Home in the sea ♪ ♪ Now ♪ ♪ Lamb of God, the noise in one ♪ ♪ Wasn't near ♪ ♪ Come on, you sing it, sing it on ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪ ♪ He's righteous ♪ ♪ You prove to us ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ You hold it ♪ ♪ Sing them a God ♪ ♪ God, a noise in one ♪ ♪ Who was it means it means to come ♪ ♪ You see it on ♪ ♪ He's holding it ♪ ♪ He's holding it ♪

♪ The left hand was laid ♪ ♪ He said it's good ♪ ♪ You hold it ♪ ♪ God, a noise in one ♪ ♪ He's coming, He's coming ♪ ♪ He's holding it ♪ ♪ Sing righteous ♪ ♪ He said it's good ♪ ♪ And he put it to us ♪ ♪ He said it's good ♪ ♪ He said it's good ♪ ♪ He said it's good ♪ ♪ He said it's good ♪ ♪ He said it's good ♪ ♪ And he put it to us ♪ ♪ He said it's good ♪ ♪ He said it's good ♪ ♪ You're worthy, you're worthy, children ♪ ♪ You're worthy, yeah, no ♪ ♪ Only, only, come on, you're free ♪ ♪ There is no one ♪ ♪ Only, you're worthy, you're worthy, yeah ♪ ♪ You're worthy, children ♪ ♪ Only, you're worthy, yeah ♪ ♪ It's not 30 ♪ ♪ God sent his one and only son Jesus to die ♪ ♪ For you and for me ♪ ♪ He's a holy God, a righteous God, a consistent God ♪ ♪ He's wonderful in all of His ways ♪ ♪ And just the simple fact that He would sin ♪

♪ His one and only son ♪ ♪ To shed blood on Calvary ♪ ♪ For you and for me ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪ ♪ He's holy, holy ♪ ♪ He's holy, holy ♪ ♪ So we'll sing it one more time ♪ ♪ We'll sing it one more time together ♪ Lamb of God. Here we go. Come on. Come on. Who was it? Yes, Lord. You see it. You're holly. Right. Do you genuinely believe that this morning? Is that really, is this this is really true to you? You know, it's it's so fun to sing songs like this and to ascribe the greatness of our God. But what if it wasn't just a word or a song that you were singing this morning? What if it wasn't just lip praise, but it was heart praise? What if it wasn't just a song and it was a posture? You know, I'm reminded of when Moses goes to the mountaintop and he meets God there through a burning bush. God speaks and he says, take off your sandals for you are standing on holy ground. So what if this wasn't just the church building this morning, but this was holy ground? Would it change the way you sing and change the way you think? Because if we're going to sing it, man, we better believe it that he is worthy. He is worthy. There is no one like him. Promise you this morning is going to be. It's going to be a good one. I hope you came ready to hear the message and leave here different than you walked in. [MUSIC PLAYING] then let's truly believe it this morning in this place. Would you pray with me, God? I think a lot of times it's easy to sing songs like this and say things. But God, would we stop saying things and truly believe it this morning? God, that you are worthy, that you do sit on the throne, that you are good, that you are great,

that you did sing your one and only son to die in our place. And for the first time ever, you turned your face away from your son so you could turn your face towards us. God, would we give you all the glory and honor that you so deserve? God, I thank you for using broken people like us. God, for moving and breathing into our lungs the breath of life. God, that you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. God and I pray that this morning, as we approach your scripture and dive into your word, God, that this would become holy ground and not just a building. Would you have your way with us? Lord, we love you, we praise you. It's in Jesus' name, everybody. As I said, amen, amen. Hey, love you guys so much. I genuinely mean that when I say that. It's so fun seeing the sea of red in here, all the Chiefs fans. We got a couple of Raider Nation people in here. We got a special prayer ministry for them directly after this service. I'm just kidding, we love y'all. Hey, take a second, pass some peace to the people around you. Shake a hand, give a high five, say what's up. If you are joining us online right now, we just wanna say thank you for joining us. We love you guys. Let us know where you're watching for us.

