Where is this kingdom? Part 1
Text:
Matt 13:10-17 (NIV)
10 The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?"
11 He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
13 This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "’You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
INTRODUCTION
The Important Message
A while back in one of my devotional times I came across something that really leapt out at me. You know those times when you read something that kind of makes you open your eyes a little wider and examine the words a little bit more carefully? It all revolved around a phrase, the "kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven". For the past week I decided to do a "little" study of this expression and what I thought would be little turned out to be a lot. In fact, more than I ever imagined.
In studying this phrase I noticed something interesting…
Matt. 3:1-2 (NIV)
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea
2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Matt. 4:12-17 (NIV)
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee.
13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—
14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Mark 1:14-15 (NIV)
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.
15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
Both John the Baptist and Jesus preached the good news of the kingdom of God. What was this good news? That the kingdom of God is near! As I discovered this I realized, wow there is something really important about this kingdom! Looking further in the New Testament we find…
Matt. 10:7 (NIV) As you go, preach this message: ’The kingdom of heaven is near.’
Luke 9:2 (NIV) and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Luke 10:9 (NIV) Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ’The kingdom of God is near you.’
Luke 10:11 (NIV) ’Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’
Acts 8:12 (NIV) But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Acts 19:8 (NIV) Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
Acts 28:23 (NIV) They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.
Acts 28:31 (NIV) Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Clearly the message of the kingdom of God was a very important one to John the Baptist, Jesus, and the early church! It’s also clear that yes they preached Christ and yes they preached the good news – but in some way all of this is connected to what they also declared about the kingdom of God!
I began to ask myself when I looked at this expression, "what is my first reaction – what do I think of when I think of the kingdom of God? What do you think of? Where is it?"
Is it heaven?
Is it a kingdom on earth right now?
Is it a physical kingdom?
Is it real?
Is it something we can experience?
ILLUS: When I think of a kingdom, the first image that comes to my mind is based on the many fairytales I’ve heard and read about growing up…
No doubt many of us have other ideas about what the kingdom of God is! Now we might be thinking that it may be something but is really important to know about? Well, that’s a good question. And I guess the only answer I’ve been able to think of for that question is, if it isn’t important why did Jesus say:
Luke 4:43 (NIV) But he said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent."
Clearly, in the eyes of Christ this kingdom is of great importance.
Matt. 6:10; Luke 11:2 – We’re told to pray for it.
Matt. 6:33; Luke 12:31-32 – We’re told to seek it.
And this is why for the next few weeks I’d like to spend some time preaching to you about the kingdom of God.
The secrets of the kingdom of God
After Jesus told the parable of the sower the disciples came up to Him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" Jesus reply is interesting and three of the gospel writers include it in their accounts.
Matthew 13:11 (NIV) He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
Mark 4:11 (NIV) He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables
Luke 8:10 (NIV) He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, "’though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’
ILLUS: The story of Atlantis is one that has cropped up in the public’s awareness lately – no doubt you are aware of the new Disney movie about it. The Learning Channel has been airing a number of episodes on the topic. This story is about a continent, a city or a kingdom that was lost in ancient history due to a cataclysmic disaster that caused it to disappear. This story has captured the interest of people down through history because of the mystery of the secret’s that finding this lost kingdom might reveal!
In the next few weeks we’re going to be discovering the kingdom of God. It is not Atlantis, and it is not a lost kingdom. But as Jesus said to his disciples – there are secrets to be learned about this kingdom. As we search through the pages of scripture and with the leading of the Holy Spirit I believe that these secrets can be revealed to us! I believe that as we uncover these secrets – it will change the way you look at yourself, the way you look at the church and the way you look at the world.
WHERE IS THIS KINGDOM?
It is important before I go any further to ask you if you want to hear about this kingdom? I mean there isn’t much point in continuing if you don’t want to hear! I kind of laugh when I hear the words of Christ in the passage that was read at the beginning of the service, "For this peoples heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them." This would never happen in a church service would it?
But that is why I ask the question, "Do you want to hear about this kingdom?" If so, will you join with me in praying before we go any further…
Prayer
Heavenly Father, We come humbly before you this day asking that you open our hearts and minds with understanding and knowledge of your word Lord. We ask Lord that our eyes and ears be open spiritually so that we may learn spiritually. We ask Lord for the passion to want to know more about the kingdoms. We give you the praise and glory Lord. Amen.
The question I posed earlier is one that I believe can be answered today, "Where is this kingdom?" Today, by taking a brief tour of the Bible, I believe we can discover some clues that will point us to an understanding of the answer to this question.
John the Baptist and Jesus both began their ministries by declaring that the kingdom of God was near. What did they mean it, "…is near". The obvious answer is that God is about to establish a kingdom on Earth but in the light of what happened to Jesus it appears that this message was unfulfilled! Yet in order to truly understand what was being declared we have to look at whom it was being spoken to. These words were initially spoken to the people of Israel (the nation as it were). John and Jesus were not speaking to the Romans, were not speaking to the Samaritans, and were not speaking to gentiles. In fact, when Jesus first sent out his disciples to minister He said,
Matthew 10:5-6 (NIV)
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
So our understanding of the expression, "kingdom of God" must begin with how the Israelites would have understood it and for that we need to first turn to the Old Testament.
