The Kingdom Of God Is...

The Kingdom of God is…

I. A Reality

Psalm 103:17-22

17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; 18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. 19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. 20 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. 21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. 22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.

This past week in Georgia two prisoners killed correctional officers Christopher Monica and Curtis Bilue. These men were doing their jobs and now the lives of their family, friends, and coworkers have been shattered. This story hit close to home, but it wasn’t the only act of evil and violence that took place this week. All around the world, both near and far, people have suffered unimaginable tragedies at the hands of others. With all the evil that’s taking place in our world we shouldn’t be surprised that the lost do not believe in the Kingdom of God.

While it is true that Satan is the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) it is also true that Satan’s realm falls under the authority of the Kingdom of God. In all kingdoms in which there has been free will there have been evil acts undertaken by evil men, no matter how good and benevolent the King of those kingdoms may have been. A King is not judged by the action of individuals who reject his orders, but he is judged by his response to those evil acts. Our King, our Lord, has not remained silent on the evils of our time. He has graciously offered to pardon all those who will repent of their wicked deeds and place their faith in Him, accepting Him as the only Lord of their life. He has also promised that every un-repented evil deed will be judged and suffer His wrath.

II. Found in Repentance

Matthew 4:17

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Once we recognize the reality of God’s Kingdom we’re able to repent of the fact that we’ve been serving the prince of this world and not the one true Lord of all.

If it’s true that Satan is the prince of the power of the air and that he’s the root cause of all the evil in the world then we must decide who we will follow. The Kingdom of God and the dominion of Satan our two paths traveling in opposite directions. All of us begin this journey traveling down the only path we know, the path of sinfulness that leads to destruction. In this passage of scripture Jesus is calling on all mankind to repent, to turn and head in the right direction. He’s calling on those who have done evil by rejecting God’s ways and on those who have done evil by misappropriating the truths of God.

Jesus wants us to understand that the Kingdom of God cannot be found in the things or the ways of this world. If we are going to travel with Him we must make an intentional choice to turn from the direction that we are traveling. Once we have become oriented with Him, by His Holy Spirit, we have a compass that will continually point us in the right direction. This doesn’t mean we will be forced to follow that compass. It means that we now have something we did not have before. It means that we can now align ourselves with God and bring about the good things of His Kingdom if we choose. “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:13)

III. Experienced in Rebirth Leading to a Relationship

John 3:5-6

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

When we repent of our sins, trusting in Jesus Christ as the new Lord of our lives, we are born again; adopted into God’s family.

The principles of the Kingdom of God can be lived out in this would, however His Kingdom is not of this world. There is a push by our culture that’s headed up by the prince of the power of the air. It’s a push to force the idea of God’s Kingdom into submission to the principles of Satan’s kingdom. Confusion and chaos are powerful tools at Satan’s disposal. Those who have not been born again are offended by the things of God. They insist that if we who believe are going to live among them we must play by their rules; by the rules of the prince of the power of the air.