Untitled Sermon (2)

Sunday A.M. 04/23/2023

Series: Jesus Wins #2

Sermon: The Kingdom Of God

Text: Matthew 6:33

Take your Bibles and turn with me to Matthew 6:33 we are in a series on Sunday mornings that I am calling Jesus Wins! Now I know that when someone who has a secular worldview looks at the world, we live in today the last thing that would come to many of their minds is Jesus Wins! They are not looking at the eternal victory of Jesus. They are looking at the earthly victory of themselves.

They look at the success they have accomplished themselves on this earth and they think they are winning. They value their achievements, success, and awards they give credit to themselves, and they claim they are living their best life. They live as if they are the king of their own kingdom. What’s sad is they are not the king, and their kingdom is a make-believe kingdom.

Perhaps the most famous kingdom on the planet today is a make-believe kingdom called the Magic Kingdom. It is found in Disney World. Can you imagine if this entire world was indeed a magic kingdom? Think about it. Everything would be clean; everybody would be nice; all news would be good news; the only work would be play, and the only object would be fun; and life would be a thrill a minute.

There would, however, be two problems if all of the world was a magic kingdom. First of all, most of the world could not afford to get in. But the other problem is this: There is no king?

This morning I want to tell you about another kingdom. Unlike the Magic Kingdom, it is not a make-believe kingdom, it is a real kingdom. Unlike the Magic Kingdom, which will be gone in time, this kingdom lasts for all eternity. This kingdom is not the ''Magic Kingdom,'' the Bible calls it The Kingdom Of God.

It is a kingdom where Christ is King, a kingdom where there is no war, just peace; no sadness, just joy; no sickness, just health; no death, just life; no hatred, just love; no fear, just faith.

The lost person with the secular world view might believe that they are the king of their kingdom on earth. They can have it because Jesus Wins and if you are a Christian, Jesus Christ is your King, and you are a citizen of His Kingdom.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer…

When Jesus said, seek first the kingdom of God there obviously must be a kingdom to seek. You can only seek something that you can see. That tells us that the kingdom of God is real.

In fact, the heart of everything Jesus taught centered around the kingdom of God. That phrase is found 61 times in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and altogether is found 85 times in the New Testament. Jesus even said in Luke 4:43 I must preach the Kingdom Of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.

The first sermon that Jesus ever preached was on the kingdom of God. He said in Mark 1:15 The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom Of Godis at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.

In the prayer that Jesus taught all of us to pray, in Matthew 6:10 He said that one of the things we should ask for is: Your Kingdomcome.

He said at the Last Supper, in Mark 14:25 Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in The Kingdom Of God.

Can you guess what was the last subject that Jesus spoke about before He ascended into heaven? Acts 1:3 tells us He was speaking of the things pertaining to The Kingdom Of God. Now you might raise the question: Is The Kingdom Of God something we will enter into in the future, or is it something we experience in the present? Well, the answer to that question is yes.

First of all, it is clear that the kingdom of God is future. We just saw where we are to pray Your kingdom come. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 Jesus says Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven.

On the other hand, it is also clear that The Kingdom Of God is here even now. On one occasion Jesus said, in Luke 11:20 But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely The Kingdom Of God has come upon you.

Jesus said something else very interesting about the kingdom. In Luke 17:20-21 He said, Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when The Kingdom Of God would come, He answered them and said, The Kingdom Of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, See here! or See there! For indeed, The Kingdom Of God is within you.

Now in order to understand the kingdom, you have to understand the relationship between the kingdom and the church. First of all, the church is not the kingdom. When Jesus first came, as we saw, He came preaching the gospel of the kingdom, not the gospel of the church.

Furthermore, the church is to be a witness to the kingdom. For Jesus said in Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. So this much we know. As a church we are to be about kingdom business because we are on business for our King. But we still have not answered the question-What is The Kingdom Of God?

The word for kingdom is a word that literally refers to the rule or the reign of a king. It's not so much talking about an actual territory as it is talking about a sphere of influence.

Every kingdom has a king, and every king has a throne. That throne is a seat of authority from which the king rules and reigns. Now what do the subjects of a kingdom do?

One thing-they do the will of the king. A son obeys a father because he wants to; a servant obeys his master because he needs to; but a subject obeys his king because he has to. In a kingdom the king is in control, and it is his will that is both supreme and sovereign. The happiest subjects of a kingdom are those subjects who are surrendered to the control of the king.

Now get this picture in your mind. Your heart is a throne. Someone is going to sit on that throne and rule your life. Now you cannot make Jesus Christ the king of your life until you surrender the throne of your heart. In other words, you cannot pray Your kingdom come until you first say my kingdom go.

Back in the days of kingdoms, castles, and knights in shining armor, there was a kingly custom to let the people know when the king was home. It is said that when the king was on the throne, the colors of the king, the royal flag, would be flying from the top of the castle. Listen to me. Joy is the flag that will fly from the castle of your heart when Jesus is the king of the throne of your life.

So, when Jesus said, Seek first The Kingdom Of God He in essence told you and me what our number one priority in life ought to be. The word seek means to actively pursue or to go after. It is in the present tense. That means every moment of your life you should be seeking first the rule of God in your life. If you are a male, you ought to be a kingdom man. If you are a female, you ought to be a kingdom woman.

Now in order to seek the kingdom you must first seek the King. Because you cannot have a kingdom without a king. The first priority of your life ought to be to seek the King of the kingdom. But it is not enough just to say All right, I will seek the Lord. You must seek Him FIRST.

King Jesus is not interested in being the first runner-up in your beauty contest. He is not interested in being Vice President in your corporation. He is not interested in being second in command of your army. He wants to be the King on the throne of your heart, not a co-partner in a duplex.

Now when you truly seek the King, you are really seeking for three things. First of all, you will be seeking for the GLORY of the King. Every part and parcel of your life; every minute and moment of your time; every ounce and pound of your strength; every muscle and fiber of your body ought to be given for the glory of the King.

It will also mean you will seek the GUIDANCE of the King. A loyal subject always wants to do whatever the king would have him to do. There is no higher calling in life than to find out what your King wants done, and then to do it.

But it also means to seek the GOVERNMENT of the King. A loyal subject desires to be controlled by the king, to be governed by the king, to be ruled by the king. But you may be saying, ''Sounds like to me you're talking about slavery.'' Well, I want to tell you that the greatest liberty in the world is found when you are controlled by the right Master. When you really understand the kingdom of God, you will seek the rule of the kingdom.

If God is ruling over you, then His righteousness will be within you. Because your character is simply the outward expression of whatever controls you on the inside. Character is always seen by its conduct.

We can’t expect the lost to believe Jesus Wins if we don’t live like Jesus Wins. We are never going to make a difference in this world until the world sees a difference in us. So, all that brings me to this last question. Who is your king? Who wears the crown in your castle? Who sits on the thron