Let us know how we can pray for you. Got a lot of really cool things online for you as well. Love you guys, appreciate it. Man, I hope you guys came ready for something this morning. Your boys energized. I'm ready to dive into some scripture. I'm ready to see what God has for us. But before we dive into this, can we just say what's up to our brothers at Crossroads and those aren't correctional? Love you guys, praying for you. You can change that prison from the inside out. So we believe in y'all. We have a lot to cover this morning. We are starting a brand new series and we got a lot to get to. So I'm gonna dive straight into this. If you are ready to dive into what God has, let me hear you say, let's go. Let's go. So we just finished the series Dear Church. And today we start a brand new series called Heaven on Earth. Everybody say Heaven on Earth. You'll hear me say this a lot throughout the message. I like talk back. I like feeling like we're in this together. So Heaven on Earth, we're starting that today. And in the last series, we just did Dear Church. We heard Jesus speak directly to his church, calling us out of compromise and back to repentance and a life that looks a lot more like him.

But what happens when church is over? What happens when we leave this room? What happens in our marriages at the dinner table at work with our money and in the relationships that you and I are trying to fix? So what if Jesus never intended for Heaven only to be something we're waiting to experience someday, but something that he's bringing to us right now? And that's what this series begins with. And in Matthew six, he walks us through the correct way to pray and he's telling a bunch of people this. And he says, "I want you to pray like this." He says, "Pray like this." And in the second line of that prayer, he says, "Your kingdom come." You've heard this before, maybe you haven't written on a coffee mug or in your house somewhere. It's very, very well known, but he says, "Your kingdom come." What that says right there is that says, "God, rule here." God, a kingdom is not just some ethereal place where a king sits on a throne holding a sword and possessing a crown. A kingdom is wherever a king's authority is. I'm gonna say that one more time. A kingdom is wherever a king's authority is recognized. So it's us asking for God's reign, his ways, his values and purposes to increasingly take him. Your kingdom come, your will be done. That says, "God, I want what you want." Not just God, bless my plans,

but God bring my plans, desires, decisions and life underneath yours. Your kingdom come, your will be done in the last part on earth as it is in heaven. That's allowing what is true under his reign in heaven to become increasingly visible here. Now, you ever prayed that prayer? Have you ever opened up your Bible before and read something or seen something and not actually realized the power and the weight of what you're reading, of what you're asking God for? This is one of those passages where maybe you've read it before and you need to stop and think like God, what am I actually asking you for? What am I actually asking? And here's why I say that. If we're gonna say your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, you can't have a kingdom without a king. And if Jesus is king, that means somebody else needs to get off the throne. You can't bring the kingdom of God into the world around you if you are unwilling to let the king rule the world within you, okay? It's gonna be a media one this morning, y'all. I hope you're ready. I hope you're ready. So how do you and I truly grasp the reality of who Jesus is in heaven being present here

if we don't actually see him as king? Jesus is more than just Lord and Savior. He's more than just a man who had 12 disciples. He's more than just a man who raised the dead and healed blind eyes. He is king. And today I want to help you and I understand and see Jesus is more than just a good man, but as king. The title of king holds weight. The title of king has power. The title of king sets things into motion and before his kingdom becomes visible through your life, his kingdom has to rule your heart. Now we can say Jesus is king. We can put it on our social media bios and we can put it all over Facebook and you can come to church every weekend. We can sing it at the top of our lungs. You are worthy. But when Jesus and my desires disagree, who gets the final say? But when Jesus and my finances disagree, who gets the final say? When Jesus and my sexuality disagree, who gets the final say? When Jesus and my relationships disagree, who gets the final say? Because whoever gets the final say, is king of your life. That's who holds the authority.

