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The
Kingdom of God
By
Ron Schwartz
kmsrjs@triton.net
Mark 4:30-32 (KJV)
30 And he said,
Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison
shall we compare it?
31 It is like a
grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less
than all the seeds that be in the earth:
32 But when it is
sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth
out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the
shadow of it.
We
read scriptures such as these that describe the Kingdom of God and we
are left with a sense of wonder.
The Jews listened to this teaching and were left with a sense
of anticipation. The
teaching of the Kingdom of God is to us a mystery, but to the Jews it
was something to which they had been looking forward for almost a
thousand years.
Matthew
3:1-4 (KJV)
1 In those days came
John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2 And saying, Repent
ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3 For this is he
that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one
crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his
paths straight.
4 And the same John
had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his
loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
When
John appeared upon the shores of the Jordan River proclaiming, “The
kingdom of heaven is at hand,” this was not a deep mystery to the
Jews. They had suffered
for centuries under the rule of one empire after another.
They had suffered under the tyranny of Babylon, the Meads and
Persians, and the Assyrians. At the time of John the Baptist, the
Roman Empire was their oppressor.
Through
their suffering under all these empires, God sent His prophets
proclaiming a Deliverer who would once and forever put away their
oppression. The following passages illustrate this;
Daniel
2:44 (KJV)
And
in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom,
which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to
other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Daniel
7:13-14 (KJV)
14
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom,
that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and
his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Psalms
89:29 (KJV)
29
His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the
days of heaven.
Psalms
89:36-37 (KJV)
36
His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me.
37
It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful
witness in heaven. Selah.
Jeremiah
23:5-6 (KJV)
5
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David
a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and
shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Isaiah
9:6-7 (KJV)
7
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to
establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for
ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Zechariah
12:7-8 (KJV)
8
In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he
that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the
house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before
them.
The
Jews believed that God would raise up another king like David, a
Messiah who would put down all oppression and restore their nation to
the greatness it knew under David’s reign.
When David became king, he united the fragmented tribes and
unified them into a mighty nation.
Mighty men rallied around him, and through his leadership, they
put down every enemy that ever came against them.
So powerful were the armies he commanded that even the most
powerful nations came bearing gifts and asking for peace.
The Jews longed for the Messiah to come.
Yet
when the Messiah came the Jews did not recognize Him.
Why? Because they
misunderstood the scriptures they professed to cherish.
We read this and are unmoved.
But consider carefully that only a remnant of godly people did
understand.
Matthew
16:13-17 (KJV)
13 When Jesus came
into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying,
Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said,
Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others,
Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto
them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter
answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus
answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in
heaven.
Why
was this such an important event?
We read this passage and think, of course He was the Christ.
After all, consider the miracles He did.
Consider the power He demonstrated over nature.
It doesn’t take the Holy Spirit to see that He was the Son of
God. But to the Jews,
Jesus’ life presented many major problems that could not be
explained.
The
Christ was to be king. Where
were the prophets anointing and announcing Him as king as they had
with David and Saul? The
Christ was to come out of Bethlehem.
The Christ was to unify the fragmented tribes of Israel,
whereas this man’s teaching was divisive.
Why wasn’t He rallying the mighty men to battle?
Why wasn’t He confrontational with the Roman government?
These unanswered questions presented major obstacles to the
Jews.
However,
here in this passage, Peter was able to set aside his preconceived
notions concerning the Christ and listen to the Holy Spirit speak to
his heart.
Acts 1:4-6 (KJV)
4 And, being
assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not
depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which,
saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly
baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not
many days hence.
6 When they
therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt
thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
After
spending 3½ years with Jesus, they were still waiting for the Messiah
to put down Roman rule and establish Israel as a mighty kingdom.
Matthew 28:16-18
(KJV)
16 Then the eleven
disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had
appointed them.
17 And when they saw
him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came
and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and
in earth.
“But
some doubted.” Consider
the gravity of this statement. They
saw Jesus heal every form of sickness.
They saw Him demonstrate His power over nature.
They saw Him multiply the food, raise the dead, and do so many
miracles “that even the world itself could not contain the books
that should be written (John 21:25 KJV).”
They had now just witnessed Jesus’ death, the earth’s
trembling, and sun’s refusal to shine.
Then Jesus arose from the dead.
Yet “some doubted.” Given
all that had taken place over the prior 3½ years, how is it that
anyone could doubt?
Religious
traditions are difficult to overcome.
Everyone conceded that Jesus was a rabbi because of His
teachings. Many could
even bring themselves to allow Him to be called a prophet because of
His miracles. But to
acknowledge Him as the Messiah? That
would go against the very fabric of their faith.
The
Jews weren’t completely wrong.
They believed in one God: Jehovah.
They believed in the Word of God.
They held sacred God’s law and upheld its righteousness
(Matthew 19:16-20). Where
they missed it was in their understanding of the Kingdom of God and
the prophecies concerning it. The
Jews were quick to heed the instruction of John the Baptist: they
repented and were baptized. However,
his preaching concerning the Kingdom, the Word embraced by Jesus and
His disciples, was completely contrary to their established doctrines
and understanding of biblical prophecy.
They could not accept it.
Ironically,
we find a similar issue with God’s people today.
By and large, the Church believes in God, His Word, and the
righteousness He demands. There
is little controversy over the need to repent or be baptized.
The controversy centers mostly on the understanding of the
Kingdom of God.
The
Kingdom of God, a kingdom of power!
