THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
Before the colonialists imposed national boundaries in Southeast Asia, the kings of Laos and Vietnam reached an agreement on taxation in the border areas. Those who ate short-grain rice, built their houses on stilts, and decorated them with Indian-style serpents were considered Laotians. On the other hand, those who ate long-grain rice, built their houses on the ground, and decorated them with Chinese-style dragons were considered Vietnamese. In other words, the exact location of a person's home was not what determined his or her nationality. There was no border. Instead, each person belonged to the country or kingdom whose cultural values he or she exhibited. So it also is with us. We live in the world in this nation of Canada but our citizenship is in heaven. We are part of God's kingdom, we live according to His kingdom's standards and values.
Matthew 4:13 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."
What did Jesus mean when He said that the kingdom of heaven is near? What is the Kingdom of Heaven? He was not referring to that film with Orlando Bloom about the crusades. Let me suggest to you that there are 3 different ways in which the kingdom of heaven is near to us this morning:
1. The Kingdom of Heaven is WITHIN us – in our heart
The kingdom of heaven comes first to our hearts when we accept Jesus as Lord of our lives. When we surrender our lives to the lordship of Christ and proclaim Christ to be King in our lives then our hearts become an extension of His kingdom on earth – the place where Jesus rules and reigns.
Luke 17:20 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."
Wherever God rules over the human heart as King, there is the kingdom of God established. -- Paul W. Harrison
As Christians we are called to be Christ’s ambassadors. This means that we are representatives of Jesus. We live in this country but we represent another. We speak for Jesus and show others what His Kingdom is like. People will judge Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven by how we live our lives.
I heard the story of a Jewish couple who were expecting a baby. They went to a rabbi to ask advice about what to name him. They told the rabbi they wanted to name the baby Jacob. The rabbi replied “that is a wonderful name”. The husband said “you don’t understand, you see my wife’s father was named Jacob and he was a good and righteous man”. The rabbi said “I don’t see the problem – name him Jacob after your wife’s father”. The husband continued “but my father was also named Jacob and he was a horrible violent drunkard. If we name the baby Jacob, how will people know that we named the baby after my wife’s father and not my father.” The rabbi thought for a moment and then finally said “Name the baby Jacob. If he turns out to be a good man you will know you named him after your wife’s father. If he turns out to be a bad man you will know you named him after your father”.
Let me ask you a question this morning, are you a positive model of Jesus Kingdom or a negative one?
Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military generals who ever lived, conquered almost the entire Mediterranean world with his vast army. One night during a campaign, he couldn’t sleep and left his tent to walk around the campgrounds. As he was walking he came across a soldier asleep on guard duty—a serious offense. The penalty for falling asleep on guard duty was, in some cases, instant death; the commanding officer sometimes poured kerosene on the sleeping soldier and lit it. The soldier began to wake up as Alexander the Great approached him. Recognizing who was standing in front of him, the young man feared for his life. “Do you know what the penalty is for falling asleep on guard duty?” Alexander the Great asked the soldier. “Yes, sir,” the soldier responded in a quivering voice. “Soldier, what’s your name?” demanded Alexander the Great. “Alexander, sir.” Alexander the Great repeated the question: “What is your name?” “My name is Alexander, sir,” the soldier repeated. A third time and more loudly Alexander the Great asked, “What is your name?” A third time the soldier meekly said, “My name is Alexander, sir.” Alexander the Great then looked the young soldier straight in the eye. “Soldier,” he said with intensity, “either change your name or change your conduct.”
As Christians we are not only Christ’s ambassadors but we are also His embassies. An embassy is an area or piece of ground in one country that actually belongs to another. It is controlled and governed by the laws and regulations of the country it represents. When you enter into an embassy you are actually entering a different country.
When we lived in Kuwait there were a number of times I had to visit the Canadian Embassy. One time was because I had gone on a trip and then had come home and left my passport in my pants pocket. After going through the wash there was not much left of it. I had to go and get a new passport done at the embassy. When you went through the security and walked in there was just something about it that just felt Canadian. You just felt like you were home.
The same is true of our hearts. Though we may have been born in a different country, if we have received Christ into our hearts then our true citizenship is heaven and that is the rule by which we govern our hearts.
2. The Kingdom of Heaven is AROUND us – through the church
The kingdom of heaven is not only within us but it is also around us. His kingdom is seen in the body of Christ which is the Church. There is the Church (big C) which means everyone on earth who has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is made up of churches (small C). Christians living in community through local fellowships. The local church is the means by which God moves forward in the earth and the demonstration of His power. It is God’s transforming presence in the world.
Matt 11:12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.
I believe in the church. I am a pastor today because I believe in the church. I grew up in a church that was very liturgical and lifeless. In my first year of University I began to question my faith. It was a very tough year. I ended up rededicating my life, but throughout university I was not a big fan of the church. I loved Jesus, but I did not love the church. I was thinking about going into missions as a medical doctor involved with a parachurch organization.
The summer I graduated university I was working for the Yonge St. Mission and I broke my arm. That meant that I could not go to medical school I the fall. I ended up taking some classes at Tyndale and the first course I took was with Dr. Ian Rennie about the church. I ended up falling in love with the church. The church is the vehicle God uses to transform the world.
There’s nothing like the local church when the local church is working right – it’s the hope of the world. -- Bill Hybels
Matthew 16:18-19 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Jesus is building His church and He invites us to join Him in that endeavour.
