A Present and Future Kingdom
Luke 1:26-33
“And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Luke 1:33 (NLT)
Luke’s gospel gives us two historical birth announcements. The first announcement was to elderly Zechariah, with the angel Gabriel informing him that his elderly wife, Elizabeth would bear a son. They were to give him the name “John.” He would prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah.
The second birth announcement was six months later by the angel Gabriel to Mary in the little town of Nazareth. Mary was a virgin and she would bear a son by the power of the Holy Spirit and his name would be “Jesus.” Jesus would be the long awaited Messiah.
The birth of John the Baptizer was a direct answer to the prayers of the Priest Zechariah and Elizabeth who were both elderly and beyond child bearing years. The birth of Jesus was miraculous because Mary was a virgin. The angel Gabriel gave Mary the message: “God has blessed you! You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give Him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Luke 1:30-33 (NLT)
All previous kingdoms had a beginning and an end. The Kingdom of Saul ended. The Kingdom of David ended. The angel Gabriel declared that the Kingdom set up by Jesus would never end.
With the birth of Jesus the Kingdom of God was present in the person of Jesus. When John the Baptizer began his public ministry he said, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:2 “The time has come… The kingdom of God is near.” Mark 1:15 Jesus gave evidence that the kingdom of God had come by his casting out demons, “If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Matthew 12:28
Many first-century Jews knew the phrase, “Kingdom of God.” They eagerly wanted God to send them a leader who would over throw the Roman rule and make Judea an independent nation again – a nation of righteousness where everyone could learn God’s way.
From the beginning of creation the Kingdom of God has always existed, but it only became visible and present with the birth of Jesus the long expected Messiah. The Kingdom of God is both present and future. The day of the Lord is coming when Jesus will set up His eternal earthly kingdom.
Jesus said in Matthew 25:31-34, “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. Then the King will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
God’s plan from the beginning was for his creation from Adam and Eve to the present day to be part of His Kingdom. From Scripture we discover several facts about the Kingdom of God.
I. The Kingdom of God is a Spiritual Kingdom
Scriptures teach that the Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom. Jesus is king of the spiritual kingdom – a kingdom of righteousness and holiness. The prophet Isaiah gave this prophecy concerning the coming of Jesus as Messiah: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles; Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting father, Prince of Peace. His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the Lord Almighty will guarantee this!” Isaiah 9:6-7
The Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom and not a physical organization. God’s Kingdom includes all who are living plus all who have died with an active faith in God. The scriptures are clear that when you surrender your life to Jesus, turn from sin, and confess Jesus as Lord of your life, you become a member of the Kingdom of God.
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus and the dawning of the visible Kingdom of God. Jesus is King of the Kingdom of God.
King Herod saw the birth of Jesus as a threat to his own power and prestige. When he felt the wise men betrayed him, he had all babies two and under killed in and around Bethlehem.
Christmas is not about advancing commercialism. It is about giving honor and glory to the newborn King, Jesus Christ. From time to time there are stirrings in the corporate world to keep Christ out of Christmas.
In some ways many business people see Christmas as “the religious expression of consumer capitalism.” An editorial cartoonist shows a little boy on Santa’s lap saying, “I want lots of stuff that I don’t need and that won’t make me any happier, so my parents will plunge deeper into debt, be forced to work all the time, leaving me alone to play with guns and online porn.”
Puritans found Christmas celebrations marked by heavy public drinking, gluttony, excessive partying, sexual impropriety and thievery. It was actually illegal to celebrate Christmas in Massachusetts between 1659 and 1681.
Your celebration at Christmas is what you make it. The first family faced good news but also challenges of Christmas. They experienced rejection, protection and direction.
Jesus as a newborn baby and young child experienced rejection. Joseph and Mary had to escape to Egypt to protect Jesus from being killed by King Herod.
In Egypt Jesus experienced protection from the Herod’s searching army. It could be that Joseph and Mary sold the expensive gifts from the wise men from the East and were able to provide for their family needs in Egypt.
God provided direction to Joseph and Mary so they knew when to travel to Egypt and when it was safe to come back to make their home in Nazareth.
The way you celebrate Christmas is a choice. You may look at Christmas as a frivolous birthday party to be tolerated or as a true event – a gift from God. Either you are for Jesus or you are against Him.
The angel said to Mary, “And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Luke 1:33 (NLT)
At the birth of Jesus the spiritual Kingdom of Jesus began. His Kingdom will never end.
II. The Kingdom of God is an Eternal Kingdom
God’s Word teaches that all of creation as we know it will pass away, but the Word of God will never end.
In the future Kingdom of God Jesus will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. The Kingdom of God is a righteous and holy kingdom.
