Our passage speaks about two events in our Lord’s ministry, which, although separated in time, are united in the text of Luke’s Gospel.
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We’ve said the Kingdom refers to God’s rule and reign; and the church exists to demonstrate what life is like lived under that rule and reign. Today, we’re going to think about three ways the power of God’s kingdom is displayed by those who would commit themselves to kingdom living. The power of the kingdom is displayed as we . . .
1. Let the kingdom come to us – vs. 20-21
A. We need to seek to let the kingdom come to us individually.
As we have noted before, Jesus taught us to pray:
“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” - Matthew 6:10 (NIV)
Where should be the first place we should seek to find an answer to this prayer? In us! And the answer is possible because of the Holy Spirit’s presence within us. Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is within us, which is a reference to His presence within the life of the believer.
“When you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit.” - Ephesians 1:13 (NLT)
As one who has a personal love relationship with God through faith in Christ, I now find that God has taken up residence with me through the Holy Spirit. So, as a believer, I know the Spirit of God resides within me; now I need to seek to allow Him to preside over me.
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.” - 1 Peter 3:15a (NIV)
The key to living Christ-centered as opposed to self-centered is our seeking to find the answer to one question: What does the Lord want?
B. We need to seek to let the kingdom come to us congregationally.
It’s interesting to note that the phrase “the kingdom of God is within you” could also be translated “the kingdom of God is among you.” In other words, there is not only an individual application to be made here, but a corporate or congregational application to be made too.
One of Paul’s favorite ways to describe the church was to describe the church as Christ’s body. Christ is the head of His church, which means He is the one who makes the decisions and gives us direction. We are each part of his body, and as such, are to function by obeying the decisions and following the direction given by our head, Christ.
“He is the head, and the whole body depends on him. All the parts of the body are joined and held together, with each part doing its own work. This causes the whole body to grow and to be stronger in love.” - Ephesians 4:15b-16 (Easy to Read)
There is no more powerful testimony to the power of the kingdom than people from different walks of life, who are committed to working through differences, and walking together in harmony and unity.
“How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.” - Psalm 137:1-3 (NLT)
When Christ rules in our life as a congregation, we’ll be a church where God’s power is present; people are refreshed and blessed; and folks discover life everlasting. But what’s the key to living under His Lordship? A determination to answer one question in all we discuss, decide and do: What does the Lord want?
As the old saying goes, the difference between “united” and “untied” is where you place the “I”!
Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias says that of all questions put to him challenging Christianity, the one that bothers him the most was asked by a Hindu friend: “If this conversion you speak about is truly supernatural, then why is it not more evident in the lives of so many Christians that I know?” In other words, a God who is said to transform should produce people with transformed lives.
The reason for this poor testimony is that while we may have come into the kingdom through Christ, we’re not letting the kingdom come to us by living under His Lordship. But when we do live under His Lordship, there’s no more powerful testimony to an unbelieving world.
The power of the kingdom is displayed as we surrender our lives to the Lordship of Christ.
The power of the kingdom is also displayed as we . . .
2. Bring the influence of kingdom to others – vs. 11-14
Jesus met people where they were and addressed their perceived needs and interests as a means to address their real, most pressing need for new life through Him. In so doing, He took on the role of a servant. Likewise, as we take on the role of a servant, we can represent Christ to others and through our attitude and acts of service, display the positive and powerful influence of the kingdom of God in our lives and theirs.
We are never more like Jesus than when we serve others. But we do so with an ultimate end in mind - to address their most pressing need.
“(Jesus) accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form. During his life as a man, he humbled himself by being fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death - death on a cross.” - Philippians 2:7b-8 (Easy to Read)
Notice, Jesus made Himself a servant in order to bring us opportunity for salvation. Likewise, we serve others, addressing their perceived needs and interests, for the ultimate purpose of meeting their most pressing need - the need for salvation.
“As long as there is a human being who does not know Jesus Christ, I am his debtor to serve him until he does.” - Oswald Chambers
Make me a servant, humble and meek; Lord, let me lift up those who are weak; And may the pray of my heart always be: Make me a servant, make me, a servant, make me a servant today.
The power of the kingdom is displayed as weserve others in the name of Christ.
As we commit to living under the Lordship of Christ and serving others in His name, not only do we experience the positive and powerful influence of the kingdom in our lives and share that with others, but we see the power of the kingdom is also displayed as we . . .
3. Watch them come into the kingdom as we have - vs. 15-19
This is what Peter describes will result if we serious commit to living under the Lordship of Christ and let Him rule and reign in our lives:
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” - 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
Living under the Lordship of Christ not only bring the positive and powerful influence of the kingdom into my life; but as I obey Christ and live for Him; it brings the positive and powerful influence of the kingdom to the lives of others; and some of those who are blessed by the kingdom want to know how they can make Jesus their king.
“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” - John 20:21 (NIV)
We should not only want to employ the method of Jesus (serving others) but we must also want to proclaim the message of Jesus.
What message did Jesus proclaim?
“The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the Good News!” - Mark 1:15 (NIV)
Just what did He mean by “the kingdom of God is near?” He could’ve referred to the end of days. But it’s more likely He meant that through Him, the kingdom was coming to them, with all its influence; and with that, the opportunity to choose to enter it.
“There are two ancient Greek words that can be translated time. One is chronos, meaning simple chronological time. The other is kairos, which means ‘the strategic opportunity, the decisive time.’ Jesus used this second word when He said, ‘the time has come.’ His idea was, ‘The strategic time for the kingdom of God is now. Now is your time of opportunity. Don’t let it pass you by.’” - David Guzik
Like the 10 lepers, not everyone will take advantage of the opportunity to acknowledge Jesus as their Lord, but as we remain faithful, God will allow us to see some make that choice. And when that happens . . .
The power of the kingdom is displayed as salvation comes to those who place their faith in Christ.
Conclusion: today, let’s commit to living under the Lordship of Christ; serving others in His name; and sharing the good News at every
opportunity.