Whoever gets the final say is functioning as your king. Heaven on earth does not start around you. It starts within you. And you'll hear me say this line over and over and over again throughout the remainder of our time. And I want you to write this down if you're taking notes. The kingdom begins with the rule of Christ in your heart. The kingdom begins with the rule of Christ in your heart. We'll have that pop up on the screen here in a second. The kingdom begins with the rule of Christ. Where? - In your heart. - In your heart. So before we get started, like really started, 'cause we already kind of got started, right? Before we get really started, I want you to look at the person next to you and say neighbor. - Neighbor. - You look better in church. That was halfway, y'all. Look at your second choice, your other neighbor, say neighbor. - Neighbor. - You look better in church. Come on, y'all. You all look better in church and you know it. Let's, before we dive into this, we're gonna pray one more time that the Lord would have his way with us. God, we trust you this morning. God, would you have your way in our hearts?

Would you bring the kingdom of heaven to this earth that we might see and understand what it looks like to truly recognize you as king? God, would you move in a way that only you can move? Would you breathe through us this morning and we leave here with better understanding of who you are? God, we love you, we praise you and it's in Jesus' name, we pray in everybody, set? Amen, amen. So how do you and I understand what a king is if we've never actually sat under one or seen one? How can I truly comprehend the need of one and why it matters if I've never seen a king rule? In Romans 12, too, Paul says, do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. He says, do not be conformed to this world, but be what? Transformed. So how do we understand what a king is if we've never seen one? There's a shift in the way you think. There needs to be a shift in the things you think so you can see what others can't. You have to see it differently. Couple weeks ago, I was up here and I was speaking and you all understand, if you were here at that point,

you understand my love, hate relationship with airports, okay, they are functional and they are necessary but your boy goes crazy in airports, all right? I get frustrated, I start to lose my mind, and this was reality for me just a couple of weeks ago when I flew to Arizona, and so I apologize, if you don't like me talking about airports, I just need to get this off my chest, okay? So I went through the airport, and then you get to the security line, right? Security lines just add a lot more frustration to me for a number of reasons, and I'm gonna explain that to you right now, and so what it is is, and I think airports have gotten better at this, I really do, they've gotten better over the last decade, but still, there's some airports that have just failed to help me, and so what it is is it's 45, as if it's about me, what it is is it's 45 minutes of standing in line and waiting, and then once you get to the actual line, you have to take off your shoes, place them inside of a bin, and then take every single electronic device you have out of your backpack, put it in its own bin, so now instead of one bin, you have six bins, and everybody behind you is frustrated at that, right? And so then all of your stuff starts going through this line, and then you have to walk through the tunnel of death, y'all know what that is, that thing where you gotta stick your hands up?

Yeah, you have to stand there awkwardly, put your hands up, wait for that little beep boop thing to go around you, and then you walk through only to get frisked on the other side by the TSA agents, and if that's not you, that's me every time I go through an airport, and my wife loves to document this and put it on Instagram, so then you go through this line to get frisked, and now you're just waiting for your bag, and so you look to the left, and then all of a sudden your bag takes a different route than all of the other bags, and you're like, God, you gotta be choking me right now, right, and then you hear the next couple words from the TSA agent that you know is gonna make you miss your flight, whose bag is this? Yeah, that's the story of my life, and there's just one time I wore a certain pair of pants to the airport, and I learned my lesson, but I had like 75 zippers, so I'll just stand in there for like 15 minutes, just getting patted down everywhere. Whose bag is this? It was frustrating, and I'm like, I'm gonna miss my flight, and we all wonder why it isn't faster, why security lines aren't faster, and why it's actually this necessary to take this many precautions? Well, what if they had TVs in those lines that played a continuous loop as you stood in the security line of bodies bouncing off the pavement during 9/11? I bet it wouldn't matter how much time security took

if you had to vividly see why they do what they do, 'cause seeing changes everything, and it's no different when it comes to Jesus. Once you see the king, his rule stops feeling restrictive and starts making sense. The kingdom becomes real when king stops becoming a title and begins to become authority in your life. You can say Jesus is king and still live like you've never seen one. So what does it mean to see Jesus as king? Yes, he's provider, yes, he's comforter, yes, he's shepherd, but what about king? When you see him as king, heaven on earth becomes a closer reality than we think. It governs the way we speak, act, and live, and in Philippians 1, 21, Paul says, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Everyone say, "For to me." Those three words hold so much weight and power because to Paul, that reminds him of who he used to be. He used to be Saul of Tarsus who had a terrible reputation. Saul knew God. He knew Jesus but didn't recognize Jesus as king. And maybe you don't know this about Saul's story, but I'm gonna put it into perspective for you. This is what makes his story so interesting. He wasn't an atheist, Saul wasn't an atheist. He wasn't some guy who wanted nothing to do with God. He wasn't incredibly religious. He knew scripture, he knew theology.

