A. WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
The message of Jesus; “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). Jesus talked much about the kingdom, i.e., over 50 times.
1. The Kingdom of God is a political rule on earth, i.e., America is a Christian nation.
2. The Kingdom of God would drive Romans into the sea and free the Promised Land for the Jews. Jesus would sit on its throne.
3. The Kingdom of God is the coming millennial kingdom that brings history to an end.
4. Correct view: the Kingdom of God is His rule of our hearts. Jesus wants to sit on the throne of our heart. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).
B. WHAT IS THE KINGDOM FOR US?
1. The Kingdom of God is already and not yet.
a. D-Day, June 6, 1944, the invasion broke the back of the Axis powers and secured victory, i.e., we already won, but not yet.
b. May 7-8, 1945, Axis powers surrendered unconditionally; victory finally arrived.
5. Jesus’ death on the cross secured victory, we have already won and the end is no longer in doubt, but we have many battles to fight. Christ’s kingdom must be advanced, because it is not yet.
a. We must win lost people to Christ.
b. We must fight the issue of abortion.
c. We must give social justice for the poor.
6. We are SENT to partner with God in His kingdom work. We work between “the already won victory” and “the not yet won victory.”
C. A NEW PERSPECTIVE
1. We have a new perspective of Jesus. “Even if we have known Christ in a purely human way, yet now we no longer know Him like that” (2 Cor. 5:16, CSB).
2. We have a new perspective of ourselves. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come” (2 Cor. 5:17, CSB).
3. What is new? “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’” (John 3:3).
a. New birth
b. Second birth
c. Being born again
4. The most dramatic event in a person’s life.
a. To be saved
b. To accept Christ
c. To become a Christian
5. In contemporary words, “We get a make-over;” not because of our individual righteousness, but by His (Jesus) righteousness.
6. What are we after this salvation?
a. Sons or daughters
b. Saints
c. Priests
d. Ambassadors
7. Yet in spite of our new nature, we lose our patience, are sarcastic, or crotchety. We live between the already and not yet.
8. We must choose to be outside, like the person on the inside.
D. ENGAGING THE WORLD
1. Our message is reconciliation. “God . . . reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself . . . and has committed the message of reconciliation to us” (2 Cor. 5:18-19, CSB).
2. Reconciliation means, “To restore friendship or harmony”.
3. This is both mission and message.
4. Why was Jesus SENT? “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).
Message of Salvation Social Justice/Mission
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• Preach the gospel of salvation Poor
• Heal brokenhearted – relationship Peace
• Liberty to slaves of sin Politically oppressed
• Recover sight to spiritually blind Health
5. The church is wrongly known by what’s it is against, rather than what it is for.
6. We must be the message (our words) and do the mission (serve).
7. We are sent as was Jesus. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
8. We must try to make the world better, i.e., give attention to poverty, world health, orphans, widows, racial justice, political oppression, family, etc.
9. Know the difference between convictions and preferences.
a. Convictions based on the Bible.
b. Preferences grow out of culture.
10. Don’t let anyone say, “You can bring justice, but not Jesus.”
E. WE ARE AMBASSADORS
1. As ambassadors for God living between already and not yet. “Therefore we are ambassador for Christ . . . God is appealing through us, we plead on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20, CSB).
2. Why would Jesus appoint flawed representation? As “messed up people,” we show the world the grace, forgiveness and love of God.
3. Don’t fear culture (situational ethics, no absolute truth, lies, power is right) and retreat to our “holy huddle.” Holiness is not retreating from sinners, but from sin.
4. What does an ambassador do?
a. Represents their king.
b. Speaks and acts for their king.
c. Tells of king’s activity.
d. Lives among foreigners.
e. Becomes the reconciler between two nations.
5. The cross is our motivation to live as kingdom representatives.
6. Can we decide not to represent the kingdom of Jesus? “Christ’s love compels (controls) us . . . if One died for all . . . He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised” (2 Cor. 5:14-15, CSB).
7. We always represent God whether we do a good job or not. So we must be missional people.
