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I have the honor and privilege of bringing the ninth installation of the Kingdom Callings series to you, and the title of this particular sermon is Called and Regret—a heavy title that requires us to dig deep into Scripture and the heart of Jesus.
Let me start with a difficult question that most adults will answer "yes" to, though you may not want to think about it: Have you ever been in a dysfunctional relationship?
Dysfunction is painful because you care. You empty out everything you have, trying to make the relationship become what you want it to be. You give money, time, your shoulder to cry on. You help with things that aren't even your responsibility. And yet, despite giving everything, the fruit of healthiness never arrives.
What's particularly painful is that people withdraw from these situations because they don't want others to know. Nobody posts about being broken, confused, and in dysfunction. Instead, we curate our public image—the cute photos with filters, the versions of ourselves that look perfect, while hiding the real pain underneath.
But here's what's important: you can start with good intentions and pour everything you have out, and it still doesn't turn out the way you want it to. As we jump into Scripture, I believe Jesus is detailing a similar situation—dealing with a dysfunctional relationship with humanity.
When you study Scripture, you cannot simply jump in and jump out. To get the full revelation with the help of the Holy Spirit, you must look at things in context. Let me start where our pastor ended his message—in Matthew 11.
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say he has a demon. And the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, "Look at him, a glutton and a drunkard and a friend of tax collectors and sinners." (Matthew 11:18-19)
Notice the pattern: John came one way—they criticized him. Jesus came a different way—they criticized him. But this sets up what comes next.
Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done because they did not repent. (Matthew 11:20)
Take that verse down: Mighty works—still didn't repent.
When I studied this, what struck me was that Jesus is extremely interested in fruit. He's saying, "I did this. But you still didn't repent." This tells me there was an expectation on the back side of God's goodness toward you.
If you take the continuation of thought: John came—had a problem. Jesus came eating and drinking—still had a problem. Mighty works—still didn't repent. What does this reveal? Jesus is looking for fruit.
Look at what Jesus taught in John 15:
If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers, and the branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. (John 15:6-7)
Here's a practical principle: if you're checking to see whether your prayers are working, it's a good idea to check and see if His Word abides in you.
Jesus continues:
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (John 15:8)
Jesus is very interested in fruit. That's the whole reason He was checking to make sure you're in the vine—so you can do the work. You abide in Me, I abide in you. You pray, I will answer. My Father is glorified. You bear much fruit, proving that you are My disciples.
We're in a new era now. We're not just talking about Christendom anymore—we're talking about disciples and disciple-making. Everybody interested in that needs to be interested in this.
Now let's look at Matthew 11:21-22:
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. (Matthew 11:21-22)
And verses 23-24:
And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you. (Matthew 11:23-24)
Let me detail some of the miracles Jesus performed in these regions: He changed water into wine. He healed the royal official's son in Capernaum. He healed a demon-possessed man. He healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law. He caught a large number of fish in the Sea of Galilee. He fed 5,000. He walked on water. He healed a leper. He healed a paralytic.
Had he not poured out his goodness in the region of Galilee! But they failed to repent.
Many people think that God is pronouncing wrath on the unbeliever here. But listen: as an unbeliever, the Scripture says you already have wrath on you.
So Jesus is coming to show His goodness and His miracle power. Not just so that you'll get healed—that's good. Not just so that someone will be fed—that's good. Not just so that the paralytic man would walk again—that's good. Not just so that someone would rise again. Not just so that you'd have an amazing story about walking on water.
The ultimate goal is to have you repent and come into right fellowship with God the Father.
Beloved, do not get spoiled with the preaching of the gospel. Do not take it for granted that you're going to hear it again. Jesus has actually denounced these cities: "You are damned to judgment. It will be better for Sodom than for you."
Jesus referenced Scripture and said:
Have you never read in the scriptures? The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. (Matthew 21:42-43)
The kingdom will be taken away from you if you keep rejecting it.
