The Kingdom of God

In John 18, the end of this chapter, Jesus will stand before Pilate and declare that his Kingdom is not of this world. He will do this in response to Pilate’s question, are you a king? The very crime that the Jews are setting him up for death for claiming.

For they understood, his claims to be God, were claims to be king. And this, they knew, was their road to get Rome to sign off on his death…for Rome would want no one to rise who would threaten their rule and dominion.

But it sets up for us the reality of the Kingdom of God and Jesus as King over it.

This morning, we will consider that…

Big Idea: The Kingdom of God is Here…and not yet…and beckons us make it the highest priority of our lives.

Body

Jesus’ Kingdom Conflicts with Man’s - John 18:28-32.

John 18:28–31 ESV

28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”

After Annas and Caiaphas both failed to make any headway with Jesus, after they got enough of what they wanted to incriminate him, they sent him to Pilate.

Remember, we are on the eve of Passover and these religious leaders did not want to defile themselves in anyway, so they did not go into the home of this pagan Roman, but instead sent Jesus in and remained outside, making Pilate come out to them so that they would not be defiled and have to do cleansing rituals which would prevent them from eating Passover.

In an irony of all ironies, they were concerned with being defiled by going into the home of a pagan unbeliever while not minding one bit that in their self righteousness, they were about to put to death the very son of God.

Pilate comes out and ask what crime they charge him with that they had to bring him to Pilate’s door?

Notice their evasive answer….

If he were not doing evil, we would not have bothered you…

Is in essence their answer.

Not exactly the answer he was looking for and almost strikes a defensive tone, for their know their guilt in bringing him….

Course, in truth, they do not. They think they are totally righteous, but have to try to justify that to the one who holds the power.

Pilate tries to deflect and pass it back. Take him and judge him by your own standard.

There was a certain measure of latitude afforded to Israel to police their own crimes.

The one exception…the death penalty.

We cannot put him to death, they respond.

What does this response reveal?

A response that clearly exposes their intention, if it was not clear before.

A response that likely caught Pilate off guard and elevated the seriousness of this matter. If they were coming and looking for a death sentence, that elevated the gravity of this decision and made this even tougher for him.

Listen, never at any point in history or life has the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Man aligned.

The interests and purposes of these two kingdoms have never matched up. They have always, and always will, stand opposed to one another.

IN OTHER WORDS, you cannot serve both. You cannot live in both. You will either serve one or serve the other.

Luke 16:13.

Luke 16:13 ESV

13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

When you are in pursuit of money, money governs and rules you . Hebrews says that it is the love of money that is root of all evils.

Point is, when MONEY is your goal, your object, your world revolves around it. It becomes your master. And when it is your master, it rules you. It IS your kingdom…YOU are your kingdom in pursuit of what you want.

Point is, when we pursue that which God does not prescribe, we are living for our own kingdom and we stand at odds with Him and His.

In theory, in knowledge, I think we know this, we understand this.

And yet, for many of us, we still attempt to live as if we can enjoy both.

We fail to root out the sins and idols in our life that keep us from pursing the Kingdom of God.

We try to enjoy the pleasures of this life, not fully surrendering them even while we try to follow Jesus, and then wonder why our passion for God is weak and flailing.

We try to enjoy the comforts and pleasures of the flesh, the delights of the world, we try to indulge in the ideals of the world, and then wonder why God seems so distant when we want him.

We fail to guard our hearts, manage our priorities, steward our resources well and end up fighting against deeply engrained desires that drag us away from our pursuit of God and His Kingdom.

And what’s worse, we grow content living there. Satisfied to never go deeper with our walk with God.

The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of man stand opposed. Here, in this fake trial, in this travesty of travesties, in this wickedness of man in their betrayal and murder of the innocent son of God, we see it at it’s highest and most terrible display.

But it is no less so in our daily lives when we choose self, the world, and the kingdom of man over the Kingdom of God.

Choose God. Choose Christ. Choose Him as your king, church. Choose His Kingdom, which will never disappoint and will never fail you.

For his kingdom is not of this world…

Jesus’ Kingdom is not of this world- John 18:33-40.

