The Kingdom 101
Introduction:
• Coming to the US from South Africa certainly had its cultural challenges. Even though we also grew up speaking English, some words meant very different things there from what they do here.
• A lady friend of ours, newly from South Africa, was driving along the freeway to a speaking engagement in Los Angeles when the hood of her older car suddenly got caught by the wind and blew right off.
• This scary incident delayed her quite a bit and she finally arrived about 30 minutes late for her engagement.
• She was most apologetic and explained to her hosts and audience that what had caused her delay was the fact that her bonnet had blown off along the road.
• For those of you who have traveled in the UK or British colonial areas, you will know that they refer to the hood as the "bonnet" and the trunk as the "boot".
• My wife and I and our oldest and youngest daughters are still "Resident Aliens" – just so as not to scare anyone, we had our head antenna and body scales surgically removed so as to look like you all
• We still carry our Resident Alien cards.
• But you know that we are not from here by the way we speak and if you hung around us at home you would notice that we have not become thoroughly Americanized – we still retain some customs and habits that were part of our South African heritage, upbringing and development. Our outlook on life, our values, our principles were all shaped by the culture in which we were raised. There are times when we will communicate with each other in Afrikaans – one of the languages of our homeland.
• I remind you, my dear friends – as Christians – you are also Resident Aliens here on earth. As the old Gospel song put it: “This world is not my home – I’m just a passin’ through, Treasures and my home are far beyond the blue…”
• And when Believers forget that truth and blend in indistinguishably with this world, then we cease to be effective instruments in the hands of God.
• The J.B. Philips translation of Romans 12: 2 puts it this way: “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold”. We are not to be like soft putty in the hands of this world’s culture, this world’s politics, or this world’s lifestyle. Rather, we are to be God’s instruments of change to bring the kingdoms of this world into alignment with the kingdom of God.
• In fact, I believe that that is our primary calling and the sole reason for our being – to be those who help expand and build up the Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom of God
• Now why is that so important? Well for a number of reasons – but let me just briefly share 3 with you.
1. Jesus made it the #1 priority in all his teaching and preaching. All His parables, all His messages were focused on life in the Kingdom. Wherever people were healed, forgiven and delivered from the power of sin and the devil, there the Kingdom came.
2. Secondly, Jesus told us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the other necessities and requirements of life – what we would eat, what we would drink, what we would wear, etc. would be added to us. How often have we not put the cart before the horse – seeking first all those other things – and then if we had a little time over, doing something for God. And we wonder how come the Kingdom seems so long in coming.
3. The third reason why it is so important for us is because in a world filled with so much bad news, we need to hear and focus on the Good News of the Kingdom as frequently as possible – otherwise we’ll end up just as crazy as the many out there who live their lives without God’s light and hope.
Well, I titled this message – The Kingdom 101 – to serve as a refresher and broad, general overview of the Kingdom of God. Consider it as you would a large mural. Then in the coming weeks we can zero in and look more closely at some specific aspects.
It is said that the essence of good communication is to
• tell people WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO TELL THEM
• then to TELL THEM
• then TELL THEM WHAT YOU HAVE TOLD THEM
So let me tell you what I am going to tell you:
A. The Bible presents us with the fact that there are in reality 2 kingdoms or 2 realms – the Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness – or the Kingdom of God and the dominion of the devil. It doesn’t go into a whole lot of detail as to when and how and why this other evil kingdom came into existence – but there are a few Scriptures that give us some clues or hints.
I figured that God decided we had just enough information as was necessary to know about the other kingdom and anything else we might need to know, He will explain to us at a later time.
• In Isaiah 14:12 – 15 we read the following (read)
• In Ezekiel 28: 12-19 we read (read and mention that in both of these cases, while the references are to a specific person – king of Babylon and prince of Tyre – we see that the references are to more than any mere human being – but to the power behind those humans)
• Revelation 12: 4 – referring to Lucifer’s seduction of as much as a third of the heavenly host.
Isn’t it amazing to you that an Almighty God would create beings with the power to revolt and rebel against Him? But then that is one of the risky necessities of creating beings capable of genuine love – for love can never be forced. It can only be freely and voluntarily given. And even the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven – as do you and I - have that awesome choice.