Jesus is the chief cornerstone. Do you know what the chief cornerstone is? In a building, it's the stone where all the weight sits. If you remove it, the whole structure can fall in.
You cannot just go to God with your good works. You cannot bypass the Chief Cornerstone. The Scripture calls Him the Founder of Our Salvation, the Foundation of Our Salvation, the Chief Cornerstone—Jesus.
He is beckoning us, saying: "I've shown you my goodness. I went to the cross for you. I was beaten at the whipping post for you. I had my beard plucked for you. They ridiculed me for you. I had my side pierced for you. I had a crown of thorns pressed on my head for you. I had nails in my hands and nails in my feet. And I bore the sins of the whole world for you."
That was the pinnacle of His goodness. I do not have a more magnificent miracle than that.
If it were not necessary for Jesus to come and die on the cross, He would not have sent Him. So it is the arrogance of man to bypass the cross. And what is waiting for you is damnation.
But I want you to understand something: it's not that Jesus is just mad. There is a level of anguish here.
Listen to Jesus's cry in Matthew 23:37:
Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
Can you hear the love and the frustration in that? Just like in dysfunctional situations, I hear Jesus saying: "I wanted to mother you. I would have gathered your children and brought them under my wing."
Jesus signed up for a dysfunctional relationship with man, and we are the apple of His eye. The Scripture says, "What is man that Thou art mindful of him?"
I want to seal this in your soul: It is the goodness of God that God wants to use to bring you into the kingdom.
Listen to Romans 2:4-5 (Amplified):
Do you have no regard for the wealth of His kindness and tolerance and patience in withholding His wrath? And are you actually unaware or ignorant of the fact that God's kindness leads you to repentance—that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking, and seek His purpose for your life? But because of your callous stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are deliberately storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.
I can't make it any more plain than that. The Scripture cannot make it any more plain than that. It is the goodness of God whose ultimate aim is to bring you into a better relationship with Him.
What other rightful response is there for the true and living God except to repent, follow, love, trust, and adore Him?
Now, I'm talking mostly to the unbeliever in this text, but the reality is, beloved, we can be saved as God's children and still deal with a level of dysfunction with Him. We should not seek to grieve the Holy Spirit.
As I'm closing, I have two things for you to check to make sure your heart stays out of dysfunction with God.
Matthew 22:37-40:
He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."
All of the Old Testament—all the prophets, all the laws, all 613 commandments given to Israel, all of that—hangs on these two.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.
How loving are we? How loving are you? The Scripture says we shall be known as disciples by our love. Do people know you like that? That you're a loving person? Do they say, "She is so loving. He is so loving"?
Here's what often happens: We come to church, hear a word, get convicted, run out, and try to "do" better on our own. Don't do that. You still need to go to the Scriptures to get all your theology.
First John says, "We love God because He loved us first." If it's not coming out of your soul, you haven't received the revelation or a fresh dose of it.
Here's one of the major ways you'll be able to see the love of God: Go think about the cross.
See yourself sitting at His right side, at His left side, at His feet. Go see yourself where you were before He redeemed you. When you look at your list of sins—don't hide from them. Look at them. This is where I have sinned. This is where I am sinning. This is what I still struggle with. This is what I still bask in. Not just your deliverance, but your current list. And realize that Jesus is not coming back to deal with sin again. The sins of the whole world were borne by Him on the cross.
You couldn't pay what it cost to get access to God. You needed a holy sacrifice. Do you know what happened in the garden of Gethsemane? Jesus, fully God and fully human, called humans to come and help Him pray. That's how weighty our sins were. God in the flesh said, "I need your help. This is tough." Jesus would go on to face crucifixion with excruciating pain, knowing it was coming.
That's the love that was freely given to you.
Go meditate on that. Not six times—I'm just giving you a number—go meditate on that three times before you even look at the person who needs your forgiveness. Go look at your sin and look at the cross. The more you meditate on that, the more your heart will be pricked.
