The Kingdom of God

Introduction

This is an exciting day in the life of the church! Calling a pastor is a big deal.

The pastor is the man among the flock, whom God uses to set the tone for the church as a whole as we follow the Good Sheperd, Jesus. It’s a big deal.

This is why it is important for us to establish a foundation, built upon Christ Himself, of what it means to be the church…to be those who are a part of the Kingdom of God.

Luke 17:20–21 ESV

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.”

1) The Domain of the Kingdom…

The Pharisees were asking about when the Kingdom of God would arrive, but the answer they got was not the answer they were looking for.

You and I must make sure we see the Kingdom of God for what it is the way that our Lord has established it.

Anything else and we will miss it just like the “religious elite” here in this encounter.

The domain, or realm, of the Kingdom is eternal in nature.

It is an eternal kingdom with an eternal focus.

John 18:33–36 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.”

When you and I think of the church, we must not see an earthly entity, but rather an eternal entity that is on assignment in this world.

We are essentially to be in the world, but not of the world.

This means our mindset for the church must reflect an eternal kingdom.

As the Church we should not seek to be a cruise ship with a few staff to steer the ship and keep the many passengers happy.

Rather, the Church should be viewed as a battleship, ready and alert to advance the mission of the Kingdom of our Lord, where every member is constantly training, preparing, and ready to engage to accomplish the mission of the Gospel!

Because the Domain of the Kingdom is eternal in nature, we must seek to keep our minds set on eternal things.

Colossians 3:1–7 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.

Colossians 3:16–17 ESV

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

2) The Design of the Kingdom…

The 1st Century pharisees were looking for an organized, holy theocratic system that would put to shame the reign and prestige of David and Solomon.

Their expectation was that this new holy government would conquer and destroy all enemies, especially Gentile Romans, and return Israel to a global powerhouse.

Sometimes, I wonder if we make the same mistake when our greatest expectation of the church is to be the center of status in our communities.

The church being influential in the community is not evil in and of itself, but if the church is solely about influence without the impact of salvation, it is outside of the design of the Kingdom.

The Kingdom of Christ is not made up exclusively of social elites and people of power. It is designed to be made up of all peoples, no matter their socio-economic status, backgrounds, past mistakes, etc.

The church, which is God’s Kingdom present on earth, is made up of rescued sinners who are saved by Christ, redeemed by His blood, surrendered to His will, and are being made new by His Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:27 tells us that each one of us is a part of the Body of Christ and therefore belong to the Kingdom of God.

No matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve been through, Jesus stands ready to welcome you into His Kingdom with open arms that took your sin on His cross so that you can be made new!

3) The Desire of the Kingdom…

It is important to note what a biblical, Christ-centered church is supposed to be about.

This is obviously not what the pharisees were concerned with. They had a desire for the Kingdom, but they did not have the desire of the Kingdom!

This is exactly what you and I are to be concerned with today.

The desire, or purpose, of God’s Kingdom is to reach out and seek the lost so they may be saved in Jesus.

Acts 28:30-31 teaches us that Paul proclaimed the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ openly and boldly.

Acts 28:30–31 ESV

30 He lived there two whole years…and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

John 10:10 gives us Jesus’ declaration that He has come so that we can have life and have it to its fullest in Him.

The church is to be God’s outpost that advances His desire.

We are not to be a castle that establishes its own kingdom. We are to be an expression of the Kingdom of our Lord, advancing His agenda!

Castles surround themselves with walls and seek to only maintain whatever is inside. Outposts SPREAD themselves throughout the region for the purpose of influencing the region with Kingdom principles under Kingly authority. Outposts are designed to spread Kingdom culture.

Matthew 28:18-20 gives us an outpost mandate to make disciples. This is the purpose of the Kingdom!

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

You were saved by Christ on purpose for purpose! Your purpose to grow in your understanding of the Kingdom desire, then to share and spread the Kingdom message of life and salvation to those who are lost in darkness.

Your purpose is to be a disciples who makes disciples!

Do you have a proper perspective of the Kingdom of God?

Do you understand its domain, its design, and its desire?

Do you have a heart and mind that wants to align with God’s Kingdom domain, design, and desire?

Do you want this Church to be His Church…an Outpost that builds a Kingdom culture within and around us?

These are big questions and they’re important questions to consider. If you vote in a moment to bring me as your pastor, this is the heart from which I will strive to lead from.

While this is a big question and an important question…it is not the most important question for this moment…the most important question is:

Are you a part of the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ?

I said earlier that The Church is made up of rescued sinners who are saved by Christ, redeemed by His blood, surrendered to His will, and are being made new by His Spirit.

Have you come to a place in your life where you realize that you have missed the mark of our amazing, holy, and perfect Creator and because He is so amazingly holy and righteous, your sin has separated you from Him and you are responsible for the consequences of your sin?

Have you ever heard and responded to the greatest news in all of history that God loves you so much that instead of you bearing the consequences for your sin and being separated from Him for all eternity that Jesus came, lived a perfect life, and died the death you deserve?

Have you every turned to Him by placing your faith and trust in Him, recognizing that He the rightful Lord over your life, the resurrected redeemer that has bought you with His blood, the rescuer that forgives you of your sin, and the righteous restorer who gives you new life through the Holy Spirit living in you?

If you’ve never placed your faith and trust in Jesus, what are you waiting for? What’s stopping you from doing that right now? Is it really worth risking eternity apart from God? During this time of response…let today be your day of salvation!