Well Lucifer, as we all know, sought not only to lead the rebellion in heaven, but also on earth and bring God’s good creation under his evil control and occupation.
B. But God already had a plan that he had written into the very fabric of creation that His Son would in time give His life as a willing sacrifice. In Revelation 13:8 we read of “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”
God is never caught by surprise. The things that often scare the willies out of us and catch us off guard were all known ahead of time by our gracious and loving Father and had to first pass by His desk. That is good to know.
• Right back in the Garden of Eden God let the Serpent know that a male child would eventually be born from the seed of a woman, who would do battle with the Serpent. In that battle the man’s heel would be bruised, but he would end up crushing the Serpent’s head.
• And then throughout the Old Testament period God’s word gives us a succession of prophetic hints about His purpose to establish a Kingdom of righteousness, justice, and peace on earth.
• And His promises start with Abraham, and continue through Isaac and Jacob as God forms a people who will be His demonstration nation on the earth – an example to all others how blessed a people can be who choose to make the Lord their God.
• And so God says to this people through Moses, “Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5-6)
• Then through one prophet after another the vision becomes more focused on the one who will come as King of this kingdom. And Isaiah tells us that, “…a young woman shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name Immanuel (God with us)…and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (7:14; 9:14)
• And finally Matthew and Luke tell us that the time foretold by the prophets had arrived and Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and the angels announced with heavenly fanfare the glad and glorious message to the very lowliest members of Hebrew society – shepherds on a Bethlehem hillside. The King of the Kingdom has arrived – not on a white stallion, not in some heavenly APC (armored personnel carrier) – but as a helpless little baby, laid in an animal’s feedbox in the alley behind Motel 6.
C. Thirty years later, this very one – this Jesus of Nazareth – after being baptized by John in the Jordan and the Spirit of God affirming and confirming His Sonship, comes into Galilee preaching the gospel of God and saying, “The time has fully come. The kingdom of God has drawn near to you. Repent and believe in the good news.”
• He makes it clear that entry into the Kingdom involves a redirection, a turning of one’s life away from serving self and toward God.
• In a night time conversation with a certain devout Pharisee named Nicodemus he compares entry into the Kingdom to a new birth – a totally new beginning and says that without this transforming event we cannot grasp or comprehend the Kingdom or live it’s life.
• It’s as impossible to imitate or copy Kingdom life without Kingdom birth as it is for a fish to live out of water and breathe air like a human being. It is not a matter of trying harder – or attending “fish church”. That poor fish can try and try till it is blue in the gills and it will die trying. To live in our environment will require that it be “born again” as a human being.
• Then all it would need to do to stay alive would be the same as it is for us – just keep on breathing IN and breathing OUT, IN and OUT.
• And of course, to stay healthy and fit in the Kingdom is much like it is in this life – we need to watch what we take in to our system – our diet (WORD), staying clean (letting the Word wash our minds and hearts).
• Getting regular exercise by doing the works of the Kingdom – and Jesus summarized those for us when He said to John’s disciples: “Go tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”
• And just before Jesus returned to His Father He commissioned His fledgling church to go into all the world and make disciples of all people, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all He had taught them. And he promised them, as he promises us, that His presence and power to accomplish this mission will always be with us through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
• And then, as if that was not good news enough – he made this promise: “I go to prepare a place for you and I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.” (John 14)
• And in Revelation 21 the old Apostle John was given a glimpse of that coming Kingdom in all its glory and splendor – like a beautiful bride prepared to meet her groom. And he heard this voice from heaven declare: “Behold, the dwelling of God is with His people. He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God himself will be with them; He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away. And He who sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’”
If you feel this morning that you can identify more with the fish out of water trying your hardest to live the Kingdom life – I have good news for you: Repent, turn your life around and welcome the King of the Kingdom into the very core of your life and hear the Father’s voice welcome you as His precious son or daughter.
If you have already taken that joyous step, then let’s today affirm afresh our loyalty to the King and our commitment by His grace and the power of His Spirit to share that Good News of the Kingdom with all in Skamokawa, Cathlamet, and even as far as Longview and Kelso.
Amen.