Right now we are by default influenced by the temporary kingdom of Satan. Lucifer, an archangel on the same level as Gabriel, desired to be equal with his Creator, rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven
Ever since Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden Satan has been in spiritual warfare against the holiness and righteousness of God. Satan did all he could to destroy Jesus at His birth but an angel of the Lord provided safety. Satan 30 years later tempted Jesus to fail and even promised Jesus a share in this earthly kingdom. Matthew 4:8-9, “The Devil took Jesus to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world and all their glory. ‘I will give it all to you,’ he said, ‘if you will only kneel down and worship me.’”
Jesus refused to yield to temptation and defeated Satan’s temptations.
The devil is called the “Prince of Darkness,” (Eph. 6:12) and the “Prince of this world.” 2 Corinthians 4:4 “The God of this world has blinded the eyes of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.”
Satan does all he can to create havoc and divide marriages and families. Listen to the words of II Timothy 3:1-5 and see if you see any similarities in our American society 2005. “For people will love only themselves and their money; they will be proud and boastful, sneering at God, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful to them, and thoroughly bad. They will be hard-hearted and never give in to others; they will be constant liars and troublemakers and will think nothing of immorality. They will be rough and cruel, and sneer at those who try to be good. They will betray their friends; they will be hot headed, puffed up with pride, and prefer good times to worshipping God. They will go to church yes, but they won’t really believe anything they hear.” (Living Bible)
The Kingdom of Satan is a kingdom of evil and darkness. The eternal Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of Light. Isaiah 9:2,6 prophesied about the coming Messiah as the true Light in the world. “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 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.”
God’s Kingdom will be filled with color and brilliant light. The colors and bright lights of Christmas remind us that there is beauty in God’s Kingdom.
Christmas is about good news. John the Baptist came preaching good news – the Messiah has come. Jesus proclaimed good news that through Him the Kingdom of Darkness would be defeated. The apostles proclaimed the good news that Jesus had risen from the dead. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:8, “Never forget that Jesus Christ was a man born into King David’s family and he was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach.” Jesus came as a babe: he lived, was crucified, but rose from the grave. Jesus is alive and wants us to become part of His Kingdom.
III. The Kingdom of God is available to all
The Kingdom of God is about a “whosoever gospel.” Whosoever will may come and experience the loving grace of God. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
The Biblical condition for being a part of God’s Kingdom is the “New Birth.” Jesus said to Nicodemus, a law abiding citizen of Jerusalem, “Unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God.” Nicodemus thought Jesus was talking about a physical birth, but Jesus assured Nicodemus that he was talking about a spiritual birth.
Having a spiritual birth and becoming a part of God’s Kingdom involves at least five things:
1. A change in your allegiance. Jesus deserves our honor, loyalty and obedience. To live for Jesus means we put ourselves under His authority and power. Whatever Jesus says, you are determined to do. You live with the commitment to Jesus, “Not my will, but Your will be done in my life and decisions.”
2. A change in your expectations. As a Christ follower we become a part of the present Kingdom of God, but we also have expectations of a future eternal kingdom. A day is coming when Jesus will return and set up His Kingdom on earth. Jesus is coming again and will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. Revelations 11:15, “The Kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He will reign for ever and ever.”
3. A change in your values. As members of God’s Kingdom your values matter to Jesus. The American culture puts value on achievement, success, independence, and image. Kingdom values include all who are poor in spirit, humble, peacemakers, pure in heart and all who hunger and seek after righteousness and holiness. Kingdom people make choices that reflect Kingdom values in their jobs, families and community.
4. A change in your priorities. The acid test of a person’s values is how they spend their time and money. In our work, family and way we use our money we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and put Kingdom perspective on all our choices.
5. A change in your life-ambitions. Jesus will give you purpose and direction to your life. As children of the Kingdom you are committed to living out Kingdom values and applying them to your everyday life and work.
The Kingdom of God is available to all, but becoming a part of the kingdom demands a decision. The birth of Christ and His life is a call to action.
#There’s conversation in the Peanuts comic strip between Peppermint Patty and her friend Marcie. They are walking to school and Peppermint Patty says, “I’m going to ask the teacher if I can be Mary in the Christmas play this year.”
Marcie answers, “She already asked me.”
Patty continues, “I think I’ll be great in the part.”
Marcie says again, “She asked me yesterday.”
Ignoring her, Patty declares, “I really like the part where the angel Gabriel talks to me.”
Exasperated, Marcie says, “Why would Gabriel talk to you? You never listen!”
When the angel appeared to Mary she listened and said, “let it be with me according to your word.”
Mary trusted God. She didn’t know all the implications of her decision to have the baby Jesus. She couldn’t foresee what it would be like to raise the Son of God. But when the angel gave her the announcement she trusted God.
What you do with Christmas this year is up to you. What are you going to do? I encourage you to trust Jesus. Yes, there may be times of sorrow, heartache, but through it all Jesus will be with you. He will give you joy and a great life of adventure. Jesus invites you today to become part of his wonderful world-wide family and the Kingdom of God.