John 18:33–40 ESV

33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. 39 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

John MacArthur very poignantly states…

John 12–21: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Chapter 29: Jesus before Pilate—Part 1: Phase One of the Civil Trial (John 18:28–38)

The trials of the Lord Jesus Christ are history’s most egregious miscarriage of justice. In them the friend of sinners (Luke 7:34) faced the hatred of sinners; the Judge of all the earth (Gen. 18:25) was arraigned before petty human judges; the exalted Lord of glory (1 Cor. 2:8) was humiliated by being mocked, spit upon, and beaten; the Holy and Righteous one (Acts 3:14) was treated as a vile sinner; the One who is the truth (John 14:6) was impugned by evil liars.

This is THE GREAT injustice of ALL history and creation.

A number of people had a hand in this great travesty.

Who had a hand in this great travesty?

Herod had a cameo role, though we do not read of it here in John’s account, but in the parallel accounts.

The Sanhedrin, the ruling body of Israel (under Rome’s authority and control) were present and had a hand in it as well.

The Pharisees and religious leaders, Annas, still the real power despite not being the high priest anymore, and Caiaphas as the high priest.

Judas, the betrayer

All of these had a hand in it.

Pilate now had to figure out how he was going to address this situation.

Pilate….was the current Roman governor of their district.

He was the fifth who had held the position.

He was appointed by Emperor Tiberius in AD26.

He held the position for about 10 years.

He was a proud, arrogant, and cynical man. (John 18:38)

Pilate was also weak and vacillating.

Example - Reversing a ruling by his predecessors, he sent troops through Jerusalem bearing images of a standard that the Jews found offensive. They cried out. He told them to knock it off under threat of death. The Jews, however, called his bluff, and rather than massacring hundreds of Jews, he had the standards removed.

His rule as governor was marked by insensitivity and brutality (Luke 13:1)

Pilate’s downfall would ultimately come because of his handling of the Samaritans. A group of them intended to climb Mt. Gerizim, their holy mountain, and search for gold objects that Moses had supposedly hidden there. Pilate ordered his troops to attack them. Many of them were killed in the attack. The Samaritans raised an outcry to Pilate’s superior and he would ultimately be removed from his position and sent to Rome to face judgement. However, Tiberius died before he got there and Pilate’s end fate is unknown to us.

Pilate, as you can tell, is no one’s friend, but his own. But he is a pawn of the religious leaders right now who simply need him to sign off on Jesus’ execution.

Having gotten their answer to Jesus’ crime, he returns indoors to talk with Jesus directly.

He inquires, are you the King of the Jews?

No context for his question is given here but Luke gives it.

Luke 23:1-3.

Luke 23:1–3 ESV

1 Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” 3 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”

Their accusation, Jesus was forbidding the people to pay their taxes to Rome, to Caesar.

Jesus was declaring himself to be a king.

Any pagan king, intent on preserving his own power would take note of this.

And of course, Jesus, this man had been creating a stir throughout the land anyway with the crowds he drew, the teachings he taught, and the miracles he performed. He was not unknown.

Thus, Pilate asks…Are you the King of the Jews?

In other words, are you a threat to Caesar? Are you a threat to Rome?

In Luke, his response is… You have said I am. He will give the same answer here in John’s account but John includes a response before that.

In John, the response Jesus gives is phrased as question.

Do you say this of your own accord or did others say it to you about me?

In other words, why are you asking? As you asking because you are seeking or because you are seeking to incriminate me?

Pilate could not overlook any political threat to Rome and was basically asking Jesus to admit if was in fact such a threat.

Jesus could not simply answer, yes or no. The question needed qualifying.

Are YOU asking Pilate?

Or, are you asking because OTHERS ask it?

What kind of king are you asking me if I am?

Pilate, of course, is concerned only with Rome, his position, and his authority. His response is sharp and curt.

AM I A JEW?

Your own people handed you over. What have you done to make them angry?

Here Jesus answers Pilate’s question.

Yes, I am a king, but not the kind you are thinking.

My kingdom is not of this world

If it were, my followers would be defending me with sword and spear.