You were a sinner, disconnected from God. You wanted God, but God wanted you more than you wanted Him. And He stepped out of heaven, down through 42 generations, and died on a rugged cross so that pure and innocent blood could be spilled once and for all for all sins.
That's the love you have received.
I know you've got money problems. I get that. Maybe you're married, maybe you're not. Maybe you're married and you've got marital problems. I'm with it. All of that can be painful. But this is the love you have received.
Not sure if you're going to get the promotion? But this is the love you have received. And now you have eternal life.
Listen, I need to teach some of you and remind others: eternal life isn't heaven. It's life with Him now. When we get to heaven, what a time it will be! But He didn't say wait until heaven to get to Him. We were enjoying Him earlier. We were basking in His presence today. Holy, holy, holy is He. You can run to Him today.
He saw every single possible sin that you have done, are doing, will do. He paid for it. And He still called you. That is the love that you have received.
Matthew 28:18-19:
Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Where's your participation in that?
It's the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. What's beautiful about it is that Jesus gathered everything that came before and said, "This is what you do: Love the Lord your God." And He says everything you're going to do until He cracks the sky and we meet Him again is the Great Commission.
With these two things—where are you at? Are you supporting it? Are you giving to it? Are you spending time? Are you coming to the gathering? Are you showing up on access, whether in person or online?
Beyond just listening, are you being a reflective witness of His glory on your job? Will you run into unsaved loved ones? Are you loving your spouse? Are you treating your children good? Are you making disciples?
"Well, I've only been saved for a year." You can teach one verse. Find one and teach it. Lead someone and say, "Hey man, I just want to remind you of the gospel."
The Great Commandment and the Great Commission—these are the things that believers who belong to Him can use to evaluate your heart. It's not about condemnation. This is where I need to correct and get to it.
The unbeliever and the believer need to recognize and honor the sacrifice of Jesus at all times or live to regret it.
That's the call. That's the invitation. That's the warning. Will you respond?
I have the honor and privilege of bringing the ninth installation of the Kingdom Callings series to you, and the title of this particular sermon is Called and Regret—a heavy title that requires us to dig deep into Scripture and the heart of Jesus.
Let me start with a difficult question that most adults will answer "yes" to, though you may not want to think about it: Have you ever been in a dysfunctional relationship?
Dysfunction is painful because you care. You empty out everything you have, trying to make the relationship become what you want it to be. You give money, time, your shoulder to cry on. You help with things that aren't even your responsibility. And yet, despite giving everything, the fruit of healthiness never arrives.
What's particularly painful is that people withdraw from these situations because they don't want others to know. Nobody posts about being broken, confused, and in dysfunction. Instead, we curate our public image—the cute photos with filters, the versions of ourselves that look perfect, while hiding the real pain underneath.
But here's what's important: you can start with good intentions and pour everything you have out, and it still doesn't turn out the way you want it to. As we jump into Scripture, I believe Jesus is detailing a similar situation—dealing with a dysfunctional relationship with humanity.
When you study Scripture, you cannot simply jump in and jump out. To get the full revelation with the help of the Holy Spirit, you must look at things in context. Let me start where our pastor ended his message—in Matthew 11.
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say he has a demon. And the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, "Look at him, a glutton and a drunkard and a friend of tax collectors and sinners." (Matthew 11:18-19)
Notice the pattern: John came one way—they criticized him. Jesus came a different way—they criticized him. But this sets up what comes next.
Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done because they did not repent. (Matthew 11:20)
Take that verse down: Mighty works—still didn't repent.
When I studied this, what struck me was that Jesus is extremely interested in fruit. He's saying, "I did this. But you still didn't repent." This tells me there was an expectation on the back side of God's goodness toward you.
If you take the continuation of thought: John came—had a problem. Jesus came eating and drinking—still had a problem. Mighty works—still didn't repent. What does this reveal? Jesus is looking for fruit.