He was passionate and disciplined, yet was convinced that he was doing all the right things. But here's the problem, he knew religion without recognizing the king standing in front of him, which is terrifying because that means it is possible to know about God. When I was in middle school, I remember being so infatuated with the Grand Canyon. I don't know why, I live in Kansas City. We have nothing but flat roads and buildings everywhere. And I was just infatuated with the Grand Canyon. And so I aced all the Grand Canyon tests. I don't know why we had those in middle school, but apparently we did, that's what I remember. And so I remember knowing everything there was to know And I remember for the first time going to the Grand Canyon watching the sunrise and just instead of on paper or on a screen. And we hiked down into it and it was beautiful and our hike out, I was geeking out, I was looking at my wife the whole time and I was like, this is the trail that leaves there. And I remember reading about this. And this is the thing that happened. Like, it was just, she was like, shut up. Like, we get it. And so I remember hiking out and you got to do all these switchbacks up and down to get out of, out of the canyon. And my wife was light years ahead of me already at the top and I was taking my sweet time. And I remember stopping and looking, turning around and looking at the Grand Canyon and it's, and it's beauty. And, and it hit me. In that moment, God said this to me. He said Clayton, you finally understand the difference between knowing about something and truly knowing something. You can come to church every single Sunday and know about God. You can go to different small groups and get plugged into different ministries and know a lot about God. But it's different when you truly know and experience God. You see it differently. So, we can come to church. We can, no scripture. We can sing songs. We can serve. We can give. We can pray and still never ask the question, who has the final say, and who is King of my heart? The kingdom begins with the rule of Christ in your heart. So let's talk about this. Let's talk about this. Acts chapter 7. We see a man named Steven getting stoned because of a message he preached. And because of this, the crowds were enraged with hate. Okay, so we're going to look at this. Acts chapter 7 starting in verse 58. I got it on the screens for you. Saul approved of his, sorry. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him talking about Steven and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

And as they were stoning Steven, he called out, Lord Jesus received my spirit. And falling to his knees, he cried out in a loud voice. Lord, do not hold this sin against them. And when he had said this, he fell asleep, which means he died. So Steven is stoned. And at one point he says, Lord, don't hold this against them. What kind of faith does that kind of man have? Few verses after that in Acts chapter 8 says, Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. And they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles, devout men buried Steven and made great lamentation over him. Verse 3, y'all, don't miss this, don't miss this. But Saul was ravaging the church and entering house after house. He dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. So Saul not only saw Steven getting stoned, but it prompted him to do worse. He's like, you know what? That's not enough for me. I'm going to take a little bit further than that. Any man or woman, I'm going to go door to door and start knocking. And if they're Christians, I'm going to pull them out and take them straight to prison. And then as we walk across the pages into Acts chapter 9, I want you to see what happens next. His rage begins to increase. But Saul still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus. So that if he found any belonging to the way men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. He saw a man murdered by stoning and then wants to arrest men and women, followers of God, and throw anyone he could into jail. He didn't care what it took. He didn't matter to Saul. He didn't care what it took. He was going to make sure they knew what he stood for. Let me say it again, for what he stood for. In 1 Timothy, which is actually his own book, his own personal testimony, he refers to himself as a blasphemer and a persecutor. That means there were no answers that were going to satisfy him when it came to who Jesus actually was. Yeah, he knew about Jesus, but the only king Saul could see was Saul. Let me pause here for just a second. So you and I can get something straight and clear before we go into what's next. If you and I are going to stand here and sit here and say that the kingdom of heaven begins with the rule of Christ in our hearts, then that must mean something very specific to us. That may be you have known Jesus, but have failed to let him camp out in every crevice and area of your heart. Or maybe you know who he is, but have yet to grant him the authority he deserves and desires. And if that's you, my friends, be careful. Because when you lose sight, When you lose sight of him as king, you start grasping and grabbing at the things that only belong to him. And that's a scary spot to be. In the moment you crown yourself as king, that's when conviction starts to become negotiable. Oh y'all don't catch what I'm saying. It's easy to say Jesus is king,