But I am not.

Yes, I am king, but not the one type of one you are fearing or they are accusing me of.

Jesus kingdom is not one that is established and confirmed by force, but by Jesus’ willingness to conquer man’s sin.

Jesus’ kingdom is not established through human effort but through the will of God.

Pilate is confused by Jesus answer and rejoins with, So, you are a king?

Jesus is speaking in terms that Pilate is not going to follow.

And here John’s record lines up with Lukes and goes a bit further.

You say I am a king.

But not a political one.

Jesus was a spiritual king. His most certainly involves the earthly realm was never solely about that.

Jesus was not above all else, concerned with politics and earthly kingdoms.

What he was concerned with…TRUTH.

And all who have hears to hear, who hear truth, hear Jesus. And if they yield to it, find the eternal life that Jesus came to bring.

In this response was an implied invitation for Pilate to hear truth, to come and believe.

He however, skeptical about ones ability to know truth, supplies a skeptical and cynical response. He misses the invitation and missing the opportunity to know and believe.

Jesus’ Kingdom is larger than this world. A reality that the earthly leaders could not see, did not want to see.

Yes, Jesus IS KING and he DOES have a kingdom, but it was not as men imagined…it was so much better, so much bigger.

Pilate, missing the message, does not see the man as a threat and tells them so, but the Jews, as we know, would have nothing of it and cries out anyway for his death. Given the choice between Jesus and Barabbas, they choose Barabbas.

It would not have mattered who they pitted against Jesus, they would have accepted no one’s death accept Jesus’.

Such is the blindness of men.

Such is the hardness of their hearts.

I pray we NEVER find ourselves in such a position.

Jesus is King. And He DOES have a kingdom.

BUT Jesus Kingdom, while it encompasses earthly kings and their kingdoms, while it is sovereign over politics and earthly realms, HIS KINGDOM IS NOT PRIMARILY a political one.

His kingdom is larger.

His kingdom is a gospel kingdom

Jesus’ Kingdom is a Gospel Kingdom

Jesus spoke often of the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven throughout his earthly ministry.

How are we to understand what he means?

What is the Kingdom of God that Jesus speaks of? When it is? It is often spoken of BOTH in future tenses as well as present.

What is the kingdom? When is the kingdom?

What is the kingdom of God?

These are some questions that are still hotly debated in some circles.

Let me address it, at least briefly here this morning as it flows from our text.

The Kingdom of God describes the rule of God over His creation as King, including how the rule is exerted and structured and what it’s ultimate purpose is.

The theme of the Kingdom of God can be traced though both the OT and NT.

The Lexham Survey of Theology notes it this way.

Lexham Survey of Theology The Kingdom of God

On the most basic level, we may say the kingdom of God is present wherever the king is to be found. Jesus is present by his Spirit both in the church and in the world. Some have entirely identified the kingdom with the church, but although the church is certainly included in and representative of the kingdom, most theologians would say that the kingdom is a broader concept in its full and final sense. The church is a missionary organization, whereas the kingdom is more often conceived as the results of that mission’s fulfillment.

The kingdom IS WHERE the King is. The kingdom simply IS because God rules as King and sovereign over all.

AND YET, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray for the coming of the Kingdom, which implies, at least in part, that there is an element of the kingdom which is still yet future, even if it is also present in part.

It is easy to think of the Kingdom of God only in terms of a particular reign, region, even time period. In other words, to think of the kingdom as situational.

But the the kingdom of God is more than that. It is larger than a single kingdom, region, or time period. In truth, as John Frame notes, the kingdom is the “dynamic movement of history.”

The kingdom of God runs throughout all of history and will find its climax in a time yet to come.

Geerhardus Vos formulated that Jesus’ view of the kingdom was that…

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief Chapter 5: The Kingdom of God

To him the kingdom exists there, where not merely God is supreme, for that is true at all times and under all circumstances, but where God supernaturally carries through his supremacy against all opposing powers and brings men to the willing recognition of the same.

God’s rule is total, complete, and supreme. In this sense, the kingdom of God is all times, all nations, all locations, past, present, and future from eternity past to eternity future.

But this does not appear to be how Christ speaks of it.

Instead, the Kingdom of God has come WHEN MEN recognize AND surrender to the sovereign rule of God. The kingdom of God comes WHEN men turn, against all opposing forces, and surrender themselves to the rule of God in their lives willingly and joyfully…so much so, they surrender ALL they have just to acquire it.

Matthew 13:44-46.

Matthew 13:44–46 ESV

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

In other words, Frame notes…The kingdom of God “is, preeminently, the history of salvation.”

In other words, the Kingdom of God is the RESULT of men’s embracing of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In this way, it is present, here and now…

BUT

There is a future where ALL will embrace and it will be TOTAL and COMPLETE with no opposition, no resistance, no rejection.

Phil 2:1-11.

Philippians 2:9–11 ESV

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Every knee will bow, every tongue WILL confess His lordship and authority, even if it is under duress and unwillingly.

But oh how much more joy there will be for those who do so willingly and humbly.

The Kingdom IS NOW and IS YET to be.

It is unfolding as we speak, leading to the fullness of it in a time yet to come.

Why did Christ choose to unveil and unfold the Kingdom this way? Frame notes..

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief Chapter 5: The Kingdom of God

Why he chose to stretch out the drama of salvation over so long a time is a mystery. The length of this time is related to other mysteries of Scripture, such as the problem of evil. We would not cry, “How long, O LORD?” (Pss. 6:3; 13:1; 80:4; 90:13; Hab. 1:2; Zech. 1:12; Rev. 6:10), if God had determined to complete his purposes in an instant, and the sting of pain and suffering would be much less if God were to abbreviate his story to a few decades. But God’s decision is clear: that the history of redemption will take millennia, leaving space for dramatic movements, ups and downs, twists and turns, longings and astonishments. Salvation is to be a great epic, not a short story. God will glorify himself, not by measuring his kingdom in time spans appropriate to human kings, but by revealing himself as “King of the ages” (Rev. 15:3 NIV).

Jesus is revealing His kingdom OVER time, in His way for in so doing, he reveals the fullness of Himself, the greatness of Himself for us to see, and know, and delight in!

The kingdom, spoken of in the NT, looked for, longed for, HAS COME in the person of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 3:2.

Matthew 3:2 ESV

2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 4:17.

Matthew 4:17 ESV

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 12:28.

Matthew 12:28 ESV

28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Jesus brought the kingdom to fruition, to realization in a much more full way than ever before.

Frame points out…

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief The Two Ages

The gospel is the gospel of the kingdom (4:23; 9:35; 10:7); the Sermon on the Mount, the ethic of the kingdom (5:3, 10, 19, 20; 6:33); the Lord’s Prayer, the prayer of the kingdom (6:10); the parables, the mysteries of the kingdom (13:11). The church has the keys of the kingdom (16:19). The kingdom of God has come. Christ the King has been raised to God’s right hand, where he has authority over all things (28:18).

The gospel IS the gospel of the Kingdom.

The gospel IS HOW one gets into the kingdom.

The gospel IS HOW the kingdom grows and advances.

And YET, the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust is still yet unfulfilled.

The return of Christ has not happened.

The final judgements have not happened yet.

We will pray for HIS KINGDOM to come. There is still an element of his kingdom not yet here

There are still more who God is waiting for to come into His kingdom.

SO…

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief Christ the King

Since Jesus’ ascension, the kingdom of God is the work of God through his people, bringing Jesus’ kingship to bear on the whole world. It is bringing people to bow the knee to him, and every tongue to confess his lordship. It is turning people into disciples, baptizing, and teaching them to observe everything that Jesus has taught us

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief Christ the King

So the Great Commission is a program for cultural change. As individuals bow the knee to Christ, they discover that worshiping Jesus must lead to action, bringing Jesus’ teachings to bear on everything. So the kingdom brings individuals to Christ and also brings those individuals to exalt him in every area of life. It is both individual and social change, until God consummates the kingdom at the return of Jesus to judge the living and the dead.

Listen, the kingdom of God is NOT primarily about social reform or cultural change.

IT IS PRIMARILY about changing hearts of men and woman into worshippers of God through repentance and faith.

WHEN THAT HAPPENS, what happens to society, to justice, to culture? As men and woman yield their lives to the kingship and authority of God?

Culture reflects Christ.

YES, we ought to be about fighting injustice and addressing cultural issues, BUT the kingdom of God is about BRINGING ALL MEN (mankind) under his rule and authority. This happens through repentance and faith.

and This happens through the gospel.

THUS, where the gospel changes lives…where men surrender to the kingship of Christ….You have the Kingdom of God NOW, even while we wait still for the future fulfillment of said kingdom.

Again Frame…

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief The Gospel of the Kingdom

So in the Great Commission, Jesus sends his disciples through the world to make disciples, not only teaching them about the cross and resurrection, important as those are, but also “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). The kingdom is already and not yet, but also growing through the world, like grain sown in a field (13:1–9), a mustard seed growing into a large tree (vv. 31–32), yeast growing through bread (v. 33), as Jesus’ disciples apply to their lives all the things that Jesus taught. Today, in our own experience, people are finding the kingdom as a hidden treasure (v. 44) and as a costly pearl (vv. 45–46). They are caught up (with, to be sure, nonelect people) in God’s dragnet (vv. 47–50). The kingdom is established in the work of Jesus and will be consummated at his return to judge at the end of this age. But the kingdom is also something that expands through the world between those two great events. The growth of the kingdom, its expansion, is a present reality. That growth is given by God’s sovereign grace, through the work of believers as they obey Jesus’ Great Commission.

The Kingdom of God is realized through men’s repentance, yielding of their lives to Him and their surrender to His will and sovereign rule in their lives.

The Kingdom of grows as men turn from their sin in repentance and faith and embrace Christ.

The kingdom grows as his followers submit to the sanctifying work of grace in their lives and GROW in their love and devotion to God.

The kingdom grows as we, his followers, make the kingdom the greatest pursuit of our lives…

Matthew 6:33.

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

John Frame…

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief Life in the Kingdom

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus tells his disciples to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” “These things” are things such as food and clothing mentioned in the preceding context. So Jesus sets the kingdom as the goal of human life. Believers ought to make it their highest goal to contribute to the historical program of the kingdom of God. They should carry out the Great Commission, to make disciples for Jesus. They should do what they can to defeat evil and all that opposes God in the world and bring people to a willing recognition of Christ as King of kings.

Church, the Kingdom of God IS HERE.

Your repentance and faith make you part of it.

Are you seeking FIRST the kingdom of God? Are you living FIRST for the King of that Kingdom?

OR, are you living for your own kingdom of one? Do you live as if YOU are king?

The values, priorities, and expectations of God’s Kingdom inform, instruct, and dictate your daily priorities and focus?

Is the GOSPEL the center of your life?

Does the gospel consume your view of people and of life?

Church, we serve a God whose Kingdom is FAR larger and richer than the mere political realm of men, than the temporary nature of man’s rule.

We are blessed to be part of it, to serve in it.

The question is… (Show Big Idea slide below)

Are you making it your highest priority?

Conclusion

Big Idea: The Kingdom of God is Here…and not yet…and beckons us make it the highest priority of our lives.

Jesus’ Kingdom Conflicts with Man’s - John 18:28-32.

Jesus’ Kingdom is not of this world- John 18:33-40.

Jesus’ Kingdom is a Gospel Kingdom

Are you part of the kingdom? Have you repented of your sin AND placed faith in Jesus death, burial, and resurrection ALONE to save you?

Church, is the gospel, is the Kingdom of God YOUR HIGHEST priority in life?

In essence, is this not the same thing as Mark 12:30 - Loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?

Are you ACTIVELY seeking and pursuing the kingdom?

How are you doing with reaching out to those whom God has placed burdens on your heart to share the good news with?

How are you doing at deepening your own knowledge of and passion for the God you have surrendered to?

How are you doing at discipling, training, and equipping others to go and share the good news?

How are you doing at SEEKING the Kingdom of God as your first priority in this life?

How are you doing at living out the gospel?

Abba, You are King. May we never forget that. You ARE THE King…the KING of Kings. Your kingdom JUST IS because of who you are. And yet, you desire a kingdom of individuals willingly and joyfully in pursuit of you, in submission to your lordship. You want a kingdom of Gospel redeemed saints who have turned from self to follow and worship you. You desire a kingdom of subjects who confess your lordship and delight in it. You are building your kingdom through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are part of it. And you desire for more to join. You desire for more to be restored to intimacy with yourself through the gospel. You desire to expand your kingdom and grow it through truth, through repentance, through faith.

Abba, may we, as your church, seek FIRST your Kingdom. May we be committed to it. May we be committed in our own lives as we seek to faithfully follow you, growing in you. May we be committed to it by sharing the good news with others and inviting them to join through repentance and faith. May we be committed to it by helping others to grow in their devotion and service to you.

As we do, Abba…may your kingdom grow, your kingdom come as we continue to grow together to become more like Jesus for the glory of God.

Application

Why does God’s Kingdom never align with Man’s kingdom? Why are they always going to be in conflict?

God’s kingdom is righteous and true, unaffected by sin. Man’s kingdom is tainted by sin and cursed. The priorities and agendas of both are at odds.

God’s kingdom recognizes God as the supreme authority. Man’s kingdom recognizes self…man. When there is a disagreement over who is in charge, there will always be conflict and problems.

In your own life, where have you seen this conflict?

When we recognize that we are living for our kingdom instead of God’s, what response is required? Why is this response so hard to surrender to?

Repentance. Surrender.

We are selfish and prideful. We want what we want and we are not wiling for anyone to prevent us from getting it. Surrender relinquishes that control.

It is hard to surrender because if we are not in control, we cannot dictate and determine the outcome and we do not like. Our ability to control is a defense and protective measure for us.

In what way(s) do we try to live in both kingdoms, serving both’s interests? Be specific

We go to church on Sunday….BUT…we make no effort to live in community with the body throughout the week.

We do are devotions daily…BUT…we fail to live out the truth we just studied an hour later.

We profess to follow the way THE TRUTH and the life….while regularly making a habit of lying, stretching truth, omitting vital pieces of information with the intent to mislead or deceive, and manipulating things to appear as we desire.

We profess to follow the RIGHTEOUS and sinless God, all the while justifying our sinful anger, impatience, rudeness.

We profess to follow Christ, but fail to surrender our speech to His will and regularly use profanity and vulgarity that would never grace the lips of Jesus.

We profess to follow Jesus while being poor stewards of our bodies, temples of His holy presence, whether through hygiene, eating, or even needing to abide by special diets due to health issues.

Why is it important to know that God’s kingdom is not of this world? How does this truth elevate the significance and worth of God’s kingdom over man’s?

His kingdom is HIGHER than this world. We can make it all about here and now. We can get so hyper focused on THIS life that we fail to realize that there is a higher, larger, and more permanent kingdom whose interests we are supposed to be seeking first. We can begin to place our hope in politics instead of Jesus.

It also helps us understand our responsibility to this earthly Kingdom. It puts into perspective the cares of this life.

The Kingdom of God is rooted and grounded in the Gospel of Jesus. How does this change your view of the kingdom? How does it enrich it?

The kingdom is about salvation, about God making change one person at a time, from the inside out.

The kingdom is about eternal hope and eternal life. Again, it is about life or death. It is not just about comfort or ease in this life. It is much much higher, much much more valuable that we might imagine.

How does it affect our focus and priorities to understand that the Kingdom of God is a gospel kingdom? How does it affect our priorities in our culture and society?

We should be actively about being God’s ambassadors and advancing the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

We should guard our time, energies, and resources to ensure we are spending them wisely to advance the kingdom through gospel witness, through bringing men to repentance and thus bringing their lives under the direct authority of Jesus.

In what way(s) are you living for your own kingdom instead of Gods? Where do you need to repent and surrender to THE KING Jesus as Lord of ALL your life? How would Your King have your serve Him?

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