BFM 2000 Series #7: The Kingdom

Introduction

Tonight, we’ll have our last BFM study and there were a number of topics that I considered going through. Evangelism, Cooperation, Religious Liberty, the Family and others stood out for various contemporary reasons, but the one that resonated the most was article 9: The Kingdom. As Christians, we talk about how we are apart of the Kingdom of God. What does that mean? As we talked about this morning, we read in the Gospels that Jesus talks a lot about the Kingdom of God as something being at hand - yet we also know in Scripture that the Kingdom is a future reality. It’s an “already but not yet” truth and it should impact the way that we live our lives!

David Jeremiah put it well whenever he said, “Many Christians have the mistaken notion that eternal life begins when they die. But that is not biblically accurate. Eternal life begins when we are born again into the Kingdom of God.” If you are a Christian, if you’ve repented of your sins and have been born again, then you get a glimpse of the Kingdom of God already! The Psalmist shares in Psalm 34 to

Psalm 34:8 CSB

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in him!

How can we taste and see this? It’s only possible because the Kingdom is a present reality. We don’t have to wait to be a part of it. We experience it now. With that said, what if you’re not a Christian? How does the Kingdom impact their life? We know that our God reigns over all of His creation as it’s rightful ruler and king. We read in Psalm 103 that

Psalm 103:19 CSB

19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

This means that even if you’re not a Christian, even if you’ve never heard the name of Jesus, you encounter the Kingdom because God’s rule extends to all people. If you look in the BFM, you see lots of topics that we frequently study and discuss. Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, Eschatology (end times), Evangelism, and others. Yet, we don’t talk a lot about the Kingdom. This needs to be an important topic that is dear to our hearts. Let’s study this neglected topic tonight.

The BFM shares this, ““The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God's will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age”

Let’s read some of these Scripture passages:

Genesis 1:1 CSB

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Isaiah 9:6–7 CSB

6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.

Matthew 3:2 CSB

2 and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”

Matthew 26:29 CSB

29 But I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Mark 1:14–15 CSB

14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: 15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Luke 12:31–32 CSB

31 “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be provided for you. 32 Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom.

John 3:3 CSB

3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Colossians 1:13 CSB

13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.

Hebrews 12:28 CSB

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe,

God’s Kingdom is universal and impacts all people - but some people reject His authority. Every single human is either in the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Man. Tonight we’ll look at what the Kingdom is, what it is not, and why the Kingdom matters today.

What the Kingdom of God is

Think of some of the mightiest nations you’ve heard of or read about. Some of the ones that immediately come to mind in the ancient world are the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and several others. In the middle ages and Enlightenment era the Ottomans, British, and Spanish dominated the world. These kingdoms lasted varying amounts of time and had great rulers and military leaders. They won key battles and made crucial discoveries. Yet, each and every one of these world powers met their eventual demise. They rose and they fell. We read in the BFM that God’s Kingdom is different because the ruler isn’t a king, ruler, dictator, or president. Instead, it is the Lord Himself. He is the King of His Kingdom.

We read in the Bible that the Kingdom of God is a present truth that we are apart of

Mark 1:15 ESV

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

The Kingdom is at hand. We are apart of this kingdom now as children of God! Yet, we also see in Scripture and in the BFM that the consumption of this kingdom will wait for the future when Christ returns and brings about His eternal Kingdom. We read in the Gospels about the Kingdom as Jesus talks about it often. How does Jesus bring about a kingdom? We know that this world is under the power of darkness as Ephesians 2 shares this

Ephesians 2:1–2 CSB

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient.

That’s who we were before Christ. What did Christ do? We read in the Gospels that Jesus wages war against the powers of darkness. Jesus drives demons out. He heals people of diseases and sickness. 1 Cor 15:55-57

1 Corinthians 15:55–57 CSB

55 Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting? 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

This is what we see Jesus do - He gives us the victory! Who gets the ultimate victory? To those who are apart of His kingdom. Who can be apart of His Kingdom? People of every nation, tribe, and tongue! With the Roman Empire, if you were born in the empire, you received extra benefits compared to someone who was not. Is that how it is for Christians? Do some people get extra benefits and rights? No. We read in Galatians 3 that we are all adopted into His Kingdom and we all receive the same rights!

Galatians 4:4–5 CSB

4 When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

God is the creator and king. He sent forth His Son to redeem those under the law and to adopt us as sons and daughters into His Kingdom! This means that we receive something. In legal adoption, the adopted party receives the privliges and status of a biological child. In the Kingdom, what do we get? We get Christ’s righteousness

Romans 3:22 CSB

22 The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction.

2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB

21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

This is good news! Because we are apart of God’s Kingdom, we receive something. We receive Christ’s righteousness. Further, we have the hope that we are apart of something bigger than ourselves and something that will last forever.

The United States is a dominant nation - likely the most powerful one the world has ever seen. Yet, the United States has only been around for 250 years. The Roman empire was around for nearly 1000 years if you count the Byzantine Empire. We can’t grasp Hebrews 12:28 as we see

Hebrews 12:28 CSB

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe,

A Kingdom that cannot be shaken… The Kingdoms of this world will be shaken. Each and every one will rise and fall in due time. The Psalmist shares this in Psalm 46 as we find

Psalm 46:6 CSB

6 Nations rage, kingdoms topple; the earth melts when he lifts his voice.

Psalm 46:7 CSB

7 The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah

If nations rage and kingdoms topple, where should our ultimate hope and allegiance lie? In the Kingdom of God that will never falter, fall, or waver. Because He is our stronghold.

We have the hope that we belong to His everlasting Kingdom now - and we will be with Him for all eternity as He continues to rule and reign.

What the Kingdom of God is not

The Kingdom of God is an immediate and future reality. The Kingdom of God gives us benefits and changes our trajectory. The Kingdom of God has a ruler. The Kingdom of God is cosmic and earthly. The Kingdom of God is universal. The Kingdom of God is so many things! Yet, some people say the Kingdom of God is things that it simply is not.

Some people say that the Kingdom of God is something that promises to bring about your best life now. The Kingdom of God promises to heal you of every illness and bless you financially. The Kingdom of God promises ultimate restoration and reconciliation but not of earthly things… The Kingdom brings about a new people - a people who have been saved of their sins! The Kingdom of God is by nature exclusive - a message that our world hates to hear! Our world loves inclusiveness and how everyone is a winner and everyone gets a participation trophy. The same idea carries over to Jesus and His Kingdom. God created everything and every person. He made man in His image, therefore it just makes sense that everyone gets a participation trophy and gets to go to heaven when they die. That’s not what we see in Scripture, though. The Kingdom of God isn’t something you’re naturally born into - you and I are born outside the Kingdom. Something must change in our lives!

We read in the Bible that we must call on the name of the Lord

Romans 10:13 CSB

13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

What if you don’t call on the name of the Lord? What if you don’t repent and trust in Jesus? You’re not saved. What if you’re not saved? You’re separated from God for all eternity and you don’t inherit the benefits of being in the Kingdom. We can debate about the order of calling on the name of the Lord and the nuances of that subject all day long, but we see in the Bible that the Lord calls people to Himself and to repent of their sin. Yet, people don’t do it. We know people in our world who expect to spend eternity with Jesus but they won’t spend Sunday with His Church. Does that mean that you have to come to Church every Sunday to be a Christian? No. We’ve all been sick and busy before. But it’s a principle thing. Faith in Jesus and being apart of His eternal kingdom should impact the way that we live and act today. If you’re a new creation, you should desire to live for Jesus today. You desire to be with your brothers and sisters. The Kingdom is not a church, the Kingdom is made up of the church - those individuals who have been adopted into God’s family.

The Significance of the Kingdom in 2021

Because we know that every human is not born into God’s Kingdom but outside of it, I would argue that there is great significance of the Kingdom today. There are billions of people in our world who experience God’s Kingdom but aren’t members of it. We know that Christ is coming back, and we believe that day is getting closer and closer! Therefore, we know that time is running short and people are lost in their sins. Why is the Kingdom significant today? Because there are people around us who aren’t in it. In the early church, they knew that Jesus had brought His Kingdom to earth and that He was coming again soon. They believed that He would return in their lifetime! In Acts, as we’ve been studying in recent months, we’ve seen men and women risk everything to share the Gospel with others. Why do they do this?

Because they know that there are people around them who do not belong to Jesus’ Kingdom. There are people who are lost. There are people who will be separated from God forever unless they repent and trust in Christ! Therefore, what do they do in the Bible? They do whatever it takes to share the Gospel with as many people as they possibly can!

The Kingdom of God should impact the way that we live and evangelize others. We have been set free from sin and death. Christ bore our punishment on the cross! We are no longer under condemnation! Therefore, we should desire to see others join us as members of Christ’s kingdom.

The Kingdom of God is by nature Christocentric. It’s all about Jesus and what He has done for sinners. He has won for us the victory and He has given us His Spirit to join Him in this spiritual battle today. What is even better is that we know that Christ established and promises to build His Kingdom. What God starts, He always finishes because He, by nature is faithful!

Conclusion

If you were told that Jesus Christ was coming back on January 1st, how would you live differently the next 2 months? Would you try harder to reach specific people with the Gospel? Would you pray differently? Would you have people that you’d reach out to that you haven’t talked with in a long time? All of would hopefully adjust our life if we knew this for a fact. My prayer is that we would live this way as Christians. That we would always strive to share the Gospel with others! That we would always pray that the Lord would lay people on our heart to witness to and that we would give thanks that we have been adopted into God’s eternal Kingdom.

Our responsibility is to pray and labor that God’s will would be done and that His Kingdom would come. We can’t bring His Kingdom to earth - Christ will return whenever He is supposed to, not a moment sooner or later, but we can share the Gospel and love others as Christ has first loved us. We can do Kingdom work every day on this side of glory and pray that the Lord would use our efforts to bring people to His Son.

It’s all about Jesus - it’s not about us. It’s about His glory - not our comfort. It’s about His will being done - not ours. Let’s vow to share His Truth with others regardless of the cost.