but there's a difference in just saying it and living it. Okay, I'm gonna take you there for just a second. So if you get mad at me, cool. I want you to understand this just as much as I understand this. I'm gonna make this reality. So you want Jesus to be king over our government and over our politics. But when he says wait until marriage to have sex, suddenly he's not the king of your life anymore. Oh you want Jesus as king when he demands justice for the oppressed, but when he asks you to generously give, suddenly the king is asking too much of you. Oh you want Jesus as king when somebody has wronged you, but when he says forgive 70 times seven, suddenly you want to appeal the verdict. Do you catch what I'm saying? You want Jesus as king when he tells somebody else to repent, but when he puts his finger on your sin, you demand a second opinion. You want Jesus as king when you need a miracle, but not when he wants your obedience. You want Jesus as king when his word affirms you, but not when it confronts you. If Jesus is only king when you agree with him, then perhaps he was never really king to begin with. I want you to examine your heart this morning. Listen family, I don't say these things to come at you, I say these things to come beside you,

because it's reality for me just as much. And you can't ask for the kingdom of having to come around you while still refusing to let the king rule within you. It doesn't happen that way, it doesn't work that way. A king doesn't need your agreement, he needs your surrender. So when self sits on the throne, conviction will always bow to compromise. So I ask you again, who has the final say? And who is king of your heart? Because the kingdom begins with the rule of Christ in your heart. Now, before we jump back into the story of Saul, I'm gonna tell you something. This is called an honest pastor moment right here. Can I be real with y'all? Can I be honest with you? I believe that authenticity is the currency for intimacy. So I'm gonna tell you something right now, and you have to promise not to judge your boy because of it. This is an honest pastor moment right here. Here's what it is. This message for me has been the hardest message I've ever had to write, legitimately speaking. It's not because I'm launching a brand new series and it's not because it's a little bit intense. It's because in writing this I came to the realization that even I couldn't quite comprehend or grasp the reality of what it means to see Jesus as king. And so this past Monday night I sat around,

this past Monday I sat around trying to write this out and nothing was coming to my mind. I knew I had to preach heaven on earth. And I was like, I got nothing. So Monday night I went to bed, frustrated. I started thinking about it. I was like, I could take this from so many different angles, but I could not land on one thing specifically. So after pondering all day, Monday and Tuesday, I went to bed Tuesday night, frustrated, upset and mad at God. I was like, come on, God, I gotta preach this. And that's when Wednesday morning God woke me up at 2 a.m. I was like, God, you better be asleep right now 'cause ain't no 2 a.m. type things going on, right? So I woke up at 2 a.m. And God had the story of Saul on my heart. I was like, Saul, for what? God, this don't make no sense. Story of Saul, and I still had nothing to run with. And so ended up trying to go, it was one of those like trying to go back to sleep things. They ain't no going back to sleep after 2 a.m. And so I woke up at 5 a.m. And at that point, I was like, God, you better still be awake 'cause I need to hear from you, right? So I get up at 5 a.m., sit down, and I start writing all this out and I start putting it all to paper.