The Old Testament Understanding.
God’s Sovereignty – He reigns
The Old Testament writers wrote about the sovereignty of God. In the sense the expression, ‘Kingdom of God’ refers to His sovereign rule, or reign.
Psalms 96:10 (NIV) Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.
God’s kingdom is described as everlasting.
Psalm 145:13 (NIV) Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.
God’s kingdom is also described as universal.
Psalm 103:19 (NIV) The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Although human history might seem to evidence otherwise, the kingdom of God is supreme over everything. With this understanding the expression, "the kingdom of God" appears to describe an invisible kingdom – one that exists because of God’s incredible power, intelligence, and presence – but a kingdom that isn’t really seen in the "real" world.
God’s desire to "establish" His kingdom on Earth
However, in the Old Testament we also find evidence of God wanting to establish His kingdom in a very "real" sense on earth. In fact, it is interesting to note here that God has chosen to limit the influence of his kingdom in our existence to the will of humans.
In the first few books of the OT we find God working out a plan to establish His kingdom on earth. He chooses a people through whom He will work out this plan and we’ll pick up the story in Exodus 19:5-6.
Exodus 19:5-6 (NIV)
5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,
6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."
God states to the motley group of former slaves gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai his intention to make them a kingdom. In fact He wants to make them a kingdom of priests a holy nation. Really what God is saying is through them He wants to establish His kingdom on earth! As priests they would have a direct relationship with God! But notice that the fulfillment of God’s desire is contingent upon the desire and will of these people to obey God fully and keep His covenant! Well, the people of Israel never forgot these words – at least the "you will be for me a kingdom" part! You see, there is good reason for God to include that "IF" in his offer. God’s kingdom can’t exist on earth unless there is total and complete submission to his will and his purposes and obedience to his law. Israel, though under God’s sovereignty (his reign), was not as such His kingdom, they would become so if they obeyed His voice and kept His commandments.
As you fast forward through the history of this group of people, the nation of Israel, you discover that this great "IF" proves to be the deciding factor in the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth. Over and over again in the Old Testament God’s call to obedience rang out through prophets, priests, and kings. Truly, the general establishment of God’s rule, His kingship, on earth was the great concern.
The Old Testament began to point forward to the coming of a king, a Messiah, who would enable God’s rule to be established. And there are many instances in the Old Testament which point towards this king but one of them I’d like to read is found in Isaiah,
Isa. 9:6-7 (NIV)
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
Isaiah made reference to this messiah who would reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom. Indeed the time period in Israel’s history where King David ruled was probably the closest that Israel ever came to seeing God’s kingdom established on earth. Israel experienced during this time, a taste of what God’s kingdom is like. And God said to David that one his descendants would be a king who would establish God’s kingdom on earth forever. Isaiah merely repeats this promise in a prophecy to the Israelites – reminding them of God’s plan.
By the end of the Old Testament era, such a One had not been born – a Messiah to establish God’s kingdom so that true justice and righteousness would evermore abound. It was a time when the prominence and dominance of the nation of Israel diminished more and more on the world scene. The kingdom of God had not yet come, nor could it come until a radical change occurred in the nature of man. The Israelites knew that somehow this change would be connected with the coming of the promised Messiah who would reign over a kingdom that would be everlasting.
And so let’s return once again to the New Testament and look at these words from the viewpoint of the Israelites.
The New Testament Account.
One of the first declarations in the account of the New Testament was the angel’s to Mary that THE child was at last to be born:
Luke 1:31-33 (NIV)
31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
At last the kingdom of God was to be established – and forever! Furthermore, and with great emphasis, it was through this soon to be born child named JESUS that this kingdom would be established. This child would not only be a King but also a Saviour – for the name of Jesus means "Jehovah saves"!
The gospel account of Mark records the fulfillment of the words of the angel when Jesus openly declares,
Mark 1:15 (NIV) "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
To Jesus’ audience their hearts would quicken and they would immediately begin to recall the promise God made to them so long ago that their nation would be God’s kingdom on earth. The promise that one day this kingdom would be established through a Messiah. "Is this Jesus really the one?" You see, the Jews had come to believe that the kingdom of God belonged to them as a nation, and that the Messiah – when he came – would overthrow foreign rule and establish Israel’s dominion both universally and perpetually.
But Jesus did not only say that the kingdom of God is near but He also urgently expressed the need to repent and believe this good news! In multiple ways throughout His ensuing ministry, Jesus described the kingdom of God in a radically different way than his hearers would have expected.
In the first words of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said,
Matthew 5:3 (NIV) "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
He went on to say in this same message that the persecuted righteous people have the kingdom of heaven. No doubt to the shock of those listening, he said a little later,
Matthew 5:20 (NIV) For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
And after this, Jesus described this higher righteousness in one piercing statement after another – no anger with a brother, no lust, no swearing, and no resistance of evil; also love your enemies, pray in secret, forgive others their trespasses, and on and on. Jesus described a righteousness of the heart, truly something impossible for sinful human beings. But without it there is no entrance ("you will never enter") into the kingdom of God!