Look at what Jesus taught in John 15:
If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers, and the branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. (John 15:6-7)
Here's a practical principle: if you're checking to see whether your prayers are working, it's a good idea to check and see if His Word abides in you.
Jesus continues:
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (John 15:8)
Jesus is very interested in fruit. That's the whole reason He was checking to make sure you're in the vine—so you can do the work. You abide in Me, I abide in you. You pray, I will answer. My Father is glorified. You bear much fruit, proving that you are My disciples.
We're in a new era now. We're not just talking about Christendom anymore—we're talking about disciples and disciple-making. Everybody interested in that needs to be interested in this.
Now let's look at Matthew 11:21-22:
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. (Matthew 11:21-22)
And verses 23-24:
And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you. (Matthew 11:23-24)
Let me detail some of the miracles Jesus performed in these regions: He changed water into wine. He healed the royal official's son in Capernaum. He healed a demon-possessed man. He healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law. He caught a large number of fish in the Sea of Galilee. He fed 5,000. He walked on water. He healed a leper. He healed a paralytic.
Had he not poured out his goodness in the region of Galilee! But they failed to repent.
Many people think that God is pronouncing wrath on the unbeliever here. But listen: as an unbeliever, the Scripture says you already have wrath on you.
So Jesus is coming to show His goodness and His miracle power. Not just so that you'll get healed—that's good. Not just so that someone will be fed—that's good. Not just so that the paralytic man would walk again—that's good. Not just so that someone would rise again. Not just so that you'd have an amazing story about walking on water.
The ultimate goal is to have you repent and come into right fellowship with God the Father.
Beloved, do not get spoiled with the preaching of the gospel. Do not take it for granted that you're going to hear it again. Jesus has actually denounced these cities: "You are damned to judgment. It will be better for Sodom than for you."
Jesus referenced Scripture and said:
Have you never read in the scriptures? The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. (Matthew 21:42-43)
The kingdom will be taken away from you if you keep rejecting it.
Jesus is the chief cornerstone. Do you know what the chief cornerstone is? In a building, it's the stone where all the weight sits. If you remove it, the whole structure can fall in.
You cannot just go to God with your good works. You cannot bypass the Chief Cornerstone. The Scripture calls Him the Founder of Our Salvation, the Foundation of Our Salvation, the Chief Cornerstone—Jesus.
He is beckoning us, saying: "I've shown you my goodness. I went to the cross for you. I was beaten at the whipping post for you. I had my beard plucked for you. They ridiculed me for you. I had my side pierced for you. I had a crown of thorns pressed on my head for you. I had nails in my hands and nails in my feet. And I bore the sins of the whole world for you."
That was the pinnacle of His goodness. I do not have a more magnificent miracle than that.
If it were not necessary for Jesus to come and die on the cross, He would not have sent Him. So it is the arrogance of man to bypass the cross. And what is waiting for you is damnation.
But I want you to understand something: it's not that Jesus is just mad. There is a level of anguish here.
Listen to Jesus's cry in Matthew 23:37:
Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
Can you hear the love and the frustration in that? Just like in dysfunctional situations, I hear Jesus saying: "I wanted to mother you. I would have gathered your children and brought them under my wing."
Jesus signed up for a dysfunctional relationship with man, and we are the apple of His eye. The Scripture says, "What is man that Thou art mindful of him?"
I want to seal this in your soul: It is the goodness of God that God wants to use to bring you into the kingdom.
Listen to Romans 2:4-5 (Amplified):
Do you have no regard for the wealth of His kindness and tolerance and patience in withholding His wrath? And are you actually unaware or ignorant of the fact that God's kindness leads you to repentance—that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking, and seek His purpose for your life? But because of your callous stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are deliberately storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.
I can't make it any more plain than that. The Scripture cannot make it any more plain than that. It is the goodness of God whose ultimate aim is to bring you into a better relationship with Him.
What other rightful response is there for the true and living God except to repent, follow, love, trust, and adore Him?
