The Kingdom You Cannot See (2)
What is the Kingdom? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Today’s Reading from God’s Word:
Today’s Reading from God’s Word:
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,
21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
Introduction
Introduction
I hope you’re enjoying our series on the kingdom this month. We’re laying much of the groundwork for what we want to discuss as we move throughout 2025.
Last week we were in this passage — taking a look at the kingdom in the present.
God’s kingdom is a reality
God’s kingdom is a reality
In His creation
In His creation
The Psalmist said:
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
All things were created by him and for him. David proclaimed:
11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all.
12 Riches and honor come from you, and you are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all.
Paul said:
16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him.
17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
He is before all things: The universe and everything in it is His.
By him all things hold together: He is the one keeping the universe running.
He controls it … by Himself … with no outside consultation.
In His People
In His People
It is, as Jesus said, within you or as the ESV says, in the midst of you.
And even though we cannot physically see it — we know it is present because it is comprised of the great body of the saved.
God is sovereign in the universe. He is sovereign in his people.
He comes to live in us, hands on.
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.
The trinity has taken up residence in our hearts.
We are each being built and put together as one:
19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household,
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.
This is the kingdom Jesus was referring to in Luke’s gospel. The kingdom is in your midst.
It is very personal and powerful.
It changes you from the inside out.
Today
Today
We’re going to dive deeper into why Jesus came.
It wasn’t to establish a physical kingdom on earth. It’s never been about that.
It wasn’t to establish a universal reign over the created universe — He already has that — and showed it during His ministry.
He controlled the weather and the sea.
He controlled disease.
He had power over death.
He created food out of nothing.
Jesus came… to establish the kingdom in our heart.
But the Jews missed it.
And so can we.
What the Jews Expected in a King
What the Jews Expected in a King
The Jews were expecting a big glorious kingdom — brought to them by the Messiah.
After centuries of tribulation, oppression, and subjugation, they were more than ready to be delivered and vanquish their enemies.
They hated the Romans … who were the latest in a long line of world empires dominating them.
They hastened any opportunity to overthrow them and cast off the yoke they bore.
They looked forward to
Jerusalem being the center of the world.
Israel triumphing over all the nations and the world would be subjected to their king and his reign.
Retribution for all the tribulation and loss they had experienced.
What the Jews expected was drawn from Old Testament prophets and were embellished by jewish rabbis and teachers. And they really went over the top.
Everything related to the kingdom was huge to them.
When the Messiah came, they believed it would come with cataclysmic signs — the earth would shake and the sky would fall, etc.
15 Woe because of that day! For the day of the Lord is near and will come as devastation from the Almighty.
The day of the Lord is associated with judgment — devastating judgment — and they associated this with the coming messiah.
1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the residents of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; in fact, it is near—
2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and total darkness, like the dawn spreading over the mountains; a great and strong people appears, such as never existed in ages past and never will again in all the generations to come.
Joel 2:10–11 (CSB)
10 The earth quakes before them; the sky shakes. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars cease their shining.
11 The Lord makes his voice heard in the presence of his army. His camp is very large; those who carry out his command are powerful. Indeed, the day of the Lord is terrible and dreadful— who can endure it?
30 I will display wonders in the heavens and on the earth: blood, fire, and columns of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.
This is what they were looking for with the coming Messiah.
The Pharisees made themselves out to be the experts in this.
Luke 19:11 (CSB)
11 As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem, and they thought the kingdom of God was going to appear right away.
So what are they thinking here?
If he is the messiah, if he is the one, maybe when he comes to Jerusalem we’ll finally see the kingdom come with all its might and power.
When the messiah would come, they also were looking for times of eternal peace, righteousness, and glory.
16 The Lord will roar from Zion and make his voice heard from Jerusalem; heaven and earth will shake. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the Israelites.
17 Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy, and foreigners will never overrun it again.
18 In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the streams of Judah will flow with water, and a spring will issue from the Lord’s house, watering the Valley of Acacias.
And of course, what they were looking for didn’t come.
What They Couldn’t See
What They Couldn’t See
They clearly did not see Him come to establish a spiritual kingdom. They simply weren’t looking for that.
Our text in Luke 17:20 is where Jesus is deconstructing their construct of what the kingdom would be.
Luke 17:20 (CSB)
20 When he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable;
Note … it’s in the present. It was coming right then and there in their midst.
He is not talking about the final aspect of the kingdom.
When he comes again — and ushers us all home to be with him forever — that will come with signs to be observed.
That will be a time of judgment.
The kingdom he brought with him in his ministry wasn’t anything like what they were looking for.
In fact, it couldn’t be seen. It is completely invisible.
It was about reaching broken hearts.
It was about demonstrating compassion and sympathy.
He was healing people.
Casting out demons.
Raising dead people.
Displaying power that was inexplicable.
It was undeniable that these actions were from God.
2 This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.”
It was about displaying Himself as a God of great mercy — relieving people’s pain and suffering.
Help for the hurting and broken.
The Jews forgot about these words of the prophets when the Messiah would come:
Joel 2:13 (CSB)
13 Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster.
They wanted the Messiah … but their hearts were far from Him.
They weren’t looking for someone who was:
Meek and lowly.
Compassionate, sympathetic, and tender hearted.
Spent his time with the sick, needy, poor, grieving and those filled with pain.
Comfortable with tax collectors and prostitutes and sinners and everyone else at the bottom of their society.
When they rejected Jesus:
It wasn’t that they didn’t want the kingdom.
It wasn’t that they didn’t like hearing him talk about the kingdom.
It wasn’t that they weren’t looking for a king.
They wanted something spectacular.
They wanted a grand coronation.
And I think as they ask Jesus the question in Luke 17:20, I think they are mocking him just a little…
Well, when “is” the kingdom of God coming?
What became so offensive to them is the kind of kingdom Jesus brought.
They weren’t looking for a Savior — because they didn’t think they needed to be saved.
These were people without broken hearts.
Yes, they were being crushed by sin … but they thought their salvation was in the bag because:
of their birthright.
and their meticulous ceremonial law keeping.
Let’s look at John 3 — as it exposes the problem the Jews had:
Here Nicodemus has come to Jesus by night. Jesus explains His mission as King.
John 3:3 (CSB)
3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
If you haven’t been recreated…
If you haven’t been raised to spiritual life… you can’t see the king or the kingdom.
John 3:5 (CSB)
5 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
This is the spiritual rebirth through the cleansing of baptism via the power/action of the Spirit.
This is what must happen for anyone to be in the kingdom.
We must, as Paul said:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!
Jesus’ Soul Saving Mission
Jesus’ Soul Saving Mission
Jesus came with a spiritual mission to save souls.
We get to choose whether or not to believe.
There really are only two options:
John 3:36 (CSB)
36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.
Jesus is the only person who ever came down from heaven with the truth about salvation.
13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
He is the Son of Man who brings salvation to the lost.
How is that salvation accomplished?
15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
He is, as John said,
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
This is the objective truth Jesus brought with him from heaven.
And we must receive it. But its not just about head work.
His coming is also about the heart — which means being satisfied with God does for you in Jesus.
Belief is dependence on Christ crucified for salvation and accepting His atonement for sin.
In Numbers 21:8-9, Jews who had been bitten and poisoned by a serpent were healed by depending on God.
9 So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.
There were no works or rites to keep.
There was no restitution — just look (belief in action) and be saved.
They simply depended on God to do as He promised.
And that is the beauty of John 3:15.
15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
Your salvation is not about you.
It is about your demonstration of trust and the acknowledgment of your deepest need — His gift of salvation.
The Jews couldn’t understand His kingdom mission:
16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
With this spiritual kingdom, … it wasn’t about judgment, destruction, and vengeance … God’s intention was to save the world through Jesus.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
This is the greatest message ever told.
Jesus came to lift away the burden of sin and bring us hope, peace, and joy!
And the sad thing is …
John 1:11 (CSB)
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
He was in the world … the world was made by him…
And they couldn’t see it.
The King was there — they were looking at Him in the face.
The King of Kings and the Kingdom had come — it was there — and it’s still here.
What Do We Expect in Our King?
What Do We Expect in Our King?
Many want Jesus as Savior …
to escape a fiery and eternal hell.
to live in a better world of justice and peace…
to be delivered from earthly problems or a solver of human conflicts.
Salvation is so much more than a fire escape or transaction.
I’ll avoid hell in exchange for going to church.
Fear leads to legalism or a superficial faith that is void of a true relationship with God.
And Jesus didn’t come to earth for the primary purpose of bringing justice and peace. These are things that won’t be realized in this age.
And seeing Jesus role as primarily addressing earthly problems or conflicts limits the broader focus of reaching our deeper spiritual problems and need for reconciliation with God.
The King Wants Your Heart
The King Wants Your Heart
A few moments ago I read Joel 2:13:
13 Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster.
God wants our heart.
God wants us to come to Him in our brokenness.
We come to God in complete spiritual poverty with a spirit that is void of all pride — moving with total dependence on God.
Boasting and self-reliance go out the window.
Matthew 5:3–10 (CSB)
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
We come in submission absolutely, totally, and completely yielding to His control over our life.
Jesus is both Lord and Messiah.
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
And when I come brokenhearted— realizing I bring nothing to the table…
that all my personal righteousness is as filthy rags…
that I am under sin — having transgressed God’s royal law…
Only Then…
Only Then…
Will he accept me … forgive me of my sin…
give me eternal life…
and make me righteous before him.
And this is the only way we will ever experience peace and joy in this life.
All the glory goes to … Him.
As We Close…
As We Close…
Will you…
Surrender Your Heart to the King?
Surrender Your Heart to the King?
Jesus’ primary mission is not to meet your external expectations but to transform your heart.
Do you see your own spiritual brokenness and come to God in complete dependence, surrendering your pride and self-reliance?
Will you come offering God a heart that is contrite and fully yielded to His will?
Embrace the Invisible Kingdom?
Embrace the Invisible Kingdom?
Jesus’ kingdom is present in our hearts.
Focus on how His presence is shaping your inner life and relationships.
Are you trusting in His spiritual reign and living as a citizen of His kingdom, reflecting His mercy, compassion, and righteousness.
How can you better show compassion, forgiveness, or serve others?
Look to Jesus for Spiritual Healing?
Look to Jesus for Spiritual Healing?
Will you seek Him for the deeper healing of your soul and the reconciliation He offers with God?
The kingdom is about eternal hope and transformation, not temporary fixes.
15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Commit to trusting Him as the Savior who meets your ultimate need for salvation and spiritual renewal.