The story of Saul, the story of Saul. God, why the story of Saul? And I wanna explain this to you. He's on this mission. He's on this road to Damascus with a destination, a plan, his own authority. And he's convinced that he's right. Oh, he's so convinced that he's right in everything. Good thing nobody in here is like that, huh? (congregation laughing) So back to Acts chapter nine. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Don't miss this picture, y'all, please don't miss this. Please, please, please, with everything that's within you don't miss this picture." Remember, Saul spent his entire life standing in the posture he wanted to stand in. And all of a sudden, the man who had been standing against Jesus suddenly finds himself on the ground before Jesus. And when it says he fell, yes, he fell physically, but that means his fart, sorry. Well, that's one of those moments you never want to say on stage. That's cool. We're just going to blow past that like I never sent it, right? Okay. So this is when, Lord, hell, yeah, appreciate you guys. Have a good day. I'll see you next week. Oh, man. So when he, let's get back to Scripture. Let's read. So when he, when he fell, not only did he fall physically, but his heart fell. And unless we fall in humility, we will not be saved as humans. So this voice says to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And he said, now picture this. He's like, here's this voice. He's on this road to Damascus. And all of a sudden, something stops and dead in his tracks. And I read this and I'm like, I don't know if he was frustrated, upset, confused, convinced, but I think he probably said, who are you, Lord? Who are you, Lord? And then all of a sudden, please, please, please catch this. He said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, but rise in into the city and you will be told what you are to do. So Saul's entire world change is not in three seconds, but in three words.

I am Jesus. Say it with me all. I am Jesus. And from here, Saul's name has eventually changed. His name is Paul and he goes on spreading the name of Jesus and becoming one of the greatest missionaries to ever have lived. The kingdom begins with the rule of Christ in your heart. So why this story? Of all the stories that I could have talked about, why this story? I could have taken Daniel's vision in Daniel chapter seven, where Jesus breaks through the clouds of heaven and dominion and power and glory were given and his kingdom is from everlasting to everlasting. I could have taken John's revelation where he says, Jesus is king of kings and what? Lord of lords. I could have talked about King Nebuchadnezzar who threw them three men into the fire because they wouldn't bow to him as king, but then all of a sudden, King Nebuchadnezzar saw something and he was like, wait, wait, wait, wait. There's somebody else in the fire and when he came out, he said, I'm going to bow to that king for the rest of my life. So he went from king to people sitting on king underneath Jesus. He understood something and saw something in that moment. I could have taken Isaiah's prophecy of Jesus's birth where it says he will be Prince of Peace. Wonderful counselor, mighty God, an everlasting father, a baby coming in the form of man to seek and save that which was lost. You and I saw that through him pursuing us and his obedient death on a cross, we would be welcomed into the kingdom of heaven from now until forever more. He's King Jesus, but I didn't take any of those routes. He said, Saul, talk about Saul. Am I for real? Saul? God, Saul? And here's why. Because three words, I am Jesus led to one motion him falling to the ground that changed his life forever. Look at verse four again. Look at verse four again. It says, he fell to the ground. He fell to the ground and falling to the ground. He lived his entire life in a posture that he wanted to be in until the moment came that the glory of Jesus brought him to his knees. And as we start to land this plane, I'm going to ask you a question. I'm going to make a statement. I'm going to tell you, I think this is where Christianity becomes uncomfortable. Because we love Jesus as Savior. Save me, forgive me, heal me, help me, protect me, comfort me. A Savior rescues you, and if you call from yourself. And we love rescuing. We love him saving us from the consequences of our own decisions. And he does absolutely do those things. But he isn't just Savior. He's King. And verse 4 says he fell to the ground. And so if he's King and Saul understood that