Luke
17:20-21 (KJV)
20
And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God
should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not
with observation:
21
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the
kingdom of God is within you.
The
Kingdom of God itself was not observable.
This is not to say that the effects of God’s kingdom were not
observable by those with whom it came into contact.
Consider the following scripture:
·
“But
if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is
come unto you (Matthews 12:28 KJV).”
Is this not observable?
·
“For
the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17 KJV).”
·
“For
the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power (1 Corinthians 4:20
KJV).”
A
few days ago as I came home late from work, I turned the radio on to
listen to music. Instead
of music, I heard a speaker say, “You may have the Spirit of God and
don’t even know it. It
came with the package of salvation.
At some point in time, the Spirit of God moved into your life,
set up His kingdom, and you weren’t even aware of it.”
I
was stunned by his assertion. Is
it possible for the God of the universe to move into your heart
without your being aware of it? Do
you believe that if a devil suddenly were to possess you that you
would fail to know it?
The
Power of God is active
The
power of God is not passive but active.
It compels us into righteousness, love, and humility.
If you struggle with these things in your life, then you should
question whether or not the Holy Ghost is present.
God’s kingdom is not a mystical place beyond the stars where
He dwells in a heavenly abode. It’s
present! It’s with us!
It’s in our very hearts.
John said that the kingdom of God is at hand.
“At hand” means near to us.
It’s within our reach!
Romans
8:11 (KJV)
11
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in
you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your
mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Paul
could have written, “…if the Spirit of God dwell in you.”
But he did not. Instead
he wrote, “if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the
dead dwell in you.” Why?
To underscore the working of the Spirit of God.
He is a life-giving spirit.
When the Spirit of God is present, It brings life to that which
is dead. It drives out
death and corruption.
·
Life
finds a way, violently if necessary.
In the winter, a white blanket of snow covers the mountains and
valleys, and the trees are barren.
But when springtime comes the snow melts and life burst forth
in unquenchable violence.
·
Life
can be fierce. Roots have
been known to penetrate an iron sewage pipe or a cement slab.
How much more the “life giving” Spirit of God?
·
The
Kingdom of God could not be prevented.
Both the religious and the demonic tried to prevent it but
could not.
Romans
8:9 (KJV)
But
ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit
of God dwell in you.
Conversion
and change are not optional, nor are they accomplished through
determination, self-control, or discipline.
The Spirit of God drives out death, sin, and self.
Colossians
1:13 (KJV)
Who
hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us
into the kingdom of his dear Son:
We
have been “translated,” moved from darkness into light.
Yet many well-intentioned teachers profess that Christians
remain “sinners” every day throughout their entire lives.
When Jesus saw sin within the temple, He drove it out with zeal
and passion. Sin was not
tolerated. But yet we are
taught that Jesus sympathizes with our sin and understands our
failures. We convince
ourselves that somehow sin in the temples of our bodies will be
overlooked.
We
could also ask, did Jesus lose His power when He left this earth?
Or, why is it that when He walked this earth He held complete
dominion and all things were obedient to His command, but now that He
lives and has dominion in our hearts, obedience has become optional?
2
Chronicles 5:1-2, 11-14 (KJV)
11
And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place:
(for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not
then wait by course:
12
Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of
Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed
in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the
east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests
sounding with trumpets:)
13
It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to
make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when
they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and
instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good;
for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a
cloud, even the house of the LORD;
14
So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the
cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.
When
the Spirit of God was present, it drove out that which was fleshly.
Distractions
are prevalent
That
which keeps us from God is prevalent.
It’s all around us. If
they hear a message that stresses the importance of holiness, many
Christians begin to feel uncomfortable as the result of their
conviction, and consequently,
view
it as negative. Why?
Churches have been invaded with men whose goal is to make
people feel good when they attend.
That way they will want to return.
This behavior also has a biblical pattern.
Did
you ever consider why Israel so easily turned away from God?
First of all, there was but one Tabernacle.
There was only one place to worship God, but there were idols
and shrines everywhere catering to the whims and passions of people.
Satan made it easy and appealing to serve him by making
prevalent the opportunity to miss God.
Consider the following two passages:
1
Kings 14:21-23 (KJV)
23
For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every
high hill, and under every green tree.
2
Kings 17:7-12 (KJV)
10
And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and
under every green tree:
Conclusion:
·
Men have always looked for a natural kingdom, but instead God
brought a spiritual one.
·
We, just like Peter, need to be a people that goes
beyond preconceived ideas and traditions in order to be able to see
Jesus as the Messiah, our King.
·
Religious traditions, if not overcome, will hold us back
from walking in the fullness of the Kingdom of God.
·
God has “translated” us from a natural world of sin
and corruption into a supernatural kingdom of power and life through
His Son Jesus.
·
In these last days, there are people who have only a
form of godliness but deny that power.
·
The Kingdom of God is within us, and it is present
today! It is not a
kingdom that we must wait for after we die, but one that we can and
should be walking in today. In
this we can truly be alive!
·
We must view the Kingdom of God like the man in the
parable (Matthew 13:44) who went and sold all that he had to purchase
that field which had treasure hidden in it. He valued that treasure
above all else that he owned.
·
Finally, there is this challenge: have you sold all to
purchase the Kingdom of God? Have you abandoned all to seize the
prize? Are you walking in
the power of the Kingdom of God? If not, are you willing to set aside
the traditions and the preconceived ideas that are holding you back?
May
the grace of God be with you always.
Amen.
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