Now, I'm talking mostly to the unbeliever in this text, but the reality is, beloved, we can be saved as God's children and still deal with a level of dysfunction with Him. We should not seek to grieve the Holy Spirit.
As I'm closing, I have two things for you to check to make sure your heart stays out of dysfunction with God.
Matthew 22:37-40:
He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."
All of the Old Testament—all the prophets, all the laws, all 613 commandments given to Israel, all of that—hangs on these two.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.
How loving are we? How loving are you? The Scripture says we shall be known as disciples by our love. Do people know you like that? That you're a loving person? Do they say, "She is so loving. He is so loving"?
Here's what often happens: We come to church, hear a word, get convicted, run out, and try to "do" better on our own. Don't do that. You still need to go to the Scriptures to get all your theology.
First John says, "We love God because He loved us first." If it's not coming out of your soul, you haven't received the revelation or a fresh dose of it.
Here's one of the major ways you'll be able to see the love of God: Go think about the cross.
See yourself sitting at His right side, at His left side, at His feet. Go see yourself where you were before He redeemed you. When you look at your list of sins—don't hide from them. Look at them. This is where I have sinned. This is where I am sinning. This is what I still struggle with. This is what I still bask in. Not just your deliverance, but your current list. And realize that Jesus is not coming back to deal with sin again. The sins of the whole world were borne by Him on the cross.
You couldn't pay what it cost to get access to God. You needed a holy sacrifice. Do you know what happened in the garden of Gethsemane? Jesus, fully God and fully human, called humans to come and help Him pray. That's how weighty our sins were. God in the flesh said, "I need your help. This is tough." Jesus would go on to face crucifixion with excruciating pain, knowing it was coming.
That's the love that was freely given to you.
Go meditate on that. Not six times—I'm just giving you a number—go meditate on that three times before you even look at the person who needs your forgiveness. Go look at your sin and look at the cross. The more you meditate on that, the more your heart will be pricked.
You were a sinner, disconnected from God. You wanted God, but God wanted you more than you wanted Him. And He stepped out of heaven, down through 42 generations, and died on a rugged cross so that pure and innocent blood could be spilled once and for all for all sins.
That's the love you have received.
I know you've got money problems. I get that. Maybe you're married, maybe you're not. Maybe you're married and you've got marital problems. I'm with it. All of that can be painful. But this is the love you have received.
Not sure if you're going to get the promotion? But this is the love you have received. And now you have eternal life.
Listen, I need to teach some of you and remind others: eternal life isn't heaven. It's life with Him now. When we get to heaven, what a time it will be! But He didn't say wait until heaven to get to Him. We were enjoying Him earlier. We were basking in His presence today. Holy, holy, holy is He. You can run to Him today.
He saw every single possible sin that you have done, are doing, will do. He paid for it. And He still called you. That is the love that you have received.
Matthew 28:18-19:
Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Where's your participation in that?
It's the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. What's beautiful about it is that Jesus gathered everything that came before and said, "This is what you do: Love the Lord your God." And He says everything you're going to do until He cracks the sky and we meet Him again is the Great Commission.
With these two things—where are you at? Are you supporting it? Are you giving to it? Are you spending time? Are you coming to the gathering? Are you showing up on access, whether in person or online?
Beyond just listening, are you being a reflective witness of His glory on your job? Will you run into unsaved loved ones? Are you loving your spouse? Are you treating your children good? Are you making disciples?
"Well, I've only been saved for a year." You can teach one verse. Find one and teach it. Lead someone and say, "Hey man, I just want to remind you of the gospel."
The Great Commandment and the Great Commission—these are the things that believers who belong to Him can use to evaluate your heart. It's not about condemnation. This is where I need to correct and get to it.
The unbeliever and the believer need to recognize and honor the sacrifice of Jesus at all times or live to regret it.
That's the call. That's the invitation. That's the warning. Will you respond?