in this moment, then maybe there's something I'm missing. He isn't just Savior. He is King. And as I was writing out this message and thinking about this message, what I began thinking about was I began thinking about my immediate family. I started thinking about how blessed I am to be around my sister again after 15 years of being away from her. I thought about how blessed I am to be in close proximity to my brother-in-law who I would consider one of my best friends. I started thinking about how my dad comes over to my house every Friday morning at 6 a.m. and we go fishing for hours. And I started thinking about how I have the opportunity at any moment just to walk into my mom's work and give her a hug whenever I want to. I started thinking about Graceway. And I started thinking about you. I started thinking about how we get to do life together. And I love being back in Kansas City. But I also knew it wouldn't come without its challenges. So with my wife's approval, I'm going to be very transparent with you right now. We began trying to start a family about 11 years ago. And over those 11 years, we had multiple miscarriages that ended in just hard ways. But God is God and God is good. And thanks to him, of course we've got our little four-year-old Jaden running around these halls at this church that we were able to adopt and finalize. And at this point right now, my wife is 22 weeks pregnant. And so it is with a very healthy baby boy. So that's two boys, y'all. Pray for us. And so last week, we went into the ultrasound room for a checkup. And although the baby looks great, and everything is going picture-perfect as planned, there were some complications that set us off track. And the doctor looked at us and said, "If these do not change, your wife will have to be hospitalized, and she will have to have an early pregnancy if these things change." And if it turns out that way, you're looking at a long road ahead of you. And at that moment, I was like, "You got to be kidding me. God, are you serious?" After all the things that we've been through, now all of a sudden, you're telling me, "I got to deal with this in a moment, y'all, in a moment." I went from hearing he's healthy and everything to almost being like, "God, no, I'm not doing this again. God, I'm not doing this again. I'm not doing it again." And I was mad, and I was frustrated. And I was upset with the outcome and with what God was doing, and it was hard. And so there I was again leaving the doctor's appointment, confused, frustrated, and mad at God. And that's when I began telling God, that's when one of your pastors began telling God, "God, come on, man, like not again. We're not going

through this again. God, it's me. It's your boy Clayton. Like, I'll be a good, I'll be a good father to this game. I'll be a great husband. I'll be the best pastor that I can possibly be at Grace May God. Just give us this one thing. Please, I don't want to go back to where I was before I say, "God, I will fight for you. God, I'll serve you. God, I will stand for you." And as I said that, I saw when God said, "I know, son. I know you'll stand for me. But will you bow before me?" And that brought me to my knees because it's different when he's king. Something incredibly powerful happens when you bow. All throughout history when people entered the presence of a king, the first thing they would do is bow. Bowing says, Now call me crazy if you want, but perhaps that's exactly where heaven on earth actually begins. It's not when everything around me finally changes, but when something inside of me finally bows. My pride bows, my plans bow, my desires bow, my relationships bow, my finances bow, my sexuality bows, my future bows, I bow. I bow. My whole attitude changed when I heard those words. I know you'll stand for me. What will you bow before me? And within a split second, y'all, I found myself on that road to Damascus. Well, I know a lot about, I know a lot about. But then I dropped to my knees and I said, God, you're right, you're right. Who am I? Who am I to say that you're not king? What crown am I trying to possess and hold? What authority am I trying to gain control over? And so my whole attitude changed and I went from mad and scared on Friday to this entire week, just praying. As though the king were in control and believing that he could change what the doctor said would never change. I began going before him and saying, God, I'm not mad. I'm not scared because you have my heart. And so Friday, we walk into, this past Friday, a couple days ago, we walk into our follow-up appointment and the ultrasound text in there and she looks very, very frustrated. And so my wife and I are just, she's laying there and I'm holding her hand and I can't say anything. I don't understand any of it. And she says, I need to call the doctor in here. And Dr. walks in and they begin looking at something on the screen and the doctor says, hey, I'm so sorry,

but I have to call one of the other ultrasound texts in here that they can see a little bit differently than we can. And I look at Tiffany and I'm like, not again, please, not again. God, come on, come on, come on. And I'm praying and praying and all three of them are looking for about 45 minutes. And then the doctor looks at us and says, hey, guys, I'll be right back in. He steps out and then my wife and I are just in the room by ourselves and the doctor walks in. She pulls up a chair, she sits right next to us and she says, guys, I'm sorry, we had so many people in the room at one point. She said, there's five other people outside in the lobby or outside this door looking at something. And she said, I just wanted to be very certain and very clear. I saw what I saw. And she said, I don't know how to explain this to you, but everything is very different than it was last week. And that's when I looked at her. I said, you might not know how to explain it, but can I explain something to you? I said, you don't understand the King that I serve. You don't understand the God that I serve that has authority and power, the one that I bow down to that can change the things you say will never change. I said, let me tell you about my King. Something powerful happens when you bow. And I'm not saying it's going to change and everything's going to be great all of the time. It could have turned out a completely different way in that room. And I still would have found myself on the ground before the King, because He is who He says He is. He's King through the good times and through the bad. He's King when you're up, He's King when you're down. He's King of all creation and ruler of all nations. He is Jesus and He is my King. And so you and I keep asking Jesus to change the world we're standing in while refusing to bow the heart He's trying to rule. You keep saying, God fix my marriage. He says, okay, but can I rule the heart inside of you first? You might say, God change my kids. He says, okay, but can I change the way you parent? You might be saying, God, change my workplace, okay, child, but can I change the way you treat people first? God, would you change my city, okay, but can I first start by changing you? God, show us heaven on earth. Of course, give me your heart. And I'll make it happen. The kingdom begins when the king takes the throne of your heart. That's heaven on earth. And so that's where we're going over these next several weeks in this series. Talking about what heaven looks like in your homes, your relationships, your work, your finances, your city and your world. But if none of that would matter if we didn't start with today,