When we go to church we have a little taste of what the kingdom of heaven should really be like. God appointed Abraham and his offspring to be the way in which the world could see the glory of God. The church today has taken this role. When others come and see Christians in worship they should see God in the midst of it. Unfortunately this is not always the case.
The present position of Christ in the gospel churches may be likened to that of a king in a limited constitutional monarchy. The king is in such a country no more than a traditional rallying point, a pleasant symbol of unity and loyalty much like a flag or a national anthem. He is lauded, feted, and supported, but his real authority is small. Nominally he is head over all, but in every crisis someone else makes the decisions. On formal occasions he appears in his royal attire to deliver the tame, colorless speech put into his mouth by the real rulers of the country. The whole thing may be no more than good-natured make-believe, but it is rooted in antiquity, it is a lot of fun, and no one wants to give it up. -- A.W. Tozer
The church should be organized much more like an army than a social club.
Everybody treats us so nicely. No one seems to think that we mean what we say. When we say "kingdom of God," no one gets apprehensive, as if we had just announced (which we thought we had) that a powerful army is poised on the border, ready to invade. When we say radical things like "Christ," "love," "believe," "peace," and "sin" -- words that in other times and cultures excited martyrdoms -- the sounds enter the stream of conversation with no more splash than baseball scores and grocery prices.
3. The Kingdom of Heaven is BEFORE us – future glory
Some day in the not too distant future one of two things will happen to each of us as Christians. Jesus Christ will come back to take us home or we will die and go to be with Him. Either way we will stand before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. On that day there will be only one kingdom with only one king. That day is before us and is not far away.
Rev 11:15 "The kingdoms of the world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."
The best way to prepare for the coming of Christ is never to forget the presence of Christ. -- William Barclay
One person said: Man's life is made up of 20 years of his mother asking him where he is going, 50 years of his wife asking him where he has been and one hour at his funeral when everyone wonders where he has gone.
During WWII D-Day (June 6, 1944) was when the Allied forces invade Normandy, breaking the back of the enemy and leading to victory. Yet, the war lingered on even though the Nazis were defeated. It wasn’t till VE-Day (May 7, 1945) that the peace treaty was actually signed. Sadly, more people were killed between D-Day and VE-Day than any other period of the war. Likewise we are living in a period between the inauguration of the Kingdom and the consummation of the Kingdom. Between D-Day when Jesus defeated death on the cross and V-Day when He will return to take us home.
Have you ever wondered why the right-hand door mirror on your car says "Objects are closer than they appear"? The reason is that the mirror is convex, allowing a much wider angle of vision. We may borrow the words, though, and say that the second coming may be much closer that it appears!
Martin Luther once have said that if he was told the end of the world was coming tomorrow, he would plant an apple tree that afternoon. Luther was not given to speculation of the end times. He focused rather on the purpose of the world which God intends for the present time. What may happen in the future does not excuse you from what God requires of you here and now.
It was my birthday last week. I turned 54 years old. I am much more than half way through life. I got thinking about how fast these years have gone. It seems like we pick up speed the closer we get to home. Have you ever thought of what you want on your tombstone?
There are some crazy ones out there. One says, ''He should have ducked.'' Another headstone reads, "Here lies an atheist. All dressed up and no place to go." A woman in Key West, Florida, married to a man who was known as a womanizer, ordered a tombstone that read: "Frank, at least I know where you're sleeping tonight." Such a horrible epitaph should cause us to ask ourselves: What are we leaving behind? What will be our legacy?
Someone once asked some of well-known Christians those questions:
Josh McDowell, the internationally-renowned apologist said, "When God called me into the ministry He never called me to be successful. He called me to be obedient. And I'd like to be remembered as a man who was obedient and faithful right up to the end. I want to take as many people as I can with me to Heaven, and enjoy life along the way."
Author Elizabeth Elliot had a simple answer: "I want to be remembered as a servant of God. Nothing else."
Evangelist Luis Palau would like to be remembered "as someone who was faithful to Scripture. Someone who never ceased to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible. That's what I love to do."
Popular singer Steven Curtis Chapman said: "I hope my children will say I was a committed father. And it would be nice if people remembered a song here and there, but that's pretty insignificant compared to my desire to know Christ and to make Him known."
And popular songwriter Gloria Gaither whose song "Because He Lives" has been translated into almost every known language on earth, summed it up this way: "If I had to write my epitaph, it would probably say, 'She gave herself away for the things that last forever.'"
And what would I like on my tombstone? Simply this: "He found God's grace too amazing to keep to himself." How about you? What would you like to be remembered? Even when you're half dead, you still live your life on purpose!
A fierce battle was raging during the Civil War in the 1860s. General Sherman was leading the northern troops on a path from Chattanooga to Atlanta and on to the ocean. He was burning everything in his path. In time, he was involved in a strategic battle at Fort Altoona. The Southern confederates, under the leadership of Captain Hood, knew that the North would receive new supplies at Fort Altoona in order to continue their march past Atlanta and on to the ocean. So the confederates attacked Fort Altoona. As the battle raged, General Sherman was on a nearby mountain with field glasses watching the scene. A message from inside the fort was received that more men and supplies were desperately needed. As the battle raged, the captain inside the fort received a message from a reflective mirror on top of the mountain. General Sherman was saying, “Hold the fort, for I am coming.”
Christianity is warfare. We are in serious battle for the souls of men. And, a message from the Captain of our Salvation says, “I am coming soon.” If we’re going to be ready when He comes again we’ve got to be saved, sure, serving, steadfast, soul winning and separated!...
