Well, the final episode of NBC’s TV series, “A.D.” left us hanging; much to my disappointment. That was until I found out that this was because season one came to an end, but season two will be on its way!
For us, however, we’re going to transition into a new message series that I’ve been impatiently waiting to move into.
* Kingdom Come Video Intro *
Luke 17:20-21
Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is:
in your midst – NIV
within you – KJV
within you and among you and surrounding you – AMP
Anyone who makes the constant choice to place their faith in Jesus Christ is an adopted member of the Kingdom of God. We are ambassadors, re-presenting Jesus with the adventurous responsibility of establishing God’s kingdom here on the earth! This kingdom is awesome and we don’t have to wait until Jesus raptures us or we die to experience it, at least in part! God’s kingdom is right here within us, amongst us, and surrounding us because of the presence and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We are members of a kingdom that maintains all ultimate power and authority; a kingdom not merely of words, but a kingdom of action!
Jesus said that God’s kingdom cannot be observed, that people can’t say, “Here it is” or “There it is”. What He meant is that it isn’t a physical place where you go. God’s kingdom is borderless and boundless. There are no boundaries or limits placed around God’s Kingdom as it includes all that exists in every realm, both physical as well as spiritual. Every kingdom is subject to Him and defined by Him. Even the demons and Satan, himself are subject to the authority of God’s kingdom.
Psalm 103:19
The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Acts 17:26
From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.
Romans 13:1
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Our concern throughout this series is not the kingdoms and nations of the earth, however. Our concern is about the kingdom that existed before them all and will outlast them all; the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is comprised of people from every time, nation, and tongue. The uniting bond in this kingdom is God, Himself, through His Holy Spirit.
God isn’t seeking out a people who honor Him only with their lips, but is rather seeking out after a people whose hearts are fully surrendered to Him and who are ready to do His will. God is seeking out after a generation who will lay down their lives and choose to honor all others so that the power of His grace and love might bring His Kingdom here on the earth. Not everyone who thinks that they are a member of God’s Kingdom and that they are representing Him really are. We must carefully keep watch over our own lives as to not fall away and deceive ourselves!
Matthew 21:28-32;43
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
Members of God’s Kingdom are not ones who simply say, “Yes!” to Jesus. Those who are truly members of God’s Kingdom are ones who do the will of God and whose lives clearly display the fruits of the Spirit. Jesus warned us about the many people who sit in church next to us who talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk and taught us how to recognize them.
Matthew 7:15-23
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
None of us want to live our lives with a false sense of security. We want to be the people of God. We want to come before Him at the end of our lives and hear those priceless words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” We want to be the people who we say that we are. Just as Jesus taught, those who are truly members of God’s Kingdom should possess a bounty of the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
These highly valuable and sought after fruits are naturally grown and produced in our lives as we submit ourselves to King Jesus. As we do His will and allow Him to work in and through our lives, in time, these fruits begin to grow. Allowing God to do so is far easier than we might think. After all, Jesus said that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
Doing the will of God as members of His Kingdom is easy because the Holy Spirit empowers us, equips us, and enables us. It’s Him who does the hard part, we simply follow His lead. As members of God’s Kingdom, the supernatural begins to become natural for us.
We’ll go over this in further detail later, but bringing God’s Kingdom is quite simple. Jesus said that whatever we do to the “least of these” in the world’s eyes, we’ve done for Him directly. Giving a drink of water to someone who is thirsty, speaking a word of encouragement, praying for someone who is hurting or sick, donating clothes to the less fortunate, mowing grass for an elderly person, every simple act of honor brings God’s Kingdom here on the earth! We do the ordinary, God does the extraordinary!
God is seeking out a people who cry out as Jesus taught us to:
Matthew 6:9-10
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
As we proceed through this message series entitled, “Kingdom Come”, we’ll learn what God’s kingdom is like and how we bring it. After all, how can I re-present God’s Kingdom and produce its fruits if I don’t know what it is like and what they are?
This world is ready for God’s Kingdom. We are in desperate need of it. These words of Jesus are just as true now as they were then:
Matthew 9:35-38
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
We are His workers. We are the ones that Jesus has chosen to bring God’s Kingdom here on the earth and to do His will. Jesus said about us who believe in Him:
John 14:12
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
We have work to do! We have a job and a responsibility to the Lord that we’ll be held accountable for. That job and responsibility is that God’s Kingdom would come and His will would be done. It’s an adventurous calling!
Jesus is calling us, His disciples, with this simple command:
Matthew 10:7-8
7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
That means that every day for us is a day on a missions trip on the missions field. Our mission is to freely give to others all that Jesus has freely given us. God has given us the free gift of the Holy Spirit who is ready and willing to work in and through our lives to establish the Kingdom of God here on the earth. In God’s Kingdom, there is no sickness, no bondage, no depression, no condemnation, and no death. God’s Kingdom to which we belong is a kingdom of healing, freedom, fullness of joy, forgiveness, and life.
God’s Kingdom is in our midst and within us. Jesus said that as we go, we bring His Kingdom. That means during our everyday, ordinary lives, we will receive opportunities to bring God’s Kingdom on earth. We simply need to train ourselves to hear the leading of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to speak and work through our lives. Some of these keys to watch for are when someone speaks hopelessness to us, when they speak about their sicknesses, when they are broken or lost and uncertain. Anytime that something in someone’s life is not here as it is in Heaven, these are all opportunities for us to establish God’s Kingdom.
The point at which God’s Kingdom meets earth is right here at our feet. As it is written:
Romans 10:13-15
13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
You have the most beautiful of feet because your feet is where God’s Kingdom begins. God’s Kingdom doesn’t bring a message of fear, shame, and condemnation. God’s Kingdom brings a message of hope, forgiveness, and life! We are the bearers of that message! We are the ones whom God has chosen to bring not only the message of His Kingdom, but to bring the manifestation of His Kingdom!
This region is full of people who are sick, hopeless, and lost. Jesus is sending us, members of His Kingdom, to bring good news along with His healing, hope, deliverance, the fullness of His salvation! We don’t throw on sandwich boards that proclaim in fear that the end is drawing near and bad times are coming. We live our lives as a banner that proclaims the goodness and faithfulness of God. A banner that declares that:
Psalm 46:1-3
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
This morning, let us read together and personally apply that ancient, prophetic word that Jesus fulfilled, then passed on to us to continue fulfilling every day of our lives.
Isaiah 61:1-4
61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
We will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
4 We will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
we will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
Who will do all these things? WE WILL! Nu Mine, Dayton, New Bethlehem, get ready because God’s Kingdom is coming and we’re bringing it!