THE SUMMER KINGDOM
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Sunday, July 24, 2022
SUMMER IS A GLIMPSE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
(Luke 21:29–31, NLT) “Then he gave them this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near.”
(Isaiah 18:4, PT) “I will rest calm and confident as I look from my dwelling place, serene as on a pleasant summer day or a cool, refreshing cloud in the heat of harvest.”
(Revelation 22:2, NLT) “It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.”
1. SUMMER IS A SEASON OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY.
(Zechariah 8:2–5, NLT) “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem! “And now the Lord says: I am returning to Mount Zion, and I will live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City; the mountain of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will be called the Holy Mountain. “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Once again old men and women will walk Jerusalem’s streets with their canes and will sit together in the city squares. And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls at play.”
(Zechariah 8:12, NLT) “For I am planting seeds of peace and prosperity among you. The grapevines will be heavy with fruit. The earth will produce its crops, and the heavens will release the dew. Once more I will cause the remnant in Judah and Israel to inherit these blessings.”
(Zechariah 8:15, NLT) “But now I am determined to bless Jerusalem and the people of Judah. So don’t be afraid.”
2. SUMMER IS A SEASON OF CELEBRATION!
(Zechariah 8:19, NLT) “The traditional fasts and times of mourning you have kept in early summer, midsummer, autumn, and winter are now ended. They will become festivals of joy and celebration for the people of Judah. So love truth and peace.”
3. SUMMER IS A SEASON TO BE REFRESHED.
(Psalm 32:4b, NLT) “My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.”
(Mark 4:6, NLT) “The plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died.”
(Romans 4:7–8, NLT) “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”
4. SUMMER IS A SEASON OF GATHERING FIRST FRUITS.
(Proverbs 10:5, NLT) “A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.”
5. SUMMER IS A SEASON OF PRUNING FOR GROWTH.
(John 15:1–2, NLT) “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.”
GROWTHWORK
Don’t let summer make your soul shrivel. God made summer as a foretaste of heaven, not a substitute. If the mailman brings you a love letter from your fiancé, don’t fall in love with the mailman. That’s what summer is: God’s messenger with a sun-soaked, tree-green, flower-blooming, lake-glistening letter of love to show us what he is planning for us in the age to come—“things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Don’t fall in love with the video preview and find yourself unable to love the coming reality.
Jesus Christ is the refreshing center of summer. He is preeminent in all things (Colossians 1:18), including vacations, picnics, softball, long walks, and cookouts. He invites us in the summer: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This is serious summer refreshment.
1. OUR BRIEF SUMMER IS A TIME TO SAVOR THE TASTE OF A KINGDOM THAT WILL NEVER END.
2. LIVE OUT THE SUMMER KINGDOM EVERY SEASON.
3. ENJOY CREPES THIS SUMMER.
a. Connect
b. Relax
c. Eat
d. Play
e. Entertain
f. Seclude
4. RECEIVING GOD’S FORGIVENESS REFRESHES ME.
5. MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR OPPORTUNITIES.
6. DON’T RESIST GOD’S PRUNING.