heaven and your... while refusing to let him rule what's in us. Before heaven gets into your marriage, it has to start in your heart. Before heaven gets into your home, it needs to start in your heart. Before heaven gets into your finances, in your workplace, in your city, it needs to start in your heart. The kingdom begins when the rule of Christ is in your heart. So with that, I don't want you leaving here today, simply asking, do I believe in Jesus? But is Jesus king of my heart? Those are two very different questions to ask. Saul believed he was serving God while still resisting Jesus until Jesus brought him to his knees and invaded his heart. And maybe today Jesus isn't asking you to become more religious or to attend church more or to know more information. What if it's a bit deeper than that? What if he's saying, "Man, I know you'll stand for me, but will you bow before me?" Jesus is king. The kingdom begins with the rule of Christ in your heart. And if you've never made the decision to accept him, to accept Jesus, I'm telling you, I'm telling you right now, you're missing out. You are missing out. Greatest decision I ever made was saying yes to Jesus. And because of that, I have the opportunity to hear things doctors say will never change and remind them of the king that I serve.

If you've never made that decision to accept Jesus as king, I want to give you that opportunity right now. Why would you wait? Why would we wait to do this? Your life is not going to be any better because you said no, but it will be a thousand times better if you say yes. So with every head bowed and every eye closed, I just want you to take a brief second. I want you to think to yourself. Do I know Jesus? Is he king of my heart? And if the answer to that question is no, or maybe you've even thought you've made that decision, but it hasn't become reality until today. If that's you, I'll invite you to say this prayer after me. Just to yourself, I want you to say, Lord, I'm asking today that you become king of my heart. Lord, I'm giving you my life. And I'm saying yes to following you, serving you and loving you. Would you be the only king I serve? I give my life to yours. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Hey, we're going to do something right now that might be a little bit uncomfortable for you, but I genuinely believe that comfort and growth do not exist together. And so if it's uncomfortable, I want you to step outside of that comfort zone. If you made that decision for the first time, can you just pop your hand up right now and just say, you know what, I made that decision to accept Jesus as king of my life, to accept Jesus as Lord, love it. I see hands going up all over the place. Keep them high, guys.

Keep them high, keep them high, keep them high. If you made that decision, we want to walk through life with you. We want to give you a Bible. We want you to know that we're praying for you and loving you. The whole way through this. And so welcome into the family of God. And then the last thing I want to do with you guys, if you did raise your hand and didn't get a Bible, please grab one on the way out. We'll have people standing at these doors that will give you one of these. We want to do life with you. We genuinely do. The last thing I'm going to say is this. If you have accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, but you have not made him king, I want you to examine your heart this week and figure out the areas of your life that you need to bow before him, because he deserves it. God, we trust you. We love you. I thank you for this morning, Lord. I thank you for speaking volumes in this place. God, I thank you for revealing yourself in a brand new way. God, I pray that as we leave this room and go out into the city and into our homes, that we would recognize, understand, and bow before you as king in our lives. God, nothing else matters more than that relationship with you. So, God, we bow ourselves to who you are. God, we love you. We praise you, and more importantly, God, would you allow the chiefs to get a victory over the Raiders today?

God, it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen?