The Kingdom of Heaven

Introduction

Matthew 13:44–46 ““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. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Today we begin with these twin parables that express the worth of the Kingdom of Heaven. Here in Matthew it is described as a treasure that someone sells all they have to own. Then Jesus follows that up by saying it is like a merchant who finds this one pearl and sells all he has in order to posses that one pearl. I was recently speaking to a friend of mine who had found a snowmobile hoist at an auction. However, the seller did not realize what the item was so it did not get properly labeled. As a result my friend was able to get this snowmobile hoist for almost nothing. Sometimes people do not realize what they have and so they sell it for nothing. However, we find that is not the case in these two parables. We read that the those who purchased the treasure and the pearl sold ALL they had in order possess this one thing. They knew the treasure they had found and were willing to lose everything else in order to obtain it. This is the value of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the value of the Kingdom of God. It is something that is worth giving up everything else in order to obtain. But what is the Kingdom of Heaven?

The Kingdom of Heaven Defined

The phrases Kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of God is mentioned around 100x in the New Testament. We read it in Matthew 3:2 ““Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Mark 1:15 “and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”; Luke 17:20 “Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed,” Acts 28:31 “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 15:50 “I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” As we read these phrases we are left with the question, what is the Kingdom of Heaven/God? There are a few ways that the Kingdom of Heaven may be understood.

First, as one scholar notes: “Broadly speaking, the kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. Several passages of Scripture show that God is the undeniable Monarch of all creation: “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). And, as King Nebuchadnezzar declared, “His kingdom is an eternal kingdom” (Daniel 4:3). Every authority that exists has been established by God (Romans 13:1). So, in one sense, the kingdom of God incorporates everything that is.” (What is the kingdom of God? | GotQuestions.org) Yet, if this is the case, how can scripture also say that Satan is the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph2:2); “ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11); and “the god of this world” (2Cor 4:4). How can this world be both Satan’s domain and still fall under the Kingdom of God. I think the simplest way to understand this is by understanding rebellion. Merriam-Webster defines rebellion as “opposition to one in authority or dominance” (Rebellion Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster). You see, God is the One in authority and Satan is the leader of all who rebel against God. So strong is this connection that God calls those who have chosen to rebel “children of the devil” (1John 3:10) The legitimate authority still belongs to God and God continues to make sure everything He created functions, yet His creation is in open rebellion against Him. In effect Satan has set up a rebel kingdom within God’s domain. In this way, God remains in authority over it, yet Satan is the “ruler” of this world.

Second, as another scholar notes, “More narrowly, the kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Those who defy God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are not part of the kingdom of God; in contrast, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts are part of the kingdom of God. In this sense, the kingdom of God is spiritual—Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), and He preached that repentance is necessary to be a part of the kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17). That the kingdom of God can be equated with the sphere of salvation is evident in John 3:5–7, where Jesus says the kingdom of God must be entered into by being born again.” (What is the kingdom of God? | GotQuestions.org) You see, when Jesus came to earth, the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand because the King Himself had arrived. The King of all was walking among His rebellious creation and He was calling to be reconciled with Him. Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” So we see that all who are in submission to God are a part of the Kingdom of God. So much so that the apostle Paul says that we are ambassadors 2 Corinthians 5:20 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” An ambassador is one who is sent to a foreign land with the responsibility to reflect the official position of the nation that sent him. So wherever there is a representative of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom is also present.

But there is a third piece to the question of the Kingdom of Heaven. You see the Kingdom of Heaven is not simply a spiritual reality, but there is coming a day when the rebellious nation that Satan has set up will be literally wiped away. The rebellious state will only be allowed to exist for so long. For there is a coming a day when the ambassadors will no longer be needed, for the King will physically return and in that day, those who are still in rebellion against Him, those who have failed to repent will be judged for their transgressions (breaking of the divine Law) and in that Day Christ will rule and reign forever. This is the prophecy of Daniel 2:44 “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it (Kingdom of God) shall stand forever,” Habakkuk 2:14 tells us “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” And Zechariah 14:9 says “And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.” You see, there is coming a day when the King will return in power and He will physically rule forever. Revelation 21:1–4 gives us a beautiful picture of that glorious eternal kingdom. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Christ is currently sovereign over ALL, He is the King of those who have believed and has entrusted them to be ambassoders for His Kingdom, and in that future glorious day, the King will return and His physical Kingdom will have no end. Is it any wonder that the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a treasure that is worth selling everything for? How then shall we live? How does the Kingdom of Heaven inform our lives today?

Application

Repent & Believe Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As I mentioned earlier, all creation has rebelled against the good and rightful King. Yet Christ is merciful and paid in full the debt of sin that you and I owe by dying on the cross and rising again. So if you simply repent, admit you are a sinner and trust that Christ’s work is enough to forgive, you will be forgiven. Some have said, “that is too easy!” Simpy believe!?!? To this I would quote Jesus Mark 10:15 “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” When I child receives a gift, they do so without the ability to repay it and with a simple trust that the giver means what they say when they give it. Christ paid the debt, and all we have to do is receive it by admitting we are sinners and accepting that Christ the King meant what He said. Repent and Believe.

Sow Mark 4:26–29 “And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Dear Christian, you are to be a sower of the Word of God. Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” You and I are to be sowing the seed of the word of God and by that Word, people will hear, we do not understand exactly how, yet we know that by sowing the seed of the gospel, there will be a harvest of souls for the Kingdom. Be a sower of the Word.

Grow Mark 4:30–32 “And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” The Kingdom of God is also like a mustard seed that grows into a tree and in that tree others are able to sit under its shade and make nests within its branches. Dear Christian when you grow in the Word, you become like that tree that can offer counsel, comfort, and help to others. Caring for one another is Kingdom work. So grow in Christ by knowing His word and obey His word. In that way you may be a shade tree offering a place of rest to the weary.

Discern Matthew 13:24–30 “He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” We find in this parable that there are those who look like they are part of the kingdom, they act like they are part of the Kingdom and they are even found among those who are part of the kingdom, yet the parable is clear that they are NOT part of the Kingdom. Dear Christian, just because someone says “I am a Christian” does not mean they are a Christian. So often we listen to people give unbiblical advise and we trust them because they said they are a christian. We MUST discern truth from falsehood and we can ONLY do that by knowing what is TRUE. There are MANY who claim to speak for Christ, yet they are speaking the lies of the Devil. You must be able to discern a false teacher from a true teacher. You must be able to discern what God has actually said from a twisted version of what God has said. You must discern, and ultimately you must trust that God will separate the wheat from the chaff.