The Kingdom of Heaven

The Kingdom of Heaven Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 3: 2 Every King needs a kingdom. Every kingdom a herald. In Matthew's gospel, the gospel of the King and the kingdom, John appears the herald of the King and His kingdom. John, here called the Baptist, one ordained to the role of herald, was sent before the Lord to declare the coming of the King with His kingdom. Here Matthew declares that the kingdom has come near; as Christ the King comes forth to be anointed the King of heaven, with Him comes the certainty of His kingdom. Thus, this is the beginning of the kingdom coming here on earth, in Christ is has come, with the Baptist it is now drawn near. For this man, the Elijah of our day, was sent to herald the coming of the King, saying, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. We shall behold the King, He shall instruct us of His kingdom, He will gather the administrators of His kingdom, who shall fetch the citizens of that Kingdom. With this herald of the Baptist then, with this calling attention to the King and anointing the King to His kingdom, it is said the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Observe, 1. It was afar off. 2. It is of heaven. 3. It has come near with Christ. 4. It is not of here. 5. It is unlike here. Doctrine. As Christ the King has come and with Him the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. We shall see with Christ's approach, His kingdom is a kingdom unlike any other. I. It is not a kingdom of this world. We shall see Christ speak of His kingdom as not from here. It is called the kingdom of heaven because it is not of the earth. It is from above, as is Christ, and He has come down to bring a people into a heavenly abode with Him. II. It is not like the kingdoms of this world. The kingdoms of this world are wholly unlike the kingdom of heaven. They are earthly, fallen, and dark. This world is transitory and self-congratulatory. They are opposed to the God of heaven. They rise and all in rebellion to the God of glory. III. It is not a kingdom entered by the flesh. No man can enter into this kingdom but by the sovereign grace of God. You cannot will yourself in, you cannot work your way in, you cannot scheme a way in; Abraham tried Ishmael, but he was of the flesh, not of the promise. IV. It is not a kingdom obtained by one's birth. You are not born into this kingdom by birth or heritage; you must be born again. V. It is not a kingdom but for the righteous. None but the righteous are found here within this kingdom. As the parable will show, those without a wedding garment, woven in the blood of Christ, will be cast out. VI. It is not a kingdom but for the spiritual. None but those indwelt by the Spirit of God shall dwell here within this kingdom. The Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, He that helps us to pray. It is He that testifies to us that we are the children of God. VII. It is not a kingdom but for the beloved. All those found within are those that have the Father's grace and foreknowledge upon them, chosen in Christ from before the foundations of the world. We are in Christ, in love, His elect. VIII. It is not a kingdom but for the poor. We have no claim upon anything in heaven or in earth. All our works are as filthy rags. We are sinners saved by grace alone and we live by faith alone. IX. It is not a kingdom but by faith. All those within live by faith. We abide by faith. We sojourn by faith. We hope in faith. Our eyes are set above. X. It is not a kingdom but of happiness. All those within are felicitous. In this life we are tried, pressed, and persecuted, but our joy is set above. We see the storms below, but we see Jesus and our hearts cheer. We rejoice to see Him draw near us in the storm. As then this is the kingdom of heaven, as it is not of this world, as we are not of this world, consider this: Uses 1. For our alarm let us consider our ways. Heaven cannot be entered by the natural man, only by the sovereign grace of God. When Christ calls, His sheep hear His voice. Today, what keeps you from repentance? Are you of this kingdom? Have you entered by grace through faith alone, having been called, fetched, renewed, enlivened? Has your love for this world waned? What proof have you of your heavenly abode? So many have heard, so many have touched, so many have tasted of the heavenly gift, but have never entered into the kingdom from above. Here comes the Baptist, he points the way, and there you stand unmoved. Consider the man with excuses. In John 5 we read that there was at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. There lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. Amidst them was a lame man who had lain at the Pool of Bethesda for thirty-eight years. He had laid there with countless others all those years, never having been the better, despite all those years but a span removed from the end of his miseries. How many I wonder, how many even here today, how many are there that have year upon year heard of the gospel, of the kingdom of heaven, and have watched as others have been made whole, happy, and departed in peace, never themselves able to ever enter into that well condition. How many shall have heard, "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand," have watched as Jesus came by, but never were better for it. For when Jesus came by that day we read, He knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? It is the question posed to everyone that ever has lain for so long, so close to the presence of God, so close to the kingdom of God, but never have been made whole, never haver risen, never have entered into the kingdom leaping, walking, and rejoicing. Instead, upon every occasion they have been asked, wilt thou be made whole, there answer has been the same, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Excuses, that is what Jesus heard that day. Imagine all the excuses Jesus has heard, I am too busy, I am too distracted, I am too late, I am too crippled, I am not ready yet, I am waiting until I can make it on my own, I like laying here, I prefer my current estate, I'm better off where I am. Excuses is what Jesus hears. The kingdom is at hand. God be thanked that it is not up to us to make it to Jesus. It is not up to us to be quick enough, or strong enough, or able enough to get to Him, but He comes to us. Oh may it be that today it is as that day for that man, who after 38 years, without hope and full of excuses, he heard Jesus say, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked. For what a shame for you to have been here all these years but never to have met the King and entered the kingdom of heaven. 2. For our contemplation let us consider urgency of the bounties of our heavenly kingdom. We are chosen of God. We are called to repentance. We are made anew. We are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, those made to wander, those of a divine covenant, those with a heavenly service and calling, those given the Spirit of God. Those adopted into a royal family. Those blessed to serve this King. What a calling! What an honor! What a privilege! What a weight of glory! Will we not cast aside all to follow Him? It is time to assess your priorities. It is time to reconsider the cost. Have you squandered joy and peace for earthly pursuits? Have you never taken the kingdom of heaven by storm? In Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress there is a man called Little Faith. O he is a Christian, but a miserable sort. He possesses very little of heaven's joy, of heaven's peace, for he is but of little faith. Little Faith started his pilgrimage by falling asleep. And so this Little-faith, while going on pilgrimage just as we are, happened to sit down for a while and then fell asleep. It also happened at that time that three sturdy rogues came down the lane from Broad-way-gate; and their names were Faintheart, Mistrust, and Guilt. These three rouges They stole his purse; guilt struck him on the head, and he bled profusely. He kept only his jewels, those emblems of his true faith. We are told this man continued on his pilgrimage a feeble and frail soul. He continued to beg and scrape around; yes, he went forward, but often with an empty stomach for most of the remaining journey. So many that are of Christ are content with to journey as Little Faith. They have never bartered by faith with the heavenly King along the way. They have not dined as Mephibosheth at the King's table, have infrequently tasted of the glorious word; they know little of heaven's treasures. You cannot know this kingdom but by the preaching and study and meditation of the word and its use. Those that know not Christ, those that know nothing of this book, know so little of faith. They are those of Little Faith that limp beaten, bruised, afraid, timid, frightened every time the Prince of this world says, "Boo!" Are you tired of a Christianity that is tasteless, savorless, saltless? Have you no affections for Him that is your professed King? Have you never ventured to His throne to behold Him above? Have you never marveled to behold the Lamb of God slain from the foundations of the world? Little Faith rarely remembered his jewels, those tokens of the promise of God that he was a citizen of heaven. So it was that on those occasions it was recalled to mind, perhaps by a momentary reflection, perhaps he happened once in a long while to hear a sermon, when at times his mind was comforted with the contemplation of his jewels, yet thoughts about his monetary loss would rise up again and overwhelm his previous comfort. O the world choked out every joy. How sad that so many pilgrims that possess these jewels of faith prefer to live in Sodom as Lot and have their souls vexed for want of faith. Today, as you hear it once again, "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand," perhaps it will be that you will finally be granted to courage to say, "Away with this world! Away with foolish pursuits! Enough with a meager Christianity and feckless life of paltry faith!" Perhaps today you will be like that prodigal in the troughs of the swine and come to your senses, saying, When he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."' It's not too late to come to your senses. Stop living life a madman in the tombs; the key to those chains that bind you to sin, this world, its misery and futility is here before you! It's time to leave the Dungeon of Giant Despair, to escape the relentless beatings of Diffidence. Here is the key to your escape. You have had it all along. Use it! Make the preaching and teaching of God's word and kingdom your first love. Haven't you dined on the dog's vomit long enough? For our rumination let us all that God caused to wander in this world consider all we have joyfully left behind. By grace alone, in Christ alone, though faith alone, we have left this world behind! We have left behind this troubled life. We have left behind this world's relentless master. We have left behind sin's bondage and its relentless misery. We have left behind incessant fear and doubt. We have left behind this fallen world and all its curses, plights, and sorrows. We have left behind Adam's curse and futile labors. We have left behind the world's madness and vain pursuits. We have left behind the tattered, stained rags of sin's weave and wear the spotless garments of the Lamb. We are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people. We are the children of the Most High God. We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. We once were blind, but now we see. We once were lame, but now we leap! We once were dead, but now we are alive. We know how to be abased and how to abound. We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. O does this excite you? Does your soul pine for Christ? Here He comes; hear the Baptist say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." For here comes Christ the Lord, the Lamb of God, your beloved and King. Look there! Standing on the mountain, behold how He is changed! In an instant, in the twinkling of eye, He is transformed before you. He is risen. He is alive. He bears the wounds of your sins. Tremble before Him, but weep no more; for the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David has prevailed to loose the seals. There He is! And yea, here He comes! Behold the Lamb of God! He will shortly appear and when He does His bride will surely say, My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether. May our Lord grant you the joy to behold the Lamb as we further our venture through the gospel of Mathew. For here comes the King of Glory. Let all the earth be silent before Him.