The kingdom of God is forcefully advancing not by the love of power, but by the power of love.
Even when the world looks like it's falling apart, we have every reason to relax, because Jesus said His kingdom is forcefully advancing and not even the gates of hell can stop it. Unlike every other kingdom in history, it doesn't advance through power and might but through love, and if we've put our faith in Jesus, we're already part of it.
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Point 1 of 6
John the Baptist doubted from prison, and Jesus defended him rather than shaming him
Pastor Pat retells how John, once so certain he'd baptized the Messiah, sat in prison doubting and sent disciples to ask Jesus, 'Are you the one?' Jesus answered by pointing to the evidence of the kingdom breaking in (the blind seeing, the deaf hearing) and then turned to defend John to the crowd as a man of courage, not a coward.
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Point 2 of 6
The Bible's whole story is about heaven and earth coming into harmony as one kingdom
Pastor Pat explains that Scripture begins with heaven and earth in perfect harmony, sin breaks that harmony, and Revelation ends with Jesus restoring it fully. Jesus talked about this kingdom over 170 times, and everyone who trusts Him is already part of it now, called to display what that coming harmony looks like.
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Point 3 of 6
Jesus said His kingdom is forcefully advancing and not even the gates of hell can stop it
Working through Matthew 11:12 and a Greek word study, Pastor Pat lands on the translation 'the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing.' He connects this to Matthew 16, where at Caesarea Philippi, near the pagan 'Gates of Hades,' Jesus tells Peter that not even the gates of hell will stop the church He is building.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 4 of 6
History proves the kingdom keeps advancing despite every attempt to crush it
Pastor Pat traces Rome's persecution at Caesarea's hippodrome, and modern attempts by dictators, China, and the Taliban in Afghanistan to wipe out the church, showing that Christianity has only grown under each attack because Jesus' promise still holds.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 5 of 6
This kingdom is strange because it advances by love, not power
Pastor Pat contrasts every earthly kingdom, which expands by might, with Jesus' kingdom, which advances by love. He illustrates this with a martyred girl's dying words 'Mom, forgive them,' and the story of David Wilkerson telling gang leader Nicky Cruz that even cut into a thousand pieces, every piece would still love him.
“Mom, forgive them”
— Pastor Pat McCalla
Illustration
An ISIS soldier demands a tax from a Christian woman, burns her house, and her dying daughter's last words are 'Mom, forgive them'
Illustration
Rural pastor David Wilkerson confronted by gang leader Nicky Cruz with a switchblade; Wilkerson's reply: 'Every one of those thousand pieces will still love you'
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 6 of 6
Paul lived all in for this kingdom even though he hadn't arrived
Reading Philippians 3, Pastor Pat shows Paul contrasting enemies of the cross, focused only on this life, with citizens of heaven awaiting Jesus. Paul admits he doesn't have it all together but says he's reaching forward and not turning back, a posture Pastor Pat says transformed his own tendency to tame his God-given dreams.
“Nikki, every one of those thousand pieces will still love you”
— Pastor Pat McCalla
“I'm not saying that I have all this together, that I have it made, but I'm well on my way reaching out for Christ who has so wondrously reached out for me”
— Pastor Pat McCalla
“Friends don't get me wrong, by no means do I count myself an expert in all this, but I've got my eye on the goal”
— Pastor Pat McCalla
“I am all in and I am not turning back”
— Pastor Pat McCalla
A story from life
Pastor Pat describes the moment years ago when studying these truths he realized he had been taming his God-given dreams and going through the motions
A story from life
Pastor Pat recounts sneaking into an abandoned granary with friends after high school, being cornered by police and a canine unit, and finding calm in the hiding place — used as a picture of kingdom peace amid fear
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Take it into your week
Pastor Pat frames it as three challenges: stop taming your dreams, love the person God puts on your heart, and rest instead of living in fear because the kingdom cannot be stopped.
Application
Stop taming your God-given dreams
If you've quietly started meandering through the Christian life, apologizing for who God made you to be, or tiptoeing around critics, say no more and go all in like Paul, even if you don't have it all figured out.
Love the person God puts on your heart
Before the sun goes down today, reach out to whoever comes to mind, whether by text, letter, an act of service, or simply saying 'I forgive you,' because the kingdom advances by the power of love.
Relax instead of living in fear and anger
When the news stirs up anxiety or anger, remember you belong to a kingdom that cannot be stopped, and let that truth settle you rather than letting fear run the show.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI