The Kingdom of God

Kings and Kingdoms

We pray it in the Lord’s Prayer,

“Your Kingdom Come, Your will be done”

Jesus spoke about a Kingdom of God. Many of his Parables “the Kingdom of God is like”…

When Jesus is before Pilot:

John 18:36–37 ESV

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.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

We know that God’s kingdom is not of this world, that it is a spiritual kingdom.

Much emphasis has been put on this and rightly so.

But if we focus on this we will miss out on a bigger truth and a Key part of what God is doing with His Church. Our Purpose on Earth.

Scripture is also clear that God’s kingdom is a disruptive force to the Kingdoms of this world.

Think of a King.

They were the highest authority in the Land, (under God). No division of Power. No Supreme court to answer to. No Constitution to sear to uphold, no Legislature to impeach you. No Press core to answer to. No promises to break. DO what ever you like.

Full and Complete authority to do what you like.

Kings could be Great. or Kings could be Tyrants. It depended on how they related to God.

Did they think they were God? or did they Fear God as a higher authority?

Think of a Kingdom.

The people and Land the King had power over. The King could tell the people what to do and they had to do it of face imprisonment or death.

If a riot occured no problem. lock em up, kill them. Up to the King.

A kingdom was a good place to live if the Kings was good. If not it was hell on earth.

Take a walk through history, and the Kingdoms on Earth that rejected God have been filled with evil. IN the last Century, the earth has seen modern day “kings” with total power under Communism, and Socialism. 100 years, and 100 Million murdered.

As we have been reading through Daniel we saw the Godless societies,

Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Ptolemy, (the desecration of the temple that lead to the Maccabees revolt), Rome

Each bigger, and badder than the one before it. All, being used to destroy God’s people

Consider the the Kingdom of GOD

The PEOPLE: GOD has ultimate power and Authority so his Kingdom should be the universe and all that is in it.

But God gave freedom. Free will. and Man Chose Sin, every one. No one remained righteous.

Each chose their own way and their way came to be ruled by evil desires

and they became as slaves to sin in bondage to the evil one. Satan.

the who world was in bondage to sin.

The apostle Paul proves it when he describes the situation even supposedly good people have:

Romans 7:15–20 “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”

The LAND: So the only thing really left to God in His kingdom is The LAND.

The Created things that did not have free will. They had not become slaves to Sin.

Creation still belonged to God.

The LAND was being ruined, and tortured, and exploited by Sinful people

Much worse than the ruining of land by deforestation and other environmental evils was the Desecration of the LAND by SIN from the people living in it.

Is it interesting how scripture talks about the LAND.

God GAVE LAND a LAND GRANT (because it belonged to Him) to Abraham and the Jewish people.

And when Innocent Blood is spilled on the land it brought a curse of Guilt and there was Drought and pestilence, and effectively God’s blessing, was withheld from the land. It is so important to understand what SIN has defiled the LAND. and to make atonement for it.

Genesis 4:8–10 ESV

Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.

You see the LAND is still GOD’s and it is still obedient to God, it will cry out. here it is the BLOOD.

but other verses show the LAND is involved.

Jeremiah 12:4 ESV

How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither? For the evil of those who dwell in it the beasts and the birds are swept away, because they said, “He will not see our latter end.”

You see the part of God’s Kingdom that is still faithful and Obedient to Him, is suffering.

Romans 8:19–20 ESV

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope

So creation is waiting for the People known as the sons of God, to be reveled.

For a sinful people to be restored, and made new and com back to walk with God in obedience.

A new Kingdom, a Restored Kingdom

But what if, God’s creation came back to him? What if these slaves of sin could be Restored?

what might that be like?

Those people would be part of a Kingdom of God.

(also “kingdom of the Lord,” “kingdom of heaven”).

That term then would describe the Land and the People that are obeying God’s Will.

Refers primarily to God’s kingly power exercised over creation and people.

How will God do this? what will it be like… The prophets of the Old testament longed to understand these things and could only prophesy about them from far off.

God Founded the Church through Jesus His son.

He rescued the people from Slavery to Sin so they could Obey Him again.

this placed them back in God’s Kingdom.

The place were Gods will is done. because we are Obedient to His will.

SO the Church is Part of God’s Kingdom to the degree that we are obedient to God.

Daniel was one of The prophets of the Old testament that longed to understand the hidden mystery of the Church, “Gods Kingdom”.

Infact, perhaps the Prophet Daniel is chief among the prophets on this topic. The Kingdom of God.

How does God introduce Daniel to this idea? so amazing.

In the Dream of a pagan King Nebuchadnezzar that has given orders for Daniel’s execution.

Daniel 2:26–45 ESV

The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind. “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 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 shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

What Daniel reveals about the Kingdom of God

That the Kingdoms of Man are are successive and worth less as time goes on.

Unlike what we study in school about the evolution of man,

The bible tells of the Devolving of man as man walks away from God.

The Kingdoms are becoming less impressive (as seen by the value of the metal), till at one point in the Iron kingdom something very strange and significant happens.

a Rock, not Cut by Human hands strikes the Feet of Iron and clay.

the interpretation says that the Kings of the God of Heaven will setup a kingdom that will not be destroyed.

Then the rest of the kingdom also broke into dust like chaff that was carried by the wind.

The rock then grows to a great mountain to fill the whole earth.

Make no mistake, the kingdom of God is on a collision course with the governments of this world.

We should never expect the Governments of Man to be a Friend of the Gospel.

[By God’s Grace America was founded, to be a nation friendly to the Gospel and be a mission sending nation. but we should not be surprised that Satan is trying to destroy that. I believe that as intercessors we have a role to pay to see us return to that place. But here is great conflict now.]

God has thrown the Rock of the Church Jesus, and He has established his Church.

His Church is designed to pulverize the the kingdom of man.

The Kingdom of God is in direct opposition to the Kingdoms of this Word.

Satan knows this and this is why he has targeted the Church for destruction.

To think that the Church should be unconcerned about politics is a deadly devilish deception. I can assure you Satan who controls the kingdoms of this world, Babylon the great on down, and knows who his enemy is.

The church is destined to destroy these kingdoms. And that has been foretold through Daniels dream and the interpretation is sure.

The church has been destroying kingdoms… one by one. the disruptive affect of Christs kingdom has been clearly evident in history.

It was the Kingdom of God that destroyed the Vikings.

As brittle King after brittle king has risen up to take over the world,

It has been the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the mouths of Christian Men and women obeyed God that has stood against these Brittle kingdoms.

The gospel instilled them with courage to stand against evil and pray, and to act. that have seen the victory of these regimes topple one after another.

It was Christians like pastor Bonhoeffer that stood up against Hitler and Nazi Germany. Yes he and his network helped provided necessary intelligence needed to win the war. But it was his preaching and discipleship and unwavering commitment to the truth that moved others and still moves people today. Was it not for Nations that had been transformed by the Gospel, Britain and the USA, Hitler would have taken the entire World.

Time and Time again, it has been Courageous Men and Women of God that have stepped up against evil and changed the coarse of nations and prevented Evil from wining the day.

Daniel continues to repeat the message that God will have a kingdom that will be greater and last fro ever. Nebuchadnezzar himself realizes this in Chapter 4.

Daniel 4:34 ESV

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;

In Daniel Chapter 6, it is the King Darius of the New empire that sets up residence in Babylon to proclaims the eternal kingdom of God that has an everlasting kingdom.

Daniel 6:25–27 ESV

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.”

Then in Daniel 7, Daniel has a dream again about the kingdoms of Man… Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome… and clearly it echos chapter 2’s dream by Nebuchadnezzar. and it introduces us to the one that looks like a Son of Man — the Messiah. the Christ, but 500 years before Jesus.

Daniel 7:13–14 ESV

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

the rock carved out without human hands is Jesus and the Kingdom of God that he brings. The Church and it growth has had a sizable disruptive influence on the worlds governments.

In fact it is thrown by God to disrupt and pulverize the wicked intentions of these Governments.

Satan Knows this and is working to destroy the Church through is influence in the Governments of this world.

The Kingdom of God will eventually destroy these governments . But not before a significant set of battles. Daniel and Revelation give us hints about what it will be like.

One thing is certain. the Governments of Babylon are no friend of God, and God has Chosen his Kingdom to assault the Demonic kingdoms.

You have heard it said that the pen is mightier than the sword.

But the Gospel is mightier than both.

It is the self sacrificial love of God Servants that love their enemies and share the Gospel that will destroy these nations. They will like Bonhoeffer stand for truth and proclaim the truth and

Jesus came in the fullness of time. During the Kingdom of Rome the Kingdom of Iron. a Rock thrown by God to destroy the Satanic plans of the Human Kingdoms.

Mk 1:14–15 Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

And he did all the things we read of in the Gospels, and he explains to us the Kingdom of God in many parables. <<?>>

Matthew 13:31–33 ESV

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

there are many more. But you can see here that the Kingdom starts out small. it is unassuming. But it will grow. and grow powerfully. Changing everything.

Your problems may seam big and insurmountable. the choice to follow Jesus may seam insignificant.

But as he finishes his life with a farewell address in the upper room at the last supper...

Lk 22:18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

We see the kingdom of God comes after Jesus has died and been resurrected.

It is the saving life transforming power of the resurrection that moves us into the Kingdom of God. It is our obedience to the way of Jesus and the Lordship the Kingship of Him in our lives that makes the all the difference.

There are two paths.

There are two ways that diverge for us in our life.

Ike the poem by Robert Frost “the road not taken”, we are all confronted by “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” and we “cannot travel both”.

Unlike the poem by Robert frost, “ the Road not Taken”, wear both roads are overgrown and covered in leaves and the choice is hard to make.

One is wide and broad and it is easy and attractive. it is the way of Human Nature. And it is both subtle and bold. It claims to be the way of Self-reliance. Of doing things your way.; Yet it is the way of Slavery to sin and leads to death. it is the Kingdom of Man that is represented by Babylon.

The other is Narrow, and Hard. It is the way of placing your slef under the ruralship of another. To living a life of Obedience. But it does not lead to destruction, it leads to redemption, a new life of meaning and purpose, filled with life and Truth. It is better, because although it subjugating yourself to another, sounds abhorrent to our society. This road is filled with love. For God himself walk this path with you . He loves you completely and wants the best for you. So his burden is light. and easy. This is the path of the Kingdom of God.

either way you life will be different. like the poem

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

The ACTS of the Holy Spirit filled Church

The entire book of ACTs is filled with the exploits of people who chose the Kingdom of God.

they lead lives full of purpose and meaning and adventure, trials and dangers.

As member of the Kingdom of God that was beginning to grow, they had ben thrown by God to disrupt and destroy the Kingdom of Man. They knew it. But they did not shrink back from it. They followed the leading of the Holy Spirit in Obedience.

I know most of you have chosen to step out and take the path of the Kingdom of God. I hope I have not scared you. We do not know the trials that await us on this path.

The Kingdom of Man understood the danger posed by this Growing Rock.

They were persecuted, and some were imprisoned and some killed.

Not everyone will lead a life like Paul. But some of us might. We are not called to walk the path of another Christian, but called to walk the Path with Jesus.

Like Bobby the Motolone Indian friend of Bruce Olsen, in the Book “Bruchko”. we discover that we each walk our own path with Jesus through the Jungle of life. No two paths are the same. But we walk with Jesus who knows the way. for he is the Way. Truth and Life.

Bruchko: The Astonishing True Story of a 19-Year-Old American, His Capture by the Motilone Indians and His Adventures in Christianizing the Stone Age Tribe Chapter 17: Jesus, the Motilone

CHAPTER 17: JESUS, THE MOTILONE

Yet for all the danger Paul faced… - Paul describes the Life in the Kingdom of God like this.

Romans 14:17 ESV

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Image that. He is flogged, stoned left for dead, beaten, and shipwrecked, imprisoned, and he still describes the Kingdom of God as righteousness, peace and Joy. He wrote that from the Roman prison.

a few years later we see Paul at the end of the Book still at Peace and still in Joy, is sharing that Kingdom, while under house arrest in Rome. The Iron Kingdom that was just beginning to feel the impact of the Rock that was carved out but not by human hands and thrown against the Kingdoms of the world to destroy them.

Acts 28:30–31 ESV

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

He proclaimed the Kingdom of God. Boldly.... can we do the same?