If anyone is going to enter this kingdom that Jesus described, something radical must happen within and this radical teaching went seemingly against everything the "keepers of the Old Testament" believed!
On one occasion Jesus said to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
John 3:3-5 (NIV)
3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!"
5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Jesus emphatically declared that entrance into and membership in the kingdom are only by a radical new birth. This new birth would result in the regeneration of man’s dead spirit allowing him to once again be in communion with God. A rebirth that only comes through repentance and belief in Jesus Christ as the son of God and the KING of God’s kingdom!
Sadly, the Jews as a nation (not every Jew, but representative of the nation) rejected Jesus’ message – though they had been the very people called to be God’s kingdom, and although it was primarily to them that Jesus spoke. They viewed His message as a threat to their status and would not repent and believe. Finally, Jesus could only say,
Matthew 21:43 (NIV) "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
Refusing to accept the message of Christ, the Jewish nation finally crucified Him. In this way, any claim to the kingdom was completely relinquished through their action. Does this mean God stopped loving the Israelite nation? Does this mean that Israel placed themselves out of God’s plan and God’s heart? No – for Israel is still very much a nation that has a role in the history of this world – however Jesus’ death on the cross opened a way into the kingdom for all people who would believe. The kingdom of God no longer is identified with a particular race or nation. It is no longer identified with the nation of Israel. The kingdom of God now belongs to those who have repented and believed in the good news – who have been "born again". It is a kingdom that "cannot be shaken" according to Hebrews 12:28. In fact, what God intended for the nation of Israel is established by Jesus Christ in believer’s lives as John writes so clearly in the book of Revelation,
Revelation 1:6 (NIV) and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
In this sense the New Testament indicates something further about the kingdom of God that was not understood by many of Jesus’ listeners (in fact it was only understood by those willing to believe and even then their understanding wasn’t fully developed until after Jesus’ death and resurrection). And this is hinted at in the passage I just read from Revelation. The kingdom of God is something that is resident in those that are subject to it. You can look carefully at the world around you and see that there obviously isn’t a "real" kingdom of God that exerts influence politically, and physically, on our planet – at least not in the sense that governments operate today. Instead the kingdom of God exists in believers of Jesus Christ and exerts its influence through them wherever they find themselves. It is in this way that the kingdom of God was established on this world by Jesus Christ! The Pharisees once asked Jesus when the kingdom would come and Jesus replied to them,
Luke 17:20-21 (NIV)
20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation,
21 nor will people say, ’Here it is,’ or ’There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you."
Luke 22:29-30 (NIV)
29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me,
30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
The true kingdom of God cannot be specifically pointed to with a "Here it is" or "There it is," because it is a hidden, profoundly internal reality. Friends, the kingdom of God can be found wherever God rules in human hearts but more than that, it is found wherever his will is done!
CONCLUSION
And this is one of the greatest secrets of the kingdom of God. It is a kingdom that is found in the hearts of those who have made Jesus their Lord. But is this the end of the story? Not quite… for you see what I have said is true but that does not mean that the church is the kingdom of God, that believer’s are the kingdom of God. That is not what I said. If you were listening carefully I only said it can be found or has been established in those heart’s that are ruled by God – in other words, the kingdom manifests itself through the followers of Christ.
This is a very important distinction because it is also made very clear in the New Testament that there is going to be a literal installation of God’s kingdom on the earth in the last days. A physical kingdom that will have direct influence on the affairs of this planet and the people on this planet. A kingdom that is not only manifested internally in the lives of it’s subjects but also externally in the world around them.
Jesus makes this distinction quite clear in two parables he used to describe what "the kingdom of God is like": the parable of the weeds (Matt.13:24-30,26-43), and that of the fishnet (Matt. 13:47-50).
In the parable of the weeds, the "son of man" sowed good seed or wheat ("the sons of the kingdom" or those who are born again); then in the same field the enemy, the Devil, sowed weeds. But the wheat and the tares become so intermingled that only at the "close of the age" (v.39) can they be disentangled. The son of Man will then send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers…then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father whereas the weeds will be burned up in the fire. Now when Jesus interpreted this parable for his disciples He said that the field represented the world and yet at the end of the parable it is described as His kingdom. At some point in the course of the parable the world was "usurped" or became the kingdom of God. It was at harvest time that this took place. So while it is recognized that the Son’s of the kingdom are representatives of the kingdom in the world it is at the end of the age that the kingdom of God is made a reality in the world. And when that happens the only people who will be able to remain in the kingdom are those who are it’s subjects.
So, yes the kingdom of God is a internal reality in the life of the believer and is manifested through the church – but we still find ourselves a part of the kingdom of the world. But at the end of history a voice will cry,
Revelation 11:15 (NIV) The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."
At that time Jesus will say to His own,
Matthew 25:34 (NIV) "Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
We will eat and drink with our Lord Jesus in this glorious kingdom, for He said at the Last Supper,
Matthew 26:29 (NIV) I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom."
In the words of Christ, "Repent and believe the good news, the kingdom of God is near."
Amen
